Novel Coworking, a fast-growing coworking outfit based in Chicago, approached WPA to design the renovation of the City Center building into a modern, vibrant workspace for young professionals, right in the heart of Downtown Norfolk.
Updating the tired, outdated building interior required a complete gut and remodel of three floors of office space. The third floor was converted into a flagship coworking floor, with expansive living room and kitchen amenities. The existing building featured a sunny and expansive atrium, which became the focal point of the project. Extensive rework of the floor and walkways around the atrium create a dramatic sequence of vistas across the wide-open space. Visibility through the atrium was prioritized, with large expanses of glass connecting spaces on the periphery to social “touchdown” spots interspersed throughout.
To cap off the project, a new outdoor patio was designed for an area of rooftop at the third floor level, which had not previously been accessible from the building interior. Designed to respond to contextual cues from neighboring buildings, the new patio helps establish Plume Street as a gateway corridor to Downtown from MacArthur Square.