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Cambridge, Mass.
Anmahian Winton Architects
Photography © Peter Vanderwarker
Photographs
Funky warehouse buildings become a
new high-tech home
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"Defying
excess, the architect's confidence and natural
modesty in his solution was admirable."
—Brad Cloepfil, AIA
Architect
Anmahian Winton Architects www.anmahian-winton.com
Client
Orange Innovations
Key
players
Leggat McCall Properties (developer); Gregorian
Engineers (structural); LAM Partners (lighting);
Reed Hilderbrand Landscape Architects (landscape)
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Program:
One of the largest European mobile phone companies, Orange
Innovations, based in the U.K., needed to create an innovation
center for the firm's entry into the U.S. market. They sought
to be located near Harvard and MIT, in Massachusetts, a vortex
of America's technology research.
An inviting office environment was required that would appeal
to the surrounding entrepreneurial community, with a theme
of flexibility reflecting
the inherent qualities of the changing landscape of technology
companies.
Solution:
The architects transformed five existing one-story warehouse
buildings separated by narrow alleyways into a single volume
consisting of distinct precincts. The alleyways became glass
atria planted with bamboo that provide circulation and weave
the three primary programmatic elements of the building together—private
office space, open areas for brainstorming, and cooperative
spaces that are flexible and semiprivate. Workstations can
be shape-shifted with ease, and a mobile power grid on the
ceiling ensures movable technology wiring for easy change
of landscape. The low-key combination of natural materials,
abundant light peeking in from the glass-enclosed alleyways,
and the human scale of the facility have all delighted employees
and potential clients alike.
For more images please see the November
2003 issue or Architectural Record.
The Winners: Orange
Innovations
The Finalists: Automated
Trading Desk Technology Campus
Unbuilt Projects: Great
Harbor Design Center
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