Howard Building Corporation

Project Description

Rocket Fuel is a provider of artificial intelligence advertising solutions that translate digital-media buys into self-optimizing engines that learn and adapt in real time to convert advertising awareness into sales.  With 13 offices in the United States and 8 more offices worldwide, Rocketfuel is at the forefront of intelligent digital advertising and marketing.   Their Los Angeles office is located in El Segundo, in the heart of the tech corridor.  Architects in IA’s San Francisco office worked with HBC to complete construction of the 30,000 square foot space.

Exposed ceilings and polished concrete floors provide a raw feeling in this office space.  Hexagonal carpet tiles punctuate the open concrete floor areas with a variegated pattern and a bright blue trail running along the jewel box conference rooms along the core of the space.  Astroturf fields define larger, communal meeting areas, with drop gypsum board and acoustic tile ceilings above.  Wood plank flooring in the kitchen and dining area create a unique, large scale herringbone pattern similar to the striated pattern in the carpet tiles.

A primary aspect of the design of the space includes extensive wall graphics created by designers at IA that integrate the company’s story and brand into the built environment.  Wall graphics were even used to create the appearance of a wood application that wraps around conference rooms and architectural features.  Large scale imagery relates to the Southern California lifestyle, providing the office with an identity related to its geographic location.

The project includes an extensive lighting package, made all the more complex as the first project completed by HBC in compliance with the 2014 Title 24 building code requirements.  The stringent electrical efficiencies required by the code translated into sensored light sources, specially designed light fixtures that could properly accommodate defined light levels and advanced controls, increased metering of electrical usage, and more stringent approval requirements for construction sign off.  Despite the added layer of Title 24 requirements, the lighting in the space is elegantly designed and a feature in its own right within the space.

Working with the client, located in Redwood City, and the construction management group, also located in Northern California posed a challenge in the project, but diligent attention and frequent communication allowed the project to be completed smoothly and successfully for the entire team.

Honors