Retail Design Collaborative (RDC) | Studio One Eleven

Studio One Eleven is an integrated practice of architecture, urbanism and landscape design dedicated to creating vibrant communities. Studio One Eleven finds ways to make cities more environmentally responsible, resilient, prosperous and joyful while addressing livability and equity for all residents. From community planning to streetscape improvements, mixed-use infill developments to small and impactful urban interventions, Studio One Eleven operates at a variety of scales with the ultimate goal of enhancing the urban condition that sustains each project.

Repurposing a former Nordstrom Rack, RDC designed their new office to create an invigorating yet functional environment that befits the firm’s culture. The design removes all but one private office, dedicated to human resources, crafting a space for teams to share a collaborative, creative, open space. Scattered amid the office are break-out rooms that act as collaborative pods for meetings. A mezzanine wraps the perimeter of the interior space, creating a “bridgewalk” overlook with lounges, workspaces and pin-up zones. The entire space is programmed with elements including: hospitality kitchen, open work clusters, idea lounges, flex offices, a community room, material library, shower and lockers, and outdoor patios.

The adaptive-reuse project also highlights RDC’s commitment to environmentally sustainable and responsible design practices. Numerous sustainability strategies have been integrated into the design, such as the innovative use of natural daylight and ventilation, lighting controls for energy conservation, low water consumption, smart material selection and an indoor/outdoor garden. The project is LEED Platinum and WELL Gold certified.

Throughout the process, they have studied the quality of their air, water, acoustics, comfort, and light as a means of ensuring optimal spatial quality. They’ve expanded their Health and Wellness Program to include yoga, meditation, cross training, a running group, strength training, biking and team sports including beach volleyball over the summer and softball in the fall. Their staff receives healthy, low sugar food options daily. Workstations are adjustable to suit the needs of everyone. They’ve also embraced a beautiful new product, Fluidstance, to promote standing, proper posture and eliminate chronic back pain.

The space is unique in that the building is almost entirely surrounded by retail. They floor layout is deep, limiting the amount of opportunity for daylight fenestration. Despite given conditions, the studio is consistently flooded with natural light through 20 new skylights hovering 25’ above the 25,000+ sf footprint.

From a community perspective, the staff gets out, a lot! Of course, it helps that downtown Long Beach boasts a Walkscore of 97, and now that the studio offers employees annual Long Beach Bike Share memberships, staff now have access to explore even more of what Long Beach has to offer, with 150 minutes of ride time per day, per person!

One of the most exciting new extensions of the new space is the in-house Living Lab. The Sustainability Department continuously examines and communicates the quality of the building’s air, water, light, acoustics, comfort, utility consumption, and alternative transportation initiatives.

This process is providing tools to architects in order to help them take design to a whole new level, one that goes beyond function and aesthetics, and forces the company to look deep into the quality of the space too often overlooked. This process forces the team to quantify the qualitative benefits defined by the space, inevitably contributing to productivity, talent retention and brand recognition.