Ware Malcomb completes Atlas at Carlsbad transformation

San Diego — Ware Malcomb announced that construction is complete on the first phase of the new Atlas at Carlsbad campus, comprising a trophy steel and glass two-story office building and an ideal single-story 135,000-square-foot R&D/creative building located at 5909 Sea Otter Place in Carlsbad, Calif. Ware Malcomb provided architectural design services for the project.

In this repositioning project, Ware Malcomb collaborated with another architect to transform the existing 260,000-square-foot building into two separate buildings totaling 235,000 square feet of office and R&D space. The beams of the original building were kept intact to allow the transfer of lateral loads from the new offices to the warehouse building and diaphragm. The office building utilized metal stud framing while the warehouse employed a concrete tilt-up design. Moment frames were also used in the office building to create large openings into the Paseo.

Ware Malcomb selected a large-format, ultra-thin porcelain tile to be applied over the existing granite to transform the aesthetic of the existing office building. Ware Malcomb collaborated with LdG Landscape Architects to enhance the entries in the Paseo amenity area that separated the existing Alpha and Beta buildings.

Ware Malcomb designed the exterior corners of the Beta Building to integrate with the Paseo and office building. Some of the Paseo amenities included an outdoor amphitheater, barbeque area, outdoor seating, shade sails and an outdoor café.

The design also included the design and installation of a perforated Ferrari fabric with a graphic pattern inspired by the Carlsbad Flower Fields mounted on the Beta Building.

“This project definitely required some out of the box thinking to meet Atlas at Carlsbad’s need to create two separate buildings from one existing structure,” said Tiffany English, Principal of Ware Malcomb’s San Diego office. “We created a unique, functional design solution drawing inspiration from the local Carlsbad community.”

The General Contractor for the project was Dempsey Construction.