Corporate Interiors Archives | Cerami & Associates

August 20, 2024 by Victor Camara

Encompassing 2.1 million square feet, Metropolitan Park, the first phase of Amazon’s heralded HQ2, is located in Arlington, Virginia, just minutes from the heart of downtown D.C. Spanning two towers, each rising 22 stories, Amazon HQ2’s new East Coast home base is designed to house more than 14,000 employees. The new headquarters is not only a testament to the multinational tech powerhouse’s continued growth, but also to its commitment to the surrounding community and expanded union with the nation’s capital.

As Amazon envisioned this new chapter, the company enlisted Gensler to design a total of 38 workplace floors across both towers. In collaborating on the design of Amazon’s Metropolitan Park, Gensler brought together its branding and workplace design experts to cultivate an environment that is uniquely Amazon. Through experiential graphics, vibrant amenity spaces, and versatile workspaces, Gensler’s hospitality-inspired design creates a new workplace experience that embraces the individuality of each Amazon employee and reflects the spirit of the DMV area it calls home.

We provided acoustic consulting services for this corporate headquarters. The project’s acoustical concerns focused on ensuring the design complied with Amazon’s Workplace Guidelines, sound transmission between spaces and mitigating background noise levels from landlord and tenant mechanical systems. Our acoustic design focused on enclosed office spaces, conference rooms huddle rooms and other typical office amenity spaces. We worked closely with Gensler and ZGF Architects to create a space that addresses all of Amazon’s guidelines and provides the sound masking that is necessary in this type of office environment. This space was a perfect candidate for our Audio Simulation service. Our model of the area enabled the client to hear how our designs would affect their office before we even entered the space.

April 23, 2024 by Victor Camara

T3 RiNo is a six-story, 235,000-square-foot T3 (Timber, Transit and Technology) office building located in Denver’s iconic River North neighborhood. The heavy-timber structure features elevated tenant-driven experience amenities and infrastructure designed to inspire and engage. It offers a range of facilities that embody health and hospitality which includes a 5,000 square-foot fitness center, hospitality-driven lobby, warm, welcoming tenant lounge, private terraces on each floor and vibrant street-level retail.

The exposed timber took center stage in the design of this office building. Cerami’s acoustical design approach was aimed at how acoustics can best complement the core and shell design of the structure to enrich the wellness of the people inside.

Signature Solution: Take a step inside T3 RiNo and you will be surrounded by expansive wooden ceilings and spacious floorplates complemented by well-weathered timber beams. Built from the ground up, the overarching mission of this T3 building is to create healthier workplace communities designed to inspire collaboration, creativity and innovation. However, finding the perfect combination of sustainability and sound while harnessing the raw energy of industrial design was easier said than done. To accomplish this ambitious vision, Cerami, part of Trinity Consultants, collaborated closely with the client to help interpret their needs and provide a design that met their acoustical expectations.

Our team expertly navigated around the wide open, exposed-wood spaces with designs that ensured acoustical criteria were achieved while preserving the sleek character of the bare timber. We integrated acoustical absorption and vibration isolation in strategic locations to mitigate mechanical system noise from filtering in and careful detailing was implemented to sustain the proper level of sound and impact isolation for every floor. The mechanical floor was completely isolated to minimize the noise and vibration transmission to the office spaces. Environmental analysis was conducted to develop a custom-designed glazed façade to ensure external noise stayed out.

T3 RiNo has achieved true sustainability through LEED, WELL, WIRED and ENERGY STAR® certifications.

February 28, 2024 by Victor Camara

A confidential leading national insurance firm has been undergoing office renovations for its locations across the country. With a commitment to craftsmanship, the client’s project goals have always been to create exciting spaces that seamlessly combine privacy with community — and that is where our team comes in. From Philly to Houston and several states in-between, our firm was selected as the acoustic consultant for the office makeovers. We partnered with the client to develop new acoustic standards that not only highlight the firm’s culture, but also foster a dynamic acoustic experience for its employees.

Given the often-confidential nature of the client’s work, it was clear from the initial project phase that acoustic performance would be a central pillar of the architectural design. Office locations feature a variety of spaces including private suites, collaborative breakout pods, large conference rooms, and open concept bench seating. Because of the diverse workspaces, the standards were developed with a keen understanding of the acoustic flexibility spectrum. Architectural elements and sound masking were used to maintain consistent privacy across all areas at any given time. Our team of experts also advised on specific glass-front door details for optimal privacy.

Each of the projects included a focus on innovation and flexibility, where different spaces support different employee needs. As a result, these varying space types, or “neighborhoods” as the firm refers to them, required careful acoustic consideration to enhance the overall user experience. Using chosen materiality, our team was able to achieve the desired sound environment for each contrasting space type. Vibrantly colored ceiling panels, carpet choices and wall materials were all selected to complement the company’s brand aesthetic and optimize sound permeability.

Throughout all phases of the project, our team helped bring the client’s grand acoustic design goals to life while always staying within the project budget. With a focus on collaboration and communication amongst all stakeholders, we implemented cost-effective strategies without sacrificing acoustic performance.

November 28, 2023 by Victor Camara

Nestled at the intersection of the High Line and Hudson Boulevard on Manhattan’s new western frontier, The Spiral is New York’s latest architecturally daring tower. The Spiral’s unique design features classic Manhattan step-backs that twist and cascade towards the sky, allowing light and air to reach the streets below, and providing lush outdoor terrace space to tenants on every tower floor.

Developed by Tishman Speyer and designed by BIG Architecture, Cerami was brought on as the acoustical and audiovisual consultant for the core and shell and interior design of this 1,041-foot high-rise. Amenity spaces, including the Clubhouse located on the top floor, and meeting spaces, were designed for relaxation and events. Tailored acoustical experiences were developed for the tenants – including Pfizer, Debevoise & Plimpton, Turner Construction, AllianceBernstein, and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital (NYP) – to ensure each space achieved its signature sound.

Signature Solution: Similar to the outdoor spaces, the curtainwall on the building serves as the primary barrier to mitigate environmental noise impact on the tenants as well as reduce noise transfer between floors. With the building subject to (E)-Designation, special consideration was placed on the façade design to optimize these conditions to provide the best possible acoustical environment while ensuring Class A requirements are met.

Cerami’s acoustical team also performed extensive measurements and analysis to assess the vibration impact of various sources – from footfall and building systems to the NYP Och Spine outpatient facility’s MRI machines. Customized acoustical solutions were applied to the building structure, building mechanical systems, and the isolation of vibration-sensitive equipment itself to achieve proper vibration control.

Ambient music that can be transformed into a high-powered audio system for events and holidays plays an integral part in setting the mood for all guests stepping into any Tishman Speyer building, especially the stunning 28-foot-tall lobby of The Spiral. Cerami’s AV team incorporated a network-based music distribution system, allowing a continuous music experience to extend from the ground floor lobby to the elevators and shared restrooms. This system also allows music to be customized to individual tenants on each floor.

The lobby features specialty high-ceiling speakers to minimize the sound reflections in the space. This creates a high-powered foreground music system for seasonal use and special events. Other speaker options include hidden backcan speakers in the restrooms to minimize the visual footprint and match the minimalist design aesthetic. Close coordination in REVIT with both the design and GC team was required to achieve an AV design that enhances the guest and tenant experience throughout the building.

November 2, 2023 by Victor Camara

Bringing Marathon Oil’s workplace into the twenty-first century to support the way they work today, and more importantly, the way they’ll work tomorrow, was our goal as the acoustic designers of this Class A trophy headquarters. Cerami had the unique opportunity to control potential untenable noise from the adjacent highway, as the Core & Shell and the interior space designers; an outstanding collaboration of façade construction and interior sound masking.

With flexibility as the mantra, almost all walls are demountable, and the sound masking system was designed to seamlessly adapt to changing room placements.

Signature Solution: Marathon Oil’s new headquarters features podium-level L- shaped balconies over the urban plaza, embedding these showcase terraces into the CityCenter scene. It’s these balconies that showcase how important acoustics are to the overall design of this building. Munoz + Albin envisioned the glass wall terrace with open air gaps in between each individual glass panel. To achieve this beautiful aesthetic, Cerami simulated glass alternatives needed to block out the noise from 80 MPH traffic about 200 feet from this mixed-use gathering area. An example of how to make the visible, invisible, today, all are able to enjoy the giant terrace on the fifth floor and see, but not hear, the traffic from the Katy Highway, setting a new standard in acoustic engineering.

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