Provost Studio Designs Backdrop For Entrepreneurs to do Truly Amazing Things
Newly Branded Innovation Center Design Leads RTP's Redevelopment Charge
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC (June 1, 2015) - Entrepreneurial meetings and hosted events have energized Research Triangle Park, since opening The Frontier this past January.
The Frontier is one of the nation’s largest open innovation centers. It offers free meeting and work spaces, along with leasable offices, for the community’s pioneers and entrepreneurs to meet and connect.
Peter Provost and his team of designers at Provost Studio provided a comprehensive array of design services for the new collaborative workplace. These included the development of the graphic brand identity and environmental graphics, as well as interior design and space planning services.
Limitless Opportunity
When a visitor walks through the front door of The Frontier - located at 800 Park Offices Drive - the activity and design elements within the space energize them.
The entry lobby is a glass-enclosed path leading to the elevators, sub-dividing the first floor into its two parts:
• Event Center - a four-story high atrium for hosted events
• “Home Base” - the main mixer space, offering a variety of workspace options, a café, enclosed conference rooms, and an area for “play”
“Conceptually, Home Base was designed as the ‘living room’ of the project,” explains Peter Provost. “It is the main meeting room for the exchange of ideas, while also providing space for an individual’s focused work.”
The branded identity of The Frontier – exploration, innovation and limitless opportunity – is woven into environmental graphics and interior finishes throughout the building. Even the elevators are designed to look like space shuttle pods.
Flexibility is Key
“The main design intent was to create a space that promotes gathering, communication and discovery,” says Provost.
“To capture the entrepreneurial spirit of the facility, and to meet RTP’s goals for the project, the design needed to provide flexibility to allow the wide array of users to reconfigure the space as needed.”
While some well-intentioned plans don’t always work out in practice, working closely with the RTP staff ensured Provost’s design met and exceeded their expectations.
“We’re pleasantly surprised at just how successful of the space is,” says Jacob Newbauer, Community Coordinator for the RTP. “The combination of open, semi-enclosed and enclosed spaces allows extroverts and introverts to work well in the same space.”
Growing Numbers
As of May 1st, there have been 76 hosted events at The Frontier, and over 8,000 attendees at those events. Anna Rhyne, the RTP’s Program Manager, also notes the leasable office space on the third floor has just reached 100% occupancy.
There are plans to add more office suites soon to meet the growing interest and need for offices within The Frontier.
Besides accommodating the growing number of occupants and visitors, Provost Studio also designed the spaces to evolve to meet unexpected uses.
“On certain days, you might walk in and a free yoga or cardio class is in session in the entry lobby,“ says Rhyne.
Jacob Newbauer adds, “These activities serve to help newcomers feel more at ease, and encourages them to use the space in a way that best meets their own needs.”
About Provost Studio
Provost Studio, Inc. is a cross-disciplinary design firm with international reach, focused on interior architecture and branded environments. They help clients communicate their unique identity, values and culture by creating narrative-rich interior environments that engage the senses.
Founded in 2011, by architectural designer, Peter Provost, the studio has offices in Raleigh, North Carolina and New York City. Learn more about their work at www.provost-studio.com.
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