Eagles Nest Outfitters (ENO), an Asheville-based outdoor company, challenged the designers at Samsel Architects to take a dingy office building from the 80s and transform it into a beautiful and modern office space. The space needed to enhance creativity, collaboration and productivity while also conveying a strong connection to the outdoors. Stripping the building down to its bones allowed them to give ENO the office they were envisioning – a functional and beautiful space that embodies professionalism, fun and a sense of calm.
ENO had outgrown their downtown Asheville location and approached Samsel Architects to design a modern office renovation for their newly purchased building. The building was severely underwhelming when it came to character and charm. The dark and unhealthy space had water damage from roof leaks, low ceilings and a maze of office partitions and outdated finishes from the 1980s. Looking past all this, Samsel Architects saw that the building had the potential to be transformed into a modern space with an entirely new character.
The architects stripped the building down to the original steel structure and exterior brick walls so that they could begin with a clean slate. Their design solution focused on incorporating as much daylight as possible. This was accomplished by removing several sections of wall to create large glass openings that would bring light and views to the main conference room, entry and breakroom. Large skylights were added in the open office spaces to bring lots of daylight far into the building.
ENO also wanted to incorporate natural materials into the space while maintaining the clean lines of a modern office environment. Samsel Architects started with the idea of bringing the outside in, so their solution included large planters in the open offices and the use of accents of maple, oak and bark siding to bring warmth to the palette. The interior spaces include a mix of closed offices, open work spaces and meeting rooms for collaboration. The variety of spaces allows for concentration and focus, as well as creativity and interaction. The use of interior glass walls also allowed for visual connection among staff and connection to daylight while still providing needed privacy.
Being an outdoor gear company, ENO places a strong emphasis on engagement with the outdoors and wanted their office space to reflect these values. Given that the building was located in the middle of an industrial park, Samsel reclaimed some parking spaces to create an oasis of outdoor spaces. The break room includes a wall of glass that connects to a “Zen Patio” for outdoor eating and socializing. The patio utilizes a slatted screen wall to create some privacy and buffer to the parking lot beyond and connects down to a densely planted garden area for hammocks that was designed around a large maple, the only significant existing tree on the property.
