November 2011
Much of the interior space in the new headquarters was set aside to be utilized as open office space. Part of this design concept centered around keeping the focus on the existing structure’s ribbon window design to allow for natural light to stream into a majority of the office areas. Cornerstone utilized a revolutionary lighting design that involved spreading the direct/indirect lighting sources to an unheard of 18-foot on center spacing. This allows the light fixture to be over every spine of the furniture system and allowing light to be placed on the functional work surface. This design, along with personalized lighting systems, allowed Cornerstone to provide employees with the appropriate lighting but also enabled an eco-friendly decrease in the amount of electricity being consumed.
A majority of the open work spaces were kept in the central portion of the building to allow for the open floor plan, while private office spaces were cut out from the existing saw-toothed areas of the building’s structure. The Cornerstone design team attempted to utilize and integrate as many of the building’s existing strengths to create a plan that addressed the client’s needs but allowed for the minimal amount of demolition to the building’s original partitions. One of SHI’s main needs was to have an ample amount of meeting spaces, a need that was magnified as the company has grown. The demand for formal, informal, and quick gathering places was met by integrating a large number of conference and meeting spaces into the design on every floor. In addition to adjusting the layout to serve the client needs, Cornerstone completely revamped and replaced the building’s entire infrastructure, including new chiller plants, cooling towers, building control systems, fire alarm system, and roofing system.
As the project architect, Marco Migliaro Assoc. AIA, was involved from start to finish of this nearly year-long process. With this project having many phases, Marco managed the four main project phases which included the infrastructure upgrades, roof replacement, fit out, and SHI cloud data center. He was also intimately involved in coordination of services between the project manager (Jones Lang LaSalle), building systems engineering firm (Becht Engineering BT), civil engineering firm (The Reynolds Group), as well as the coordination of three different contractors, including Tuner Construction, Unity Construction, and Strober-Wright Roofing. Marco was on-site for a majority of the project in order to provide site-based problem solving and design coordination, as well as being a continuous resource for the client.
Project Photos by JDN Photography
Thank You to Donna Miller and Jason Peist for this beautiful shot of the 9-11 Memorial and the One WTC Freedom Tower from your visit on November 12th.
On Tuesday, November 15th the New Jersey Chapter of the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) hosted their 2011 Holiday Social, “Soup and Cider by the Fire”, at Avila Fine Arts in Bedminster, NJ. Attendees sipped on hot soup and cider around an outdoor bonfire as planning for the 2012 year commenced. The event was well attended by nearly 40 designers, architects and representatives. The NJ IIDA has taken an exciting new direction with the help of newly appointed directors Scott Marchio of The Aztec Corporation (left) and Erin Jimenez of Cornerstone Architectural Group (right). The pair is working hard to breathe new life into the organization, with much success. Keep your eyes open for more great events hosted by the NJ IIDA.
The IIDA promotes the interaction between Architects, Interior Designers and industry representatives. The mission of the chapter is; “To enhance the quality of life through excellence in interior design, and to advance interior design through knowledge, value and community”.