Boston – Dyer Brown recently unveiled a new, 18,000sf headquarters in Boston for Sappi North America, an eco-conscious producer of wood fiber products.
The subsidiary of the global company specializing in innovations with raw and processed wood fiber, Sappi engaged Dyer Brown to reimagine its workplace at 255 State Street, which Dyer Brown had previously designed over a decade ago. The company had ideas for slimming the office footprint and consolidating staff spaces to a single, highly functional floor with a flexible program.
Sappi asked Dyer Brown to refresh and update its HQ aesthetic to best represent its corporate culture, mission and brand image. The client also emphasized its shared interest with the design team in pursuing a healthy, environmentally sustainable and equitable outcome.
With Dyer Brown project manager, Schuyler Pratt, coordinating efforts, the design team pursued cost-effective and low-waste strategies that also maximize visual impact on visiting clients. Focused on areas near the entry and reception zone, including meeting rooms and an employee pantry and break area, Dyer Brown introduced folding and retractable walls to subdivide rooms into collaboration spaces, combined with a mainly neutral palette with pops of brand-inspired color.
The entrance features a waiting room flanked with living moss walls designed to reinforce Sappi’s mission and culture to staff and visitors, while less visible design moves streamline workflow and reduce material and energy needs. The design team also reused and refurbished architectural elements and furniture as much as possible, and prioritized environmentally friendly finishes, materials and fixtures from pre-evaluated manufacturers and product lines.
“We’re very fortunate to have the chance to work with Sappi a second time,” said Dyer Brown’s sustainable design lead, Laurel Christensen, AIA, WELL AP. “Their perspective on the importance of green design and environmental responsibility aligns perfectly with ours – in fact, we’ve learned so much working with each other.”
