Our Monterrey Studio
The vision for this design was to introduce Perkins&Will to the Monterrey market by capturing the essence of our craft by the way we design, utilize, and experience our workspace. In Monterrey’s voice and unique character, we aligned firmwide design drivers to create the studio’s look and feel. Driven by entrepreneurial industries such as steel, concrete, glass, and brewing, Monterrey harmonizes innovation and tradition. These key industries are analytical and process-oriented innovators, which our team cultivated throughout the work environment.
To successfully introduce Perkins&Will’s global leadership in design, our team creatively implemented firm goals in a way that would resonate with the Monterrey community. Our office became a zone for experiential research to intrinsically understand the impacts and opportunities of LEED and FitWel certifications, in the context of Mexico. The office excels at energy performance and operational zero-carbon business. Our tower opens to San Pedro Garza Garcia, one of the most pedestrian friendly neighborhoods of Monterrey, to further edify our commitment to well-being.
In Mexico, design constantly interacts with nature, and in this case the mountains navigate our design palette in the workspace. We prioritized the magnificent views, light, and natural backdrop from every direction. We balance the backdrop with warm, exposed, and modest fixtures and finishes inspiring room to design.
― Phil Harrison, Chief executive officer of Perkins&Will
LEED and Fitwel requirements added to the intricacy of the project requirements, making for unique challenges that required distinctive design decisions. An open-office concept supported by adjacent space types encouraged a wellness design. Lessons learned include synergies, trade-offs, and new ideology about how to speak to clients and management about the importance of such efforts. Significant deep-dives were performed on specific features such as indoor air quality and material vetting to ensure compliance across all rating systems. The firm’s Precautionary List integration added a layer of complexity, while raising the level of focus on material health. This was especially challenging in the evaluation of local manufacturers. The project also pursued two separate but synergistic certifications LEED Platinum, and Fitwel 1-star.
