Atmosphere Tempe

As one of the only cities in the Phoenix metropolitan area that is landlocked by neighboring municipalities, Tempe has avoided the region’s characteristic sprawl and has instead pursued growth by enthusiastically embracing increasing density and taller developments.

The building’s base contributes to the energetic downtown environment with nearly fully glazed elevations along the public streets and a canopy that lends protective shade in the 110-degree summers.  The mid-level parking decks are screened with a visually cooling blend of blues and silvers.  Likewise, the building’s external color palette is drawn from a range of lighter grays and off-whites, not so bright as to be reflective, but light enough to effectively deal with intense solar radiation.  Wood and metal provide accents at areas of close pedestrian contact.  As a contributing member of the growing Tempe skyline, the building is capped by a lighted trellis/cornice feature.

Leasing, amenities, and 5,000 s.f. of retail space occupy the first floor, with 5-levels of parking garage above.  Levels 6-19 are apartment floors with 252 units, arranged in an H-Shape plan configuration, with courtyards facing east and west.  These 6th floor courtyards offer intimate outdoor spaces for residents.  A variety of amenities occur at the 20th floor, including a pool, hot tub, covered terraces, and an indoor lounge and fitness area.  All of these spaces are afforded sweeping vistas of the city beyond, most notably a great view of Hayden Butte, a 330’ tall volcanic uplift and popular hiking destination, a few blocks to the north.  Hayden Butte is home to 1,000 year old petroglyphs, along with the signature 60’ tall letter “A” belonging to the University.

Terre Haute Convention Center

The entry, a two-story glass volume, is on axis with the intersection of Wabash and 8th Street. This provides a dramatic welcoming gesture to the city, and introduces into Terre Haute a crisp and elegant facade befitting a prominent civic gathering space. This glass volume is shaded with a generous overhead cornice and with horizontal sun-shade devices at its southern exposure. This is a sustainable design feature allowing for an abundance of natural daylighting, reducing the electric lighting demand, and providing a means of blocking the harshest sun angles thereby moderating the mechanical cooling requirements.

The length of primary street façade consists of large glazed openings looking into the Convention Center’s active pre-function spaces. This transparency allows the energy and activity inside the Convention Center to support and contribute to the downtown Terre Haute streetscape. Both this pre-function space, and the building’s primary circulation artery are essentially indoor extensions of the downtown pedestrian pathways. These openings are framed by a regular spacing of stone columns, breaking the building’s scale down into an appropriate module for the local urban context.

The remainder of the building is trimmed with banded limestone and concrete for a durable, low-maintenance, and regionally sensitive exterior. The building is organized around a central circulation street that provides access to the pre-function spaces and the main ballroom. Up to 900 guests can be seated and served full course meals prepared in the facility’s state of the art kitchen. Separate back-of-house circulation provides food and server access to the main room without passing through the public spaces. Access is provided to permit the introduction of large items into the ballroom allowing trade shows to take advantage of the facility. The main room can be subdivided in to as many as six large meeting rooms for hosting smaller events. Acoustics was a key design criterion necessitating the use of high performance operable partitions so that multiple events can be hosted concurrently without acoustic interference. This feature provides the operator maximum booking flexibility. Breakout rooms are provided on the opposite side of the main circulation corridor. A two-story atrium provides visual access to more breakout areas located on the second floor. Full food service can be provided on the upper level as events may require.

Flexibility was a key design requirement allowing the facility to host meetings with up to 2000 participants or as few as 10 or 12 guests. Infrastructure is provided to allow the main room to host trade shows. State of the art IT infrastructure permits digital wireless internet access to all rooms and potential event configurations. A DAS systems make sure guests will have cell phone access at all times no matter how large an event is being hosted.

220 Meridian

This exciting update to an existing building in downtown Indianapolis includes a new primary entrance for businesses and residents of the building. The new entry façade was constructed of ultra-clear structural glass. The project includes designs for an updated lobby, the addition of a leasing office, and new first-floor retail space. Also included in the project is the development of sixteen floors of residential space and amenities, including rooftop terraces and a rooftop pool.

IBJ Media Corporate Headquarters

After nearly 40 years in the same office, IBJ Media had the opportunity to move to a historic building overlooking the iconic Monument Circle in downtown Indianapolis. CSO designed a space that features unique branding elements referencing the history of the printing industry while giving IBJ’s workplace a fresh new look.

Cursed with low ceilings and odd angles, the space presented challenges for space planning and capturing natural light. CSO’s interiors team focused on the positive – great views of Monument Circle and raw building materials that told the story of the building’s past. The designers embraced the odd building shape as an opportunity to carve out interesting spaces.

Upon entering the IBJ’s new offices, visitors are greeted by a custom art installation created from rolled up pieces of the IBJ’s past publications. Working closely with CSO, the artist took great care to highlight quirky references to Indiana, setting a sophisticated-but-fun tone from the very beginning. To the right, the reception desk sits in front of a black-on-black logo, representing raised printing press letters covered in black ink, a reference to the history of the profession.

Other creative decisions were guided by the mostly-linear layout of a newspaper and by the idea of the old meeting the new. As we sit at a crossroads between digital and printed news consumption, this new office tells a beautiful story of those things working in harmony with each other both in function and aesthetic.

306 Riverfront

Flaherty & Collins set out to develop a unique housing option across the street from Kokomo Municipal Stadium. The design for the $32-million, mixed-use development of the former Apperson Brothers factory, transforms the building and surrounding property into a 200-luxury apartment community with 5,000 square feet of retail space. The design includes the reuse of the façade of the historic building, which helps preserve the history of the community.

In addition to luxury apartments, the community features 6,800 square feet of resort style amenities, including a Sky Deck with panoramic views of the river and downtown. Interior amenities include a Club Room with kitchen, bar and seating to accommodate large groups, a Fitness Club, a Pet Walk, E-Lounge, and bike storage areas.

“This development will enhance economic growth in the area and will draw new residents to the city,” said Kokomo Mayor Greg Goodnight. “We need diverse, unique housing to retain and attract residents.”

JW Marriott

The 34-story crescent-shaped tower fronts the city but pivots on the site, reinforcing the downtown grid to the east while acknowledging the museum campus gardens and White River to the west and north. The complex has a low-rise masonry and limestone podium that wraps the west and south façades and creates a city-scaled plinth that helps moderate the overall scale of the structure. The dramatic tower interlocks with the podium and presents itself in full height along the east and north façades, and a two-story glass canopy defines the main entrance on West Street.

Within the podium there is ballroom and meeting space made up of 23,000 square feet of exhibition space, a 20,670 square foot junior ballroom and a 40,500 square foot grand ballroom, which is one of the largest Marriott ballrooms in the world.  The 1,005-key complex also has a 1,000 car, three-level, below grade parking structure and a covered overhead walkway to the Indiana Convention Center, making it the perfect destination for the adjacent convention center, museums, ballpark, and business district. This project was completed in collaboration with HOK and was the largest JW in the world at the time of completion.

The Congress at Library Square

At the center of the neighborhood is The Congress, a newly constructed 1 and 2-bedroom apartment community. The five-story, 111-unit development called for the demolition of a vacant, one-story commercial building and the development of a low-rise, modern building with a parking garage wrapped on the south side and west sides by ground-level building amenities. The amenity space at The Congress includes a rooftop terrace, courtyard with entertaining spaces, fitness center, media lounge, and conference center.

While the site is essentially a square, the building’s south façade was designed as a subtle curve in response to the Indianapolis Public Library across the street. This results in a corner at 9th and Meridian that seems to jut out, peering down Meridian. The entire sweep of the south elevation was held 1 floor lower than the rest of the building, both to help with daylighting the internal courtyard, and to support a rooftop terrace which takes advantage of this location for maximum views toward downtown. The bulk of the Meridian Street façade is organized into vertical bays, terminating at the north with a blade sign. A masonry base unifies the entire building. Select apartments have individual roof top access, set back from the façade.

Hampton Inn & Homewood Suites – Indianapolis

The church, built in 1869, was renovated and now serves as a lobby, dining area, and event space. The 7-story hotel includes a 123-key Hampton Inn and 108-key Homewood Suites by Hilton. Also included in the design is 11,500 square feet of meeting space, prototypical dining with a full-service bar restaurant, and a 3-level precast parking garage.

The Arbuckle

The Arbuckle mixed-use urban living project was one of the key initiatives in the Town of Brownsburg’s goal to transform the Arbuckle park area of downtown into a vibrant, pedestrian-friendly, economic center with many commercial, retail, and residential options for residents.

Designed to fit sensitively into the fabric of Brownsburg’s historic downtown, the architecture of the Arbuckle is about placemaking and creating resort-style urban living options for Brownsburg. The human-scale façades are carefully detailed with warm tones of high quality brick, cast stone lintels, and traditional cornices.

The retail storefronts work together with the streetscape design to create an upscale, walkable, live-work-play destination in the heart of Brownsburg. The building is designed to completely conceal the ample parking and to create a beautifully landscaped interior courtyard with numerous amenities.

The 200+ residences include studio, one and two bedroom luxury apartments.

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.

310 at Nulu

310 at Nulu offers urban style studio apartments in the trendy East Market District of Louisville and allows for an easy commute to the University of Louisville.

The complex is comprised of two sites and three, 4-story buildings. The west site, located on the west side of Hancock Street, includes two, 4-story buildings with 139 units and 128 surface parking spaces. The east site, located on the east side of Hancock Street, has one, 4-story building with 27 parking spaces on the first level of the building.

The development features amenities such as a 24-hour media lounge and fitness center, an underground parking garage, controlled building access, on-site leasing office, and Energy Star certified appliances.

VisionLoft

VisionLoft responds to the growing tech culture and the need for event space in the heart of downtown Indianapolis. The building was built in 1908 as a livery with dirt floors, stables, and a shop-front. The property had undergone at least two conversions and had an uncertain past. The owners turned to CSO’s designers to guide them through a renovation to achieve a creative meeting hub in the city.

Exploratory demolition revealed brick walls and a wood ceiling consistent with the building’s age. Existing carpet was removed to expose a poured concrete floor most likely from the 1980’s. Two skylights and a fireplace were also repaired and are featured elements in the space.

The design team selected airy fixtures and furniture pieces to keep light moving through the space and introduced quirky tiles to keep the space modern and lighthearted. The industrial shell is juxtaposed against a moss wall and custom-made planter wall to give the back door privacy but allow light to filter in from both ends of the building. The space features all wireless technology, an interactive touch video wall, dual screen projectors, and more.

CSO’s collaboration with the owners resulted in a truly unique space in downtown Indianapolis for interactive meetings, ideation sessions, weddings, and more. The owners worked with Purposeful Design to design and fabricate the custom planter wall. Purposeful Design is a local not-for-profit whose mission is to help rebuild lives of individuals broken by addiction or homelessness, equip them with valuable work skills, and provide the gift of work training.

Axis

The building provides easy and efficient access to all home, work, and leisure destinations and consists of retail space, a 47,000 square foot grocery store on the first floor, and 325 luxury residential units wrapped around a 435 space parking structure.

CSO’s designers combined functionality with beauty and form through the use of architectural mesh on the exterior of the parking garage. The transparency of the mesh acts as a natural ventilation system, which reduces the need for the need for costly HVAC systems. The use of mesh results in an abundance of natural light and air flow through the garage, permitting car emissions to be dispersed outside and improving the air quality in the space.

Each apartment portrays a modern design and reflects an updated interior that permeates the living space with the ultimate in luxury. Units feature distinctively styled rooms and luxurious accommodations. The one- and two-bedroom units feature granite countertops, roman soaking tubs, and stainless steel appliances. Supported by fabulous amenities and unrivaled community features, Axis includes 37,000 square feet of combined interior and exterior play space, including a Sky Bar with city views, an Aqua Lounge, a heated resort-style pool, 24-hour state-of-the-art fitness center, and a Great Lawn open area with lounge areas, a garden, and a fire pit.

American Red Cross Indiana Region Headquarters

Through collaboration and funding with the City of Indianapolis, and donor support, Red Cross was able to achieve their goal of building a new, more efficient headquarters. The new building’s reduced footprint and efficient use of space allows the American Red Cross (ARC) to commit more dollars to what they do best: always being there in times of need. Flexible training rooms, a community center, teaming areas, local office spaces, and huddle spaces encapsulate the programs within the headquarters, creating an environment that promotes interaction where employees and volunteers feel energized and accommodated. Employees are not assigned desks or specific work spaces so the design of the facility is very flexible and adaptable. Amenities include a rooftop terrace that creates a respite and wellness destination, and a coffee house that connects and creates community.

The building is extremely sustainable, with the exterior wrapped in red brick, seamlessly blending in with the surrounding architectural aesthetic. The headquarters has large windows that welcome natural light creating a community-oriented atmosphere and providing views of the surrounding neighborhood of downtown Indianapolis. In addition, a key branding focal point is incorporated on the interior corridor that displays historical Red Cross artifacts, local to Indianapolis. The iconic, ARC-branded “red” is carried throughout the headquarters. The American Red Cross new Indiana Regional Headquarters is the first Red Cross facility to reflect new design standards developed for the organization by Perkins + Will.
Photography: © James Steinkamp

SpringHill Suites – Bloomington

Located in the heart of Bloomington, SpringHill Suites is just a few minutes away from Indiana University’s main campus, Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, and shopping and dining on Kirkwood Avenue. The hotel is a 5-level modified prototype SpringHill Suites that occupies 0.83 acres, has 158-keys, and two levels of underground parking with 133 spaces.

Every aspect, from furniture and lighting to colors and fabrics, has been carefully selected to offer calm and refreshing spaces. Separate living, working, and sleeping spaces also provide guests with flexibility and functionality.

Features of the hotel include a custom lobby bar with fireplace and lounge areas, an indoor pool, 24-hour fitness center, business center, and laundry facility. The hotel suites are 25% larger/more spacious than traditional guests rooms within other hotels in downtown Bloomington in order to better accommodate families visiting campus. Each hotel room is equipped with a desk, pull-out sofa, local art, and views of downtown Bloomington.

Artistry

The Artistry project revitalizes an area of downtown Indianapolis that had seemingly been forgotten. Phase 1 of the project provides an adaptive reuse solution to the former Bank One Operations Center structure by converting it to a 362,000 square foot mixed-use development, including four stories of apartments and amenity spaces over parking, office, and retail space at grade. This LEED for Homes Silver certified project defines a new gateway into the city and has served as a catalyst for development within the newly defined “Market East Cultural District. Phase 1 is considered to be the main building within a four-building mixed use development. The goals for Phase 1 were to design a building that would:

      • Serve as a gateway and catalyst for the revitalization of the Market East Cultural District.
      • Create a vibrant mixed-use development through the adaptive reuse of the former Bank One Operations Center.
      • Emphasize an urban industrial aesthetic through the physical reuse of the existing building structure.
      • Promote an urban apartment community that is enhanced by its dynamic outdoor living environment.

CSO went on to design Phase 2 of the project, which involved the addition of two buildings, the Mentor and Muse at Artistry, which provide additional living options to fit different types of lifestyles, including 354 square foot eco-suites for those who need minimal space.

Phase I of the project was particularly challenging due to the owner’s intent to build up from an existing structure. The configuration of the existing structure required that designers incorporate a number of potentially awkward column locations. Ultimately, this became a feature of the building design as the column placement dictated a wide array of residential unit variations and influenced the façade. By addressing these challenges with unique design solutions, the owner is able to offer tenants more layout options and the building boasts a more dynamic façade that brings new life to the streetscape. An open third floor pool and recreation deck provides dramatic views of the downtown area for all residents along with two interior courtyards featuring a fountain, vegetable garden, bocce court, and putting green.

Cummins Office Building

The building design focuses on sustainable features, including a highly detailed southern exposure curtain wall.  The articulated glass curtain wall features floor to ceiling windows which provides day-lighting and exterior views throughout.

Primarily planned for an open office workplace with internal offices, the upper floors have a central building core.  Glass enclosed conference rooms are located on the southeast and southwest corners with great views of the downtown square.  A flexible employee dining and conference center are located on the first floor southeast corner, with direct access to the adjacent Commons food court.

The primary emphasis for the open office workplace is natural light and expansive views out.  The southern façade daylighting is controlled with louvered sunscreen shading, shades, and photocell controlled perimeter lighting.  The western windows are shaded with vertical sun fins and occasional translucent glass.  The clear glass is insulated with low-e coating.  Energy-efficient lighting and mechanical systems were critical for lower operating costs.

Three years after the initial building was completed, a five-story addition was built adjacent to the existing building. The exterior façades were designed with varying heights in order to allow for a four-story atrium that joins the two buildings and a three-story front on the north side of the building to match the adjacent Commons building. The fourth floor of the addition features a corner terrace and a vegetated green roof. CSO collaborated with Koetter Kim Architects and Associates to design the original building and the addition.

The Avenue

The design for the Avenue includes three structures on one site. The main building parallels 10th Street and includes 21,000 square feet of retail space on the first floor.

Apartment amenities and community features include modern apartments fully equipped with black, stainless-steel appliances, walk-in closets and spacious patios and balconies; a fitness center; a saltwater swimming pool with an outdoor kitchen and grill; Internet café, media room, and business center with several study areas.

This 4-story, 76 unit, wood frame apartment building has a concrete and steel podium structure constructed between two buildings. The second building is a 4-story, 48 unit, wood frame apartment building with slab on grade construction. The third building is a 4-story wood frame building consisting of approximately 3,500 square feet of amenity space on the first floor and 6 units (3 flats, 3 townhomes) constructed within the three stories above the amenity space. Additionally, the Avenue has a 3-story, 260 space, on-site parking garage.

Restaurants at JW Marriott

The JW Marriott, a 34-story hotel, boasts multiple dining venues including Osterio Pronto – a casual, yet upscale venue with authentic Italian cuisine, and High Velocity – a high-energy sports bar with an integrated entertainment concept. In addition, the Tavern on the Plaza, an extension of the Osterio Pronto space, provides an outdoor venue serving food from both restaurants.

Osterio Pronto is warm and inviting with wood floors, iron light fixtures, and soft colored furnishing.

High Velocity is an upscale sports bar with 50 TVs, chrome plated wall tiles, and state-of-the-art technology.

The Langston

The Langston features 290 apartments in nine buildings and was the largest residential project built in Cleveland in over 30 years. With a prime location, the Langston captures the best student-focused amenities, providing easy access to campus, restaurants, shops, and nightlife. The Langston consists of multiple buildings for 1, 2, 3, and 4 bedroom apartments as well as retail and parking space.

The upscale, contemporary apartments are spacious, with open layouts and amenities such as modern kitchens with stainless steel and black appliances, walk-in closets, and private, attached bathrooms. Additionally, the apartment buildings have built-in study areas, an in-home laundry facility, private conference rooms, and a top-of-the-line fitness and training facility.

Building A is a four-story building with 10 units per floor and 40 total units. Building B is a four-story building with 14 housing units per floor for a total of 56 units. Building C is a five-story building with retail on the first floor and four stories of housing units above that are comprised of 11 units per floor for a total of 44 units. Buildings D, E, F, G, H, and I are four-story buildings with 25 housing units each.

Hall Place

Hall Place is an urban mixed-use block at the southwest corner of 18th Street and Illinois Street in Indianapolis, providing housing opportunities within the rapidly developing IU Health District. Taking the place of an existing surface parking lot, this project for Arrow Street Development consists of 279 apartment units along Hall Place facing west, and a small amount of retail space at the ground level. Three stories of structured parking occupy the base behind the façade, and there is a 4th level resident amenity terrace wrapped on three sides by the apartment tower.

The exterior design that is timeless, ordered, and traditional in character, detail, and massing. Masonry runs full height from the ground to the parapet, with architectural detailing breaking down the scale in regular bays across three distinct but thematically related facades.

It is to be located across the street from “Wesley Place”, another Arrow Street project designed by CSO. Together these projects will contribute to an enhanced vitality in this rapidly changing area.

The Collegiate at Lincoln

The upscale, 313-unit, 799-bed community will offer a mix of fully-furnished 1,2,3,4, and 5-bedroom apartments. It will feature luxury amenities, including a clubhouse with a large community kitchen, game and study lounges, an entertainment & media area, plus an extensive exterior courtyard & pool deck with grilling stations, tables, lounge areas and fire pits.

The first floor of the building will promote a walkable, vibrant, human scale, pedestrian-oriented streetscape with detailed paving patterns, canopies, and street trees, enlivened with 10,000 square feet of leasable retail space and leasing offices.

The exterior design of the structure was developed with materials and punched window openings to compliment the adjacent Haymarket District, while also expressing the diversity of the modern residential living unit types within. The varying offsets in the building’s façade planes and heights serve to effectively break up the mass of the building to create a more vertical emphasis and more pleasing proportions for the large structure.
The palette of exterior finish materials will also compliment the historic neighborhood while expressing its current time. The top of the building contributes to the skyline of downtown Lincoln with a distinctive, yet restrained modern interpretation of the historic cornices found in the adjacent Haymarket District.