Reimagining 345 Ritch: Inside VDT’s San Francisco Office Renovation
At VDT we take our coffee seriously. So it seems fitting that what originally served as a coffee warehouse for over a century, now houses Valerio Dewalt Train’s San Francisco office. Welcome to 345 Ritch Street, nestled in the vibrant enclave of Mission Bay. As architects and designers, we understand the profound significance of spaces - how they shape experiences, foster connections, and tell stories. We design many workplaces for a variety of clients that speak to who they are as a company and it was an exciting venture to design our own!
New Office Journey
Our journey to renovate our office space stemmed from a fundamental need for additional room to accommodate our expanding operations. The new space, spanning 3,500 square feet, captivated us with its remarkable 17-foot-high ceilings, rustic brick walls, and exposed timber beams. These unique historic architectural elements became an exciting opportunity to merge history with contemporary design. VDT values historic architecture as it embodies our firm’s commitment to honoring the past while pioneering innovative, forward-thinking designs.
Entering the VDT Office
Situated on the ground floor, our office space offers immediate access to the outdoors and is closely located to public transit options such as Muni, various bus lines along Townsend Street, and CalTrain. Our office ensures ease of access for team members and visitors alike, connecting with the vibrant cityscape of San Francisco.
Approaching our office, visitors are greeted by distinctive branding elements that reflect our identity and ethos. The front entrance windows are the office’s sole source of natural light and we maximized the light coming through by designing iridescent signage, adorned with dichroic film, allowing the light to filter through. The signage casts a captivating purple shadow of the VDT and Media-Objectives logo inside the office and projects a yellow, warm toned logo onto the outdoor sidewalk.
Space Optimization
The renovation was centered around optimizing layout and circulation to enhance functionality and productivity. The space is organized into three structural bays, each divided by three columns. The northern bay serves as our conference room hub, providing a dedicated area for collaborative meetings. To maximize space utilization, we repurposed two existing large conference rooms, splitting one into a 4-person meeting room and a 2-person meeting room/mother’s room. This thoughtful layout ensures seamless flow and accessibility throughout the office, facilitating interaction and productivity among team members.
In the middle bay, we've created a public zone featuring a pinup room, materials library, and break room that seamlessly connects to the entry, encouraging collaboration and connectivity within the office. The pinup space serves as a central focal point, designed as a glass box to veer from obstructing the high lofted ceilings while ultimately providing transparency throughout the office. Designed with assistance from DIRTT, the industrial looking glass box is adorned with black mullions and film, that is only 10 ft in height within the 17 ft high office space. We wanted to emphasize that this space is meant for communal use, impromptu meetings and brainstorming sessions, not a private conference room.
An artistic highlight of our office renovation is a striking wall art installation at the back of the space, illuminated by neon lights. Created and installed by our in-house experiential design studio, Media-Objectives, the installation incorporates 28 diverse framed art pieces sourced locally in the Bay Area. The art pieces were carefully spray painted in blocks of color giving life to old pieces of art. The installation reflects our commitment to repurposing old elements into fresh, valuable creations, echoing the overarching theme of our new office. 1 inch neon-colored lighting strips are woven throughout the installation adding vibrancy and depth to the space.
Sustainability in Action
Situated within a historic district in San Francisco, we took deliberate measures to preserve the integrity of the original structure, ensuring no permanent damage was done to beams or brick. Additionally, our focus on maximizing natural light while minimizing energy consumption led us to upgrade to LED lighting. Our efforts align with the AIA 2030 challenge, and most products used in the renovation comply with Google's red list materials, emphasizing our commitment to environmental responsibility.
Lights, Colors, and Materials
In crafting the ambiance of our renovated office space, careful attention was paid to materials, lighting, and colors. The color palette was thoughtfully curated, with even-toned blues and greens, creating a soothing atmosphere. Lighting played a crucial role, with various types strategically placed throughout the office. Pendant fixtures were grouped over the welcome entrance area for a welcoming glow. The pinup space features a signature fixture to highlight its importance as an office focal point dedicated to collaboration. In the break room, globe pendants provide ample illumination, while the mother's room features softer and calming lighting options such as dimmable wall sconces and floor lamps, for manual light manipulation pending the user's desire.
Key Takeaways
Our renovated office space has ensured that there's never a shortage of meeting spaces, and has fostered collaboration amongst our growing team. The synergy between the pinup space and break room has created an environment that not only facilitates productive work but also provides opportunities for networking and entertainment. Most importantly, this transformation has allowed us to design for who we are as a firm, emulating the work we do for our clients. Throughout the design process, staff members of all levels were involved to create a final design solution that speaks to the entire San Francisco team.