glass – CSO

Forty540

Forty540, a speculative office building, was developed as Phase I of a two-building master-planned office park. The 5-story building includes expansive, interrupted floor plates of over 40,000 square feet, allowing for maximum flexibility and minimal disruption of interior space planning for large tenants while still maintaining common area efficiencies for small and mid-sized tenants. The building design includes high performance clear floor to ceiling glass to maximize visibility while minimizing solar heat gain within the building.

CSO’s interior designers worked with the owner to provide a lobby design that capitalizes on the concept of using the public area as an integrated community space. A social gathering lounge directly off the lobby provides space to meet, relax, and play. The finishes from the lobby stretch seamlessly into the lounge to create a connection and remove perceived barriers, thus breathing life into the lobby as well. A variety of seating options welcomes visitors and encourages them to utilize the space to meet their needs.

The architectural design reinterprets the classic base, middle, and top composition of commercial/public buildings in a more contemporary aesthetic. The exterior precast concrete skin uses three different colors and textures transcending from dark at the bottom to light at the top. The majority of the façade is composed of floor to ceiling punched windows, but incorporates sections of vertical precast panels and glass curtain wall to accent the main entrance and corners of the building.

Hampton Inn & Suites – Rosemont

The 5-story, 158 key hotel is a shared site with a parking garage and office building. Upon arrival guests walk into an intimate atmosphere created by the use of harmonious cool colors, soft contrasting patterns, and delicate lighting. The lobby is designed as an extension of the common area which includes a breakfast and bar area that incorporates a variety of seating and lighting options for both leisure and business travelers. Additionally, a floor-to-ceiling fireplace wall provides a subtle divide between the lobby and common seating area as well as encourages a free flow of movement. Interior spaces are infused with local photography and artwork and the sleek modern aesthetic creates a feeling of elegance. Natural materials include brick, limestone, wood, and glass.

Hotel features include support spaces, a business center, a full-service bar, heated indoor swimming pool and fitness center, a food and beverage shop, and two 273 square foot meeting spaces that can accommodate up to 20 people.

GE Aviation LEAP Engine Facility

The GE Aviation LEAP Engine Facility is the second of its kind in the United States and the third project of this type CSO has designed for GE. The facility features some of the most advanced manufacturing techniques in the world and represents a major milestone in technology development in this country.

The 35’ clear height manufacturing space included 80’ structural spans with 12.5 ton beam cranes, 10” thick, ultra-flat, polished concrete floors and generous amounts of natural light provided by expansive clerestory windows. The tiered ceiling panels within the assembly space help humanize the scale. They serve as a space transition and a subtle representation of flight. The finishes are intentionally light, clean, and neutral. This notion relates directly to the GE brand and the idea of intentional design without compromise.

The office/administrative portion of the building was designed to express the aerodynamic curvature and the composite construction techniques of the LEAP engine, most notably its fan blade, by dramatically incorporating several overlapping layers of sinuously curved metal, glass, and steel.

The interior design reinforces the intentional nature of the engine while embracing the technology. The central greeting point is a reception desk designed as a seamless, clean cone and constructed of solid surface. Beautifully crafted metal composite triangles are suspended above the reception desk representing the combustion technology present within the LEAP engine. In addition, this sculptural element contributes to the notion of movement so dominantly present within the architecture.

Roche Diagnostics Lab and Office

The objective for this 55,569 square foot, 2-story building addition was to bring together five related product testing laboratories into one unified setting for increased productivity and effectiveness. In order to address workflow requirements, the design is sited as an addition to an existing building but it is essentially a freestanding two-story structure. The program included product testing labs, various purpose-designed meeting spaces, social hub/interaction spaces, and a variety of flexible, concentrative and mobile work settings.

The program areas were layered vertically in the building to manage biohazard separations and controls, with the lab spaces on the first floor and the flexible work environments, meeting, and interaction areas located on the second floor for access to natural light. In order to promote interaction and a sense of community, the most public function – the social hub – is located adjacent to the main staircase, at the most centralized point in the circulation atrium. This convergence of circulation and social functions has proven to be very conducive to staff interaction.

In order to maximize natural light while adhering to sustainable design features, detailed 3-D models, sun path studies, building sections, and energy analysis models were developed and analyzed to inform the final design configuration of the west façade shading system and glazing. The design solution creates a carefully designed, glazed west-facing façade which allows very controlled, diffused natural daylight directly into the circulation atrium and deeply into the lab, office, and interaction spaces beyond.

The interior spaces were designed with extensive interior glazing to display the advanced laboratory technology and innovation that is central to Roche’s business success and corporate culture, as well as to allow for the deep penetration of natural light. The Design Team combined very clean, European modernist materials and furnishings with a warm palette of neutral hues and accent colors rooted in the native Indiana landscape.

As the result of the client’s tech-based culture and high design aspirations, the design team employed a rigorous, multidisciplinary, sustainable design approach to create an uplifting, technologically advanced facility that inspires its scientific staff and expresses its culture of scientific innovation.

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.

Dallara IndyCar Factory

Dallara’s values of service, commitment, and excellence in engineering and the motorsport tradition in Indianapolis provided the catalyst for their decision to locate their American headquarters and engineering center in Speedway, Indiana, just a short distance from the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The building also serves as the headquarters for the Indy Racing Experience, which provides race-related experiences for fans and car enthusiasts in multiple venues and is the sole North American distributor for Dallara.

The building design features an architectural form that was derived from the aerodynamic shape of the Dallara chassis. Exterior materials were selected to reestablish the historical palette of the original downtown Speedway. The eye catching glass front of the building faces the town’s Main Street and houses an interactive fan experience area with a rotating display of cars, offering transparency that allows the public views of the Dallara design process and finished product.

Dallara’s production area includes space for fabrication, machine, and bodywork. Each of these areas have the potential of providing services for projects other than IndyCar and, therefore, it was important that they be kept separate from public areas and from the Indy Racing Experience spaces. The structural grid and bays were designed to provide maximum flexibility in the production area.

St. Joseph Medical Office Building

This project ensured that a network of medical offices are directly connected to the hospital at all levels to provide a better care experience for patients, visitors, and providers. The offices provide a wide range of medical services, from primary care and sports medicine, to imaging services, rehabilitation, and acute specialty care. 136 parking spaces are provided in a below grade parking structure. The project was designed using sustainable design principles and is certified LEED Gold.

Bartlett Reflection Center

The James and Susan Bartlett Center for Reflection was conceived as a quiet, contemplative place located in the DePauw University Nature Park. The University envisioned a unique place for reflection on values and thoughtful examination of life.

The Center is anchored by a glass-walled gathering room featuring a towering limestone fireplace that serves as a backdrop to group discussions, lectures, sermons, and events. The building also includes a theological library and extensive outdoor deck areas in order to enjoy the surrounding environment.

The small structure was designed sustainably to minimize its impact on the environment and its immediate environs. The building was constructed with natural, regional, and recycled materials. The site and adjacent habitat were restored with native Indiana plants and incorporate a natural rainwater treatment pond. The interior environments were designed to maximize natural light, views, human comfort, and controllability. CSO completed this project in conjunction with Lake|Flato Architects.