Jacobs decided to relocate their existing corporate headquarters in Pasadena to another location in Pasadena located at 135 E. Lake. The building that was chosen had a set lease commencement date which meant that Jacobs needed to be in their new space with no delay so that they would not have to pay a holdover on their existing space. The design team, led by Richard Keating, was given the task to create a more collaborative office feel and to have a continuous theme throughout the four (4) floors that was to be Jacobs’s new home. This new office concept would be utilized at all of Jacobs Engineering offices globally. Jacobs wanted to change the look and the way that business was conducted on a daily basis with their staff and to give a more modern look that would set the tone for their business model in the future. The futuristic design truly was a masterpiece and has inspired other designers and firms to take notice.
The challenge that Turelk and the client faced was twofold. Time was extremely precious as we did not want to create a holdover situation where our client was forced to pay extra rent for not moving in on time and to adhere to the integrity of the design to a building that was not conducive for this type of build. The floors of the building were extremely uneven and the ceiling heights were not consistent. The solution was that we needed to even out all the floors to properly set the stone tiles and allow the glass doors to open and close under a flush surface. Normally this process would take two weeks. Without any extra time on this project, we worked two shifts, six days a week until we completed the project on time and Jacobs met their move in date.
The truly collaborative effort between Turelk, Turelk’s subcontractors and Jacobs on this condensed 12 week schedule was the only way that this project succeeded.