Honor Awards
 
 
  

ARCHITECTURE / HONOR

Two Rivers Marketing Group, Des Moines, IA

Owner: Tom Dunphy / Two Rivers Marketing Group
Firm: Shiffler Associates Architects, P.L.C.
Photographer: Cameron Campbell Integrated Studio / Ames, Iowa

The building was originally constructed in 1935 as a General Motors parts warehouse. In 2005, the client purchased the building, with desires of turning the building into a permanent home for their agency.  The nine-month design-build process of renovating the existing 40,000 square foot warehouse space into a “machine for working” began shortly thereafter. The crowning jewel of the renovation was the insertion of a 3,000 square foot mezzanine into the warehouse’s large center clerestory.  The self-supporting mezzanine appears to float in the space on small canted columns. The catwalks across the mezzanine are steel grating with a wire mesh handrail, referring to factory catwalks.  The translucent nature of the fiberglass panels provide privacy for the offices, yet still creates a sense of openness.  Plywood was used to create walls for conference rooms and other more private areas.  The warmth of the plywood provided contrast to the colder industrial steel of the space. The factory concept allowed architects to use the original character of the building to make an interesting and fun place to work.  This project is a shining example of adaptive reuse of an interesting piece of industrial history into a functional and energetic office space.
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