Design spaces: A view into architects’ offices

JIM LOGAN

1455 Yarmouth Ave., Boulder

BOULDER — Social consciousness dominates Jim Logan’s office in North Boulder. Located on the first floor of a two-story building, the office is part of a small community of office buildings, homes and a park.

“We wanted an office that would be part of a mixed-use, mixed-income environment, which is appropriate in a high-density place like Boulder,´ said Mike Moore, an architect at the firm.

Behind the building is a small park, designed by the firm, and a few private homes.

The firm is one of about seven companies who opened up shop on less than two acres of land near the corner of Yarmouth and Broadway. Standing in a Victorianlike row, each building is occupied by one company’s office on the bottom floor and a loft apartment for private renters is on the second floor.

“The point is that the building never left useless,” Moore said, also pointing out that the firm purposelessly wanted their location near the bus route so employees would not have to drive.

The inside of the office is characterized by a living room-style design, which includes high ceilings, wide-open space and the complete absence of cubicles. The open floor plan was purposefully designed to allow employees social interaction. Tall windows to the north and south let in ample sunlight in both the conference area and work-space. Pine wood and off-white paint covers the walls and the floors are made of bamboo.

All the floors and office furniture are free from toxic substances such as formaldehyde, which often IS used as a finishing for office furniture, according to the firm’s founder, Jim Logan.

“We wanted to keep the office natural and used non-toxic and natural materials in making it,” Logan said.

WOLFF LYON ARCHITECTS

777 Pearl St., Boulder

BOULDER — There are no secrets at Wolff Lyon Architects on 8th and Pearl in Boulder. It is a wide-open, doorless office, where in one glance you can see employees working, new plans being drawn up and who is meeting in the conference room.

“Our emphasis was on multi-layered floors and connectedness,´ said John Wolff, one of the founding partners, who said his firm has been on Pearl Street for a year.

Located on the second floor above the Wine Library, the firm’s open design was heavily influenced by the need for constant employee interaction. The high vaulted ceilings and casualness give the office a hip, loft feel.

The unenclosed conference room is reached by metal stairs and railings located smack in the middle of the office. Those sitting at the conference room table overlook the drawing tables below. By taking a couple stairs from the loft area, one is led to a terrace on the roof that the firm uses for social events.

On the first floor, high shelves filled with books are reached by a rolling ladder and low voltage lights in the form of metal cut-outs of men, balance on wires. Carpenter clamps are used to hold the sides of picture frames together and in the corner by the door is a five-foot tall pencil with the word “Architrators” engraved in it. Like a historic hotel, the receptionist area has mail slots under the ledge.

Wolf and Lyon’s office — they have shared one for the past 20 years — has a view of the Flatirons and the goings-on of people walking below.

“Sometimes it’s inspiring to see what’s going on outside,” Wolf said, laughing. “Then again, sometimes it’s also a well-needed distraction.”

EDGE ARCHITECTURE

2336 Pearl St., Boulder

BOULDER — Edge Architecture is a cross between privacy and social interaction, elegance and a little bit of silliness.

“We wanted the office to be open so that we could efficiently work together,´ said Richard H. Epstein, one of the two partners in the five-person firm. “But we also wanted people to have some privacy and individuality if they wanted that as well.”

A long formal hallway with hanging lights and a poster of chair designs greets a visitor upon entering the firm. This was purposefully built so that visitors and prospective clients don’t see workers or a messy work space.

At the end of the hallway, however, a visitor can turn right toward the work space where an employee sits at a large, broad desk on the telephone with the radio playing. His nearest co-worker is at least 10 feet away on the other side of a wall.

“By spreading people out, people can play their radio and talk on the phone without bothering anyone else,” Epstein said.

Even the two partners have different wants. Epstein’s office, while technically a cubicle, is very open and doesn’t have a door. His partner, Linda Greenfield, however, likes privacy sometimes, so her work space was built with a door she can close when she wants.

In the corner is an “alphabet” chair; the back is a large letter “F” and the sides and front of the chair are an “O,” “R,” and “M” spelling out the word “form.” On the receptionist’s ledge is a collection of children’s antique metal cars. Over Epstein’s desk inside a large cubicle is an Etch-A-Sketch.

“We don’t like to take ourselves too seriously,” Epstein said, smiling.

COBURN DEVELOPMENT

1711 Pearl St., Boulder

BOULDER — On a sunny Friday afternoon, employees at Coburn Development have just finished barbecuing lunch on the third-floor deck of their office building at 17th and Pearl Street.

“It’s a good way to keep people happy and socializing with each other,´ said Diane Williamson, the 22-person firm’s administrator and market manager.

Located atop the two-story building once occupied by the Rio Grande restaurant, Coburn built a third floor specifically for their offices. The design emphasizes both interaction and privacy, with long hallways that branch off to wide-open spaces.

The hallways are decorated with bright colored magazine articles that show off various Coburn projects. One spacious office has four workers spread out, working on large drafting tables. At the end of the west side of the building, is the conference room, complete with leather chairs and a dark table.

The executive office resembles an attic sitting room; dramatically slanted ceilings, green leather chairs, broad tables and windows that allow a pouring of sunlight into the office.

At Coburn, divisions of space are not handled by the construction of thick solid walls. Instead, a hanging window divides the hallway and one large office. On the other side of the building, two large cubicle-type spaces are split with window panes, called barnsash windows.

“It’s necessary that we have some walls in the office,” Williamson said. “But that doesn’t mean it’s necessary that it be dark.”

Besides the two decks that allow for employee social interaction, the firm also made sure it included other amenities that would benefit its staff. For instance, a full bathroom was built so that employees can run or do other exercise at lunch and take a shower when they’re finished.

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