Developed and owned by the nation’s 5th largest bank holding company, the 1801 Operations Center is a work place for nearly 1,300 people.  Paramount among the Owner’s goals was the introduction of natural light throughout the building to help create a more pleasant and inviting work space. Because employees were being relocated to the new facility, the Owner was especially concerned that design aesthetics provide amenities that would encourage employee retention.

Blending a large industrial structure with the natural texture and varied surroundings of its suburban site also presented major challenges to the architect. The design accomplished these goals by using massing, fenestration, color, texture, and light to create a series of rhythmic transitions from the colossal production spaces required by the program to human-scaled offices and common areas. Clean rectilinear forms, a simple steel structure, and metal cladding are appropriate for an industrial office building, while jumbo windows with oversized mullions and an eight-foot brick base step the size of major building components down in scale.

Light is drawn into and through the building via a combination of transparent, tinted, and fritted exterior glazing systems, clerestories, and interior windows. Glass panels set in a syncopated Mondrian-style pattern animate the exterior of the building’s main circulation spine. The fenestration pattern becomes more regular when it steps back into the major building form to bring daylight into factory-like production areas.  In addition to providing a shifting collage of color, light, and shadow throughout the day, this system reduces heat-gain and glare along a full southern exposure.