interiors – CSO

Barnes & Thornburg Vault

CSO’s Interior Design Studio partnered with Barnes & Thornburg, LLP to renovate an under-utilized asset at their national headquarters in downtown Indianapolis. Originally built in 1903 as a bank, their office at 11 S. Meridian Street still houses the original vault room in the lower level.

As is often the case, the client had ongoing relationships with other designers. However, they sought out CSO’s expertise when the other firms’ ideas for the space did not align with the client’s vision. CSO worked closely with the client to design the space, utilizing hand-drawn sketches and 3D renderings to align the client’s vision with designers’ interpretation.

The original space was comprised of multiple vaults, of varying sizes, within a larger secure area. Measuring at just 3,249 square feet, the space was going to need to maximize flexibility and style if it was going to satisfy the program. To accommodate the client’s goals for utilizing the space, the team also devised two furniture setups: lounge seating to support cocktail events or more casual gatherings, and a conference layout to support board meetings and other formal meetings. Each setup needed to look and function as if it was permanent so great care was taken to select pieces that looked substantial but could be easily moved.

Designers drew inspiration for detailing such as the scalloped frieze and oculus featured at the top of the walls from existing architecture in the client’s office and on the historic building. The primary, elaborate vault door was fully restored to become a focal point. When it was determined that one of the other vault doors needed to be removed it was deconstructed, with a portion of it becoming a feature inset into the floor. At either end of the newly created primary gathering space, bookcases are anchored with green safe deposit boxes which were intentionally preserved in their unrestored state, adding character to the design and embracing the vault’s storied journey.

As a subtle reference to height markers often seen in mugshots, the design team added a quirky tick mark detail set into the trim that frames each set of doors. Above each of the tick-mark details is a quatrefoil with a key-hole detail, personalizing the classic detailing to this unique project.

The result of the collaboration with the client is a uniquely branded space that is highly flexible. In a space that could easily have felt confined, designers achieved a warm elegance worthy of admiration by the client and visitors alike.

IU Health Bloomington Hospital at the Regional Academic Health Center

In addition to replacing the current hospital, the new hospital provides an environment to practice, teach, learn, heal and ultimately improve the quality of life of those it serves.

CSO’s success in leading large, complex projects positioned the firm as an ideal partner when IU Health sought a firm to take on management of the overall design team for completion of the hospital and clinic. The complexity of the project, along with having numerous firms involved, presented an opportunity and challenge. CSO’s past experience enabled the firm to quickly engage and provide management services on behalf of the Health System. In addition to providing overall project management, the CSO team worked closely with the project partners to oversee and progress design concepts and strategies. A collaborative culture where team members contributed equally, and frequently, was put in place on day one. This simple strategy positioned the designers around the table with the users groups to ensure quantitative and qualitative information gathering, resulting in informed design decisions.

The result of a collaborative process with IU Health, project partners, and CSO, the new IU Health Bloomington Hospital provides a patient, family, physician and employee experience that is welcoming, intuitive, and serene. Details such as the integration of local art, which connects the facility with its surroundings, underscores IU Health’s commitment to cultivating a culture of community pride while enhancing the emotional wellbeing of those served by the facility. Healthcare services provided by the facility include office visits, diagnostic testing, inpatient services, a Women’s Center, outpatient care, a trauma center, and an emergency department.

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.

Lacy School of Business

The design features innovative spaces for experiential learning, including: flexible classrooms where local professionals teach workplace-style classes, centers staffed by organizations that involve students in research and outreach, and collaborative workspaces where students develop their own business in concert with experts from the region. The building represents Butler’s competitive distinction from its peer institutions by making activities and interaction immediately visible and central to students’ experience. The design provides visibility by creating transparent spaces that invite participation in central locations around the multi-story atrium at the heart of the building. In addition, the central, broad, open stairs and generous balconies encourage creative collisions as students, faculty, and visitors move and interact throughout the building.

The Innovation Commons, which opens onto the central atrium, is equipped for students to start and run their own businesses as well as a wide range of other types of experiential learning. The Centers, distributed around the main level, provide space where business professionals, faculty, and students work together to solve business challenges. Glass overhead doors open to connect to the atrium and convey the importance and vitality of that work to the school and its guests.

The Butler Business School is named in honor of Andre B. Lacy, a local, successful entrepreneur and philanthropist, as well as a committed family man and daring adventurer. CSO’s interior design studio honored his life with a series of installations that incorporate a collection of custom-designed icons representing his many facets. The icons appear throughout the building as design elements in areas such as the rug in the main atrium and small medallions that are hidden throughout the building. A timeline of his life takes the form of 25 envelopes, connecting his first job in a mailroom and the endowment gift, reminding students that their humble beginnings can build to something great. The design team also featured objects that were important to Lacy – the time clock Lacy once used to clock into his job and the motorcycle he rode across continents. These were both gifts from the family who were intimate collaborators on the project. The conference table in the board room adjacent to the Dean’s office features the Lacy family knot and is a duplication of a table that exists at Lacy’s corporate headquarters.

Located in a prominent place on the campus, visible from the east entrance, the building completes the cross axis of the original campus masterplan. The building’s vertical towers and active silhouette reflect the characteristics of the much-loved historic campus. The building replaces a parking lot and defines the intersection of the two major green spaces at the center of the campus. CSO completed this project in collaboration with Goody Clancy.

Clif Bar

Clif Bar is a private company guided by Five Aspirations focused on sustaining their business, brands, people, community, and the planet. When they set out to design a renovation and expansion of their Indianapolis facility, it was crucial that their chosen design firm embraced a like-minded approach to incorporating biophilic design, renewable energy, repurposed materials, and locally-sourced materials. The two-story addition doubled the size of their office space while providing a work environment that is centered around the well-being of their employees. Not a single facet of the design was proposed without linking it back to direct evidence that such a feature would matter to the people who would inhabit the space.

Biophilic Design was crucial in creating an interior and exterior that would be an invigorating and comfortable environment for workers who spend long shifts indoors. Drawing on inspiration from the native Indiana geology, the building is clad in rough limestone detailed to express horizontal strata, and utilizes shading devices which draw upon the complexity and order of natural patterns, creating a soft play of light similar to that of a deciduous woodland.

These themes of prospect and refuge continue inside, offering dynamic double-height spaces in which to host all-hands meetings, as well as intimate nooks for private rest and respite. By express intention, every single employee has the same arrival experience and amenities. Bakery staff and office workers alike are intermixed in social spaces under skylights and at critical building zones. Given prominence due to the people it serves, the employee breakroom occupies the outer portion of the second floor. It is afforded sweeping view of the outdoors, and is uniquely branded to reflect the spirit and diversity of Clif Bar’s employees.

CSO’s design process was enhanced through workplace research data provided by DORIS Research as well as input on biophilic design features from Terrapin Bright Green, who has developed biophilic design strategies for other Clif Bar facilities.

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.

Goodman Campbell Brain and Spine

Goodman Campbell Brain and Spine is a leading neurological healthcare provider. With a presence at major health institutions throughout the Indianapolis area, their newest office is their first stand-alone location. Seeing this as an opportunity to express their trusted brand through the use of space, they tapped long-time partner, CSO, for the job.

Upon entering the building, staff and clients are greeted with a 2-story dimensional wall and unique light sculpture, directly contrasting with an otherwise sleek and minimal lobby. It is immediately clear that this space is not a typical healthcare environment. Continuing into the first floor patient area, patients see a materiality not often associated with healthcare: diffused light art installations, clean white quartz, and black metal accents are paired with a textured carpet and wood accents to create a space that, despite its modernity, is warm and welcoming to all.

The exam area is laid out in an easy-to-navigate circular traffic pattern. As patients enter this area, they first see the checkout desk and its identifying feature: a stunning image of brain neurons which has been enlarged so much that the look could be mistaken for marble.

Upstairs, the reception area also sports a unique and beautiful installation. This time, a wood-and metal sculpture grabs your attention. It undulates against the wall, conjuring a spinal cord. Across the waiting room, patients can catch a glimpse of a companion piece: a spine-like light fixture hanging above a staff-only conference space.

Staff spaces are designed to the same standard as the patient-facing spaces. A social hub on each floor contains upscale casework and the warmth of a wood ceiling. The second floor social hub includes a dramatic upholstered bench. Both spaces provide respite from the staff’s naturally stressful jobs. Throughout, CSO’s interiors team focused on creating a space that felt curated and filled with art, similar to how staff and patients might curate their own art collections at home. By making a space that feels both forward-thinking and welcoming, CSO’s interiors team was able to express Goodman Campbell’s own approach to healthcare.

MJ Insurance Corporate Headquarters

MJ Insurance is a national insurance firm headquartered in Carmel, Indiana. The company opened in 1964 with four employees and, upon moving into their new headquarters, had grown into a national firm with over 150 employees at their Indiana location alone. The design team led MJ Insurance through an involved visioning process, culminating in a series of principles to guide the project. These principles had a central theme: capitalize on and enhance an already positive company culture.

While many companies in the insurance industry build offices with high walls, MJ Insurance set out to buck norms. They moved to a highly collaborative open office environment unique to their industry. In order to support this culture-promoting design decision, the team included conference rooms, enclaves, and focus rooms of many shapes and sizes to ensure that both morale and productivity would increase in the new space. Designers worked to provide the right furniture solutions to support an open work environment with a strong need for both collaboration and privacy. Company leadership showed their commitment to the design by joining the employees in open office workstations.

The culture at MJ Insurance centers around six core values: Passion, Leadership, Personal Development, Incremental Growth, Innovation, and Fun. These values drove the entire design – from the open office configuration to the centrally located social areas – but they are most evident in a consistent branding concept. MJ’s boardroom connects to the lobby with a glass storefront, which allows a branded art installation to span the two spaces. At the far end of the conference room is a white grid with vibrant yellow plus signs at many of the intersections. That grid becomes a series of extruded white-and-yellow plus signs of various heights and sizes, suspended from the ceiling and streaming into the lobby until they end over the monumental stair. The grid represents the discipline required for leadership, personal development, and incremental growth while the shape and color of the plus signs connect to MJ’s values of passion and fun. The company instantly connected with the installation and used the concept to relaunch their national brand.

MJ Insurance asked for an infusion of fun in their space. Sliding felt panels, a carpet pattern developed, and a unique series of branding elements did just that for this hard-working group.

GE Waukesha Engine Factory

During a competitive, qualifications-based selection process, CSO was chosen as the designer for the flagship GE Brilliant Factory in Ontario, Canada. CSO was the successful candidate due to a unique combination of prior experience with similar GE projects and the ability to develop high-level design solutions and functionality required for manufacturing and logistics projects.

The facility was designed to manufacture GE’s Waukesha reciprocating gas engines; components for compression, mechanical drive, and power generation; and components for GE transportation diesel engines. As the project neared completion, Innio acquired the building along with GE’s distributed power business.

GE charged the design team to deliver an engine manufacturing facility for state-of-the-art manufacturing processes that would be fully connected to the industrial internet, providing real time data analytics and feedback to the manufacturing floor personnel. The facility was designed to provide inspiring and collaborative work and meeting spaces to empower and uplift GE’s self-directed workforce. The facility incorporated numerous sustainable building and site design strategies, including efficient HVAC and electrical systems, recycled content, an energy efficient exterior envelope, and an abundance of natural light in both the office and manufacturing areas.

The project design principles included: creating brilliant, luminous working environments within the plant and office spaces by introducing generous amounts of natural daylight; putting the Multimodal Assembly Area on display from the Main Lobby, providing a large window wall between the 2 areas; and using daylighting as a metaphor for the “Brilliant Factory,” illuminating GE’s advanced engine manufacturing technology.

CSO served as the design architect on the project and collaborated with B+H Architects of Toronto, Ontario, Canada to deliver the project. CSO also provided interior design services for the office portion of the project.

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 Olivia on Main

The Olivia on Main Luxury Residence & Shoppes is a five-story, mixed use development that includes 204, 1 and 2 bedroom apartments, 17,000 square feet of retail/restaurant space on the ground floor, 57 covered parking spaces, an indoor amenities center, and an elevated second floor pool and deck with an indoor aqua lounge.

Upon arrival to the amenity center and leasing offices, visitors and residents are welcomed by an open concept with views to multiple engagement spaces. The design team planned the amenity center to allow residents and visitors to choose their level of social interaction within the space. On axis with the entry is a beautiful stone island and hospitality center. Intentionally located as the heart of the space, much like today’s residential kitchens, it serves as an informal gathering space, a hospitality space, and meeting location. From this central location residents and visitors may choose to further explore the space. Upon exploration, they will find a private movie room, fitness center, conference space, business center, gaming lounge, and finally a private library lounge.

The interior design of the apartment and amenity center sought to balance a luxury feel with a budget that was consistent with area development. Throughout the space touches of casual luxury are noted in unique lighting elements, natural stone materials, and a clever mix of metal finishes. The neutral foundation for the palette elevates these features allowing them to make a lasting impact on visitors and residents alike.

Parkwood Amenity and Recreation Center

CSO was commissioned to design an amenity center to serve Parkwood Crossing in order to invigorate the workplace experience for tenants by offering enhanced opportunities for food service, meeting spaces, as well as indoor and outdoor fitness. The location and orientation of the building provides visitors with a peaceful and regenerative connection with the adjacent lake. PARC includes a concierge, dining facilities, a 6,000 square foot fitness center, cyber café, conference rooms, a bike share option, and collaborative spaces available to all tenants located in Parkwood Crossing.

The design concept was organized so that the “service” functions are oriented to the west side of the building, acting as a thermal and visual buffer from western sun/wind exposure and views of the large parking field. This allows the “people spaces” – the cyber café, meeting areas, and lounge spaces – to take advantage of water views and a tranquil, shaded outdoor deck. This organization is architecturally expressed through the use of a continuous stone wall plane that bisects the building into solid and void volumes. The exterior utilizes natural materials including glass, concrete, stone, wood, and colored stainless steel “shingles” which project an urban feeling.

The interior design is focused on natural light, flexibility, openness, and durability. The carpet, tile, and polished concrete co-exist nicely, providing a soothing accent to those seeking respite, nourishment, or the opportunity for exercise. The diverse seating options provide solutions for a wide variety of personal interactions while allowing for unique experiences and vantage points for visitors. The 14,000 square foot state-of-the-art amenity center goes a long way toward improving the daily workplace experience of the Parkwood Crossing business community.

SpringHill Suites – Grand Park

With events held year-round at the Sports Complex, lodging needs in the area have drastically increased. This 150-key, 5-floor hotel features public spaces, a custom exterior, 2,000 square feet of meeting space, prototypical breakfast, a full-service bar, and surface parking.

Suites at the new hotel are larger than typical hotel rooms to accommodate larger groups and families. Separate living, working, and sleeping spaces provide guests with flexibility and functionality.

The SpringHill Suites also offers 1,700 square feet of functional meeting space and the Oak Bar, located adjacent to the lobby, features a stylish space adorned with wood and other natural elements.

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.

Allied Solutions Corporate Headquarters

CSO designers conducted extensive visioning sessions with focus groups from Allied Solutions to guide and inspire the design for their new headquarters. The Allied Solutions team had the following to say about the visioning process: “When you ask employees what they want in a new space, they are limited to envisioning only the environments in which they have personally experienced. The Visioning exercise developed by CSO draws out attitudes and ideas that employees otherwise would not be able to voice when asked, ‘what do you want in your space?’ This was a key part in the overall design strategy for Allied Solutions’ new headquarters, allowing our employees to voice their unique input for the company’s new space.”

The holistic interior design, and seamlessly incorporated branding elements are apparent immediately upon arrival to Allied’s second floor lobby. There, employees and visitors are enveloped by Allied Solutions’ “Blue Culture” with views to an atrium with a grand staircase, an informal mid-level conference room, social gathering spaces, and a 3^rd level conference room. By design, the activity of the office is put on display in response to feedback provided by the user groups during their visioning sessions. Research and careful dissection of information from the visioning sessions gave designers the opportunity to carefully parallel Allied Solution’s unique culture in its interior environment. The result is a unique space that embodies the company’s cultural and business aspirations.

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.

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.

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.

River North at Keystone

The River North office building is strategically located on the scenic 25-acre lake of Keystone at the Crossing. The east face of the building embraces the morning sunrise and capitalizes on serene water views. Simple forms frame the glass openings and pay respect to the nearby existing architecture. The multi-tenant building further leverages the site by incorporating small retreat terraces overlooking the lake and centrally positioning the vertical circulation adjacent to the large two-story gathering hub, while enhanced exterior spaces lure tenants to the outdoors to work, relax and play.

Upon entering the 116,836 square foot, 5-story building, visitors are immediately drawn to the pass-through views to the lake. The interior design is intentionally subtle, but sophisticated. This design philosophy encourages the eye to continue outward to reinforce the connection to nature. Biophilic patterns can be found throughout the interior design, which is a unique concept for a multi-tenant development. The views to the water and connection to nature were leveraged, and to further the biophilic story the design team incorporated biomorphic patterns within the interior wood cladding, utilized simple-natural materials, and honed in on the human desire for an identifiable but safe risk situation at the glass railing overlook. The natural beauty of the walnut wood is observed from the main floor on the underside of the stairs and is intended to symbolize the complexity and order found in nature.

The River North office building at its core incorporates a simplistic design approach. However, digging deeper, the design is extremely complex and unique to the market. The design provides a piece of serenity within a continually evolving and very desirable area of Indianapolis. Visitors and tenants enjoy, within walking distance, many of the City’s most highly regarded restaurants and retail shops. This building is part of a holistic redevelopment of Keystone at the Crossing, including a five-story, 198-unit apartment building and parking garage, and a 129-room Hampton Inn & Suites Hotel.

LDI, Ltd.

Recognizing that an up-to-date work environment would be a tool to help them enhance their culture and attract top talent, LDI hired CSO to guide them through a cultural shift to energize the office. Their goal was to provide an environment that facilitates interaction, collaboration, and the use of technology.

The interior design team at CSO led visioning sessions to determine the project’s guiding principles and interviewed representatives from each department to determine staff, work-flow needs, growth, and goals.

The interior design and corporate branding pay tribute to the rich heritage of the company in subtle ways such as the incorporation of the “Lacy Knot” in the pattern of a suspended ceiling and a custom conference table. Additionally, the design includes a new staircase to connect their two floors of office space. The stair features custom sculptural details to pay homage to the company’s history in the corrugated paper industry and milestone dates. There are a multitude of details that the design team was able to incorporate into the final design through careful research, in-depth visioning, and interview sessions with the client.

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

Cummins Seymour Technical Center

The new Cummins, Inc. Seymour Technical Center was designed as the Global Headquarters for High-Horsepower Design and Engineering. The 2-story office addition includes workspace and collaboration areas, a dining facility and social hub, new entrances, and a security and training pavilion for the engine plant. The building design is a bold expression of Cummins’ engineering prowess and its proud history of designing, manufacturing, and distributing the finest, most powerful engines in the world. The main entrances incorporate dramatically cantilevered steel canopies, which are reminiscent of Columbus, Indiana’s iconic red suspension bridge. The office building’s exterior was designed with an advanced engineered skin, incorporating an exterior daylighting and shading system. Each of the primary exterior façades has been purposefully designed to respond to its specific and unique solar orientation.

Cummins wanted to “bring the office into the plant, and the plant into the office.” Highly durable and raw industrial materials such as corrugated steel panels, polished concrete, and wood slats fastened to exposed metal studs were incorporated throughout the office environment. These same materials can be found on the plant floor, and therefore subtly reinforce the connection. The engine assembly and finishing process was carefully examined early in the design process with the goal of informing the final design. Elements of the manufacturing process are on display in the office area through the incorporation of design features such as the compound curves and finish found on powder-coated steel benches which mimic the sleek lines of the engines.

Highly flexible, ergonomic workspace solutions and state-of-the-art audiovisual collaboration systems allow the engineers to tailor how and where they work. A variety of flexible meeting rooms, focus booths, soft seating areas, and social hubs are available to accommodate the changing needs of their workforce and promote interaction, collaboration, and engineering innovation.

The Cummins Seymour Technical Center does more than provide much needed space for engineering staff – it uplifts their work force in beautiful spaces and is an inspiring reflection of Cummins’ proud tradition of world-class engineering.

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.

Biddle Hotel and Conference Center

Located just steps from the iconic Sample Gates, the Biddle Hotel provides visitors and distinguished guests of the University with an opportunity to experience Hoosier hospitality at its finest.

The renovations at Biddle focused on enhancing the simple elegance of the boutique hotel as well as bringing the telecommunications infrastructure up to current standards. Upgrades included new finishes in the hotel’s guest rooms, suites, and corridors as well as the reconfiguration of bathrooms to improve accessibility. Additionally, the 1,320 square foot Federal Room was refreshed with new carpeting. The Metz Suite, which occupies the entire sixth floor of Indiana Memorial Union and is used for accommodating distinguished guests and visitors, also received renovations to its window treatment, cabinets, and woodwork. CSO provided architecture and interior design services to update the hotel.

Roche Diagnostics Building G

For many years Roche relied on a standard footprint for their open office areas, originally developed because of the need to reuse open office cubicles and their components, in various configurations as workplace needs evolved. In an effort to modernize their headquarters, Roche recognized the need to focus on leveraging workplace trends such as mobility and sustainability.

This project involved 28,844 square feet spread between two floors in an existing 69,632 square foot building. Through this design, CSO helped reinforce the value of the newly implemented alternative workplace strategies for Roche’s open office environments. The refreshed space focuses on overall flexibility and collaboration while allowing users to maximize resources and support Roche’s mission of innovation.

The updated work environment provides a free address system that allows individuals to make a choice about where to work depending on their individualized needs. It also provides ample space for collaboration and focused work as well as social hubs. CSO focused on re-imagining this workspace to create a work environment that aligns with the vision of the company, leverages technology to better support changes in the workplace, and incorporates sustainability and employee welfare as key components of the new environment.

Joshi Performance Hall

From the onset of this performance hall project, the design team was challenged to think outside of the box to craft a solution that would meet the demanding requirements of the Ernestine M. Raclin School of Music students and faculty within a very tight budget and time frame. The conversion of an existing lecture hall and its adjacent spaces into a state-of-the-art recital hall is the culmination of the Joshi family’s vision to provide young musicians and singers excellent educational and career development opportunities at IUSB. Indiana University turned to CSO for their performing arts expertise after the original design team was unable to provide a solution within budget. CSO’s design incorporates an electronic architectural sound system that provides optimal acoustical characteristics within the confines of the existing space without major, costly physical modifications.

Each element of the design supplements the integrated sound system, in order to achieve a harmonious balance of sound and “sparkle”. The formerly carpeted walls are now clad in rich wood paneling and acoustic diffusion systems which add physical and acoustical warmth to the space. Deep red tapestry has been integrated into the side walls to add an air of sophistication to the space. All of the elements work together and create an experience for every patron, allowing them to be completely enveloped by the art being performed on stage. The performance hall provides a world class venue for chamber music, soloist, and small ensemble performances in addition to providing the use of state-of-the-art recording equipment for students and faculty.

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.

Read Hall

Beginning with experienced chefs and food service teams, the goal was to bring enhanced experiences including better meals, better catering options, and expanding course options to include learning home living skills, meal and food prep, and world food cultures. To support that goal, IU needed a new facility for catering that included cooking, baking, refrigeration and freezer storage, dishwashing, assembly and prep areas, and a full working kitchen.

Attached to the working kitchen, a student learning space with 5 team learning stations creates a classroom for approximately 20 to 25 students for demonstrations and hands on learning – similar to that found in a culinary program or school. All students can observe the work in the classroom, which is also equipped with video capabilities for recording and distance learning.

The design implementation challenges included the constraints of the space in a 1952 six-story residential dormitory building. Special skill was required to include seven exhaust hoods and make-up air equipment in an existing limited first floor space, with dormitory spaces above. The geometry of the available areas, a raised concrete floor area in the middle of the proposed kitchen, and the limits of the structural grid required a unique approach for the plan and equipment layouts. Through collaboration by team members and University staff, the project succeeded in meeting the working needs of the catering staff, despite the limits.

Carr Workplaces – Convergence

At the outset of the project, the Purdue Research Foundation partnered with Carr Workplaces to create a building unlike any other on Purdue University’s campus. This building was planned to serve as a catalyst for idea exchanges and idea incubation. The vision included entrepreneurs, established Fortune 500 companies, university faculty and students all converging in a single location. “Convergence” evolved as the concept.

The space includes 68 private offices, drop-in workspaces, meeting rooms, and event space on the first two floors of the center. The project included the design of the building’s public spaces along with the space for Carr Workplaces.

Upon entering the building, visitors are entrenched within the convergence ecosystem. Collaboration spaces including: community tables, informal lounge settings and private conference rooms surround the dynamic 2-story atrium. The artfully woven lighting above the atrium is symbolic of the idea exchange concept and serves as a subtle branded component. The balance of exposed structural steel elements and refined details speaks to the synergy between “Boilermakers” and corporate partnerships.

The Carr space continues the subtle color story of the atrium, and reimagines it as bold patterns and strategic color blocking. A neutral foundation of the iconic Purdue “black and gold” translates to steel and wood, and enables bright blues, oranges and greens to take center stage.

The artwork contributes seamlessly to the dynamic color integration, and reveals another layer of the complex design. Carefully curated art reminds users of the rich Purdue University heritage, and their contributions to Agriculture, Aeronautics, Engineering and Space Exploration.

A diverse assortment of work settings allows users to tailor the space to meet their needs. The incorporation of neighborhood plazas places the opportunity to collaborate at the user’s doorstep. Both formal and informal settings support this exchange and further the opportunity to choose. Strategic circulation paths facilitate impromptu exchanges, and are designed to encourage wellness.

Convergence is where private industry is strategically located at Purdue University’s front door. It is an incubator for innovation. As Purdue states, it is “where ideas will be turned into discoveries and global challenges translated into innovations and impact.”