Cherokee

The new headquarters for Cherokee Investment Partners is a 20,000 square foot tenant up-fit located in the historic Heilig-Levine Building in Downtown Raleigh. The client's charge was to create a certifiably "sustainable" project that was a manifestation of their corporate philosophy of sustainable development. Toward that end, the project was awarded a LEED Platinum Certification for Commercial Interiors. It was the first project in North Carolina to receive that distinction.

Working within the circa 1870's architecture, the design takes full advantage of the abundant natural light that enters the building through the existing double hung windows. Open office work areas are placed adjacent to the large exterior windows and private offices, located toward the center of the plan, utilize full glass partitions to borrow light from the main work space. This results in over ninety percent of the offices having direct access to natural light. Interior partitions are held below the existing tin ceilings to clearly separate the historic building shell from the new work. Systems and materials were selected to minimize environmental impact and to provide superior indoor air quality.