Howard Building Corporation

Project Description

Brookfield Residential is a leading developer and homebuilder with twelve major market sectors across the United States and Canada.  The Southern California headquarters include two unique groups, Brookfield Residential, the real estate and development portion of the company, and Brookfield Design Studio, which assists residents with product and finish selections to personalize their newly built homes.

The Brookfield Residential real estate and development group is located in 25,000 square feet of offices on the 9^th and 10^th floors of a Class A high-rise building in the South Coast Metro region of Costa Mesa.  The Gensler designed space takes an elevated approach to the common areas with the use of polished concrete floors, hard lid ceilings with recessed light fixtures and light coves, and geometric architectural details that create floating planes and surfaces in feature locations.  Reception on the 10^th Floor is punctuated with a white marble and wood veneer reception desk below a floating soffit.  The company’s logo behind the desk appears to sit on a rectangular block that seemingly pivots diagonally through the wall. 

Adjacent to Reception is the heart of the office space – the interconnecting stairwell between the floors, built to allow for both a staircase and stadium seating for staff gatherings.  A recessed monitor floats in a wall across from the seating and acts as a portion of the surrounding handrail around the stairwell’s structural opening between the floors.  A large, intricately patterned wall of wood paneling visually connects the two floors and is constructed of the same wood as the veneer on the seating and stairs.  Large, circular pendant light fixtures illuminate the stairwell from above.

Below this area on the 9^th Floor resides the kitchen and lounge.  A floating plane of veneered framing in the space at the foot of the stairs appears to be an extension of a framed portal with a recessed light strip that tracks around the portal and across the top of the floating plane.  This functions as a central gathering spot with bar height seating.  Past the floating “bar,” a casual lounge area sits adjacent to the open kitchen.  Open work areas and offices are situated around this central core of amenities and feature exposed ceilings with pendant light fixtures, carpet tiles installed in various patterns throughout the space, and acoustic treatments in private offices and smaller meeting rooms.

The 13,000 square foot Brookfield Design Studio is located in a retail location adjacent to the office building, which allows the general public immediate street access to the showroom.  The showroom space features displays of finish materials, millwork hardware, window coverings and vignette spaces for residents to choose customizations for their homes.  The same wood and marble used in the reception area of the corporate offices are also used to define the branding in the Design Studio.  Full height walls on either side of the showroom are finished in a signature red brick veneer.  Wide, wood plank flooring defines the entry and front of the showroom space where the kitchen model is located, and more intimate spaces and offices behind the entry area are finished in residential carpet.  Double height ceilings in the space allow for a second story mezzanine at the back of the showroom to locate open office workstations and a lounge for designers.  

Honors