Completion Date:     9/25/2015

Square Footage:      38000

Building Use:           Commercial Office

Location:                 Costa Mesa, CA

Project Description:

We got the call. “Congratulations. You’re hired. Now don’t mess it up”

The client’s cheeky directive was the beginning of a complex and exciting journey to realize a new workplace home for Brookfield Residential, a growing and dynamic residential developer in Southern California. The charismatic and charmingly irreverent COO had prioritized creating a place where Brookfield’s professionals could thrive, create, and grow their culture of entrepreneurialism and community philanthropy. English-born and a former professional soccer player, our client Adrian Foley, was both a high-level visionary and hands-on in the design process.

The expectation was simple: work with a complex team, connect two floors of office space (with an interior stair), create a new space that would change Brookfield’s way of working, build a separate design studio in an adjacent building (with a new mezzanine), and do it all on an extremely tight budget with a vertical schedule. No problem. As our client summed it up, “I’m hiring the best. If it was simple, monkeys could do it”.

We were inspired by both the project’s urban location near South Coast Plaza (one of the most “urban” areas of Orange County) and our client’s lifestyle-focused business (creating homes, where our most precious memories are made). From these influences, we envisioned a design concept of an URBAN LOFT – a workplace that would have an urban sophistication and a residential warmth. The office’s large central gathering space has the openness of a loft – reception, conference rooms, social hub and circulation are all visible and connected to a beautiful stadium stair.

Raw polished concrete floors contrast with refined warm fumed oak dimensional panels – the grit of cities combined with the beauty of tradition. The circulation link and the heartbeat of the space, the stadium is the perfect place for all-staff meetings or an informal meeting with a coworker. But what’s a home without fun and games? The social hub below has everything employees need to have fun (and more!): a big screen TV, shuffleboard table, foosball (custom-colored to match our palette, of course) and musical instruments. A glance away from the games reveals a team pride bookcase that houses numerous trophies for community service and industry awards, reminding employees of the company’s strong vision. The uniquely “Brookfield” space has more than lived up to expectations… the buzz and momentum of the space energizes everybody who enters it.

The staff’s focused workspace provides the perfect place to work when they aren’t connecting with coworkers. Interior offices with frameless glass allow everyone the extraordinary views from Saddleback Mountain to the Pacific Ocean. To enhance collaboration, benching neighborhoods, are supported by chalkboard walls, teaming and conference rooms, and excellent technology. A Numerous branding elements, a collaboration between our team and Brookfield’s marketing team, created an instant sense of ownership for the Brookfield team, making the space feel like home.

Our client’s take on their new space? “You guys nailed it”.

C.O.T.E. | Committee on the Environment

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