Project

Overview

Project Name
Undisclosed Global Professional Services Firm

Size
28,000 GSF

Market Sector Details
Corporate Office Space in Miami, FL

Team
Vocon Partners LLC

Uniquely Miami

Miami’s visual art scene finds its identity within vivid, bright colors and explores the city’s diverse connections to fashion, media, and South Florida’s scenic landscape.

Located in the lively Wynwood arts district, a global professional services firm sought to capture the city’s artistic character and channel it throughout their office’s 28,000 square feet of breakrooms, conference spaces, and work areas. Collaborating with local artists and the Alvine Engineering lighting studio, the client’s goal was to interweave each space with a distinctive theme supplemented with creative architectural lighting solutions that best represent the spirit of Miami.

As the architectural lighting consultants, our firm balanced budget, functionality, and style to craft unique designs that complement the office’s thematic focus.

The Ship

Just past the reception area, occupants are met with a bold, conceptual sculpture reminiscent of the hull of a cruise ship. Inspired by Miami’s bustling seaport, the hull is constructed with a metallic mesh and outlined with thoughtfully integrated tape lighting. The sculpture is one of the largest art pieces within the space and establishes the office’s Miami theme with gusto.  Cylinder pendants are strategically positioned throughout the office’s main seating area to provide proper illuminance for work and leisure.

Our lighting studio’s role on this project was to provide the perfect balance of whimsy and practicality. Ensuring the lighting complemented the art found throughout the space was imperative. The lighting design is also a playful balance of supporting the art pieces in select spaces while being the central design focus in others. Ben Williams LC, our firm’s lighting design lead, was very intentional in providing designs that allow the art to be the focal point of the interior design.

“Architectural lighting is a unique mix of discipline and creativity,” Ben explained, “We wanted the lighting to support the design without distracting from the local artists’ work both in the space and outside in the neighborhood below.”

The Settings

Multiple lighting fixtures reinforce the office’s theme by highlighting Miami’s intricate connection to the sea and nature. Additionally, the luminaires used were carefully selected to provide adequate energy efficiency and use sustainable materials. Lighting within the break area utilizes pendants at varied heights that are encased with a sustainable bamboo-wicker basket enclosure reminiscent of the natural-growing rivercane native to Miami’s riverbeds and swamps.

Seagull-shaped pendants soar above open office areas and provide ample, efficient work lighting. The seagulls are complemented by macaw-shaped sconces lining the office walls. Samantha Bloom P.E., WELL AP, an Alvine Engineering lighting studio designer, provided significant contributions to the space’s overall lighting design.

“We wanted to bring unique luminaires throughout the open areas while still maintaining comfortable light levels,” Samantha stated, “Providing the seagull pendants throughout multiple spaces allowed us to support the office’s theme without creating a harsh lighting environment.”

Throughout the differing conference rooms, one space contains eel-like fixtures which add a trendy flair to a medium-sized space while also providing uniform lighting. Cloud-like pendants are suspended intimately within the smaller conference space to create a heightened sense of collaboration with room occupants. Within an open-air collaboration plaza, pendants hang playfully within the wooden baffles and greenery to produce an entertaining jungle aesthetic.

Designing With Intent

Creating truly multifunctional lighting throughout the space provides the owner with tangible, long-term value. Our lighting studio designed the decorative fixtures to meet the code requirements and the owner’s vision for the office’s aesthetics. Supplemental lighting is not needed to reinforce the space’s illuminance, which helped the project save on energy usage and cost. Fixtures located throughout the workplace are uniquely dimmable, which saves energy, increases the pendants’ life, and gives the end user a higher degree of control. A combination of timeclock control and occupancy sensors allows the lights to power off when not in use. Miami’s scenic skyline is visible throughout the space’s floor-to-ceiling windows, and our studios’ comprehensive lighting studies permitted our designers to make the most of Miami’s abundant sunshine to supplement the space with daylight with the use of photosensors.