Carr Workplaces – Friendship Heights

Carr Workplaces asked CSO to develop a design to refresh their Friendship Heights location and breathe new life into their brand. CSO achieved this with a sophisticated, energetic approach that relies on a vibrant accent colors and artwork to bring the space to life. This combination paired with the exposed structure creates an urban feel, which is unique in the historic suburban neighborhood where the office is located.

The renovated space proudly displays Carr’s hospitality-focused roots, and emphasizes the arrival sequence with a casual café. The café serves visitors and the daily users of the workplace equally and brings a new, active energy to the lobby. Designers fine-tuned the conference spaces, adjacent to the lobby, and reused glass entries of existing conference rooms to add dimension and sight lines to exterior views while artfully filtering the natural light.

The renovation has been widely praised by the diverse demographic of occupants. The mix of classic detailing with modern sophistication bridges multiple generations, and makes for a comfortable space for all. Carr Workplaces has deemed the Friendship Heights location their new flagship, and plans to incorporate the influence across the county.

Westfield High School

When the community supported WWS in their endeavor to address growing facility needs throughout the district with approval of a referendum, the largest allocation was put toward expanding the existing high school. Administrators saw this as an opportunity to not only address the needs of growing programs and an aging building, but to transform its education model and align the built environment with their pedagogical vision.

CSO studied existing facility use and programming information to quantify space utilization and projected student and program growth. Using CSO’s data, administrators decided to make the leap to a university model of education, allowing them to increase building efficiency and maximize the use of their budget to benefit as many parts of the building and programs as possible. In addition to this shift in space usage, WHS sought to accommodate growing demand for career ready programs, provide flexible areas for student use, and create spaces where students would want to spend time. All new and renovated spaces were designed to easily adapt to future program needs by minimizing built-in fixtures and maximizing use of mobile and flexible furniture. CSO worked closely with WHS to establish an aesthetic that mirrored the new educational direction with a high-tech, industrial feel while maintaining subtle touches that are distinctly Westfield.

The collaborative process between WHS and CSO and in-depth programming was critical to the success of this project. This approach allowed WHS to accomplish so much more than a traditional approach to projected growth would have allowed. The resultant custom tailored building will better support today’s students and staff in their endeavors and allow WHS to adapt to an unknown future much more readily and rapidly.

Gateway Hancock Health

CSO conducted extensive visioning sessions with administrators, doctors, nurses, community members, and others in order to capture the spirit of Hancock Regional Health (HRH) and the people who would use this new campus. It was very apparent that the residents were in need of community-gathering place that would provide options for walking and biking along with spaces to hold meetings and events.

Phase I of the project is the Gateway Clinic, which provides urgent care, imaging services, and a lab. Using the data gathered during the visioning sessions, the design team developed a concept for a single waiting room to support all services, with views of the existing forest on the property. The waiting area breaks the healthcare mold and offers café and lounge seating, encouraging patients to work or play while waiting for their appointments.

The idea for this café-lounge waiting area became the backbone of the design and drove the architecture from the inside out. Working closely together, interior designers and architects were able to create a building that prioritized the needs of the community, patients, and employees without sacrificing efficiency or design aesthetic.

The Taft Center

The Taft Center, located in the Regions Tower in downtown Indianapolis, was conceptualized by the law firm to achieve multiple goals: to establish a ground floor presence within one of the most well-known buildings downtown, to provide a venue to entertain and host, and finally, to expand the conference spaces currently located on floors 31-35 to meet a growing need. To achieve these goals, Taft partnered with the CSO Interior Design Studio.

Designers incorporated simple forms with classic material choices, balanced by distinctive design features. These elements, coupled with the playful constellation of lights and identifiable repetition of the signature Taft forward slash, create a space that is fresh and exclusive in the legal profession.

Understanding the sensitivities of the business that Taft conducts, and their desire to maximize the glass within the conference rooms, the design team worked closely with CSO’s acoustician to design an all glass system that maximizes acoustic benefits. This resulted in nearly uninterrupted walls of glass, which terminate at a back-printed glass panel that features downtown’s iconic Monument Circle.

The café space, which is strategically located to incorporate a street-front presence, offers an inviting urban feel with a natural palette.

Center Grove High School

The Center Grove Community School Corporation engaged CSO to undertake a 220,000 square foot renovation project at Center Grove High School. In addition to updating aging classrooms, the school corporation called on CSO to transform their traditional library into a vital, technology-rich student center which also houses the offices of their new global studies program.

CSO’s design includes informal student learning areas throughout the building that provide students with multiple venues and opportunities for collaboration. The new design included the creation of a student commons through the center of the building that will help improve traffic flow on the main floor of the facility as well as providing small collaboration areas, project rooms, a large presentation space, computer labs, and a student coffee bar.

In addition to the media center, the full scope of the project included upgraded finishes for all classrooms and offices throughout the building as well as relocation of the main office, new secure entries, renovation of science labs, improved circulation, and accessibility upgrades.

HSE College and Career Academies

Hamilton Southeastern Schools conducted a community study and determined that rather than building a third high school to meet the needs of their growing community, they would build advanced learning center academies at each campus to accommodate an additional 1,000 students.

CSO was selected to work with stakeholders to explore the requirements of a learning center that would meet their academic needs while taking into consideration what teaching and learning looks like at institutions of higher education and centers of innovative learning. CSO worked with educational experts to gather stakeholder input around the tenets of 21st Century School Design and developed design concepts that met the required scope and quality for the project.  Design documents and detailed renderings were developed for both high schools and were critical in the passing of the May 2013 referendum. After the referendum was passed, CSO used the detailed design documents to develop the design criteria package that allowed the school corporation to issue an RFP for design-build teams. CSO stayed on the project through construction as owner’s representative.

In addition to expanding each high school’s capacity by 1,000 students, the academies also reflect the most innovative design for teaching and learning with accessible space for early college classes that provide actual college credits for high school students. Additions are 2-stories and reflect the qualities of 21st Century Design with copious daylight, transparency in learning spaces, ubiquitous technology, and flexible learning spaces that are sized for small and large group gatherings. Teachers do not “own” their classroom space but have an office space available, similar to the arrangements in higher education. A Student Learning Commons, adjacent to the student café, has technology tables and opportunities for small group collaboration. A large, open science lab serves all disciplines and art labs open to one another, creating a free flowing creative environment.

Governor Mitch Daniels Barracks Complex

CSO was retained by the Military Department of Indiana for the design of one of two new complexes for Camp Atterbury. The facility provides barracks for over 600 soldiers in standard modified two-story design. The project was designed in accordance with the requirements of UFC 4-171-05 Army Reserve Facilities, 4-010-01 anti-terrorism force protection.

The project includes billeting facilities in a barracks-style configuration, as well as 2+2 sleeping quarters for the non-commissioned officers associated with each wing. A television lounge, internet café, laundry, and latrine facilities are provided with each set of barracks. Two Bachelor Officer Quarters house 80 soldiers in a semi-private 2+2 arrangement.

A 30,000 square foot dining facility serving the complex is also included. The project is the first phase of a new complex just north of the existing Camp Atterbury campus that will house 6,000 soldiers.

Café Patachou

Dedicated to premium local ingredients within proven menu options, Café Patachou is recognized for exceptional casual dining for breakfast and lunch.  The challenge initially was to find design solutions for the new downtown location in Simon Headquarters that did not lose the familiar neighborhood corner “Student Union” character of the beloved 49th Street original café yet speak to the downtown business and visitor patrons.  The new image included a chalkboard wall with changing artist murals instead of the hanging works for sale of 49th street, finished ceilings with upscale lighting vs. exposed structure and minimal lighting, booth seating, large windows on the prominent street corner and separate area for special meetings.  This collaboration continued for the Indianapolis International Airport location in Civic Plaza, a unique venue, still going strong more than 10 years later.  As the locations and operations continued to explore new sites, the brand grew to add the Petite Chou concept, offering full day service including a dinner menu with a unique French Bistro focus in an outdoor mall location.

One of the most unique and fun sites was the new concept for the original 49th street café, which moved to a vacant corner suite and integrated a new Pizza concept evening venue, Napolese.  The two restaurants share the kitchen, negotiating a grade change between the two tenant spaces.  Napolese introduced a wood oven pizza brand with extensive wine and expanded beverage services.  Significant operational efficiency was achieved by the shared kitchen solution.

CSO reviewed and enhanced layouts for the kitchens, storage, and front and back counter spaces, resulting in better workflow, faster delivery of finished dishes, and enhanced dining options.

Locations Include:

      • Café Patachou, River Crossing
      • Café Patachou, 49th St. and Pennsylvania
      • Café Patachou, Simon Headquarters
      • Napolese, 49th St. and Pennsylvania
      • Petite Chou, Clay Terrace
      • On the Fly, Indianapolis Airport

Marriott Hall

The facility is a teaching facility as well as a student dining venue. The design of Marriott Hall recalls the “quintessential Purdue style” of dark red brick and tile roof found on adjacent academic halls, while providing a more open and inviting transparent façade on State Street. The interior features a two-story dining space with a coffee bar and two student-operated restaurants: The John Purdue Room, a fine-dining restaurant in which students prepare and serve the food and manage the kitchen and dining room, and The Boiler Bistro, a quick-service restaurant where the food is cooked to order. These spaces are supported by the Teaching Kitchen, which functions as a lab as well as the main kitchen preparation area for the facility. A 95-seat demonstration hall consists of a lecture room with a kitchen that is used to teach cooking classes.

Alpha

Named by the students of University of Alabama, this 696-bed, 263-unit student housing community offers fully furnished one, two, three, and four bedroom apartments. The project scope involved two sites located on the north and south sides of 13th Street East in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The buildings consist of a combination of 3-story (Type V) and 5 story (Type III) wood framed construction. The northern site includes a 3 level precast concrete parking structure and the southern site includes a single level cast-in-place concrete podium parking structure. The Alpha features a broad array of amenities including a 24-hour fitness center, leasing office, theater and gaming area, computer café, private study lounges, an expansive clubhouse, and garage parking. Outdoor amenities include a grilling area, fire pit, resort-style pool, and sundeck.

Geddes Hall

The building features the University’s traditional blend of brick colors with light colored cast stone accents, copper gutters and downspouts, and a slate roof.  The façade is punctuated with regularly spaced operable windows.  The detailed profile of these windows exactly match the historic wood windows installed in the two buildings adjacent to the project, which were built in the 1940’s.  The Geddes windows, however, reinterpret the window design in long lasting, energy efficient, and maintenance free anodized aluminum frames with high performance glazing.

The interior is distinctly arts and crafts inspired.  Warm yellows, earthy reds, and muted deep green colors are used throughout the building giving it a cozy earthy character.  Wood wainscoting used heavily in the public spaces adds to the building’s inviting nature and historic feel.  Informal gathering spaces of various sizes are found throughout the building.  Of particular note is the student library, found on the first floor, which features a fireplace centered along the north wall flanked by traditional built-in bookcases and classic arts and crafts furniture.  Two of the other focal points on the first floor are the chapel and coffee house, located just off the building’s main entrance.

Noblesville High School

With school enrollment at full capacity – and projected to remain so for many years to come – the expansion and renovation will address general capacity needs while supporting the district’s nationally recognized STEM and performing arts programs.

A 70,000 square foot academic addition will include up to 22 new classrooms, construction and welding labs, STEM makerspace, new student café, and a large group gathering space. 37,000 square feet of renovations will provide a larger jazz band room, a new percussion room, and an expanded choir room.

This project, along with an athletic expansion currently underway, is the latest in CSO’s long history with Noblesville Schools. CSO previously designed Noblesville High School’s Freshman Academy in 2014, as well as numerous other projects dating back to 2012.

The athletic expansion is expected to be completed in August of 2024, with the STEM/performing arts expansion finishing up by August of 2025.

Wells Quadrangle Residence Halls and Dining Facility

Wells Quadrangle is comprised of four buildings, including Memorial Hall and Goodbody Hall. The project involved repurposing both buildings from academic space to student housing. The University also wanted to determine the best location to accommodate a dining facility with an outdoor terrace. Originally, IU had targeted space in one of the other buildings in the quad, but a study led by CSO determined that an addition to Goodbody Hall would be the best solution to accommodate a 200-seat dining facility.

The design of the addition to Goodbody Hall required a solution that integrated seamlessly into the architectural character of Wells Quadrangle. The 1-story addition emerges from the base of the existing Goodbody Hall, and houses a dining area with open views toward the quad.  A roof terrace above is accessed from both the exterior grade and the second level.  This elevated terrace provides options for outdoor seating and a sweeping overlook to the quad.

The overall project required careful coordination to maximize usable space while accommodating updated MEP systems and the technology infrastructure demanded by today’s residence halls.

The renovation created accommodations for 174 students. The room configuration is comprised of a mix of 2-bedroom apartments, 2-bedrooms suites, single rooms, and double rooms. A variety of restroom configurations are available depending on the room type.