Carrollton, TX
Scope: 9,500 SF remodel of existing office and warehouse space
A “cloud” of pre-owned filing cabinets illuminated from within and suspended from the ceiling. Recycled toner cartridges transformed into an inspiring celestial ceiling. Formed foam packing repurposed as sculptural wall finishes, fingerprints of the copiers they once held. Designed as a series of exhibits and experiences, Elliott + Associates envisioned the remodel at ImageNet Carrollton as an opportunity to create a visual narrative of who ImageNet is and the solutions that they provide.
The 9,500 SF project features training, demo, and office spaces that clients tour with the ImageNet team while discussing solutions for their business needs. Exhibits designed by Rand Elliott + Michael Shuck focus on ImageNet’s core principles – information technology solutions, mitigating vulnerability, and reducing waste. Transitioning from a paper-based system to storing information digitally in the cloud can offer greater security against loss, while simultaneously reducing waste. A wall of toner cartridges shows us the waste associated with printing today. Each space becomes a powerful tool for client communication and challenges us to rethink our relationship with waste.
Client Keywords:
1. Reduce waste
2. Mitigate vulnerability
3. Electronic content management
4. Managed print solutions
5. Total cost of a document
6. Recycle
7. Reflective
8. The cloud
9. Our mission is simple. Provide information technology solutions that improve our client’s bottom line.
Architectural Concept:
The architectural concept follows the company philosophy. The space is created as a series of experiences and exhibits that tells a story of how digital information technology can change our attitude about repurposing waste.
Concept Points:
1. A cloud made of pre-owned filing cabinets suspended from the ceiling represents the transition from storing information in paper-based systems to storing information digitally in the cloud.
2. The white filing cabinets represent the paper documents you use. The blue filing cabinets are documents you look for and the orange ones are the documents you lose forever.
3. The blue rug represents that area you give up each year to store your documents in filing cabinets.
4. The filing cabinets on their side represent the chaos that can destroy paper documents like tornados, floods and fires.
5. The orange cube with the question mark represents the solution. It is where you start and where you finish. You start with a question and you finish with a solution. What will your solution be?
6. A gap in the paper wall from the original design that showed the importance of paper in our lives a decade ago is filled with 1’s and 0’s to remind visitors of the importance of digital information and that a lot of their information is already stored digitally.
7. From the antique typewriter to the future of printing…. 3D printing.
8. A wall of toner cartridges shows the waste associated with printing today. It takes 3.5 quarts of oil to make 1 toner cartridge. A single toner cartridge takes 450 years to decompose. Recycling 1 cartridge saves 3.6 lbs. of solid waste.
9. The toner cartridges on the ceiling represent all the toner saved by putting your information in the cloud.
10. ImageNet Consulting takes recycling very seriously and ships packing foam from other regional offices to Carrollton to be melted down and recycled. We diverted some of the packing foam to our project to use it as art.
11. Foam packing material used as art on the walls are like the finger prints of the copiers. The employees can look at the foam and tell you exactly what copier it came from.
12. Orange is a new corporate color introduced to give life to their branding.
13. Repurposed plastic wrap and bubble mailers were used as art and wall finishes.
14. The reflective bubble wrap and its backing effectively created a padded room, improving the room’s acoustics and making it ideal for presentations.
Repurposed and recycled materials used:
1. Formed foam packing material
2. Recycled toner cartridges
3. Bubble envelopes
4. Aluminum Bubble wrap
5. Plastic wrap
Architectural Attitude:
1. Trash recycling requires courage.
2. Trash recycling illustrates responsibility to our planet.
3. Trash is the reward of dumpster diving.
4. Trash is a plentiful resource.
5. Trash can be an architectural material.
6. Trash is transformative.
7. Trash can be a sales tool.
8. Trash separates the doers from the talkers.
9. Trash is an attitude.
We have focused on one aspect of ImageNet Consultants’ business philosophy of being environmentally responsible. Their goal is to help the customer in his business and in his environmental responsibility. The remodeled space provides the customer an office tour that exhibits and explains ImageNet company policies and processes and provides a powerful tool for client communication. They not only hear who you are but they also see who you are. We find this approach inspires the customer to be/do better. ImageNet becomes more than a supplier – they become a partner in the pursuit of excellence.
