It was supposed to be the perfect new office. In July 2003, Two Rivers Marketing Group of Des Moines, Iowa, began working with Shiffler Associates Architects on a 14,000-sf building to house their rapidly growing marketing firm. Over the next six months they put together an innovative program that drew on unprecedented amounts of employee feedback. Construction kicked off in June 2004; by December, their dream office was close to being reality.
![]() |
PHOTOS: CAMERON CAMPBELL |
Then, on December 20, 2004, the virtually complete building caught fire and burned to the ground, leaving Two Rivers Marketing with a soon-to-expire lease and no place to go.
In the aftermath of the fire, the Building Team—Shiffler Associates Architects, with Larson & Larson Construction (GC), The Waldinger Group (M/E engineer), and Korpela Engineering (structural)—came to realize that the fire was something of a mixed blessing: the burnt-out space wouldn't have met the client's needs for long in any case. In six years, the staff had grown from 14 to 60 employees, and the marketing firm was hiring like mad. Clearly, finding a new building to renovate with enough room for expansion was top priority.
Three months later, they found the right place—32,000 sf of steel and glass. Originally constructed in 1935, this former General Motors parts warehouse offered sweeping views of the Iowa State Capitol building and downtown Des Moines. With all square footage on one large floor, the warehouse gave Two Rivers Marketing the opportunity to arrange their staff in an open configuration that separated people by distance, rather than walls, and encouraged collaboration between designers, writers, and account managers.
The firm also felt that the industrial space offered a symbolic connection to their clients—largely industrial-based companies like Bobcat and Ingersoll Rand—in a way that a stuffy, marble-and-mahogany environment would not. Nor did it hurt, given the firm's recent history, that the warehouse was made entirely of noncombustible materials.
![]() |
![]() |
Simple, inexpensive materials were used throughout the interior spaces. The main lobby is clad with plywood panels (top) and semi-transparent corrugated fi berglass walls enclose the mezzanine workspaces (above). PHOTOS: CAMERON CAMPBELL |
With Two Rivers Marketing's lease set to run out at the end of 2005, the design-build team had nine months to not only repair 70 years' worth of lapsed maintenance, but also to transform a raw warehouse into the ideal office space for a fun, hip marketing firm.
The first step was quickly coming up with an architectural program and design that would fit the space. Luckily, the team was able to use the program from the original, burnt-out building. To make the program fit the much larger space, they added a photo studio, a larger break area, and plenty of office room that would allow the company to grow.
Then came the job of updating and repairing the shell of the building to meet codes and energy-efficiency needs. The building's windows—steel sash and single pane, many with concrete sills that had come loose from the masonry below—needed serious work. The team reset all the windows and doweled them into place, replacing the old panes with aluminum frames and insulated glazing. The HVAC system, which at purchase consisted of multiple ceiling-hung furnaces, was replaced with more effective rooftop units.
With the basics taken care of, the team could then move on to aesthetics. In order to build a brand connection with their industrial clientele, Two Rivers chose to maintain the look and feel of the original GM structure. The original concrete floor was polished to a bright sheen. The trim materials used for desks, wall details, and the few dividing walls were chosen for both their industrial character and their ability to maintain a sense of openness. These included plywood and inexpensive corrugated fiberglass panels.
But the team's greatest achievement was the addition of a mezzanine into the building's pre-existing central clerestory. Adding 3,000 sf of extra space, the mezzanine is self-supporting and appears to float on narrow, canted columns. It is divided into a series of “pseudo rooms,” defined enough to give the firm's executives private offices, but tied to the rest of the design's open layout by semi-transparent corrugated fiberglass walls set with open plywood window boxes.
The industrial theme is maintained here, too, by walkways made of steel grating and wire mesh guardrails that reference back to old-fashioned factory catwalks. The space beneath the mezzanine is designed to be an impromptu meeting place, with couches and chair groupings that encourage brainstorming sessions.
Completed last December, the project has won several preservation and design awards. Two Rivers Marketing continues to draw in more new employees, possibly as a result of another renovation element—a full kitchen complete with keg fridge and pool table.
Related Stories
| Apr 13, 2011
Red Bull Canada HQ a mix of fluid spaces and high-energy design
The Toronto architecture firm Johnson Chou likes to put a twist on its pared-down interiors, and its work on the headquarters for Red Bull Canada is no exception. The energy drink maker occupies 12,300 sf on the top two floors of a three-story industrial building in Toronto, and the design strategy for its space called for leaving the base building virtually untouched while attention was turned to the interior architecture.
| Apr 13, 2011
Former department store gets new lease on life as MaineHealth HQ
The long-vacant Sears Roebuck building in Portland, Maine, was redeveloped into the corporate headquarters for MaineHealth. Consigli Construction and local firm Harriman Architects + Engineers handled the 14-month fast-track project, transforming the 89,000-sf, four-story facility for just $100/sf.
| Mar 29, 2011
Chicago’s Willis Tower to become a vertical solar farm
Chicago’s iconic Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower) is set to become a massive solar electric plant with the installation of a pilot solar electric glass project.
| Mar 29, 2011
Read up on Amazon.com's new green HQ
Phase IV of Amazon’s new headquarters in Seattle is nearly complete. The company has built 10 of the 11 buildings planned for its new campus in the South Lake Union neighborhood, and is on-track for a 2013 grand opening.
| Mar 11, 2011
Blockbuster remodel transforms Omaha video store into a bank
A former Hollywood Video store in Omaha, Neb., was renovated and repurposed as the SAC Federal Credit Union, Ames Branch. Architects at Leo A Daly transformed the outdated 5,000-sf retail space into a modern facility by wrapping the exterior in poplar siding and adding a new glass storefront that floods the interior with natural light.
| Mar 11, 2011
Chicago office building will serve tenants and historic church
The Alter Group is partnering with White Oak Realty Partners to develop a 490,000-sf high-performance office building in Chicago’s West Loop. The tower will be located on land owned by Old St. Patrick’s Church (a neighborhood landmark that survived the Chicago Fire of 1871) that’s currently being used as a parking lot.
| Mar 9, 2011
Hoping to win over a community, Facebook scraps its fortress architecture
Facebook is moving from its tony Palo Alto, Calif., locale to blue-collar Belle Haven, and the social network want to woo residents with community-oriented design.
| Feb 14, 2011
More companies willing to pay extra for green office space
New CoreNet Global/Jones Lang LaSalle survey shows real estate executives forging green strategies that balance environmental, financial and workforce issues.
| Feb 11, 2011
RS Means Cost Comparison Chart: Office Buildings
This month's RS Means Cost Comparison Chart focuses on office building construction.
| Feb 11, 2011
Kentucky’s first green adaptive reuse project earns Platinum
(FER) studio, Inglewood, Calif., converted a 115-year-old former dry goods store in Louisville, Ky., into a 10,175-sf mixed-use commercial building earned LEED Platinum and holds the distinction of being the state’s first adaptive reuse project to earn any LEED rating. The facility, located in the East Market District, houses a gallery, event space, offices, conference space, and a restaurant. Sustainable elements that helped the building reach its top LEED rating include xeriscaping, a green roof, rainwater collection and reuse, 12 geothermal wells, 81 solar panels, a 1,100-gallon ice storage system (off-grid energy efficiency is 68%) and the reuse and recycling of construction materials. Local firm Peters Construction served as GC.