A consortium of small law practices wanted to upgrade the functionality and appearance of the 8,500 square foot full floor they had recently moved into. Their brief was clear: they wanted the space to look like it had been completely renovated, the budget was $25 per square foot including fees, and the work had to be done with minimal disruption.

Our approach was to capitalize as much as possible on the existing installation, the most distinctive features of which were partitions of dark walnut and glass between the corridors and perimeter offices. By adding a simple element--a contrasting sill--to these partitions a new vocabulary is created that is used to develop the areas that needed it the most: the elevator foyer, the reception desk, the library reference desk, the workstations, and the conference rooms. The lighter sill, and change of carpet and wall colors to earthier tones brings out the richness of the dark existing wood, which had looked lifeless before.

The two lead practices are located at the extreme ends of the floor. While one of the practices enjoys what must have been, originally, the primary entry sequence, the other was accessed through what felt like - and originally was - a service hall. To give this second entry sequence more prominence, the reception desk is curved toward the hallway, connecting to a long S-curve down the hall that in turn is connected to the curved library reference desk. This shortens the hall perceptually and in actual length as well, and the new glass door to the second (new) conference room lends to the sense that the hallway is important and has a destination.

New construction was employed only where necessary for maximum effect, at the reception desk. Life-cycle expectancies of materials were matched with the budget and terms of the lease in order to maximize, as one of the partners puts it, "the bang for the buck."