Revitalizing workplace culture through architecture
National Headquarters - Council of State Governments
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The Council of State Governments (CSG) is the nation’s only nonpartisan organization serving all three branches of state elected and appointed officials. It is a community of states committed to connecting, informing, inspiring, and empowering public servants to put the best ideas and solutions into practice. The CSG national office, located in Lexington, Kentucky, houses national projects, publications, and special initiatives that foster collaboration between elected and appointed officials from across the country and the six US territories.
The CSG headquarters was created as a central community space surrounded by Kentucky’s iconic horse farms. However, many office facilities built in the 1960s and 1970s were not set up for easy collaboration. The structure was conceived as a modern glass box wrapped in a brick shell. Offices along the perimeter blocked natural light and views for occupants. Their facilities didn’t match their mission.
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We set out to revitalize all three floors of the CSG national office, creating spaces that support independent work and collaboration in a contemporary workplace appropriate for the organization’s national status. Our challenge was to enhance the exterior, which was suffering from extensive water damage, and modernize the interior to meet today’s standards for a productive, multi-generational workplace.
We designed a new interior that is open and vibrant. To achieve transparency, perimeter offices and workspaces were reconstructed with glazed, demountable partitions that welcomed light and movement when change is needed. Support spaces were relocated to the building’s center. This reconfiguration takes advantage of the natural light and views of rolling hills. Private offices, free-standing workstations, café, and collaboration zones offer flexibility throughout the space. We achieved transparency and energy efficiency by installing an aluminum curtainwall with high-efficiency, Low-E clear glazing over the original steel frame.
The CSG’s renovation redefines how this organization works and interacts, bringing it up to date and putting its communities first.
