Firm： Gensler

Type： Commercial › Office

STATUS： Built

YEAR： 2015

SIZE： 10,000 sqft - 25,000 sqft

Pivot’s new 19,000 sf headquarters functions as both a literal living office and showroom. As their flagship showroom in Northern California, potential clients can easily be shown a variety products, layouts and creative ways of working. Designed around Pivot’s family-oriented culture, the core of the space connects the kitchen with a large plaza and all-hands/mockup area, placing the social spaces at the heart of the office with the work stations located around the perimeter, offering views and plenty of natural daylight.

The centrally located central plaza acts as a breakroom and the “heart” of the office. The plaza offers communal seating areas for informal, one-on-one meetings and an adjoining kitchen and bar for socializing and serendipitous interactions. Above the kitchen island, a custom-designed 13’ chandelier referencing Eames’ iconic dot pattern imbues a residential feel.

Adjacent to the plaza, the multi-functional space is both meeting and mockup area. A large video wall with an interactive touch screen is used for client presentations and all-hands meetings with bleacher seating accommodating the entire staff. The mockup area allows Pivot to design personalized solutions for their clients with the ability to show clients a plan view from the top of the bleachers.

As California’s largest Herman Miller dealer, it was important to find the right balance of merging Pivot and Herman Miller’s legacies. Herman Miller was incorporated through the intermixing of heritage furniture, specific finishes and a custom fixture inspired by the Eames’ Dot Pattern, but was set apart as Pivot through a balance of fresh, technology-forward open space, and a central Plaza.

Finishes include wood, concrete and glass with an intentionally neutral color palette of white, black and gray that accentuates Pivot’s furniture, while allowing for displays to be interchanged as new trends and products emerge.