HDR San Francisco Office
- Sustainable Features: Building Reuse, Certified Wood, Construction IAQ Management Plan, Construction Waste Management, Daylighting & Views, Energy Efficiency, Energy Star, Green Cleaning, LEED Silver, Local/Regional Materials, Low-Emitting Materials, Measurement & Verification, Occupant Lighting Control, Occupant Thermal Control, Public Transportation Access, Recycled-content Materials, Water Use Reduction
- Type of Construction: Renovation
- Size: 17,500 SF
- Professional Services: Architecture, Commissioning, Engineering, Interior Design, Site Selection, Sustainable Design Consulting, Upgrades, Retrofits and Modifications
- Project Components: Break Rooms, Collaborative Space, Conference Room, Flex Area, Hoteling Space, Kitchen, Lobby, Open Plan, Outdoor Gathering Space, Private Office, Reception Area, Support Space, Video Conference Room, Work Stations
- Project Type: Tenant Fit-out
- Related Projects: Architecture, Corporate, Tenant Fit-outs
When the staff of HDR Architecture in San Francisco relocated to a new office building in August 2008, it wasn't just a matter of adjusting to a new address. With an eye to sustainability, flexibility and repurposing, a clear design concept was inserted within an existing office configuration. HDR redesigned a downtown office setting into a creative, highly functional and occupant-friendly environment that subsequently earned LEED Commercial Interiors Silver certification.
In the process of redesigning the new office space, HDR assigned special attention to the LEED CI category for Indoor Environmental Quality with a primary goal to create a pleasant, healthy space. Lighting functionality and flexibility was provided via task lighting for staff at every desk, so employees can control the amount of artificial light they need. Sensors and multiple modes of switching control the amount of light delivered to offices and conference rooms and shared areas, which was added to for a full complement of adjustability and energy savings.
All shared team spaces are located on the perimeter to provide maximum daylighting and views to the outdoors. The space was also opened up to achieve more diversity of work environments including offices, work stations of varying size, flex areas and touch-down stations for visitors to use. Walls were also removed to create large spaces that can serve a variety of purposes. For example, a sliding door component between the main conference room and reception area allows the space to open up as a single larger gathering or presentation space.
An important feature of the redesign was HDR's ability to reuse much of what was already in place, including walls, ceilings, lighting and carpeting as well as existing office and workstation furniture with the addition of some supplementary workstations, conference rooms and library furniture. The end result is a space that is beautiful, functional and contains bold elements of design such as the curved-shaped conference room.
Access to public transportation was also important in the site selection process, as well as pedestrian access of not more than a half-mile to at least 10 basic services such as banks, pharmacies, day care, parks, restaurants, museums, etc.
Another plus for the San Francisco office was the use of HDR's own commissioning staff. Because this particular office space had been empty for many years, many elements were more or less 'rusty' or not working at all. By completing commissioning services, it ensured that all HVAC and plumbing equipment worked appropriately.