| INTERIOR DESIGN |
Stantec Capitol Mall
ARCHITECT: STANTEC / INTERIOR DESIGNER: STANTEC /
FURNISHING COMPANY: VCO/CRE8 WORKPLACE ENVIRONMENT /
GENERAL CONTRACTOR: BT BUILDERS
An international company with offices on six con-
tinents and more than 20,000 employees, Stan-
tec relocated its two Sacramento offices to a single
26,400-square foot location in 2017. While Stantec’s
office space is an open environment, it also includes
multiple themed “escape” rooms. Designed to look
like the interior of a cave or under an ocean, these
sanctuaries are meant to be used as a quiet retreat
for employees, according to Alfonso Rodriguez, Stantec vice presi-
dent and operational lead of the Pacific region. As for the open work
space, Rodriguez adds, “I don’t need to have a door closed for what
I talk about, and the open space creates transparency and a learn-
ing environment.” Despite its industrial envelope, Stantec relied on
the influence of natural elements. Reclaimed wood furniture is found
throughout the office, and the large polished stone sculptures at its
reception also bring the outside in. Purposefully created to sym-
bolize a mountain, the center office has cavelike niches and hidden
work spaces. The white exterior and ceiling suggest snow-covered
mountains, and the black interior of the offices suggests earth. Wide
windows along the perimeter symbolize the sky, while wooden sculp-
tures designed to look like branching trees surround a common work
space known as the Nest. The purpose of the Nest, says Rodriguez,
“was to create a gathering space within our work space. It’s a more
comfortable location than a traditional meeting room,” a place to
work either independently or collaborate separately from personal
desks. Impressionistic and colorful rugs and modern furniture con-
trast with the industrial surroundings and black-and-white tones of
the surrounding office. n
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