Allied Maker HQ
The designers of some of our favorite high-end lighting fixtures approached us with the idea of redesigning an old piano factory to serve as their new headquarters. The existing warehouse, located on the North Shore of Long Island in Glen Cove, NY, will become the new campus for their expanding team and will provide space for all aspects of their growing company. Design, fabrication, finishing, sales, and shipping will all take place under one roof while also providing additional amenities for their team, such as a cafe, spa and maternity room.
DESIGNER'S PATH
One of the primary goals of the workplace is to create an efficient and inspiring
space to design new products. The lighting designers at Allied Maker take a hands-on approach, so it was
important that the team could easily circulate between sketching at a desk, tinkering with existing parts,
and fabricating new ones. The circular "donut" scheme allows each of these areas to safely remain separated
with the ability for the designers to easily move between them.
PRODUCTION PATH
Another important goal for the company's headquarters was to design a space where
all production could happen under one roof. All Allied Maker products are bespoke and made-to-order, so it
was imperative to create a path of circulation between sales, assembly, fabrication, and shipping. Creating
efficiencies in this path will significantly reduce the time and costs incurred on many of the company's
repeatable tasks.
While the primary function of the main level was to create an efficient day-to-day for the growing team, the owners also wanted to provide their employees with invaluable amenities. The cellar level will include a cafe, spa and maternity room for the team and the second floor will house private meeting rooms and roof deck seating areas.
The building originally housed a Long Island piano factory and had amassed a seemingly unmanageable amount of furniture, parts, and trash. However, the new owners were able to see that beyond the mess lied an old structure with good bones and endless charm.
The new design embraces that historic charm and exposes many of the buildings relics. However, the addition that nearly doubles the buildings footprint, does not attempt to replicate the old charm. Instead, the new modern design preserves the historical context while moving the company into the future.
