Case Study: Brickyard

The Client

Coworking (or shared) spaces are in high demand in the corporate/office design market. Ann Orem and her family of commercial real estate developers saw an opportunity to bring an innovative, modern and collaborative office space to Ashburn, Virginia – and Brickyard was born.

Brickyard Ashburn, which opened in 2016, was the first coworking space of The Brickyard Co., which has since expanded into three office spaces throughout Virginia. They characterize themselves as:

 

“A communal workspace that fosters innovation, collaboration and creativity among our local entrepreneurs, startups, remote workers and those in the pursuit of success.”

 

To get their first location off the ground, Orem turned to Anne Regan and DBI Architects, Inc. to make her vision for a sleek, open and inviting office space a reality. Regan, along with DBI interior designer Brittany Hult, took six months to bring Brickyard Ashburn to life.

The Challenge

As this was the first in a projected series of coworking spaces, Regan and DBI knew that their choices for Brickyard Ashburn would set the tone for the entire brand. They knew they wanted something modern and sleek, that also incorporated some of the industrial and rustic charm that characterizes the Ashburn area. Balancing all of these aesthetics was a challenge, but one that could be met with the proper flooring to tie it all together.

Another challenge in this renovation project was that, while the design team was conceptualizing and defining what the space would look like, Orem and the Brickyard company were also trying to define their brand identity and formulate a concrete business plan. The two brainstorming processes actually worked to both Orem and Regan’s advantage, as DBI’s samples and color palettes would actually become the basis for Brickyard’s marketing and branding materials.

When it came time to select a flooring product, there were many boxes that needed to be checked. The owner wanted a product that was:

• Neutral and could work with many different color palettes
• A wood-look product that would stand the test of time and heavy foot traffic
• A rustic, more weathered looking finish
• Something that evoked a “home away from home,” resimercial feeling

To find a flooring option that met those requirements, Regan and DBI turned to Parterre.

The Solution

Having worked with Parterre before, Regan and DBI knew Parterre could marry the homey-rustic vibe and durable properties that a space like this required. Already having dozens of Parterre samples at the office, the team narrowed it down to three options and presented the various designs to the client. Ultimately, Brickyard selected a 3mm glue down option with a weathered, rustic, wood-look finish – InGrained: Lancaster Weathered, was installed throughout the entire coworking office space.

 

“We spec Parterre frequently and love it for its durability and authentic wood-look,” said Regan. “And, Parterre has a good selection of colors and installs really well and easily on many different slabs and underfloor.”

 

To help find finishes to complement the worn-in, wood-look luxury vinyl flooring, Regan and the designers tried an unorthodox approach to design collaboration with the Brickyard team. They started a shared Pinterest board with images from completed DBI projects and other interior design examples, and used these real-life buildings as inspiration for the completed Brickyard project.

Conclusion

Aside from the flooring choice, Orem and Brickyard wanted to incorporate local elements, materials and designers as much as possible. To represent the hard-working people of Ashburn and reflect the community-oriented vibe of the coworking space, the design team turned to local blacksmiths and carpenters for different furniture pieces in the office.

In total, after finishing Brickyard Ashburn and the two additional locations, Parterre luxury vinyl has been installed in over 8,000 square feet of Brickyard office space. Regan said the collaboration between Brickyard, DBI Parterre, and Division 9 Associates (an agency affiliated with Parterre), went incredibly smoothly.

 

“We work with Parterre a lot and they are very responsive and just really great,” she said. “That’s another reason we like to use Parterre – we know we’re going to get great customer service.”

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