2nd place (tie):
Name: Evan Cindrich
Firm: Edwards & Daniels Architects, Inc; SLC, UT
Client: Holme Roberts & Owen, LLP; SLC, UT

Consistent with relocating to the premier office building in Salt Lake City, and mindful of their corporate clientele, Holme Roberts and Owen wanted a high-end executive image, a progressive design and yet be an extremely functional environment - all within a client-established budget of $48/sq.ft. Their new 270,000 sq.ft. office interior was completed in September of 2002 with a construction budget of $1,270,000. A significant challenge to the project was a fast track schedule of 4 months from beginning of design to move-in.

The elevator lobby, with its sloped floating ceiling, mixes makore and maple wood veneers with stainless steel and granite for the elevators surrounds, and includes a granite floor with travertine and copper accents. This area not only defines the aesthetic for the remainder of the space; it visual directs visitors to the reception desk. EDA developed the concept of overlapping "planes" of materials, some protruding and others receding, and translucent materials which create a sense of depth and movement.

The reception area is the nexus of the firm. Though consistent with finishes and detailing throughout, this open area branches off to various functional areas - including the Board Room, Waiting Area, Casual Conference Room, Phone Room (which doubles as a secondary meeting space) and stairs connecting the lower floor. The "layering" of materials draws actual and perceived barriers between areas with different functions. This is especially apparent at the stairwell where the cobalt blue fresco plaster "block" element penetrates through the stair opening providing a physical connection to the floor below. The bold fresco plaster not only crates natural focal points - it texturally contrasts the smooth wood and granite surfaces and provides a visual connection to the waiting and reception areas. Lightly etched, translucent full-height glass panels wrap the stairwell and provide a subtle visual screen as well as a critical sound barrier to the adjacent office areas
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Canted wood "fins" of varying dimension are detailed with illuminated panels and strategically located to visually screen the Board Room from the Waiting Area while still allowing visitors to experience the views of outlying cityscape from the reception desk. Audio/Visual components are incorporated into the custom- designed Board Room table and have the capability of not only controlling a concealed projection system and black-out shades from a wireless remote control panel but privacy shades as well.

Office corridors are broken up with a brick-red canted door surrounds that serve as both a visual point of focus to the file-lined corridor as well as an element creating a "sense of arrival" at each office. System furniture workstations embody the same aesthetic used in the lobby by incorporating translucent plastic and maple panels with "aluminum" painted components.