TLCD Architecture’s Office Attains LEED Certification!

TLCD Architecture, LEED Commercial Interiors, USGBC, Office Design, Urban OfficeWe just learned that TLCD’s Office has achieved certification under the LEED 2009 Commercial Interiors rating system. While this is not our first LEED certification, it’s particularly meaningful since it’s our own office environment.

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is one of the most popular green building certification programs used worldwide. Developed by the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) it includes a set of rating systems for the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of green buildings, homes, and neighborhoods that aims to help building owners and operators be environmentally responsible and use resources efficiently.

We are proud to have designed a very sustainable office environment, and hope that it will spark interest on the part of our clients and other visitors to our office to do the same.

Top Projects 2016: Large and Small Scale Office Space

The North Bay Business Journal held it’s 2016 Top Projects event in December where 20 North Bay projects were recognized and celebrated by the business community. TLCD Architecture was the architect on two distinctly different projects in the “Office” category.

American AgCredit is a 120,000 sf financial headquarters building for the nation’s largest agricultural lender. Our team worked with the client to design a flexible office environment that encourages collaboration and supports a strong company culture. Read more on our blog post “Creating Unique Spaces That Enhance Culture”.

TLCD Architecture Office, workplace design, urban office, downtown Santa RosaTLCD’s new Office in downtown Santa Rosa is much different in scale but also supports workplace culture. It’s not often that architects have the opportunity to design their own space, and the former AT&T Building presented the perfect urban canvas for us. The design allows the natural character of the building to come through, while creating a very contemporary workplace.

Thanks to the North Bay Business Journal for hosting this event and celebrating the built environment in the North Bay!

Creating Unique Spaces that Enhance Culture

From the beginning, American AgCredit challenged TLCD Architecture to design their headquarters building with “movement” in mind. Concepts like clear circulation, inside-outside views, places to connect and flex space were part of the design conversation. This allowed us to explore opportunities beyond traditional office zones and look at the spaces “in-between” as a way to enhance work culture. Interior spaces range from furnished skybridges to quiet alcoves, while exterior spaces are as diverse as a large landscaped central courtyard to a ping-pong deck. There are many examples throughout the new American AgCredit Headquarters building – and they demonstrate how carefully crafted detail, finishes and artwork can help create a truly exceptional workplace.

TLCD Architecture, American AgCredit Headquarters, Skybridge, collaboration zone, day lighting, furniture, transparencyTLCD Architecture, American AgCredit Headquarters, kitchen, courtyard, gathering space, financial headquarters, community eventsTLCD Architecture, American AgCredit Headquarters, central staircase, circulation, furniture, private alcoveTLCD Architecture, American AgCredit Headquarters, team collaboration, white board, flex space

These concepts are not unique to the office environment. We bring many of these considerations to our work for educational and healthcare clients. The opportunity to design these “in-between” spaces for collaboration, communication and well-being at a college or medical campus has far-reaching impact.

 

IIDA: Spring Forum and Farm to Table Event

By Suzanne Nagorka

Director, North Bay IIDA NC City Center

I recently had the opportunity to work with a wonderful committee of designers and industry representatives to plan the North Bay Spring Forum which followed the IIDA Northern California Chapter theme of “Design for Humanity”.  What better place to host the event than at American AgCredit, a project for which I led the interior design, spaceplanning and art selection over a three year period. 

Following an inspiring round table conversation by panelists discussing how art and design can influence at-risk youth, American AgCredit’s CSO and the TLCD design team toured attendees through an amazing new 120,000 square foot new headquarters building.  IIDA members were delighted to see a corporate interior environment with such an extensive art collection and commissioned installations including a cowhide wall mural, barrel stave feature and rammed earth wall.  Throughout the afternoon local wines and delectable’s with a “Farm to Table” theme added to the festive atmosphere on the roof deck overlooking Sonoma County’s vineyards.

Neocon 2016: Is Your Workplace Ready for a Refresh?

Title_resimercial

There’s lots of excitement around applying a more residential feel to the commercial workplace. Furniture designers are creating collections that support a variety of postures and resemble the soft curves you might see at home. Not all creativity and productivity happens at a cubicle – some of our favorites in this “Resimerical” movement really support alternative ways of working.

neocon, bernhard casino, TLCD Architecture, resimercial, furniture trends, workplace design

Bernhardt’s Casino is a beautiful new sofa collection that was extremely popular at Necon 2016. Incorporating lounge furniture destinations within a workplace are just as important as the design of individual desks. It gives employees the opportunity to put their feet up in the middle of the day, much like you would at home. Pull-up side tables for a laptop, iPad or coffee cup while reading the paper were also featured in furniture arrangements. 

neocon, Knoll Rockwell, TLCD Architecture, resimercial, furniture trends, workplace design

Another favorite is the new Rockwell Collection by Knoll. The idea behind these new pieces is to create an environment that enables a variety of experiences, and empowers users to transform their space at a moment’s notice. Everything is mobile, easy to reconfigure and has a hospitality quality that captures the “Resimercial” feeling seen throughout the show. This type of collection could easily be incorporated into a higher education project where students need to work alone or in groups – such as TLCD’s Wine Business Institute project at Sonoma State.

Title_artful acoustics

Filzfelt Acoustic Screen

One of the biggest challenges in workplace design is creating acoustically balanced spaces for optimal working conditions. Luckily for designers, decorative acoustic solutions are hitting the market and there are more resources than ever before. We have already been able to incorporate some of these solutions into our current work and the products are both beautiful and functional.

Felt has been making a huge come-back in recent years. These sound softening, modular products can be found on walls and ceilings providing acoustic absorption and dividing space with opportunities to incorporate graphics and pattern into the environment. One new felt introduction is Link from Filzfelt and it’s comprised of reconfigurable hexagonal modules that connect to create a private to semi-private screen depending on the negative space within the module. The overall effect has a delicate crochet type patterning.

For TLCD’s new office, we were able to use one of Filzfelt’s hanging panel products to introduce a playful, screening and sound absorbing element at the end of the workstations.

TLCD Architecture, workplace design, Filzfelt acoustic screen, Neocon 2016

Unika Vaev, Ecoustic Veneer, Neocon 2016The need for acoustics does not transcend specialty spaces. Newest to the acoustic wood wall and ceiling product scene is Unika Vaev’s Ecoustic Veneer product. Perforated and non-perforated beautiful wood veneer is available in a linear shiplap installation method. The product is engineered to reduce install time and be installed over almost any substrate for our remodel clients with expedited schedules!

Title_privacy

We hear this new buzzword in relation to workplace design from clients, social scientists and manufacturers in the design industry. Neocon 2016 was a great way to learn about the latest and greatest products available to address the need for privacy in today’s fast-paced and technology rich work environment. We found three products that we plan to add to our toolkit. Reflect Chair, Allsteel, Neocon 2016

The Reflect chair by Allsteel is presented as a “new solo workspace” that creates a personal refuge in an open work environment. The large enveloping back reduces visual distractions. Generous armrests allow room for a laptop or paperwork. Mostly we like the oversized comfy seat with contrasting materials that welcomes folks who need a break. The new headquarter building TLCD designed for American AgCredit incorporates similar furniture solutions for privacy and comfort.

We learned about a new glass source for our projects – Carvart Contract, which was awarded Gold in the architectural & decorative glass category. Their super easy website boasts a soup-to-nuts collection of architectural glass products and hardware systems for just about any application. Their privacy solutions include full-height sliding glass panels with a range of gradient and pattern options.

Carvart Contract, Neocon 2016, Privacy Glass

Teknion Zones Collection, Neocon 2016, PrivacyTeknion received the Neocon Best of Competition award for it’s Zones Collection that provides flexible alternatives for small one and two-person getaway spots. People can stretch out or huddle in privacy yet still have a subtle visual connection with their surroundings.

Groundbreaking at Sonoma State University’s Wine Spectator Learning Center

Wine Business Institute, Sonoma State University, TLCD Architecture, Hospitality Classroom

Yesterday marked a momentous occasion for Sonoma State University and TLCD Architecture. A well attended groundbreaking ceremony was held for the Wine Business Institute’s, Wine Spectator Learning Center. Speakers at the event included Marvin Shanken, editor and publisher of Wine Spectator magazine, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, U.S. Rep Mike Thompson, and SSU President Ruben Armiñana, among others, and was covered by the Press Democrat.

It’s been three years since TLCD was first selected to design the renovation of the former University Commons building. After an initial design phase, the project was put on hold until the $9 million in private funding was raised.

Now that the project is fully funded, the construction process can begin! The project will be completed in time for students and faculty to enjoy their new space for the Fall 2017 semester.

For more information on the Wine Spectator Learning Center click here.

 

Celebrating Our New Digs in Downtown Santa Rosa

 

Last Thursday, TLCD Architecture held an official ribbon cutting ceremony with the Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce to commemorate the Open House for our new office at 520 Third Street in downtown Santa Rosa. After a few words from Chamber President Jonathan Coe and Vice Mayor Tom Schwedhelm, we opened our doors to clients, consultants, business neighbors, family and friends to check out our “new digs.”

TLCD employees manned the bar and served beer while Starmont Winery poured vino to our guests who enjoyed small bites from Chloe’s while perusing our new home. The open office layout really lends itself to large gatherings especially when the garage door is open, connecting our large conference room to the rest of the space.

We had about 300 guests join us during the three-hour event, which gave us a chance to get a lot of feedback about our design. We invited guests to share their thoughts on the wall in our “Gumby” conference room that doubles as a white board. As we anticipated, everyone had positive things to say about our new office and thought it felt like a great place to work. We are grateful for all of the effort that went into designing and creating our space and definitely enjoy coming to work here everyday!

Thank you to everyone who came to celebrate with us, and if you missed the event – please feel free to stop by next time you’re in downtown!

For more pictures from our Open House, check out our Facebook page!

 

 

Art Abounds at American AgCredit Headquarters

Wine stave wall designed by TLCD's Nick Diggins, using Sonoma County wine barrel staves.
Wine stave wall designed by TLCD’s Nick Diggins, using Sonoma County wine barrel staves.

Color, texture and form filled the air at American AgCredit’s new corporate headquarters last week as we installed 104 pieces of artwork in their new three-story office building.  I got my 10,000 steps in as I led a professional installation crew around the 90,000 square foot office to pin point placement of paintings, photography and sculpture.  Tape measures, blue tape and old fashioned “eyeballing” were all employed as we juggled geometry with adjacent elements to create the “wow” factor we were looking for.

29 talented artists from Sonoma County as well as AAC’s Colorado and Midwest regions are represented in a range of mediums including oil painting, pastels, aerial photography, silver gelatin black and white photography, encaustic painting and giclee prints. Several pieces were commissioned specifically for the project, including a large metal sculpture and custom wall installation.

The art selection process topped off my three-year design journey with an awesome client and design team.  Hats off especially to the AAC Art Committee for making wonderful selections that reflect the land which supports the agricultural industry.

I can’t wait for my next art consultation project!

For more information on the AAC Headquarters check out this previous blog post.

Monolithic Desk Installed at American AgCredit Headquarters

As the TLCD Architecture designed American AgCredit Headquarters project nears completion, one of the most exciting details of the project is being installed – the main reception desk.  Set in front of a rammed earth wall, this dramatic, 27-foot long monolithic white desk stands in striking contrast to the earthen wall behind it.  The desk is manufactured in modules by Isomi in England, and is being installed by a crew from Connecticut.  The crew glues the modules together, which are pulled tight by means of a motorized clamping system.  The seams are filled and sanded, and the resulting monolithic structure is quite simply stunning.  LED lighting will be installed at the base of the desk so that it will appear to float above the floor.

TLCD Announced as Architect for Wine Spectator Learning Center

Wine Business Institute, Sonoma State University, TLCD Architecture, Hospitality Classroom

Sonoma State University announced today that TLCD Architecture and BNBT Builders will partner on the design and construction of the Wine Spectator Learning Center in Rohnert Park.

“As the educational nucleus of a thriving regional economy, it was important to us to engage local professionals on this project. We decided after a lengthy review of top quality firms that TLCD and BNBT have the right combination of skill and experience. Over the coming months, a cutting-edge facility will take shape on campus, designed and built to provide the University community a teaching and learning environment that meets its demands and exceeds expectations as one of California’s leading institutions of higher education,” Dr. William Silver, Dean of the School of Business and Economics said.

TLCD Architecture has been working with the Wine Business Institute at Sonoma State since early 2014 to bring high level design visualizations to the fundraising effort and is thrilled to continue as the architect for this project.

“It’s a real privilege to be involved in such an innovative project.  Sonoma State University and the Wine Business Institute have taken a very sustainable approach by revitalizing one of the original campus buildings. We believe the transformation will be truly stunning, and provide a perfect home for this forward-thinking regional and international program,” Brian Wright, Principal at TLCD Architecture said. 

Who’s Up for a Field Trip… to American AgCredit?

Architecture firms are all about field trips… and often they are tours of our projects under construction. This week, TLCD’s staff got out for a tour of the American AgCredit Headquarters project in Santa Rosa. This landmark 120,000 square foot project is nearing completion with portions of the building to be occupied within a few weeks. It was a great opportunity to tour it and see how many of the key features are taking shape. In the photo above, our team is looking at the rammed earth feature wall which was built early in construction. It was encased in a wooden structure for protection, and then the building was constructed around it. The wall is a stunning reference to the soil that makes agriculture possible and supports American AgCredit’s mission of farm lending.

American AgCredit Headquarters, TLCD Architecture, Zinc Cladding, Santa Rosa Construction Project

American AgCredit Headquarters, TLCD Architecture, Zinc Cladding, Santa Rosa Construction Project

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of many exciting design elements will be perforated zinc exterior cladding, which is only now beginning to be installed. Over the next few months these zinc panels will completely transform the appearance of the building. Not only will they visually define the facade, the panels will also provide sunshading that will significantly reduce the cost of cooling the building.

On the second floor, we walked one of the sky bridges with a feature wall of channel glass. From the outside, the glass provides a distinctive entry element, but from the inside, it creates wonderful, diffused lighting for what will be a casual work area for the employees of American AgCredit. This sky bridge will have soft lighting to one side and clear views to the inner courtyard on the other side.

Throughout the tour we did what most architects do… looked up, looked down, looked all around. These tours are a learning process for the entire staff and also expose us to ideas, materials and solutions we can use on other projects.

IIDA Art & Wine Event Raises Funds for Local Students

Suzanne Nagorka, Interior Designer

Close to 60 members and guests of the IIDA NC (International Interior Design Association, Northern California) North Bay City Center gathered in the sculpture garden of Sonoma County Museum on October 17 for our second annual Fall Art and Wine Event.  Over $2,000 was raised for the Museum’s Educational Program that brings art and museum tours to underserved students in Sonoma County.

Our TLCD Architecture Interior Design team (Domenica Sheets, Stacey Walker, and myself) made up half of the planning committee for the fundraiser, and we were also among the many industry sponsors who made the event possible.

Local wine, delicious Mexican food, tasty treats and a generous raffle enhanced the soiree, while face painting artist Clementine the Amazing provided a fun and festive activity for guests who wanted to honor the Dia de los Muertos theme with wearable sugar skull art.

Interior Designers and affiliated professionals were wowed by the Docent tours of the Museum’s three fabulous exhibits:  Artistry in Wood, Dia de los Muertos and an amazing Fiber Arts show.  IIDA NC is one of 30 worldwide IIDA chapters that leads the way for the next generation of design innovators by providing a forum for professional development and advancement of the Interior Design Industry.

Special thanks go to our Gold Level sponsors:  ARC/Bendheim Glass, LeGrand, Shaw Contract and Wolf Gordon.

The final IIDA NC North Bay City Center event of the year will be our annual Member Appreciation Event in December, which we are busy planning! For information on upcoming IIDA NC events, click here.

We Rock: Creative Preparations for IIDA Fall Art and Wine Event

Stacey Walker, Interior Designer

IIDA North Bay City Center is gearing up for the 2nd Annual Fall Art and Wine Event and enlisted the help of our TLCD office for the decorations.

Suzanne, Domenica and I are on the planning committee for the festive Dia de los Muertos themed event that will be hosted at Museums of Sonoma County in downtown Santa Rosa on Saturday, October 17th from 3-6pm. There will be docent tours of the historic museum exhibits, ‘Dia de los Muertos Altars’ and ‘Artisty in Wood’, as well as tours of the new contemporary museum exhibit ‘The Sculpted Fiber: West Coast Fiber Artists’. Clementine The Amazing Face Painter, a local award winning face painting artist will be magically transforming our guests’ faces into Day of the Dead Sugar Skulls. There will be a silent auction with wonderful prizes and the proceeds of this event will benefit the Museum’s Educational Program for Students.

We harnessed the creativity of our staff to paint river rocks with sugar skull faces and create beautiful tissue paper marigolds to decorate the Museum Sculpture Garden. Our normally boisterous crowd was quiet with concentration as they painted colorful faces on the collection of river rocks and cut, crimped and twisted the tissue paper into beautiful Marigold flowers!

Tickets for this fabulous event can be purchased online http://www.eventbrite.com/e/iida-north-bays-2nd-annual-fall-art-wine-event-tickets-18317944465 – We would love to see you there!

Milestone Celebration for American AgCredit Headquarters

TLCD hosted and toasted the American AgCredit furniture selection team yesterday on the occasion of completing the ancillary furniture specifications for their Santa Rosa Headquarters Building.  Homemade peach pie and local Sonoma County champagne were savored amidst a colorful disarray of fabric samples and drawings.

After 18 months of furniture research and evaluation, the accomplishment of this major milestone was cause for celebration.  The TLCD Interiors team is excited about being one step closer to the December 2015 completion date and seeing all the interior spaces come to life.

The ancillary package being ordered through RDI includes over 800 pieces of furniture for conference rooms, collaborative spaces, break rooms and outdoor spaces.

Cheers to a great team effort!

(For more information on the American AgCredit project, check out previous blog posts here, here, here and here.)

Modern, Energetic and Flexible Work Places are Emerging in the North Bay

TLCD Architecture’s approach to a project fully integrates architecture and interior design to create modern and energetic work places. One project, which has been getting a lot of attention, is the 120,000 SF American AgCredit Headquarters building at the Airport Business Center in Santa Rosa.

The North Bay Business Journal recently did a piece on “Designing the New Workplace” which looks at how the design of modern work environments are focusing on flexibility and encouraging collaboration.

Suzanne Nagorka, TLCD’s Director of Interior Design, was interviewed for the piece and describes how American AgCredit’s new headquarters was designed specifically for the financial institutions’ changing needs – including movable sound-insulated partition walls that can be reconfigured.

Over our 50-year history, TCLD has worked closely with a variety of clients on office planning solutions for private sector, public sector, healthcare and financial markets and we are always looking for ways to innovate and best meet our clients’ needs.

Read the full NBBJ article here.

KI.com, furniture solutions, movable partitions, office design, tlcd architecture, american accredit, architecture
An example of the movable sound insulated glass walls that are going to be used in the American AgCredit building.