A Fortune 500 manufacturer of specialized filters purchased an abandoned warehouse with the idea of simply expanding its storage and laboratory space. Centerbrook encouraged the company to turn the building into the company's technical center.
Pall charged the architects with creating functional and attractive spaces for research laboratories and a training center on a limited budget. Incorporating materials suggestive of Pall's cutting-edge products was a requirement.
Modifications to the exterior were minimal. They focused on creating an entrance featuring a prominent overhang made of aluminum, a material used in the company's products. Windows and skylights were added to the second floor to admit daylight to previously dark spaces. The color of the exterior was changed from white to dark blue to prevent the building from appearing top heavy. In addition, Centerbrook made extensive structural modifications and installed a centralized mechanical system, which won rebates from local utilities for its energy-conscious design.
The interior configuration was driven by the need to separate spaces that are accessible to customers from those that are not. The principal circulation corridor, which runs from the main lobby to the rear of the building, serves all the public spaces and acts as a buffer between two rows of laboratories. At the corridor's midpoint is a skylit lobby, which is graced by a decorative stair and serves as the primary link between the ground floor and the second floor training center. The second floor also contains offices and a television studio.
Photography © Robert Benson