Queen’s Flowers

The Client is a major cut-flower importer and distributor from South America. The newly renovated facility houses a large cooled flower storage facility on the ground floor, and the company’s headquarter offices on the second floor. The 3.6 acre property and 160,000 square foot facility is lushly landscaped with tropical plantings, permeable pavers and includes shaded cantilevered parking structures with electric car charger ports. The building entry features a porch-like welcoming space with a stainless steel mesh façade, custom planters, a swing and multiple shaded areas to sit and relax.

The interior finishes concept for the headquarters was inspired by the Client’s greenhouses and typical greenhouse construction materials. The lobbies feature back-lit polycarbonate panels and the corridors feature elm hardwood floors emulating the wood columns used in the Client’s greenhouses.

The layout of the first floor and the second floor lobbies were influenced by the 1950’s Olivetti showroom in Venice by Carlo Scarpa. Just as in the Olivetti showroom, the first floor lobby features a red glass mosaic tile landing area echoing the Client’s red logo. A two-story tall tensile air plant sculpture is stretched over the mosaic platform up to the roof level where is meets a large solar tube for natural lighting. Honed marble and wood benches surround the entry lobby and create a welcoming central circulation zone.

The second floor lobby features custom upholstered banquettes wrapped around the stair opening. The fabric selection for the banquettes is inspired by the indigenous textiles of the Client’s South American country. The open layout of the second floor reception area creates a town-center type of flexible space that can transform to accommodate floral marketing events or holiday gatherings for this very employee-centered company.