Project Description
Software company Applied Predictive Technologies empowers organizations to make data-driven decisions through analytics. At its new three-and-a-half-floor headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, the firm’s passion for data and predictive analytics is on display throughout.
Riffing on the overarching theme data is beautiful (and fun), IA’s experiential graphics and design teams utilized a variety of natural materials to create custom features and patterns that represent data collection and analysis. A four-story interconnecting stair is the main thoroughfare and heart of the new space, surrounded on each floor by a social gathering area, pantry, and tech stop (the aptly named Byte Bar). Above the stair, a custom light fixture at the ceiling features a backlit aluminum sheet perforated to mimic a binary pattern. Nearby, the reception desk is sheathed with a backlit steel replica of the pattern. Suspended over the stairwell, components of a large mobile configure the firm logo when the air currents are just right.
APT’s rapid growth drove the move to the new headquarters while future growth posed a design challenge. To address this dichotomy, IA devised an inventive solution: team rooms were positioned along the perimeters to break up inbound office layouts and a floating huddle room was born, playfully dubbed a “folly.” Each folly, strategically positioned in an open area among lounge and collaboration zones, can easily transition to an office as the firm grows. Lounge areas can also become offices or huddle rooms. Follies, clad in different materials for interest and variety—corrugated metal, polycarbonate, patterned wallcoverings, chalkboard paint, and reclaimed wood—shape the interior landscape, create destinations, and determine paths on both sides of the core.