MLICKI INCORPORATED
BY JONATHAN BARNES
PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRAD FEINKNOPF
Creative-for-creative (C4C) relationships are a lot like their better known cousin, business-to-business (B2B) relationships. C4C relationships offer something a little different – namely the potential for greater creativity, innovation and fireworks. C4C springs from mutual understanding, language and goals beyond making money and deals.
One recent C4C relationship sprang up when Jason Mlicki, who owns his own creative strategy firm, contacted Jonathan Barnes, owner of Jonathan Barnes Architecture and Design (JBAD). Mlicki, along with his father Ron, approached JBAD to recreate their office environment and redefine their brand. The Mlickis came to JBAD with the desire to blend their history, a 30-plus year old firm and a 60-plus year old office with their future, cutting-edge, web-based branding services.
JBAD has built a strong reputation of blending elements of old and new with their architectural projects like the Brunson Building lofts, 225 North Fourth lofts and the Hartman Building, so the writing was on the wall.
Through a series of business philosophy discussions, design charrettes and branding retreats, Mlicki and JBAD developed a greater understanding of each another’s companies. They discussed translating and interpreting elements of design into working environments and architecture. If that wasn’t intense enough, the project began with the wholesale renovation of the two-tired, nondescript houses that were joined to form the Mlicki offices years ago.
The design process at Mlicki is decidedly open, collaborative and penetrating. The design solution from JBAD reflected these attributes. From a jumbled, cramped, creaky labyrinthine space, the houses were transformed into a series of open, connected rooms revealing views and creating visual connections teeming with natural light. Some of the connections between spaces are large-scale and expansive while others are narrowly framed with laser-precision.
At its heart, the design is an homage to the work of Gordon Matta-Clark, a groundbreaking conceptual artist of the ‘60s and ‘70s. His manipulations of existing structures saw buildings as sculptural material and questioned assumptions of space, enclosure and the relationships between building components. The most direct homage to Matta-Clark is a pair of enormous circles cut from the once exterior walls. The circles now flank the two-story connecting structure. The openings throw daylight throughout the offices from the translucent roof, threaded by a steel bridge linking the second floors. Now the Mlicki creative staff can see each other from three rooms away – as well as visitors entering from below.
The exterior renovations also reflect the new Mlicki. A striated cladding in dark gray and silver wraps nearly all surfaces, uniting the projecting bay windows, turrets and the shapes of the original houses. They retained the original window openings and joined them between the first and second floors. This created cryptic ciphers in the façade, a firm nod to Mlicki’s graphic work. And, of course, the orange connector’s exterior speaks for itself.
In the end, a textbook C4C between creative strategists and an architectural firm produced a smart, well-informed, responsive design solution. Using a common language, an old is brand new again.
VIEW JONATHAN BARNES’ CMH CONTRIBUTOR BIO
VIEW BRAD FEINKNOPF’S CMH CONTRIBUTOR BIO
