MullenLowe in Winston-Salem, North Carolina by TPG Architecture

Article source: TPG Architecture

After a successful teaming for the design of their Boston headquarters, MullenLowe engaged TPG Architecture to design its new office in Winston-Salem, NC: a 37,500 square foot space in the city’s newly developed Wake Forest Innovation Quarter. The office design was an opportunity to create a strong communications touchpoint expressing MullenLowe’s identity as a “challenger” in the advertising industry, a scrappy do-everything ad firm with a global reach.

Finishes and furniture were inspired by the raw space; the free form boxes are clad in plywood and dark-gray painted sheetrock, while the chair colors were sampled from the peeling paint on the concrete walls, Image Courtesy © Eric Laignel

• Architects: TPG Architecture
• Project: MullenLowe
• Location: Winston-Salem, North Carolina
• Photography: Eric Laignel

The “boxes” present an architectural solution to engaging the core while relating to the perimeter and letting natural light flood in. They fit between the columns, and are organized as perpendicular work areas and conference rooms, Image Courtesy © Eric Laignel

MullenLowe’s staff work in multiple disciplines for diverse clientele, so their space had to be flexible and inspirational. The space itself was breathtaking when the design team first walked through. Built in the 1930’s, the building was originally a tobacco factory. A large, deep floorplate, 14’ ceilings and metal-frame windows were the raw materials that provided the framework for MullenLowe’s new offices.

The design concept was to respect and celebrate the existing structure, leaving the walls and ceiling untouched by using floating free forms – rectangular boxes built between the columns – to create space within the space.

The design team divided the raw space into functional neighborhoods providing myriad open and inspiring creative environments, Image Courtesy © Eric Laignel

The open work environment and common areas allow for more accidental collisions and natural collaborations, Image Courtesy © Eric Laignel

The L-shaped floor plate naturally split the space in two distinct wings. The reception area is logically situated at the vertex of the wings, in an existing open atrium with stairs to the lobby. By placing reception there and using the free form boxes to subdivide the space, the design team was able to bring focus and continuity to the plan, dividing the raw space into functional neighborhoods and providing myriad open and inspiring creative environments. The program required an assortment of collaborative spaces including conference rooms, huddle booths, photo and recording studios, and a media screening room with stadium seating.

The reception area is adjacent to an existing open atrium, Image Courtesy © Eric Laignel

The staff works in multiple disciplines for diverse clientele, so their space had to be flexible and inspirational, Image Courtesy © Eric Laignel

Structural columns and beams were left exposed, still coated with nearly a century of layered paint, which was minimally sandblasted to prevent peeling. Finishes and furniture were inspired by the raw space; the free form boxes are clad in plywood and dark-gray painted sheetrock, while the chair colors were sampled from the peeling paint on the concrete walls. The designers devised a system of perforated metal screens to allow for magnetic pin-up space throughout the office without interrupting the openness and fluidity of the floor.

The young, creative agency has both the requisite pool and ping pong tables, Image Courtesy © Eric Laignel

Walls and columns were lightly sandblasted to stabilize almost a century’s worth of layered paint, Image Courtesy © Eric Laignel

Today, MullenLowe’s space is more conducive for hosting events for local groups such as the Arts Council, as well as outside vendors, such as the local coffee house who provide the staff with on-site barista. Internally, the open work environment and common areas allow for more accidental collisions and natural collaborations, all of which are selling points when hiring new talent and pitching clients.

TPG designed a system of perforated metal screens to allow for magnetic pin-up spaces throughout the office without interrupting the openness of the floor, Image Courtesy © Eric Laignel

Tags: North Carolina, USA

Categories: Headquarters, Interiors, Offices

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