MOULEDOUX, BLAND, LEGRAND & BRACKETT
LOCATION: Hancock Whitney Center, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
PROGRAM: Complete office build-out in existing high rise
CLIENT(S): Mouledoux, Bland, LeGrand & Brackett (Tenant); Hertz Investment Group (Owner)
SIZE: 24,255 SF
STATUS: Complete
PROJECT TEAM: GOAT (Architecture and Interiors); Huseman Associates (Mechanical, Electrical & Plumbing Engineering); Ryan Gootee General Contractors (Construction)
Having recently outgrown their upper floor spaces at the Hancock Whitney Center, Mouledoux, Bland, Legrand & Brackett (MBLB) engaged GOAT to develop a new space within the same building. Looking to modernize their operations and embrace a more contemporary working style, MBLB had a general plan for how their new space should function and worked with GOAT to develop an aesthetic that complimented the firm’s new direction.
Previously, team members were scattered between disconnected spaces, making in-person meetings harder to coordinate and less likely to occur spontaneously. In the new space, the plan is divided between the teams representing each of MBLB’s primary practice sectors, clustering the team’s together and allowing room to expand in the future. Each team’s respective area has a combination of private offices, open-air secretarial workstations, and dedicated collaboration spaces. The three dedicated team areas are organized around the “communal core” spaces, which include the shared conference rooms, team lounge, and reception lobby. These areas are generously sized to accommodate larger meetings, formal and informal, between the teams and their guests.
GOAT team: Alex Swiggum, Peter Spera III, Colin VanWingen
Reception; Photo by Brandt Vicknair
Developing a new space from scratch has allowed MBLB to better align their environment with some of their core company values. By devoting such a large portion of the floor plan to communal and collaborative spaces to be used by everyone, MBLB actualized a more egalitarian division of the floor than is typical for many law firms. In the development of the design, GOAT and MBLB took the same approach to access to daylight and views to the exterior. GOAT developed a “view without visibility” strategy that employed a significant amount of interior glazing to allow daylight to penetrate as far into the space as possible, while tactically leaving some surfaces solid to block views into private offices. The strategy allowed GOAT to differentiate different workspace types and create a condition that is truly unique within the Hancock Whitney Center; without sacrificing privacy, regardless of where one is in the space, the outside is always visible. Partners in corner offices, junior associates in the inner ring, and paralegals at semi-private workstations all have access to the physical and mental health benefits that a connection to the outdoors provides.
Conference; Photo by Brandt Vicknair
This “humanist” approach to space-making is indicative of GOAT’s design philosophy in all projects. The creation of modern design need not be cold and disconnected from the human experience. In the development of the finish palette for the project, GOAT deployed a selection of materials with a tactile warmth that makes the space inviting to visitors and comfortable for the MBLB team. Laced with wood grains, copper tones, and pops of occasional vibrancy, the space reinforces the modernization of the firm’s practice while maintaining the feeling of sophistication that a company with MBLB’s reputation has earned.
The “view without visibility” strategy also carried into the design of some of the project’s unique details. The reception desk was designed to conceal the receptionist’s workstation and the clutter a desk typically accumulates, while still ensuring that the receptionist is clearly visible to greet a new arrival from the elevator lobby. The communal conference rooms can be partially concealed from public view with sliding screen panels, carved out with an abstraction of the MBLB compass logo. Flourishes like these add an additional layer of customization that makes the MBLB office definitively their own.
Breakout Space and Work Carrel; Photo by Brandt Vicknair
MBLB moved into their new space at a time when many are questioning the viability of large, central corporate offices. The pandemic and the rise of digital work technology at the time had justifiably made the design profession begin to rethink their collective approach to the development of workspaces. GOAT’s humanist approach results in a space that allows MBLB the flexibility to adapt to new realities as they arise; private, screened spaces allow the MBLB team to work safely individually, while the dedication to generously sized communal spaces has allowed the company to still practice social distancing measures while working collaboratively.
IN THE NEWS
MBLB | August 2020 | MBLB Has Moved Into New Office on the Sixth Floor