Origami, waves in the ocean, a newspaper unfolding, or paper moving through a printing press: however you describe it, the form of downtown Sarasota's newest landmark has the locals pondering architecture. Charged by the publisher of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, the city's main news organization, to design a building that celebrates the region's mid-century modern heritage, Miami-based Arquitectonica translated 1950s precedents into state-of-the-art, 21st-century editorial offices and broadcasting studios.
One of the first decisions the architects made was to raise the bulk of the building above the ground plane. Historically, buildings in this storm-prone region were hoisted aloft for climatic reasons. In this instance, it maximizes the use of the property, providing ample employee parking under the building.
The majority of the program in this three-story, 71,250-square-foot building is apportioned to the upper two floors. A multimedia newsroom occupies most of the third level. Workstations are situated along the window wall to maximize the daylight, and an undulating ceiling (the underside of the creased roof-line) adds dimension and airiness to the space. An open plan suits the newspaper staff 's interdisciplinary structure, where teams form across departments. “It was very important in the new building to be able to maintain relationships between the departments, so that they are efficient,” says Alfonso Jurado, project architect for Arquitectonica. Contributing to the openness of the plan is the fact that the building is supported on steel columns pulled away from its perimeter.
The white-painted columns rise as high as 54 feet and support generous roof overhangs that shield occupants from the strong rays of the Florida sun. “On the upper levels we have a clerestory, and because of the peaks and valleys of the roof, we couldn't take the shades all the way up to the ceiling,” Jurado says. “To make up for that, we extended the overhang to block the sun from coming in through that part of the glass.”
Glass is a low-E glazed, impact-resistant curtain-wall system, rated for 120 miles-per-hour hurricane-force winds. Tinted in shades of green and blue, the glass maximizes natural light coming into the building while restricting heat gain. Roll-down shades are tied to a central monitoring system with sensors throughout the building to balance glare from the sun with daylight and outside views.
In Florida, where tropical summer storms bring several inches of rain, sometimes in less than an hour, managing runoff is a priority. This client wanted a different solution than a retention pond. “When [the retention pond] is not filled, it just becomes an unsightly pit with vegetation growing out of it,” Jurado explains. “[The client] did not want to give up the land to it either, because it meant we would have had to lose parking.” Instead, water is directed from the building through internal drains located in the columns on the western facade. The water is diverted underneath the driveway to an underground vault, where it is treated before being discharged into the city's storm-water system.
Similarly hidden from view, another innovative strategy in the headquarters' design is the air flow. A raised floor throughout the building houses all of the cabling and power, plus serves as a pressurized air-filled cavity for the HVAC system. “The air-handling unit pipes the air under the floor at a slightly lower temperature than it would if it were being distributed overhead, and equates to a savings in energy costs because you don't have to cool the air as much,” explains Jurado. Air quality is improved because the return air is located at the ceiling, so rising air doesn't mix with the supply air. Employees at each workstation have a register in the floor to control the amount of air coming into their spaces. “We were trying to make the building efficient and comfortable for the occupants,” Jurado says.
The most distinctive feature of the building, the undulating roof, is made of Galvalume aluminum set over insulation and a metal deck. “It's open to interpretation,” Jurado says of the roof's form. “The important thing is that it gets people thinking.”
David Thurm
Vice President Real Estate Development
The New York Times
Credit: New York Times
Hussain Ali-Khan
Vice President Real Estate Development
The New York Times
Credit: New York Times
Laurinda Spear
Partner-in-Charge of Design
Arquitectonica
Credit: Maggie Silverstein
PROJECT
Sarasota Herald-Tribune Headquarters
ADDRESS
Sarasota, Florida
CLIENT
The New York Times
ARCHITECT
Arquitectonica—Bernardo Fort-Brescia, Laurinda Spear (partners-incharge of design); Jenifer Briley (project designer); Alfonso Jurado (project architect); Paul Edwards (head of interior design team)ENGINEERS
Jenkins & Charland (structural); Tilden Lobnitz Cooper (M/E/ P); Kimley-Horn and Associates (civil)
CONSTRUCTION MANAGER
Turner Construction Company
CONSULTANTS
URG/Kimey-Horn and Associates (landscape); Tiloden Lobnitz Cooper (telecom engineer); F/X Scenery & Display (TV studio interior and set); WSI (TV studio weather first station)
COST
$13,000,000
PRODUCT SPECS
FOUNDATION
LOCATION Throughout
PRODUCT Vibro-flotation stone piers
STRUCTURE
LOCATION Throughout
PRODUCT Structural Steel Frame
MANUFACTURER E+H steel
GLAZING AND CURTAIN WALL
LOCATION Throughout
PRODUCT Aluminum curtain-wall system
MANUFACTURER Owen International
LOCATION Throughout
PRODUCT Azuria low-E coated laminated glass
MANUFACTURER Viracon
MECHANICAL
LOCATION Throughout
PRODUCT Under-floor air distribution system
ROOFINGLOCATION Throughout
PRODUCT Single-ply PVC membrane
MANUFACTURER Sika Sarnafil
LOCATION Throughout
PRODUCT Galvalume aluminum standing-seam roof
MANUFACTURER Morrell Sheet Metal
DOORS
LOCATION Throughout
PRODUCT Hollow metal doors
MANUFACTURER Delta Door
LOCATION Throughout
PRODUCT Locksets, closers, exit devices
MANUFACTURER Sargent
LOCATION Throughout
PRODUCT Hinges
MANUFACTURER Hager
CEILINGS
LOCATION Workplace
PRODUCT Millennia ceiling tiles
MANUFACTURER USG
LOCATION Workplace
PRODUCT Fineline grid
MANUFACTURER USG
INTERIOR FINISHES
LOCATION Lobby, deck
PRODUCT Specialty millwork
MANUFACTURER The Wood Company
FLOORING
LOCATION Stairwells, storage rooms, kitchens
PRODUCT VCT resilient flooring
MANUFACTURER Armstrong
LOCATION Workplace
PRODUCT Tru Colours carpet tile
MANUFACTURER Shaw Contract
LOCATION Throughout
PRODUCT Concore-panel raised access floor
MANUFACTURER Tate Access Floors
FURNISHINGS
LOCATION Workplace
PRODUCT Diet panel system
MANUFACTURER Teknion
LOCATION Workplace
PRODUCT Private office casegoods
MANUFACTURER Knoll
LOCATION Workplace
PRODUCT Improv TAG task chairs
MANUFACTURER Haworth
LOCATION Workplace
PRODUCT Meeting tables
MANUFACTURER Knoll
LIGHTING
LOCATION Throughout
PRODUCT Indirect fluorescent lay-in fixture
MANUFACTURER Lightolier
LOCATION Workplace
PRODUCT Indirect fluorescent cove lights
MANUFACTURER Insight Lighting
LOCATION Throughout
PRODUCT Downlights
MANUFACTURER Lithonia
VERTICAL TRANSPORT
LOCATION Throughout
PRODUCT Hydraulic elevators
MANUFACTURER Kone
PLUMBING FIXTURES
LOCATION Kitchens
PRODUCT Faucets
MANUFACTURER Delta Faucet
LOCATION Restrooms
PRODUCT Lavatories, toilets, urinals
MANUFACTURER Kohler
LOCATION Throughout
PRODUCT Water fountains
MANUFACTURER Halsey Taylor