The renovated Youngstown office that provides a consolidated, aesthetic working environment for 80+ staff members that were previously housed in two separate buildings. The project included the existing 20,000 square foot facility and a 7,600 square foot, two-story addition.

In order to create a new entry image and define the newly constructed lobby, a multi-tier, bronze colored canopy was custom designed and installed. Provisions were also made for a second future entrance and elevator at the south end of the building.

Another incorporated element of the building renovation was a ‘white sound’ privacy system. ms design staff incorporated the sound system for the open office environments in administrative management areas. The system helps to maintain a quiet atmosphere and minimize noise transmission within the spaces.

• Complete new interiors;
• Heating and air conditioning systems;
• New lighting, ceilings, finishes;
• New, open office area stations and furnishings in both the administration offices and the technical area;
• New conference rooms;
• New movable storage systems to provide on-site records retention in one central location;
• A new entrance lobby (triple the size of the original), including a digital TV system that continually projects work completed by all architectural/engineering divisions of the firm;
• An updated landscape architecture plan; and
• Provisions for future expansion.

The new addition was constructed on a very tight site and had to maintain exterior access to both office levels. The project included complete interior renovation with all new mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems, as well as interior finishes.

A big challenge during the project was maintaining ongoing operation of the building through the eight-month construction cycle, which extended into the winter season. To achieve the renovation and maintain operations, the project was broken into five phases. It began with the complete remodeling and renovation of the basement area that was then utilized as a staging area for all relocated departments. As the construction project proceeded, different departments of the building were moved temporarily into lower level facilities while their space was completely renovated.

Another challenge of the project was matching the exterior masonry of the new and old portions on the building. The exterior masonry on the existing building, constructed 25 years ago, was no longer available for purchase. To address this issue, Masonry Materials Plus assisted ms consultants in having new masonry units manufactured and then individually stained to match the existing color and tone of the original 1986 structure.

ms consultants incorporated sustainable design throughout the project. Green features of the building remodel include:

• Energy efficient VVT units with individual temperature control in six zones throughout the building;
• Lighting utilizing high-efficiency ballast and motion detector controls throughout all office spaces;
• New indirect reflective ceiling lights were utilized in the workstation areas to create a soft, subtle atmosphere;
• Interior finishes – the new carpet and ceiling tiles throughout the structure were composed of recycled content; low VOC paint finishes were used; and new plumbing fixtures were installed utilizing low-flow water fixtures to reduce consumption; and
• The south wall of the new addition included large, expansive, double-glazed, low-E glass, which introduces natural light to the interior spaces throughout the building.

ms consultants was also able to donate all unused finish library resources to the Zero Landfill program, which keeps goods from entering landfills by re-purposing the materials for other uses (also known as upcycling). The Ohio Desk Furniture company helped in the upcycling effort by providing transportation services for the unused goods.