Located in a suburban strip retail center, this 1,400 square foot office for an aluminum window supplier is inspired by the thousands of aluminum extrusion dies found in the company’s manufacturing plant. The office is conceived as a void within the solid block of the retail center. The edge of the void is defined by a sweeping curve through the space, which serves as a datum that displays past projects and from which semi-private offices are carved. The highly refined transparent and reflective qualities of glass and aluminum are exploited throughout the space and contrasted with the more workmanlike qualities of concrete and backlit pegboard. A wall of aluminum shavings collected from the curtain wall manufacturing process are displayed behind the cantilevered reception desk, serving as an educational tool to describe the company’s recycling program. Offices are defined within the voids of the “die”. A glass storefront sandwiches a variety of one-inch thick curtain wall sections between two eight-foot panes of glass. These sections serve as educational tools to explain the curtain wall product while acting as a screening device for the offices, adding a sense of privacy to the transparency.
AIA Springfield, Merit Award
