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January 2015 — Office Properties Quarterly —
Page 21
Design
into two or four smaller meeting areas,
a highly functional, yet flexible and
collaborative spacewas created. The
remainingwalls are made of a tack-
boardmaterial and/or erasable marker
boards.
“The heartbeat zone is surrounded by
just a few interior private offices while
significant open planwork areas around
the building’s perimeter provide the
interior with an overall feeling of expan-
siveness, thus promoting a collaborative
and transparent work environment,” said
Sheppard.
The museum’s desire for greater
departmental transparency, alongwith
several other factors, also provided the
basis for the intentional “blueness” of
the interior color palette. Ablue huewas
selected because it establishes a timeless
sense of calmwhile stimulating alertness
relative toworkers’ circadian rhythms.
Research shows that the blue range
within the color spectrumof natural light
is prevalent during early daylight hours,
thus brain activity can be enhanced by
supplementing blue light as the day
unfolds. For this reason, color-controlled
blue LED lights – designed to increase in
intensity as the day extends into evening
(as natural light’s blue spectrumdecreas-
es) –were installed in the three-story
atrium space.
A raised roof with clerestorywindows
and a vertical three-story light well run-
ning the length of the building functions
as the major vertical circulation to con-
nect all departments and the research
library. It draws daylight into the full
depth of the interior. Directly on axis with
the stair landings at each level are views
into the collaborative heartbeat zone and
staff break areas on the two upper floors.
The research library, with individual
work nodes for formal research, is also
positioned adjacent to the light well.
The museum’s research library uses a
high-densitymobile storage system to
reduce its required size by 50 percent.
The library also receives natural light
from the three-story atriumwhile visu-
ally transforming the lower level into
a dynamic research environment with
workstations and a large inset curved
lounge area under the stair landing.
“Our newbuilding’s open floor plan
provides teammembers with optimal
working andmeeting spaces to inspire
creativity and capitalize on the amaz-
ing talent we have at the museum,” said
CatheyMcClain Finlon, a member of the
Denver Art Museum’s board of trustees
and a leader on the project. “We also
expect it to add new foot traffic through-
out the Golden Triangle neighborhood,
generating positive economic impact to
the area.”
Beyond the building’s front entrance
on Bannock Street, museumpatrons are
welcomed into the “culture” of the art
world. Here the administrative depart-
ments and staff connect to the institu-
tion’s broader vision via an open, inte-
grated office environment with views
of the Hamilton and North Buildings to
the east. The main entrance, as well as
a dedicated staff entrance on the east
side of the building, converge at the
three-story atrium and vertical circula-
tion zone, symbolically and physically
offering everyone the same experience
as they enter andmove through the
building.
“The newoffice building unites our
campus and infuses the Golden Triangle
neighborhoodwith the energy of more
than 100 creative people,” said Christoph
Heinrich, Frederick and JanMayer direc-
tor of the Denver Art Museum “The full
spectrum of museum employees is
now inspired by our world-class col-
lections, eating lunch together and
working in a space that encourages
cross-campus collaboration.”
s
A blue hue runs throughout the office to establish a sense of calm while
stimulating alertness relative to workers’ circadian rhythms.