Commercial

The client’s objective involved a well designed, speculative office building that could be leased to a single tenant or up to five separate tenants. The program consisted of a fixed parking space occupancy, on-site stormwater tenting and a drop of 12 feet across the depth of the site. These key issues were all mitigating factors in the building design on this suburban site of 33,000 sq. ft. HSEarchitects designed a 7,316 sq. ft compact plan of that included a small lobby entrance, central core toilets, and column free space that allowed for easy modification based on number of tenants. The building's shape and orientation was positioned to take advantage of the north sun exposure. By minimizing the amount of south and west facing glass, HVAC cooling cost would be minimized. To allow more natural light in, the building features clerestory and north façade windows that help illuminate the entire space. The exterior building materials were chosen to blend with the surrounding context of the neighborhood which is a mixture of offices and industrial buildings. At the request of the Owner, a minimal maintenance but highly durable exterior envelope was detailed. The exterior walls are a veneer of split face concrete masonry units. Two colors were used to contract basic walls from those areas of wall occurring below the windows. Burnished, smooth-face CMU was used to express the header beams above the window and door openings. The material chosen for exposed roof areas on the clerestory scoop, on fascias and as column covers is zinc sheet metal. The matte patina quality of the zinc cladding creates a beautiful color that seamlessly fits with the surrounding office buildings. It also helps provide the durability and the low maintenance that the Owner was seeking.

Dynamic and creative communication strategies are a constant demand for Saxum PR. As a thriving company with a bold vision, Saxum inevitably needed to expand their layout to accommodate the functionality and efficiency required to handle their escalating list of clienteles and future employees. Their spatial requirements included a variety of private and open offices, multi-purpose room, multiple break rooms, meeting rooms, green room and storage. Saxum’s goal was to convert the former 1950’s Kirkpatrick Oil Co. building, on Automobile Alley, into a fresh urban space with an engaging environment they could call home. Some of the key design elements that HSE focused on were giving the entry a more defined profile, adding exterior identity, making the space feel open, offering areas for impromptu discussion and ideas, enhancing the industrial features of the building and respecting the history of John Kirkpatrick’s first office building. The overall interior space is a combination of exposed structural materials, contemporary finishes, special wall features and use of natural light. The highly contemporary furniture balances the simplicity of each space. To enhance the feel of an open work environment and encourage communication, low height systems furniture is located in central areas. Along the perimeter are private offices enclosed with translucent honeycomb panels that emit natural light into the central area. More light is exposed through the skylights along the hallways. Adding visual interest are images giving homage to the building’s former historic owner. The lobby features a large scale graphic of an oil rig alongside Saxum’s mission in text and a portrait of John Kirkpatrick on the opposing wall. Another dominating wall feature is Kirkpatrick’s massive world map that can be seen in several historic photos. The creative use of the map as artwork is both representative of the building’s past, but also signifies Saxum’s growth as a company and ability to branch out globally.

Accel Financial Staffing is a company, serving greater Oklahoma City and companies throughout the United States. The client was looking into re-locating her company in Automobile Alley so they could update their overall look and image. She selected the historic Packard Building to become the new home of Accel Financial which would include a reception area, lobby, private offices, an open office, conference room, kitchen, restrooms with a shower and a private workout facility. As part of the challenge of any historic space, HSE diligently worked with the client in integrating her particular aesthetics and requirements to cohesively work with existing materials. Built in the 1920’s the Packard Building still maintained original finishes such as terrazzo flooring and plaster on the walls. To retain the space’s historic value HSE patched and repaired the flooring, restored the plaster and only added to the space that was completely necessary. HSE designed the space to have a combination of industrial and contemporary elements. To deal with only one façade exposing natural light, the offices and conference room have full height glass walls to help extend the sun’s rays to the back area. Also, in order to maintain the exposed structural elements of the space, new office walls stop short of the structural deck to expose the structure and ductwork. To give the space it’s distinct personality, HSE created a concept that encompassed the client’s love for contemporary classic design, art and her jewel covered buffalo ‘Jewels’ to produce a highly modern and serene office. A strong feature is the emphasis on white which allowed special design elements and art to ‘pop’ and create visual interest. Some of the special materials that HSE included were a blue three dimensional acrylic wall panel to highlight ‘Jewels’ and a locally made kitchen countertop that is comprised of concrete and blue recycled glass. Taking the space into high design are the client’s personal art, unique furniture systems, modern classic furniture and white panels with iconic prints on the conference room wall.

The new Sonic headquarters building is part of the revitalization of Oklahoma City's first commercial warehouse district, known as Bricktown. The traditionally styled design and aesthetics complements the historic context of the Bricktown area while providing a functional space for office and retail. The structure consist of tilt-up concrete panel walls, cast stone, and the signature Oklahoma red brick. Additional prominent design elements featured include the natural-weathered copper detailing at the north and south entrances and the large expanses of green-tinted glass set in aluminum frames. To encourage pedestrian interaction, the office building also offers an outdoor amphitheater and plaza on the bank of the canal. It was noted by the Tilt-up Concrete Association in 2003 that the concrete panels of the Sonic building were the 3rd largest and the 7th tallest panels in United States.

The Carlisle Food Service Offfices and Warehouse, built east of Interstate 35 on Hefner Road in Oklahoma City, represents state of the art technology for both warehouse/distribution centers and corporate office environments. Both buildings are constructed of tilt-up, load bearing concrete wall panels and a steel frame roof and mezzanine floor structure. Simplicity of design is seen in the steel tube columns that are used in the warehouse. The mass of round, poured-in-place concrete columns are utilized in the office structure to emphasize clean lines and reflect the importance of a high-quality professional image for the corporate offices. The office building features a two story entrance that is highlighted by the heavy wood truss framing overhead and a stained wood deck ceiling. The entry functions as a central spine for the office building. Clerestory windows in the vaulted two story lounge, and a stone fireplace create a warm and inviting atmosphere. Natural light spills into the center of the building through a landscaped outdoor atrium. The 185,000 square foot warehouse utilizes a 30 foot high rack clearance with a 47 x 56 foot bay spacing to create a highly efficient distribution shelving system. A safe and productive work environment is created by incorporating the latest in aisle-specific metal halide lighting, ESFR fire suppression sprinkler system and air rotation heating and ventilating units.