BARBER ARCHITECTURE

The design question was how to meet the space requirements of an internationally-known company, its subsidiaries and fledgling start-ups, and how to communicate the strength and forward-looking nature of the company.

BA approached the project by studying the site and producing several alternative ways architecture and master plan could answer the question. Exploration of architectural ideas spanned from futuristic modern buildings enclosed with glass and metal, to interpretations of Neo-Classical Revival styles in stone. The selected scheme is a Neo-Classical HQ building facing west in an Olmsted-style park that separates the HQ from the Starz building. College campus planning principles were used to organize outdoor spaces into outdoor rooms for utility and beauty. The granite building is 60 feet wide in the narrow direction, yielding functional advantages to furniture and office layouts, and allowing daylight to penetrate the inner spaces. The diffuse daylight effect is uplifting and the interior plan is efficient.