Davis Brody Bond Aedas set a new standard of design in the �60s with several high-rise projects. It continues this tradition today with new buildings and restoration projects.

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Davis Brody Bond Aedas – a New York City-based architectural firm – designs projects that are unique and have special needs, Principal and Director of Interiors Nat Hoyt says. “We tend to do projects that are, in some ways, a little bit atypical than a corporate fit-out,” he says.

For example, in 2004 the firm designed 3,500 square feet of office space for Human Rights in China, an international nonprofit civil rights group. Its space, located on the 33rd floor of the Empire State Building, accommodated a staff of 20 people. “It was a relatively small organization with a very limited budget,” Hoyt recalls.

The client needed conference rooms for meetings and lectures, exhibits, receptions and offices “With more program requirements than their space accommodated, the challenge was how to meet their needs within their budget.” he says.

The solution was to create a design based on compact shelving. Each unit, which also serves as walls, storage systems and workstations, is on a movable track system so it can be reconfigured to accommodate different events. “The ability to easily reconfigure the office allows our client to host performances or receptions by adjusting the walls on the tracks to provide more open floor area,” Hoyt explains.  “This unique solution has proven to be very successful.”

In 2005, the project received the AIA New York Chapter Interior Architecture Award. “It was a small, but very complex project,” he says.

Determining Uniqueness
Founded in New York in 1952, Davis Brody Bond Aedas made its mark in the ’60s with the design of several large high-rise housing projects, setting new standards of design in a neglected area of practice, mostly in Manhattan. “While we continue to design residential projects, the scope of our work has expanded to include other disciplines,” Hoyt says. “We design new buildings as well as restore and renovate existing structures with interiors being an integral part of these projects.”  

The firm caters to a diversity of clients with a large part of its practice devoted to the design of research facilities for universities and medical centers. Those institutions include Columbia University, Northwestern University, Vanderbilt University, Harvard Medical School and the State University of New York. 

“We like working with university clients,” he explains. “It’s a market that we actively pursue.” The firm feels a keen sense of ownership because of the impact a new building can contribute to a university’s campus, he adds.

Although scopes of the projects can be similar, Davis Brody Bond Aedas strives to make each one unique. “We try to understand what’s unique about the client and the project and the challenge at hand,” Partner Carl Krebs says. “Each client has a particular characteristic that may not obvious to them, but might become a point of departure.”

Children’s Place
One unique project that the firm completed, Krebs says, was the new corporate headquarters for Children’s Place, a national retail company that designs and markets children’s clothing. “[The owners] were especially interested in promoting collaborative team structures among the design, production and merchandising staff,” the company says. The 70,000-square-foot facility is in Secaucus, N.J., and was completed in 2000.

The facility was designed to allow the different divisions – boys and girls – to function as independent teams organized along product lines, but also to allow for collaboration between the teams on common aspects of the work process such as production and merchandising, Krebs explains. A new upper level was incorporated into the high bay warehouse, as well as new skylights, open stairs and windows to create an open work environment. “A wide range of work environments are featured throughout the facility, including open and enclosed offices as well as a large number of informal meeting areas,” Davis Brody Bond Aedas says.

“The design team worked on a fast-track schedule, and was able to expedite fit-out packages to ensure occupation within one year,” it adds.
    
Green and Global
Davis Brody Bond Aedas is working to grow its sustainable design practice by educating clients about the benefits of environmentally responsible design, Krebs says. “We explain that it is often an investment upfront that will give returns in the future,” he explains. The firm currently has 12 LEED-accredited employees and is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council. 

In 2005, the company completed the Ford Motor Co. Engineering Design Center at Northwestern University. The building includes shop, lab, classroom and computer space for the mechanical, civil, electrical engineering and biomedical engineering departments, as well as computer science department.

The 80,000-square-foot facility, which received LEED Silver certification, incorporated sustainable techniques such as:
•    Use of natural daylight in 75 percent of the interior space
•    Use of high performance glass and recycled materials
•    A retention basin that captures storm water
•    Insulation in the walls and roof
•    Mechanized sunshades with solar tracking

Going forward, the firm’s strategy is the expansion of its global practice, Krebs explains. “In 2006, we became a member of Aedas, an international architectural firm with projects throughout the Middle East, Europe and Asia,” he says. “Part of our long-term plan is to continue to broaden our expertise.”

“Through the exchange of ideas, staff and resources throughout the group, we have expanded and strengthened our services for existing clients and practice areas as well as broadened our geographic reach to both developed and emerging markets,” Davis Brody Bond Aedas says.