Despite a coronavirus pandemic that has delayed or postponed projects across typologies and markets, the design firm Ware Malcomb has managed to buck that trend with design work for new buildings and spaces that serve some of the country’s hardest-hit sectors, like retail and offices, as well as some, like industrial, that have prospered during the health crisis.
Since last spring, Ware Malcomb’s completed projects have included:
•In December, the relocation of Key Food Stores Co-op’s corporate offices from Staten Island, N.Y., to 38,000 sf of Class A office space in Old Bridge, N.J. The new digs, on two floors, includes a reception area, conference rooms, a fitness center, and wellness room. The space also features an executive suite, and a test kitchen. Aside from providing interior architecture and design services, Ware Malcomb’s in-house branding studio designed environmental graphics into the workspace and amenity areas. Unity Construction Services was the project’s GC; CBRE was its broker and project manager.
•New office space for Airspace Technologies, the air transport shipping firm, located within the two-building, 235,000-sf Atlas at Carlsbad (Calif.) campus that Ware Malcomb helped to transform in 2017. Airspace Technologies is leasing 23,000 sf that are divided into three department “neighborhoods”: Design, Engineering, and Administrative. A centrally located reception, boardroom, and break area serves as a hub for employees. Ware Malcomb provided interior architecture and design services for this project, which was completed in October. The GC was Good & Roberts; the CM Hughes Marino; and the furniture supplier Cultura.
•Last summer, the 7,500-sf Vallejo First 5 Center opened as a learning and play space for children five years old or younger from low-income families. The space, inside the Vallejo (Calif.) Shopping Mall, has as its focal point a large indoor playground featuring a fantasy theme of bugs and the outdoors. Ware Malcomb provided the interior design architecture and design services, and Underwood Construction was the GC.
L'Oreal's Pulp Riot brand is now working out of new office space in Encino, Calif. Image: Haley Hill Photography
•New offices in Encino, Calif., that Ware Malcomb designed for L’Oreal’s Pulp Riot hair coloring product line. The 6,600-sf space encompasses a hair demo salon, conference rooms, open and flex offices, and a photo studio. It also serves as a training facility for stylists who come from around the country. The GC on this project, completed in July, was Pinnacle.
•Loloi Rugs’ newest facility, which opened in Atlanta last May, is a build-to-suit 646,380-sf building that incorporates a distribution center, warehouse, office space, and product showroom. Ware Malcomb designed 10,000 sf of interior office space and the 5,000-sf showroom. The offices, located on the periphery of the floorplate, have large windows and glass walls to maximize natural light exposure for the space. Ware Malcomb’s GC partner was Alston Construction.
Ware Malcomb designed the interior space and showroom for Loloi Rugs' new warehouse in Atlanta. Image: Johnny McLendon Photography
BIO-MASS BOILER A FIRST FOR ITS MARKET
Yesterday, Ware Malcomb announced the completion of the new Denver headquarters for TruStile, an industry leader in interior doors whose parent company is Marvin Windows & Doors. The headquarters includes 50,000 sf of office space and 260,000 sf of manufacturing/production space with a large outdoor amenity deck.
Bringing natural light into the building was an important design feature for TruStile's new headquarters. Image: Inside Out Studios
Ware Malcomb provided architecture, interior design, and engineering services for this project, which was built by Ryan Companies. The design team, at TruStile’s behest, ensured the layout of the open office and amenity areas were located near windows as much as possible. The production area is also visible from the building’s training room and various points in the office.
TruStile—which had been operating out of four buildings in Denver—has combined its operations into a single structure whose environmental features include a two-story mechanical building at its northern flank housing a bio-mass boiler that converts sawdust produced by the factory into energy for heating and cooling.
This site was constrained by its proximity to a 100-year floodplain. It required a development permit and a letter of map amendment and letter of map revision based on fill, known as a LOMR-F, whose issuance eliminates the federal flood insurance purchase requirement as a condition of federal or federally backed financing. This project also required a large underground detention system that was the first of its kind in Colorado.
ECOMMERCE IS DRIVING NEW PROJECTS
640 Columbia in Brooklyn, N.Y., will provide “last mile” distribution logistics for ecommerce. Image credit: Neoscape
Among the projects that Ware Malcomb currently has under construction is a multistory distribution center, known as 640 Columbia, which the firm developed in collaboration with DH Property Holdings and the GC firm Suffolk Construction.
Located on 4.5 acres in Brooklyn, N.Y., the 370,000-sf facility—which follows an industrial design prototype that Ware Malcomb came up with in 2017 for land-constrained sites—will provide so-called “last mile” logistics for the delivery of online purchases. The facility will include a warehouse, office space, two levels of truck docks, a mezzanine with parking, and dedicated elevator service on the third floor. An attached 77,853-sf parking structure will accommodate up to 184 vehicles for employees.
Since 2017, Ware Malcomb has designed approximately 20 million sf of industrial distribution projects in North America. The Brooklyn facility is scheduled for completion in the fourth quarter of 2021. Its building team includes SMBH Structural Engineering (SE), WB Engineers and Consultants (MEP/FP), and Bohler Engineering (CE).
Related Stories
Green | Apr 22, 2015
AIA Committee on the Environment recognizes Top 10 Green Projects
Seattle's Bullitt Center and the University Center at The New School are among AIA's top 10 green buildings for 2015.
Museums | Apr 22, 2015
Check out Ralph Johnson's stunning nature-inspired Shanghai museum
The newly opened Shanghai Natural History Museum, designed by Perkins+Will’s Global Design Director Ralph Johnson, mimics the shape of a nautilus shell, and features natural elements throughout.
Green | Apr 22, 2015
GSA's Federal Center South Building honored with AIA Top Ten Plus Award for 'verified' sustainable performance
The annual award recognizes green building projects that have quantifiable metrics demonstrating the performance and positive impact of the sustainable design.
Architects | Apr 21, 2015
Megatrends shaping commercial building design
Gensler’s 2015 Design Forecast focuses on how changes in demographics, workplace preferences, and technology are affecting how and why structures get built.
Office Buildings | Apr 21, 2015
Stop the endless debate over open vs. closed work environments
Rather than be confused by the constant stream of opinions, leadership teams contemplating workplace investments should start with powerful employee engagement strategies that drive results.
BIM and Information Technology | Apr 21, 2015
Software tools shouldn't dictate the AEC process
With over 200 solutions on the market, construction software is one of the most complex and fragmented markets, writes Gensler's Mark Thole.
Cultural Facilities | Apr 20, 2015
Jean Nouvel loses court battle against Philharmonie de Paris over alleged design ‘sabotage’
Nouvel boycotted the January opening of the facility and asked for his name to be removed from all references to the work.
Contractors | Apr 20, 2015
Too many construction projects don’t meet owners’ expectations: KPMG report
Causes for delays, overruns, and underperformance include project management talent shortages, distrust between owners and contractors, and the lack of fully integrated project management systems.
High-rise Construction | Apr 17, 2015
Construction begins on Goettsch Partners-designed Nanning China Resources Center Tower
The tower's design is derived from its multiple uses, which include 170,000 sm of Class A office space, 5,000 sm of boutique retail, and a 45,000-sm luxury Shangri-La hotel.
Museums | Apr 16, 2015
SANAA and Snøhetta tie at first place for Budapest museum bid
The two firms submitted designs for the New National Gallery and Ludwig Museum, one of five planned museums to be constructed in a park just outside the urban center of Hungary’s capital.