Project Description
After operating in two separate locations for several years, Summa Technologies, one of Pittsburgh’s leading IT consulting and custom software development solutions companies, made the decision to consolidate their operations into one central headquarters. Bringing together their management offices (originally located downtown) and their “design studio” (originally located in East Liberty) required a total square footage of 25,000 square feet. After evaluating several possible locations, Summa resolved to settle into the 11th and 12th floors of the Regional Enterprise Tower, formally the Alcoa Building. Built in 1953, the central business district high-rise became an icon for the city. By virtue of its location and use of materials, it expressed the essence of Pittsburgh – an important asset to Summa.
The two components of the company (Management and Design Studio) had two very distinct sets of programmatic requirements; however the goal was to create an integrated and homogeneous workspace where collaboration between various departments was paramount. To accommodate the
work flow between the marketing, design, programming and delivery departments, a combination of collaborative “common” and heads down “cave” areas were required. The essence of this project was centered on defining design strategies that would choreograph the interrelationship between these two types of work environments.