My group and I had an interesting visit to one of the prestigious architectural firms on Long Island. Our purpose was to investigate how their work spaces were organized. We had already designed our first project, so our visit to this firm certainly prepared us for our next integrative design. Moreover, we will present a work-living space; an architectural firm and a house. Our instructor has already invited prominent architects of Long Island to our presentation day. Very intimidating!

Reception Area
This firm’s reception area was smaller than the one we had designed. They argued that reception spaces should not have seats because clients should be assisted immediately. More explicitly, a waiting area was not needed. They used minimum circulation, which helped make use of every little space. The firm itself compacted everything in a very organized fashion.

Conference Area
The conference area area was rarely used. The bookshelves area was pretty much taking the place of the conference room by contractors. Moreover, the sunlight seeped through the windows located on the south facade of the structure. This is a very important factor when designing. It makes it more energy efficient.

Bookshelves
Bookshelves are located in the middle of the entire space. It is the passage to the workstations, which is embellished by a pink Corinthian column adjacent to it. Also, fragmented ceiling tiles can easily be seeing upon entering the building. These bookshelves are filled with outdated catalogs. Also, with the advent of technology, everyone is transitioning to a more computer-aided style. According to the architects, the area was used to negotiate with contractors. It is finished with live-edge lumber and recycled wood-drawers.

Storage Area
This space is located in the basement. Its main access is situated on the reception area. Old drawings, specifications, old samples and catalogs can all be found in this space. The architects highlighted the importance of keeping all drawings for liability purposes. We live in a legal environment and the architect is accountable for his/her construction and design.

Admin and Architect Offices
Very minimum spaces are incorporated for the administrator and architects’ office. Both are located on the south adjacency of the building to make use of natural light. These offices, like the rest of the spaces, follow allocation standards such as NY State Code for Commercial Buildings and ADA.

Workstations
The workstations are bigger spaces that provide flexibility to draftsmen. They are not divided with cubicles, but rather they are open spaces that allow group interaction. The work is not based on computer production, but on drafting architectural drawings. Also, it counts with a small restroom, printing area with plotters and a table located in the center of the space. The senior draftsman has a specific location in the workstations that convey hierarchy.
We also found that the building itself is in compliance with the American Disability Act or ADA which regulates the standards for disabled individuals. It has two exits abiding New York State Codes. The architects are very knowledgeable and experienced. At the moment, they are mostly working with the public sector on buildings’ restoration. Finally, perhaps the work of a future architect will mostly be related to renovation instead of building from scratch. We pretty much live in a constructed environment.

Architectural firm photos credit: Samuel Brisco