Geier Brown Renfrow Office Tour

ConnectUS this month was hosted by Geier Brown Renfrow Architects in Alexandria VA. Principal Phillip Renfrow, was kind enough to give me a tour of their new office. A lot of time and thought went into the design of their space, and they really wanted it to reflect who they are and how they work. Here are so photo's of the space and some of the philosophy behind the design provided to be by Phillip.

Phillip Our Main Idea was: We wanted an environment that says to others (and ourselves) that this is a place of creative activity.

1. Office will be LEED certified under the Version 2 Commercial Interiors rating system. We targeted Silver level, but are likely to end up with "Certified".

2. We decided on certification so that we would "practice what we preach" to our clients and gain greater familiarity with the mechanics of LEED certification.

3. Office design arose out of group discussions to determine what kind of workplace would best support how we want to practice as a firm.

4. Group consensus was to have areas for Focus (individual work) Collaboration (group work) Education (continuing education and study) and Social Interaction (lunch time,

special events). The office is configured to support these four functions.

5. The office layout is also configured to bring clients and visitors into the working areas of the office (without bringing them to our desks) to showcase how we work and involve them in our work process. The conference room is not located at the entry area but deeper within the office. Visitors attending a meeting are brought through the collaboration area.

6. The center collaboration area is similar to a residential concept where a single living space contains kitchen, work surface, seating & standing area, presentation space and lounge area. This central flex space allows for many varied uses and will change over time in character as we make use of it in different ways

7. The focus area has no private offices to promote community within the workspace area. Workstations are organized in groups to facilitate small discussions. Desks edges are open and provide space for quick discussions and small layout areas.

It is a great creative space, and I'm sure a pleasure to work in. Thanks for all the info Phillip!