ROUNDER RECORDS As the preeminent label for Bluegrass and Roots Music representing artists as diverse as Bela Fleck, Sarah Jarosz, Alison Krause and Indigo Girls, Rounder Records decided to renovate a 30,000 square foot “spec” office building into a new corporate headquarters. The space included 20,000 square feet for offices/workstations, conference rooms, media library, and community kitchens plus a 10,000 square foot warehouse.
The design goal was to bring a signature character to the existing nondescript interior, and represent the company’s historic roots and current fusion of expanded musical styles while creating an open, communicative work environment. Office and workstations were arranged around the building perimeter with communal gathering and interactive functions in the center.
Inspired by the famous 1913 Picasso collage “Guitare, journal, verre et bouteille” (Guitar, Newspaper, Glass and Bottle), the central areas took their plan form from musical instruments: a fragmented Guitar on the first floor and a Banjo on the second floor. Materials and forms suggested the agrarian roots of the music with silo-shaped corrugated metal, a refined expression of barn boards and cribbing, and welcoming porch elements at each working group area. Inter-connectivity and day-lighting were achieved through fragmented forms and translucent materials, allowing transfer of light and movement of people through to the core spaces.
