flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

11 Tips for Breathing New Life into Old Office Spaces

11 Tips for Breathing New Life into Old Office Spaces

With the slowdown in new office building construction across the country, many design and construction firms are turning their attention to office building reconstruction and interior renovations—something Cincinnati-based Hixson Architecture Engineering Interiors has been doing since its founding, in 1948.


By By Robert Cassidy, Editorial Director | November 2, 2010
This article first appeared in the November 2010 issue of BD+C.

Building Design+Construction talked to experts from Hixson Architecture Engineering Interiors for their advice on renovating whole office buildings and office interiors: Colleen McCafferty, LEED AP, Corporate Interiors Team Leader; Bruce F. Mirrielees, AIA, SVP of Project Management; and John Hudson, Director of Client Development. Here are 11 lessons from their experience that may help you in planning your clients’ next office renovation projects.

11 Tips for Office Renovation Success

1. Ask the hard bottom-line questions first.

2. Take a realistic look at the surrounding neighborhood.

3. Look for local or regional economic incentives.

4. Develop an exit strategy for the property.

5. Create a communication plan for the current occupants.

6. Capitalize on the building’s strengths.

7. Determine what features can and should be saved.

8. Enhance the property’s curb appeal and interior finishes.

9. Have a clear picture of who the potential tenants might be, and design for their needs.

10. Don’t try to do everything at once. 

11. Make sustainability part of the process.

View all 11 tips on one page.

Related Stories

| Aug 20, 2014

WELL Building: The next step in green sports construction

The WELL Building Standard, a new protocol that focuses on human wellness within the built environment, is a particularly good fit for sports facilities, write Skanska's Tom Tingle and Beth Heider.

| Aug 20, 2014

Seattle's King Street Station thoughtfully restored [2014 Reconstruction Awards]

After years of neglect and botched renovations, King Street Station sparkles once again.

| Aug 20, 2014

Tour an office with no assigned workstations [slideshow]

The New York office of the Gerson Lehrman Group recently redesigned its office without personal desks or cubicles. The company gave each of its 250 employees a locker, a laptop, and told to work anywhere they wanted, according to Business Insider.

| Aug 20, 2014

Architecture Billings Index reaches highest mark since 2007

The American Institute of Architects reported the July ABI score was 55.8, up noticeably from a mark of 53.5 in June. 

| Aug 19, 2014

Goettsch Partners unveils design for mega mixed-use development in Shenzhen [slideshow]

The overall design concept is of a complex of textured buildings that would differentiate from the surrounding blue-glass buildings of Shenzhen.

| Aug 19, 2014

HOK to acquire 360 Architecture

Expected to be finalized by the end of October, the acquisition of 360 Architecture will provide immediate benefits to both firms’ clients worldwide as HOK re-enters the sports and entertainment market.

| Aug 19, 2014

A designer's epiphany: 'Let's stop talking and make something'

Making things is important because it reveals gaps in thought, sheds light on the fundamental assumptions that can kill ideas, and forces us to push toward solutions that actually work, writes HDR's David Grandy.

| Aug 19, 2014

Construction boom lures new class of lenders in Nashville, says JLL

In the coming months, a gleaming S-shaped tower will join Nashville's burgeoning skyline. The new tower is just one example of a project financed not with conventional construction loans but with a unique blend of equity and debt.

| Aug 18, 2014

Perkins+Will expands planning practice with strategic focus on underserved U.S. communities

The broadened focus is resulting in comprehensive, long-term plans that will guide new growth in places like Buffalo, N.Y., Kingston, R.I., and Brooklyn, N.Y.

| Aug 18, 2014

SPARK’s newly unveiled mixed-use development references China's flowing hillscape

Architecture firm SPARK recently finished a design for a new development in Shenzhen. The 770,700 square-foot mixed-use structure's design mimics the hilly landscape of the site's locale.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category


Urban Planning

Bridging the gap: How early architect involvement can revolutionize a city’s capital improvement plans

Capital Improvement Plans (CIPs) typically span three to five years and outline future city projects and their costs. While they set the stage, the design and construction of these projects often extend beyond the CIP window, leading to a disconnect between the initial budget and evolving project scope. This can result in financial shortfalls, forcing cities to cut back on critical project features.



Libraries

Reasons to reinvent the Midcentury academic library

DLR Group's Interior Design Leader Gretchen Holy, Assoc. IIDA, shares the idea that a designer's responsibility to embrace a library’s history, respect its past, and create an environment that will serve student populations for the next 100 years.

halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021