Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 66

PHOTOGRAPHY:

In the open atrium with
a mezzanine (all on this
spread), a chandelier (above)
is comprised of dozens of
tinted hand-blown glass orbs.
A tapestry of the Brooklyn
Bridge (opposite, top) lines
an atrium wall, and was handloomed in India by the same
global artisans who craft West
Elm's collection of Fair Trade
Certified rugs. An informal
seating area overlooking the
atrium (opposite, bottom)
showcases the building's
original wood structure.

While the furniture retailer West Elm had established its headquarters
years ago in the Dumbo neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, it only
recently moved into a new, dynamic location that fits its aesthetic within
the same neighborhood: the Empire Stores.
A series of former industrial warehouses along the East
River waterfront, the Empire Stores consists of seven structures
from the 1870s and 1880s that sat largely abandoned for decades
before a redevelopment by Midtown Equities that began in 2013.
Listed by the National Park Service as a historic site, all facades
and architectural treatments of the Empire Stores had to follow
strict standards in the renovation completed by Studio V Architecture
of New York. A glass-enclosed atrium space was inserted, and the
structures were connected for a mix of uses.
An office with context and character
New York-based VM Architecture & Design (VMAD) collaborated
with West Elm and its parent company Williams Sonoma to design
the 137,500-square-foot interior for 300 employees on the second
and third floors. To integrate West Elm's spaces, bring in more natural
light, and highlight the complex's extraordinary historic fabric,
VMAD kept the palette as simple and raw as possible, maintaining
the rich knotty wood beams, joists, and columns; exposing the charred
and weathered red bricks and arched windows; and installing rough
troweled concrete floors that subtly join the grade divides. Cuts
through interior schist walls and floors unite the office and permit
even more illumination.
The interior renovation was, not surprisingly, anything but
easy to pull off. Aside from the heavy lifting involved in the wall and floor
removal, VMAD had all of the beams, columns, and remaining walls

66

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SEPTEM BER 2017


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Contract Magazine - September 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Contract Magazine - September 2017

Contract Magazine - September 2017
Contents
Editorial
Industry News
Designer You Should Know: Brendan Ravenhill
Columnist: Offering Change Management Services Within a Well-Rounded Practice
Product Focus: Love Letter to London
Product Briefs
Dolce & Gabbana Tokyo
Harvey Nichols Menswear and Project 109
Rajeunir
West Elm Headquarters
Kettal
Interview Gesture, Movement, and Sound: The World of HUSH
Competition: 2017 IIDA Best of Latin America and the Caribbean
Designers Select: Retail
Sources
Ad Index
Exhibition: J’adore Dior
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - Contract Magazine - September 2017
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - Cover2
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 1
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 2
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 3
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - Contents
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 5
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 6
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 7
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 8
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 9
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 10
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 11
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 12
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 13
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 14
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 15
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 16
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 17
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - Editorial
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 19
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - Industry News
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 21
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 22
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 23
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 24
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 25
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 26
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 27
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - Designer You Should Know: Brendan Ravenhill
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 29
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - Columnist: Offering Change Management Services Within a Well-Rounded Practice
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 31
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - Product Focus: Love Letter to London
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 33
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - Product Briefs
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 35
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 36
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 37
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 38
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 39
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 40
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 41
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 42
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 43
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 44
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 45
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 46
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 47
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - Dolce & Gabbana Tokyo
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 49
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 50
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 51
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 52
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 53
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - Harvey Nichols Menswear and Project 109
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 55
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 56
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 57
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 58
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 59
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - Rajeunir
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 61
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 62
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 63
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - West Elm Headquarters
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 65
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 66
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 67
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 68
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 69
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 70
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 71
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - Kettal
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 73
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 74
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 75
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 76
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 77
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - Interview Gesture, Movement, and Sound: The World of HUSH
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 79
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 80
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 81
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 82
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 83
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 84
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 85
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - Competition: 2017 IIDA Best of Latin America and the Caribbean
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 87
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 88
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 89
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 90
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 91
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 92
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 93
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 94
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 95
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 96
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 97
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - Designers Select: Retail
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 99
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - Sources
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 101
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - Ad Index
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - 103
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - Exhibition: J’adore Dior
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - Cover3
Contract Magazine - September 2017 - Cover4
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