IPConfigure, Inc., a video surveillance and software research and development company in Norfolk, has renovated a historic building for its new headquarters. The old Dubin Metals Building on Bowdens Ferry Road, constructed around 1938, originally served as an acetylene gas manufacturing facility during World War II before later housing a metals recycling business. The original structure, along with subsequent additions, creates a total building footprint of more than 28,000 square feet.
IPConfigure has occupied part of the building for its headquarters while reserving the remaining space for complementary tenants focused on technology and placemaking. The broader development, Norfolk Colony, seeks multiple tenants to activate the building’s outdoor space and contribute to revitalization efforts in the Lambert’s Point neighborhood.
IPConfigure’s knowledge workers are based in the historic portion of the building, while camera assembly takes place in a newer metal addition. An original loading dock canopy welcomes visitors into the building and an “Experience Center” with a coffee shop, where they can see products in use. Skylights and new light fixtures cast a warm glow in the reception area, filtered through new wood slats installed in the steel canopy. A new steel staircase leads up to the original tower—once a testing ground for acetylene gas, now transformed into a break room and lounge.
For company founder Chris Uiterwyk, one of the biggest draws of the site was its tranquil green space. “People can’t sit all day and write software code. They need to get outside.” This connection to nature will play a key role in recruiting and retaining employees. “We compete with Google and Microsoft,” he says. “This will be a place to work that doesn’t feel like work.”
