BKV Group: Government Workplace

TITLE

GOVERNMENT WORKPLACE

We create modern, inclusive, and connected office environments that inspire everyone to be their best at work

7 PRACTICE SITES

45+ YEARS OF OPERATION

175+

EMPLOYEES

ARCHITECTURE INTERIOR DESIGN

URBAN DESIGN

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE

CONSTRUCTION ADMINISTRATION

ENGINEERING BRANDED ENVIRONMENTS

SUSTAINABLE DESIGN

Enriching lives and strengthening communities

OUR DESIGN PHILOSOPHY

BKV Group enhances the physical and cultural environment through multidisciplinary, meaningful, and responsive design. Supported by innovative technology and a strategic market focus, we work to transforming communities, nationally and internationally. We believe the craft is as important as the science, especially in giving soul to the process and built environment. Through a highly participatory endeavor, our design strategies express a “rootedness” in their surroundings. This strategy goes beyond the specific building to deliberately capture the expression of people, context, and culture.

It is a contextually-sensitive approach is based on, and reactive to, our clients’ goals, budget, vision, and focus, with our creative process engaging all team members to transform and positively shape communities around the globe.

NATIONAL GOVERNMENT WORKPLACE LEADERSHIP TEAM

PAUL MICHELL Government Managing Partner Minneapolis, MN

MARK MANETTI

Government and Education Practice Leader, Partner Washington, DC

PHIL CALLISON Civic Practice Leader, Partner Dallas, TX

LIZA KAPISAK

Director of Interior Design, Partner Minneapolis, MN

HANNA Director of Interior Design Senior Associate Dallas, TX

KYLE YARDLEY Government Managing Partner Chicago, IL

JACKIE WILCOX Director of Interior Design Associate Partner Chicago, IL

MEGAN VAN BECK Director of Branded Environments, Associate Partner Minneapolis, MN

One firm with four practice site locations

OUR NATIONAL REACH

Collaborating regionally, BKV Group operates as a cohesive firm delivering a wide range of project types for a diverse set of national and local clients. We leverage industry-leading communication and technology tools with best-in-class design processes to seamlessly work across practice sites to meet our clients’ needs, and continually expand our presence into existing and new markets.

Knowledge and experience for a wide range of project types

DESIGN VERSATILITY

BKV Group provides knowledge and experience for a wide range of project and sector types, plus has familiarity in working with a spectrum of project partners. Our designers have a profound responsibility to drive positive change in our communities. We are passionate about helping our clients identify, pursue, and achieve ambitious goals in creating unique, meaningful places of value and purpose.

PROJECT TYPES

+ Workplace Design/Strategy

+ New Construction

+ Adaptive Reuse/Renewal

+ Renovations

+ Repositioning

+ Campus/Master Planning

+ Pre-Development Services

PROJECT PARTNERS

+ Developers

+ Government Entities

+ Brokers

+ Architects

+ Property Managers

+ Landscape Architects

+ MEP Engineers

+ Civil Engineers

+ Structural Engineers

PROJECT SECTORS

+ Government

– City Halls

– Government Centers

– Municipal / Civic Centers

– Fire

– Law Enforcement

– Justice

– Detention

– Public Works

– EOC

– Community Centers

– Parks & Recreation

+ Commercial

+ HOUSING

+ Hospitality

+ Education

ARCHITECTURE

INTERIOR DESIGN

BRANDED ENVIRONMENTS

INTERIOR DESIGN SUSTAINABLE DESIGN

CLIENT

INTERIOR DESIGN BRANDED ENVIRONMENTS

ENGINEERING

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE

CONSTRUCTION ADMINISTRATION

CONSTRUCTION ADMINISTRATION

ENGINEERING

INTERIOR DESIGN

CONSULTANTS

INTERIOR DESIGN

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE

INTERIOR DESIGN URBAN DESIGN

SUSTAINABLE DESIGN

Knowledge in all types and scales of workplace design

OUR PROJECT EXPERIENCE

BKV Group has a variety of space type knowledge within corporate and commercial environments, including:

LOBBY

CONNECTING SPACES

SOCIAL SPACES

MEETING SPACES

CHOICE SPACES

ACTIVE SPACES

OUTDOOR SPACES

BIOPHILIC SPACES

BRANDING SPACES

Creating positive impacts on people, the planet, and providing the greatest value for our clients

VISION

Architecture is beautiful for the harmony it creates between itself, it’s environment, and its inhabitants. Sustainable design is the natural progression of that vision with BKV designed buildings always responding to their context — their location, their function, and how they are used by their occupants. BKV Group has a holistic vision for the building’s life-cycle to appropriately respond to context, function, and use. We leverage sustainable design strategies by tapping into a wide spectrum of knowledge — of architecture, interior design, urban planning, energy modeling, engineering, landscape architecture, technology and science — with our clients receiving the benefit of decades of collective professional expertise. In addition, because there is no predetermined outcome or prototypical concept, our process yields work of extraordinary originality, crafted to the specific needs of the site, user and circumstances.

COMMITMENT TO A CARBON-NEUTRAL PRACTICE

Memberships & Affiliations

AIA Materials Pledge, ASID Materials Pledge, Mindful Materials, B3 Guidelines

2030 Documentation

BKV’s Architects and Designers, Structural, and MEP Engineers report Embodied Carbon and Energy performance for all projects to The AIA 2030 Commitment initiative records

Construction Standardization

Standard Method v1.1 (Greenguard, SCS, Indoor Advantage, FloorScore, CRI Green Label Plus)

Healthy Materials Promise

We work with our vendors to minimize the use of toxic materials and focus our specifications on non-toxic materials. Designers will seek certifications for the materials that are specified by HPD, EPD, Declare, Cradle to Cradle, Living Product, FSC, SCAQMD, CDPH Standard Method v1.1 Greenguard. SCS, Indoor Advantage, Floor Score, CRI Green Lable Plus

Healthy Community Building

Urban design and landscape architecture are critical components of human health

BRANDED ENVIRONMENTS

BKV Group is one of the few national design firms offering an in-house Branded Environments unit who, in addition, assist our design teams in navigating through the initial research, strategy and discovery phases, shaping brands early in the project life cycle that will inform how spaces are designed, marketed and experienced.

OUR SERVICES

Agency Brand Discovery

Project Brand Messaging, Positioning & Strategy

Visual Identity

Brand Guidelines

Brand Applications

Digital & Print Collateral

Marketing Materials

Promotional Merchandise Design

Environmental Graphics / Installations

Visual Identity Systems (Wayfinding Signage)

Social Media Templates

Website Design

OUR PROCESS

BKV Group provides total building design: from the aesthetics of branding, to the science of building technology, to the challenge of creative cost control.

DISCOVER YOUR STORY

CONCEPT/ VISIONING

SCHEMATIC DESIGN

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

Immersing our holistic team in your project from the very beginning to understand your culture, values, objectives, challenges, and location serve as inspiration to develop the project story and thresholds for action in your building. These insights inform the overarching vision/concept narrative that will drive every aspect of the design.

PLANNING: FUNCTION/OPERATIONS MEET FORM/DESIGN

With the story in mind, Schematic Design focuses on function. BKV works with your operations team to understand the operational flow and adjacencies in order to plan efficient layouts that function well for your staff, while creating the experiential path of travel for your staff. Preliminary massing, space plans, initial finish and FF&E selections are developed at this time resulting in a design that embodies your goals, concept narrative, and functional needs.

REFINING THE DESIGN

Refinement of the concept and documentation occur during this phase by marrying the space planning with the concept in a 3-dimensional illustration of the design. Visualization presentations may include wireframe and/or rendered studies, plans, key elevations, initial detail, material and FF&E selections, and virtual reality walk throughs when warranted.

TECHNICAL DESIGN AND DOCUMENTATION

CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS

CONSTRUCTION ADMINISTRATION

Construction Documents include Massing Diagrams, Reference, Floor, Finish, Furniture, and Reflected Ceiling Plans; Elevations; Sections; Details; Schedules; and Specifications necessary for your contractor and procurement professionals to execute the project. Documents are coordinated with in-house disciplines and outside consultants, and reviewed for QA/QC. Project bidding, permitting, cost verification, and VE may occur prior to construction.

EXECUTION

During Construction and Installation, BKV’s team is actively engaged with your General Contractor and Procurement teams: periodic site visits to monitor construction progress, responding to RFIs and submittals, helping the team address challenges that arise in the field, and review of FF&E, artwork and Accessory installation. Our team responds quickly to keep the project progressing.

Developing the “big idea” and concept for any project is key to the start of design direction. The vision captures high-level project goals that define priorities and user experience of the space.

DETROIT

GOVERNMENT WORKPLACE

APPROACH

It’s the collective energy and vibe of a space full of people united in a common purpose that creates inspiration drawn from each other

THE PITCH FOR AMENITIZATION

Fostering community in the building and in the office

The workplace has undergone a major paradigm shift, and it continues to evolve. Choice and flexibility have become the standard for a more balanced work culture. We’re delighted in the ability to work under a spectrum of settings. By adjusting how and where we work, we can best address the unique obstacles set by any given day. At BKV, our design approach thrives on understanding the uniqueness of a work culture and brand.

A FEW QUEST IONS WE ASK

What is the culture of your agency?

What is the anatomy of your team?

What is your employee persona?

What tools do you use/want to succeed?

The First Impression

WELCOMING THE PUBLIC

Formal point of contact upon entry. Reinforce your culture and history.

RECEPTION & SERVICE

How can your staff best interact with visitors?

ELEVATOR LOBBIES

Ideal location for wayfinding and brand presence. Staff elevator lobbies can become information hubs for your team.

STAFF ENTRIES

Opportunities to celebrate and welcome your team.

STAFF GATHERING SPACES

Grab a beverage, lounge, collaborate, and stay a while.

INTERSECTIONS

Promoting well-being and purpose-driven interaction.

PROGRAM TYPOLOGIES

Workplace

PRIVATE OFFICES

Offices with closed doors for more privacy.

OPEN WORK STATIONS

Working desk areas that provide space for staff.

HOTELING

Flexible work areas for people to plug in at any time.

WORKING REMOTE/HI-TECH ROOMS

In the hybrid work environment, these are areas that people can take calls and meetings from to others that are working remote.

FLEX HUDDLE/OFFICE

Space that can be utilized by an independent worker for quiet heads down which contains technology to flex to casual meeting space.

CONFERENCE ROOMS

Can be outfitted in varying postures, but always with optimized technology and acoustics, and a conducive environments for video-conferencing.

PROGRAM TYPOLOGIES

Collaborative Space

LOUNGE

Casual, multi-use space which facilitates open work, open collaboration, and after hours functions.

BRAINSTORM ZONE

Open or closed collaborative zone which facilitates working and/or impromptu collaboration.

STAIRCASE

Feature which helps support connectivity of office culture between multiple levels/floors,.

WAR ROOM

Focus space intended for larger teams. When all day work sessions are necessity to innovation. These rooms are highly flexible and adaptable to aid in the problem solving process.

PHONE ROOMS

Single user space for phone calls, virtual meeting. Acoustically private.

Food and Beverage

MICRO PANTRY

Satellite zones for snacks and beverages.

WORK CAFE

Centrally located kitchenette for meal storage and prep. Doubles as a “Starbucks-style” work zone.

PROGRAM TYPOLOGIES

Wellness and Support

WELLNESS AND SUPPORT

Fully enclosed/floor-to-ceiling toilet stalls with shared lavatory area. Single user restroom which include toilet and lavatory within each toilet room. Dedicated Male/Female restrooms with multiple stalls.

MOTHER’S ROOM

Space to support needs of post maternity employees. Usually includes sink, refrigerator, lounge seating, and table.

LOCKER/SHOWER

Place to change and to store clothes. Adjacent to Bike or Fitness.

BIKE ROOM

Area where bikes can be locked. Usually adjacent to lockers and showering.

MEDITATION ROOM

A space designed to support decompression, trauma recovery, or individuals seeking a wellness break. A private lounge space that can be used as a sick room or for meditation.

INDEPENDENCE CITY HALL | Independence, Minnesota

WORKPLACE EXPERIENCE

FRIDLEY CITY OFFICE

Fridley, Minnesota

SIZE

119,614 GSF

The Fridley City Offices brings all municipal services under one roof, including a new City Hall with administrative office, staff collaboration, and retreat spaces. The civic complex is a central feature in a larger project currently called the Columbia Arena Redevelopment, and features a central water feature, with plans for future private development.

Designing Fridley’s new civic campus had many unique challenges. One of the City’s goals was to maximize the area for private development on the site, while still allowing sufficient space for the City’s needs and a large water feature with walking trails connecting to the nearby park system. BKV Group designed a master plan for the entire site that minimized the City’s footprint to maximize the remaining site area for other uses.

Working on a restrained site, site access and circulation were very important to ensure all operational needs were achieved for the public works, fire, and police departments. In addition, the buildings were designed to allow open views of the new water feature and create a daylit modern work environment.

SKANSKA OFFICE

Alexandria, Virginia

SIZE

6,500 SF Renovation

3,900 SF Expansion

Skanska Infrastructure Development, a business unit of Skanska, hired BKV Group to provide architectural and interior design services for the renovation of their current 6,500 sf space and 3,900 expansion. The project was to be executed in three phases to enable the office to functions to be uninterrupted while construction commenced.

The design utilized the International Corporate Standards, while providing unique functional requirements specific to the ID organization. Through the use of feature materials and open workstation layout, the design created an open, bright environment which cultivates collaboration and team participation.

The project consisted of the development of a new state of the art board room, catering pantry equipped with seating lounge, collaboration break-out spaces, huddle rooms, and a new reception area equipped with a new suite entry. The existing workstations and conference rooms were upgraded and reconfigured to accommodate the new office layout.

The key design criteria for the reception area was to provide a unique interpretation of the corporate branding guidelines. This interpretation resulted in the creation of a wood feature element inscribed with the corporate logo. This recessed ‘S’ reflects the subtle yet significant concepts associated with Skanska. The project was designed with numerous sustainable features and has been submitted for LEED Gold certification.

WRIGHT COUNTY GOVERNMENT CENTER

Buffalo, Minnesota

SIZE

222,538 SF

After extensive study, the County decided to build a new Government Center co-located with their Law Enforcement and Justice Centers, relocating their large Human Services Department. This new 4-story, 222,538 SF facility at 3650 Braddock Ave. NE now houses 14 County departments, the County Board Room, and a Department of Motor Vehicles service center, providing a single point of service for citizens.

The Government Center’s interior, designed by BKV Group, features an intuitive layout with high-traffic departments like Assessor, Taxpayer Services, Planning and Zoning, Veterans Services, and License Center on the main level. The open lobby allows visibility to the second-floor Human Services Department, with large front windows providing natural light. The third floor houses the IT Department, administrative offices, and meeting rooms.

The 2,200-square-foot County Board Room, located on the main level, is glass-enclosed with 16-foot ceilings and three adjoining public conference rooms. To handle increased traffic, BKV Group reconfigured parking, expanding spaces from 275 to 1,600, and added a drive-through window for the License Center.

BKV Group provided comprehensive services, including planning, architecture, engineering, interior design, and landscape architecture. After studying the redevelopment of the existing Government Center, they decided on a new facility to consolidate County departments into one cohesive campus. This project has created a convenient Government Service Campus for the growing County.

CITY OF SHAKOPEE OFFICES

Shakopee, Minnesota

SIZE

21,000 SF

Shakopee City Hall had been operating in the downtown area in a 21,000 SF renovated bank building since 1993 and operationally the city departments had run out of space. Due to the building’s location, options for expansion were limited. BKV Group partnered with the city to explore options to develop a new city hall that would allow the city to collocate city services into one facility and allow a one-stopshop approach for the citizens of Shakopee.

The new City Hall was designed as an extension of the existing police station, also designed by BKV Group. Public Works is located directly across the street creating a true city campus. The new facility includes a state-of-the-art council chambers and large community meeting room that may be used by the public. Key City services are located along a light-filled public service corridor creating seamless opportunities to conduct business between the public and city staff.

The exterior includes respectful features similar to the existing architecture while elevating the presence of the City Hall with a clear and easily accessible public entry. The two buildings are connected with an airy and light filled corridor with floor to ceiling windows. The lobby was designed to act as the City’s “living room,” a social gathering place including a fireplace, seating, and curved terrazzo stair.

One design challenge presented by the project was the limited site area which made it infeasible to meet the goal of fitting the entire city hall on one level. Thus, city functions had to be split between two levels which needed to be carefully planned to maintain staff and public circulation efficiency. The two levels are connected with an internal open stair for staff circulation along with a two-story lobby atrium space that brings daylight into the staff work areas and council chambers. A plaza area was developed in conjunction with the city hall project that provides a community amenity while visually connecting the adjacent city buildings into a city campus.

HENNEPIN COUNTY SOUTHSIDE SERVICE CENTER

Minneapolis, Minnesota

SIZE

21,000 SF

After nearly two years of planning, design, and construction, the new Hennepin County South Minneapolis Human Service Center at 2215 East Lake Street opened this May. This center is the sixth in Hennepin County and aims to provide convenient, decentralized services outside the downtown core. The building features an active façade with vibrant metal panels, 8,000 square feet of street-level retail space, and green roofs to absorb rainwater and reduce urban temperatures. Bike racks, inviting site amenities, and outdoor seating areas enhance the neighborhood’s pedestrian appeal.

Designed as an anchor to the neighborhood, the retail spaces will be filled with cafes, restaurants, and shops that cater to residents and County employees. Up to 1,000 people, including clients and staff, are expected to use the center daily, making accessibility a priority.

The project faced numerous challenges, taking 13 years to redevelop despite its prime location near a busy LRT station. A lengthy public engagement process involved many stakeholders with diverse expectations. The site had to accommodate existing users, such as Minneapolis Public Schools and the Midtown Farmers’ Market, during construction, requiring creative solutions to manage site constraints and incompatible uses.

Street-level retail fronting Lake Street, structured parking, public open space, and interim and permanent space for the Farmers’ Market were essential components. The complex site required extensive grading and removal of a 7’ retaining wall, maintaining access to an existing school building. The development’s centerpiece is a covered parking structure with a green roof, open-air connections, and secure parking for residents and employees. The project has already transformed the bustling intersection and will eventually add 400+ units of affordable housing, meeting a significant neighborhood need and providing easy access to transit throughout the Metro area.

GRAND CASINO CORPORATE OFFICE

Mille Lacs, Minnesota

Located on Trust Land at the Grand Casino Mille Lacs reservation, this project entailed renovating the existing 4-story corporate office building for the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Native American Indian Tribe. The project was the latest in a multi-phase facility master plan renovation, consisting of a complete replacement of the exterior envelope of the building as well as a full redesign of the building’s interior architecture.

ROCHESTER NORTH SERVICE CENTER

Rochester, Minnesota

SIZE

61,000 GSF

The Rochester North Police Station and Government Service Center is an adaptive reuse project that combines the Development Services and Infrastructure Center (DSIC) and the North Station for the Rochester Police Department (RPD). As space became limited at City Hall, the City of Rochester purchased a former bank building and land to relocate the RPD and the DSIC team. The previous space used by RPD was shared with the County Sherriff and did not provide adequately sized operational and support spaces for the growing department.

The project began with renovating the 43,200 SF existing building to accommodate DSIC staff and RPD support spaces such as locker rooms and shared fitness area. The second phase was the construction of a 54,600 SF addition to house the RPD North Station.

MOZAIC

Minneapolis, Minnesota

SIZE

250,000 SF

MoZaic is a transit-oriented, mixed-use development that is organized around a large urban plaza, and connects dining and commercial uses at grade level with the Hennepin transit station. The design makes the most of its constrictive site geometry and creates a multi-modal transit hub, aligning with its design vision to produce a meaningful building that’s responsive to its dynamic site and users. With the restaurant, retail, and parking spaces underneath three floors of office space at the top of the building, it creates the added benefit of putting programs you wanted to have views on a higher podium.

THE DEACON

Cincinnati, Ohio

The Deacon includes 17,500 square feet of customized amenities, and users having access to a jam lounge, music practice rooms, a golf simulator, pet spa, 24/7 fitness center, hammock lounge, and private work lounges. The project also includes pedestrian connections to an existing 6-story parking garage.

BARSTOOL SPORTS

Chicago, Illinois

With offices desiring to reinvent their spaces to attract and retain workers, multimedia sports and entertainment company Barstool Sports had a clear vision of what it wanted for its new corporate headquarters in relocating from New York to Chicago’s hip Fulton Market neighborhood. The result: an un-office concept designed to be a “fun-factory” for its talented and dynamic content creators.

DELIVERING THE “WOW”

Enlisted to bring the concept to reality, BKV refurbished the entirety of the 33,000-square-foot, two-story loft space, which includes a dozen podcast studios, three large broadcast studios, a fully equipped commercial kitchen, full-length basketball court and open-office seating overlooking the court for the companies’ approximately 60 employees to work, create, mingle, and of course, play.

AMENITIES

Basketball Court

Golf Simulator

Beverage Areas

Turf Court for various games

Commercial Kitchen with walk in Refrigerator

Broadcast Studios

Podcast Studios

Open office spaces

COLLE MCVOY OFFICE

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Advertising agency Colle McVoy sought a new home, and they determined the top two floors of a historic building in downtown Minneapolis’ warehouse district — blocks away from the company’s original location — would be their new home. The design team took charge to marry the industrial building’s mercantile dry goods history with the client’s straight-forward culture and agrarian roots.

ON THE BOARDS EXPERIENCE

CHANHASSEN CIVIC CAMPUS

Chanhassen, Minnesota

The City of Chanhassen has engaged the BKV Group team to help re-imagine their civic center of their downtown core. The project’s purpose is to create a multi-use Civic Campus that includes a City Hall, Senior Center and Park that are welcoming to Chanhassen’s diverse community and creates a place of gathering, entertainment and nature. A public open space for celebrating community life will be the highlight of the downtown, creating a center of activity and a focus for the downtown. Surrounding downtown neighborhoods will be linked to the new Civic Campus, strengthening the relationship between the downtown and the community it serves.

Let’s move forward

The office is a critical tool to be competitive by fostering innovation for growth that can only be achieved when people work effectively together face-to-face — to get the hard work done. And employees need to be reassured they are returning to an environment that supports their physical, cognitive, and emotional wellbeing. A place where they want to be rather than where they have to be. A place that fulfills their innate human need for connection, a shared sense of purpose and community.

Let’s create a place you love.