Tivoli office space featured in Architype Review magazine
Charlotte, NC – January 25, 2007: When direct marketing firm Tivoli Partners was searching for new office space, they looked at the development of a new environment as their opportunity to reinvent themselves and therefore, challenged designers to create a space reflective of their brand and image.
Designers at Charlotte-based Little Diversified responded to this solution by finding inspiration in the name of the company- Tivoli. Tivoli is an Italian village near Rome that was once devastated by the flooding of the River Aniene. Instead of the flood erasing Tivoli off the map, Pope Gregory XVI ordered canals be built along the River Aniene, saving and reshaping the village of Tivoli.
In designing Tivoli Partners’ new space, the design team sought inspiration from this historic story and how it helps define Tivoli Partners’ core values. Designers envisioned a conceptual river as a choreographing element within the new space and were challenged to create an environment that would support and enhance a different workplace dynamic.
The workspace is organized around the characteristics found in small river towns, with the intersection of regulating lines formed by narrow streets and the natural junction of the flowing water and river bank – creating a hub of activity and a sense of place and identity. The static forms of the traditional receptionist were an obstacle to the client’s desire to create a welcome feeling of openness. In lieu of the traditional reception desk, a meandering 30’ bar-height table becomes an object in the metaphorical river and is the communal core of the space where employees and clients come together.
The work space itself is open, collaborative, accessible and organized. Open lines of visibility allow daylight to permeate the space and enliven it with shade and shadow. Borrowing from features found at a natural riverbank, the strata and layering of various materials define edges and objects; columns and chase work, for example, act as obstacles or landmarks along the water’s path.
Much like the Italian village with which they share a name, Tivoli Partners’ reinvention has renewed their sense of community, their culture and their business. Like the ever-changing flow of water through the land, people engage this space anew each day and enliven the environment with energy and vitality.
