Unusual among law firms, the client asked for a welcoming building for an egalitarian staff. The spaces should be candid, human and supportive; the building should belong in the neighborhood. To this end, we introduced a new front yard, giving the community a much-needed mini-park. The buildings ground level is opened with glass to energize the street and share the community events of the large conference room and public waiting room with passers by.

Employee hierarchy is defeated by the similarly sized offices, each with an operable window and individual thermostat controls. Candid transparency, a precept valued by the client, is iterated throughout the building. Upon entering the front door, a visitors view pierces through to the heart of

the courtyard. The central stair and glazed courtyard frontages create visual links among all four levels. The introduction of a lounge space on each floor encourages office cohesion and open engagement.

The buildings bending and folding form is clothed in a wooden bris soleil, a solar jacket to shade the exposed frontages. Re-introduced on the front, the wooden screen creates a warm welcome at the main entrance. Further proposed green features include solar panels for an aggressive 20% of electrical usage, a closed-loop geothermal heat pump HVAC system, rainwater collection for toilet and landscaping use, pervious paving in the courtyard and mini-park, bicycle racks, and resource sensitive plumbing and lighting systems. (In association with JXN Studio)