May 8th, 2018 – Bloomington, Minn. – After 25 years of working in the basement of Mall of America, the executives moved into new offices located in the mall office tower, Offices @ MOA, built in 2015. With the help of KOMA and a well-developed design team, the move is complete and the staff is now working from a bright, airy and energetic space.
The existing offices were dark, lacking natural light and were a maze of corridors and cubicles. In 2015 when the owners of Mall of America built the Offices @ MOA, the executives saw an opportunity to relocate not only their executive offices but also the operational and construction offices. The goal was to create an environment that reflected the brand and encouraged a collaborative culture. Building on groundwork created by Cunningham Group and Toronto based GH+A, KOMA developed a comprehensive design that reflected these needs.
The lobby is a crisp white space anchored by a sleek reception desk which is backed by a translucent MOA logo on a glass partition. The MOA logo and signature ribbon runs throughout the space. The brand is further visible through means of color and pattern in carpet and wall graphics.
Capitalizing on an open, clean, new space, an intentional design approach for the office was taken – leaving exposed ceiling decks and polished concrete floors in circulation areas. LED light strips installed at an angle create visual interest and movement in the open space. Low paneled workstations and color blocking on groupings of offices create neighborhoods and promote ease of way-finding. Full height glass on interior spaces allows the natural light to permeate throughout the space.
“One of MOA’s core values is “Enthusiastic” – energy is infectious!” says principal interior designer Cindy Nagel, “The entire team feels that the completed space conveys just that; a fitting representation of their brand reflected in their physical environment.”
AERC selected MRI and CT scan equipment from the human medical field as opposed to veterinary as these provide increased power and better image quality. The installation of this delicate equipment meant special attention to detail had to be paid to the architectural component. “This specialized equipment was a crucial aspect of the design,” says principal architect Steve Iaria, “there are many factors that come into play to make sure this equipment can function properly.” The MRI machine weighs approximately 3,000 pounds and had to be lifted via crane. After it was in place, the last wall of the MRI room was raised into position. Due to the MRI’s magnetic pull, no surrounding components could contain any metal. The MRI also will not tolerate a disruption like shaking or rattling well, so it could not be housed on an outside wall. The CT machine also had a special requirement; due to the radiation emission, the surrounding area necessitated lead shielding. In conjunction with the specialty equipment, the project entailed adding three sterile surgery suites, one of which boasts sterility levels akin to surgical suites in human hospitals. Specialized mechanical systems were also designed to increase the level of air quality throughout the facility.
