SAN DIEGO—Creating spaces that feel more open while maintaining the privacy requirements of a law firm poses a challenge, but Ware Malcomb achieved this with its design of Noonan Lance Boyer & Banach LLP's new Downtown San Diego office, the design firm's principal Tiffany English tells GlobeSt.com. Ware Malcomb provided interior architecture and design services for the recently completed project, located at 701 Island Ave. Downtown.

The new 5,000-square-foot office occupies the top floor in a historic building in San Diego's East Village. The design highlights the historic nature of the building by creating an industrial-loft feel. The existing brick walls, wood floors and wood ceilings were restored and left exposed, while hanging pendant lights, exposed ductwork and skylights complete the look. Throughout the space, earth-tone finishes complement the existing brick and wood, while a vivid blue accent on select furniture and millwork livens the space and acknowledges San Diego's beach-city image.

Moreover, NoonanLance's new space combines the core needs of a law office with more progressive creative-office elements to create a unique environment that breaks from the industry standard. Ware Malcomb says the firm wanted an open and collaborative workspace to inspire creativity and engagement while providing an inviting and comfortable environment for clients. To achieve this, the design team focused on reducing visual and physical barriers to foster employee interaction. Administrative staff workstations in the center of the space utilize low partitions to encourage verbal communication and provide unobstructed lines of sight across the space. Private offices were still a necessary part of the design due to the need for confidential client meetings, so the offices are located along the perimeter and feature glass walls to maintain a visual connection to the rest of the space. The break area provides informal meeting space, providing employees a place to gather for impromptu meetings and interactions.

We spoke with English about the project and what law offices are now seeking in their workplace designs.

GlobeSt.com: What was unique about this project?

English: The location of the project dictated a unique design, melding an urban downtown environment into a historical building. Our team was challenged with taking a progressive approach to the law office design while preserving the integrity of the existing building. In the final design, we incorporated these rich elements into the office environment by utilizing the existing floors, concrete tile walls, and a large wood column structure of the building. The new office is collaborative, open and showcases the historic heritage of the building.

GlobeSt.com: How has what law offices are seeking in their workspace designs changed with the advent of creative and collaborative space?

English: As with most professional-services firms, the need for a high level of confidentiality in the work environment is essential. Creating spaces that feel more open while maintaining privacy requirements poses a challenge. Our design solution focused on centralizing NoonanLance's administrative functions and creating an exposed breakroom. This centralization created an open hub within the work environment surrounded by the private offices. The exposed breakroom provided a place for employees to gather and socialize in the office, creating a sense of community. This layout also provided connectedness by allowing visibility into the private glass offices, while still maintaining the necessary privacy.

GlobeSt.com: Are any of the staples of traditional law offices still being sought?

English: Privacy is a staple of law office's design that I do not see changing due to nature of their work. To maintain privacy in the NoonanLance environment, we designed the private glass offices with the employee sitting facing the door, to keep their working screens and technology use private. In addition to providing the necessary privacy, this positioning maintains visible connectedness to the rest of the office.

GlobeSt.com: Where is this sector going in the future?

English: Law offices and attorney workspaces will continually evolve in the future. The high level of privacy and confidentiality will remain a constant in the design, and the desire for a collaborative, innovative environment is growing. Since this is a contrast to the traditional way the legal industry conducts business, the more ways we can design a space to reflect both the collaborative and confidential industry aspects, the more successful we will be. We are always looking for new, innovative technologies to integrate into our designs to help alleviate privacy concerns. New technology will influence the way we can open up these work environments and provide more opportunities for collaboration in the future.

Instant Insights /

Marrying Collaborative Space With Confidentiality

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