GLAAD Tidings

Happiness is a Donald Billinkoff–designed headquarters in the Garment District, says the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation

Monica Geran -- Interior Design, 9/1/2002 12:00:00 AM

They outgrew their nondescript space. They longed for an office to visually communicate what they do. And they knew they'd be limited by budget. Such was the situation faced by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation before its move to 5,700-square-foot headquarters in the Garment District. Architect Donald Billinkoff's mission was to create an identity based on the nonprofit's curriculum: Through New York and California offices, GLAAD monitors the media to forestall hostile news coverage, reward fair reporting, and combat prejudice.

Overlooking the waiting area, 12 shelf-mounted TV sets immediately set a media-savvy tone. Ample natural light, courtesy of north- and south-facing windows, is supplemented by cable-connected fixtures suspended from ceiling-mounted tracks. Wallpaper of 1940s vintage strikes a retro note in the hallway outside the conference room.

Billinkoff consulted with Waldner's and Steelcase to eke as much as possible out of the furniture budget—and otherwise relied on cost-effective materials and treatments. He fashioned both the reception desk and workstations from low-cost urethane-coated particleboard panels. For upholstery fabric, accent walls, and carpet tiles, he selected maximum-impact shades of GLAAD's logo color, orange.