Designed by Ware Malcomb, KS Engineers PC’s new 30,000-squre-foot office in Newark is meant to provide a welcoming, hospitable environment for clients and consultants, unify its employees and enable streamlined communication features. —Photo by Michael Slack Photography/Courtesy: Ware Malcomb
By Joshua Burd
Ware Malcomb is marking the completion of a new 30,000-square-foot office space in Newark that it designed on behalf of an engineering firm.
In an announcement Tuesday, the practice said it provided interior architecture and design services for the project at 2 Riverfront Plaza, where KS Engineers PC sought to provide a welcoming, hospitable environment for clients and consultants, unify its employees and enable streamlined communication. The firm added that KSE sought to bridge the gap between different levels of staff and help diverse departments work seamlessly together, while also appealing to a multigenerational workforce to help recruit and retain talent.
To that end, the new space includes a board room and reception area at the entry, huddle rooms, phone booths, a café with a virtual golf and gaming area, a wellness and meditation room and a library and lounge, according to a news release. To allow for better cross-training of divisions, select departments were positioned next to one another, while all interior offices have adjacent huddle rooms to enable collaboration.
SJP Properties led the construction as general contractor.
“We conducted visioning sessions with KSE’s executive team to learn exactly what they were looking for, in terms of enhancing their culture, operations and work environment,” said Marlyn Zucosky, regional director for Ware Malcomb’s New Jersey offices. “The KSE team was especially open to new ideas, which made the process collaborative and engaging. This new space supports a culture that is interactive and unifying.”
Ware Malcomb added that KSE’s new open office areas are interspersed with plan tables with storage that could be used for heads-down plan review sessions and impromptu collaboration. The space also features graphics based on images of past projects that were designed by KSE’s in-house graphics team, along with a color palette that represents the blues in the firm’s branding and other colors to deliver a modern and inviting vibe.
