TURETT COLLABORATIVE ARCHITECTS
Burly Bear, New York, NY
Project Description
Client: Burly Bear NetworkProject category: Corporate headquarters expansion
Location: 254 West 54th Street, 8th & 10th floors
New York City Size: 3,350 square feet per floor
Status: 10th floor completed January 2001
Burly Bear Network has become the #1 college cable TV network, reaching 564 universities and over 5 million students. Just as its popularity and market share with the 18-24 year old college audience have exploded, Burly Bear also experienced a growing problem at home --- the need for more space at its Manhattan headquarters. Burly Bear selected TCA to design a 6,700 sq. ft. expansion that would add two additional floors to the company's existing 6,400 sq. ft. space.
From the beginning, TCA worked closely with Burly Bear executives to develop a design that is imaginative yet responsive to their need to utilize space efficiently. The expansion would have to reflect the style Burly Bear has developed as a next-generation media and marketing company. Burly Bear's original programming has become recognized as the launch pad for new performers in music, comedy and independent films. The network's reach is expanded through a broadband web destination, on-campus events, tours and field marketing programs conducted by local student representatives.
The heart of the expansion project on the 10th floor is a new video 'library'. No longer is a library defined by boring shelves and a quiet atmosphere. As guests step from the elevators into Burly Bear's 10th floor reception area, they are confronted by a 'storage-as-art' object. The 'library' is an orange solid enclosed in stainless steel wire mesh. Inside the object and clearly visible are more than 4,000 videocassettes, the complete set of Burly Bear production tapes. Just as the video tapes are the heart of Burly Bear's work, they now form the key design element in the reception area. Guests witness the action as Burly Bear staff retrieve and return past programming tapes. Arranged on shelf units on tracks, TCA designed the storage space to allow for double-deep shelving as well as easy access.
Following Burly Bear's mandate that design elements be functional and imaginative, TCA used the library as both provocative focal point and efficient space element. The wirefabric wall installation separates the reception area from the video library located behind it. Translucent panels made of polygal on metal framing are used to separate a row of private executive offices from the open space. A mood of high-energy is evident throughout. Bold, vivid colors of orange and blue are set off by the coolness of exposed concrete, stainless steel and aluminum.
One of the primary goals of the expansion project was the creation of workspace that suited the personality of the young, non-traditional Burly Bear staff. TCA customized designs from its Carica furniture system. Modular, adaptable and relatively inexpensive, the Carica system met Burly Bear's needs. Workstations combine strong, rich colors with cool aluminum and medium fiber density board. Unit dividers made of polygal, an acrylic double-walled panel with linear cells, permit light to pass through while maintaining a sense of individual privacy. The reception desk, pantry and other furniture from the Carica system reinforce the Burly Bear message of young, hard-working and cutting-edge.
The construction was completed in 3 months at a cost of $85 per square foot.
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