The owner’s challenge was to integrate two separate new additions; a new 50,000 s.f. production addition and the 7500 s.f. administrative addition. Both additions were to be located on the front of the existing facility and be separated by a 100’ asphalt and grass parking area. Because the location of both additions were pre-determined, the charge to the architect was to reduce the impact of the industrial portion of the project on the front of the facility.

The use of brick, exposed painted metal and the tinted commercial window systems that were present on other parts of the facility assisted in the integration of new and old. The use of the various materials and the new composition attempt to blur the line between the industrial and the commercial. (i.e. the exposed steel structure of the plant image is repeated in the exposed steel lintels over the large window opening in the adminstrative building...and steel disengages from the building to become a exposed steel cage feature on a prominent corner of the plant and an exposed steel stair (skewed) on the side of the administrative building.) The interior of the office component has a modern image with a floating glass stair as the “backdrop” to the reception counter.