Ware Malcomb, an award-winning international design firm, today announced construction is complete on the offices of ZS Associates located at 611 Gateway Boulevard in South San Francisco. Ware Malcomb provided interior architecture and design services for the project.
ZS Associates, a global professional services firm, expanded its offices into 11,682 square feet in South San Francisco. A complete interior renovation of the space included a mixture of open office seating, collaboration spaces, meeting rooms, large training room, and an open kitchen area. The firm also maintains its existing office space on the 10th floor of the building.
“For over 35 years, ZS has been helping clients innovate and solve complex problems by taking things apart, seeing how they work, and putting them back together in a way that works even better,” said Rhea Butler, Director, Interior Architecture & Design of Ware Malcomb’s San Francisco office. “It was exciting to adapt this corporate culture into the new office design by implementing the concept of puzzle pieces.”
Abstract geometric shapes such as triangles and parallelograms were used throughout the space to denote the concept of interlinking puzzle pieces. The design also represented an abstraction of the ZS Associates logo design to tie the San Francisco office into the global firm. Bold uses of color blocks formed another component of interlocking pieces, which help to delineate the smaller neighborhoods that combine to form the greater office. Strategic placement of collaboration and interaction spaces in the center of the plan encourage employees to congregate and interact with each other.
In addition to the overall design aesthetic, ZS Associates was also focused on the acoustics of the space. To achieve optimal sound attenuation, all walls use double layers of drywall and connect directly to the structure. Additionally, other acoustical components such as Fitz Felt walls, acoustical light fixtures, and soft seating were added to help absorb sound.
The General Contractor for the project was GCI General Contractors.