3North Offices – Richmond
3North‘s interior renovation in Richmond features community-oriented spaces on the first floor and a collaborative open studio on the second, highlighting clean lines, authentic materials, and flexibility.
This interior renovation for a design firm’s office was straight-forward in concept, envisioning community-oriented gathering spaces on the first story and a collaborative open studio on the second with a symbiotic relationship between the levels.
The first story was pared back to clean lines and authentic materials complementing the existing mid-century modern material palette and prioritizing flexibility. While serving the needs of its primary users, the lower level was designed to host the community through its curated rotating gallery and generous multi-purpose space for artist lectures, student thesis showcases, or local board meetings. This footprint is then supported by an adjacent kitchen with counter space suited for catering. Foregoing some of the expected “office-space” creature comforts for flexibility and adaptability, the design team expects this space to continue hosting the diverse visions of its users and community.
The second story is organized along the concept of an exterior, tree-lined street with an open studio to one side and an arcade of private meeting rooms to the other. With generous views to the sky and adjacent tree canopies, this second story is a beehive of creativity where the users can seamlessly flow between different modes of working and collaborating.
Design: 3North
Contractor: The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company
Photography: Yuzhu Zheng
