Cambridge, Massachusetts
The overall design concept of the Monitor Company headquarters was based on encompassing the many faces of Monitor - traditional (formal/suits), non-traditional (informal/casual) - as well as those of their visiting clients. The character of Monitor, defined by their employee questionnaire, was translated into a design concept based around the following terms: creative, innovative, honest, sophisticated, eclectic, distinctive, and warm. This 155,000 SF project will boldly reflect the culture of this fast growing management consulting firm and the intellectual services that they provide.

The design will also maximize the organizational development of consultants by providing numerous spaces for casual interaction. An environment was created with a myriad of formal and informal spaces located off central social spaces. Incorporated within this concept is Main Street - wide corridor with niches, pockets and 'storefronts' of spaces such as a cafe and mail center. Main Street has curved fabric panels in the ceiling with back lighting and uplighting on dimmer switches to create both day and evening lighting settings. The ash wood floor on Main Street differentiates it from any other space at Monitor. Main Street runs horizontally through the building with an atrium at either end creating a destination. These gathering spaces have different functions - on the east side of the building is the social atrium containing the open cafe seating. The intellectual atrium on the west side of the building is the more quiet side of the building and it will be used as a gathering space for the discussion of ideas and plans.

Beyond each of these atria are a group of neighborhoods that are defined by a network of 'thick walls' that create modularity and organization. These 'thick walls' provide an opportunity to organize the storage within the office and out in the corridors. The thick walls also work to keep the corridors from becoming uninteresting by providing rhythm along the path. By creating modules Monitor groups can move and be rearranged anywhere within a neighborhood.

Important features were given bright colors, such as neighborhood support pods and Main Street components to act as a wayfinding system. Through this palette a subtle, sophisticated environment was created to act as a back drop for Monitor's eclectic furniture and dynamic team of people.