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Client

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Scale

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Completion

About the project/client:

Freedom Embassy is a two-floor coworking and event space located in a historical office building in Lansing, MI. Tenants of the Freedom Embassy include several independent organizations that are now co-located and share a collaborative workplace environment. The vision for the space is to foster greater cooperation as a collective team of like-minded organizations. Located directly adjacent to the Capitol Building, the location offers the opportunity for the tenant organizations’ influence, support and advancement of policy development within the in the state of Michigan. In addition to the offices and conference spaces, one floor of the two-floor space is dedicated to public events and interactions.

Objectives

• Bring five smaller organizations under one roof for greater collaboration, learning, and crossover benefits.
• Create a flexible space and variety of rooms to accommodate both big and small groups of people.
• Take advantage of proximity and sight lines to state capitol building.
• Add a space for creating multimedia such as podcasts and video for social media engagement.
• Work within the parameters of a historical building, preserving aspects of the current space.

Outcomes

This office renovation within the old State Senate building in Lansing has brought together a number of small organizations in close proximity to the capitol, where their advocacy work takes place. The open work spaces and meeting rooms are helping to foster the desired collaboration between groups and individuals.

All public-facing engagement spaces within the office are oriented towards the view of the capitol. The team also designed a large wall feature of the American flag, carved out of walnut. The main meeting space opens through movable walls into a hospitality zone, so that meetings can continue beyond the conference room.

The design team also provided a soundproof room for multimedia recording. The heavy door is sound-sealed and walls are double-layered and insulated to improve recording quality.

Each area throughout the two floors has at least one private office, but most of the spaces are open for employees and guests to drop in. When the legislature is in session, the whole office buzzes with activity.

Expertise

Environments