Share this on

Are You E-xperienced?

HOK Interiors develops a prototype for IBM's new e-business venture.

Jeff Hill -- Interior Design, 11/1/2001 12:00:00 AM

IBM engaged HOK Interiors to design a prototype facility in Santa Monica, California, for its new e-business Innovation Center, one that could be rolled out at additional sites throughout the country. "The vision for the space was that it should not look like your father's IBM," comments HOK Los Angeles project manager Brett Shwery. "They wanted a completely new look." HOK Interiors certainly succeeded in providing a fresh alternative to the quintessentially buttoned-up corporate image of Big Blue with a sleekly modernist design that avoids the pratfalls of mid-century clichés.

The 52,000-sq.-ft. e-business Innovation Center occupies four floors in a low-rise office building. In order to create a bright, open space that would encourage creativity without sacrificing efficiency, HOK maximized the volumes of the structure's raw concrete envelope and high ceilings. The ground-floor briefing center consists of two large rooms where IBM shows off its advanced-technology wares and interactive plasma screens deliver explanatory information. The experience of interior space was HOK's paramount concern here. "We designed this space so the environment envelops people," says Shwery. "People don't see outside—they're always looking inward. We liken it to a theme show: Potential clients are immersed in a complete e-business experience."

Unlike the traditional corporate environment one would expect at IBM, the e-business Innovation Center is nonhierarchical in its organization. There are no private offices, and the only enclosed spaces are "teaming" rooms—definitely a new concept at IBM. Relying on the now common open plan for the layout of work areas and client spaces, HOK nevertheless devised ingenious graphic patterns to establish a sense of place and facilitate wayfinding. HOK employed geometric forms throughout the space in a quasi-heuristic fashion—for example, the client "meet and greet" space on the first floor is defined by a white marble circle inset within a black surround of carpeting and tiles. A circular drop ceiling panel illuminates the area with an array of pinpoint lights, meanwhile leaving the ductwork exposed—a nod to "industrial chic." On the fourth floor, also dedicated to wooing potential e-business clients, the circular path through the space is emphasized by the repetition of metallic-finish acoustical ceiling baffles.

Overall, HOK did something more significant than just fashioning yet another business environment for a corporate titan. It created a startling new image—indeed, a new concept—for one of America's most venerable companies. Besides Shwery, the project team included principal-in-charge Susan Grossinger, senior project designer Barbara Ostroff, and job captain Louis Bretana.