SYRACUSE — Ashley McGraw Architects, D.P.C.’s new downtown Syracuse office has numerous attributes and features incorporating sustainability. The architecture firm moved to a 9,000-square-foot space on the 15th floor of the Onondaga Tower at 125 East Jefferson St. in September, from its previous 11,500-square-foot office at 500. S. Salina St., says Deborah Rhea, chief operating […]
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SYRACUSE — Ashley McGraw Architects, D.P.C.’s new downtown Syracuse office has numerous attributes and features incorporating sustainability.
The architecture firm moved to a 9,000-square-foot space on the 15th floor of the Onondaga Tower at 125 East Jefferson St. in September, from its previous 11,500-square-foot office at 500. S. Salina St., says Deborah Rhea, chief operating & finance officer for Ashley McGraw.
Rhea and several of her colleagues spoke with the Business Journal News Network about it on Dec. 5.
The firm’s lease was ending at 500 S. Salina St. and the building was accommodating more residential space, says Rhea. Company officials sought new space both inside and outside the city.
“When we were offered the 15th floor of this building, it suited our purposes perfectly,” she adds.
Ashley McGraw rents its space at the Onondaga Tower from CBD Companies, which operates in the same building.
The architecture firm sought an office environment that reflects its “core belief” that a “habitable future depends on a mutually beneficial relationship between human made and natural systems,” according to an Ashley McGraw news release.
That phrase greets visitors on the firm’s website.
The new office has 2,500 fewer square feet than the company’s previous home, so the employee work spaces are “significantly” smaller than they were before, says Susanne Gruening Angarano, an interior designer with Ashley McGraw.
“In order to do that, we had to cut down on paper and what we produce, and so we’ve moved to more digital elements,” she says.
The Onondaga Tower office also includes light-emitting diode (LED) lighting, daylighting, and occupancy controls, or motion sensors on the lights.
“We have LED lighting throughout, which is much more energy efficient than fluorescent or halogen. We also have the lighting on a light sensor, which allows the lights to either turn off or dim when the window light or the natural light is sufficient,” says Nicholas Signorelli, a principal with the firm.
In addition, the office features low VOC (volatile organic compounds) paint and finishes, low-flow bathroom fixtures, and reused materials from its former office.
When asked to explain VOCs, Jason Evans, architectural designer with Ashley McGraw, provided an example.
“When you have a really smelly paint … it’s usually indicative of a really high VOC count,” says Evans. He also noted the firm used mostly zero-count VOC paints.
The flooring in the office’s studio area is a former gymnasium floor and the entryway features reclaimed wooden bleachers, both acquired from the Geneva City School District, says Gruening Angarano.
Ashley McGraw is targeting silver-level certification in the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program.
Ashley McGraw developed the new office layout after months of lunch seminars, workshops, and discussions with employees.
The office features an open-landscape concept with no furniture partitions between workstations, which the firm says is “promoting a visually open and collaborative environment with the flexibility for easy change of task and project teams,” according to its news release.
The new space also has workspaces with sit-to-stand desks, breakout hubs, and larger gathering spaces.
Many of those spaces are reconfigurable for design discussions, office presentations, client meetings, or lunch seminars, Ashley McGraw said.
About the firm
Founded in 1981, Ashley McGraw Architects designs, renovates, and constructs elementary and secondary schools, college and university facilities, and municipal projects across New York state.
The firm employs 37 licensed architects, architectural designers, interior designers, and support staff.
It is currently working on projects that include the design of the Southern Tier High Technology Incubator in Binghamton.
It is also designing a new artificial turf field and track for Jamesville-DeWitt High School and handling the upcoming renovation work on Chestnut Hill Elementary School and Chestnut Hill Middle School in the Liverpool School District, says Signorelli.
Rhea declined to disclose the firm’s revenue information.
The principals in the firm include Edward McGraw, who serves as Ashley McGraw’s CEO; Signorelli; Sandra March, who is also the firm’s chief marketing officer; and Matthew Broderick.
Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com
