Like an attractive car that turns heads, Cardinale’s new headquarters is bold, polished and wows at first, second, and subsequent glances. The automotive dealer group wanted an office that embodied the excitement of owning and driving the finest car, and WRD Architects delivered the fitting interior design.

Each modern office space features a bold racing stripe in either red, yellow or gray. These vibrant colors were chosen to create a sense of movement to highlight the walls and floors as they travel throughout the building. In the showroom, the vehicles are framed by a gridded race deck flooring system.

The new headquarters literally shines. The refinished ruby desk in the lobby sparkles while the lustrous film covers add depth and richness. Highly polished flooring tiles illuminate the company logo at the entrance along with an artistic tire track pattern along the two main hallways.

WRD Architects’ interior design services extended to several collaborative workspaces, with the largest being the training room. The bold red stripe down the center of the room frames the dropdown video screen when it is in use, and the furniture provides flexible configuration options to fit different meeting or educational needs.

WRD Architects provided a complete interior renovation of an original Old Town Salinas office building with a design that opens up the space and brings in more light for building tenants.

Each floor of the three-story atrium has its own identity, with every level showcasing a unique material pallette, including wood finishes, metallic paints, and metal detailing.

Three existing skylights were treated with curved translucent panels to diffuse the incoming light, illuminating each floor. Extensive glass paneling and light colors at the upper levels draw visitors’ eyes up from the neutral ground floor, and a custom staircase with glass railing allows them to fully experience the breathtaking and beautiful lobby.

When 1^st Capital Bank made the decision to relocate its headquarters from Monterey to Downtown Salinas, WRD Architects was there to support their vision of a vibrant and cosmopolitan flagship.  Our team worked with the client to create collaborative workspaces and promote a healthy work environment.  The open office features collaborative work areas along with smaller “team rooms” and a more traditional large conference room.

The center of the 6,300-square-foot office is the café. This modern space is centrally located and features pendant lighting, decorative ceiling grids, built-in drawer microwaves, a glazed accent tile backsplash, and multiple seating options, including an island and restaurant-style booths.

The café is designed to serve as a casual, central hub for employees to work, collaborate and innovate. Here employees can meet people outside of their department, develop better working relationships and ultimately improve communication. “We are seeing more and more companies designing offices that give employees greater choices and flexibility,” said WRD Architects Interior Designer Misato Eddy.

The bank’s leaders also wanted to use their new headquarters to promote employee wellness. The new office has abundant natural light from the large picture windows. In addition to each employee’s sit-to-stand desk, standing-height multi-use islands are shared between workstations to promote movement as well as spontaneous collaboration.

Headquartered in Monterey, Central Insurance Group (CIG) employs nearly 500 people across five Western states.  In 2013, WRD Architects was engaged to develop interior finish standards and design guidelines for all CIG offices as part of a corporate rebranding strategy.

Shortly afterward, WRD implemented these standards throughout CIG’s Monterey campus.  This work included an overhaul of all office areas and a complete redesign of the president’s office. The CEO suite features hidden doors built seamlessly into a wall leading to a personal shower, bathroom and coffee bar.

In a second phase, WRD modernized the buildings’ entry at CIG headquarters with a lobby remodel emphasizing lush indoor planting and an undulating blue canopy over the main reception desk.

Taken together, these projects have infused CIG’s formerly dated campus buildings with fresh, dynamic interiors that reinforce CIG’s corporate identity and coastal origins.

WRD Architects’ design for the new Merrill Farms headquarters facility in Salinas enables two distinct yet complementary companies to operate under one roof: Merrill Farms and its affiliate Frisco Farms.

The structure suits its agricultural setting: the exposed heavy timber construction of the entry breezeway evokes the feeling of a farmhouse porch and enhances the public entry to the building. The extended eaves and bracketed dormers help bring a relaxed, residential scale to this corporate headquarters.  Stone accents, along with the standing seam metal roof lines, further define the building’s agricultural style.

WRD created a distinct look and feel for each company: a richer palette for the more established Merrill Farms, and a lighter, contemporary color scheme and design for young and growing Frisco Farms.  The combined finished space includes 25 workstations, 9 executive offices, 2 conference rooms and a 16-seat multipurpose room.

In 2000, WRD Architects provided architectural and interior design services for Enza Zaden’s new seed manufacturing facility in Salinas.  The 17,400-square-foot facility included a warehouse for manufacturing, packing and controlled storage, a seed mill room, and 3,338 square feet for corporate offices.

Sixteen years later, in response to high seed demand, WRD returned to Enza Zaden’s Salinas headquarters to design a seamless 24,400-square-foot addition intended to consolidate all of the company’s operations under one roof.  The expansion included temperature- and humidity-controlled rooms for storing seeds as well as space to support the expanded seed cleaning, treatment, cold storage and packing processes. Consistent with the company’s commitment to sustainability, the roof areas were outfitted with solar panels.

Throughout the design process, WRD’s interior design team worked with the client to develop an innovative, fresh look consistent with the Enza Zaden brand. The open office design encourages easy communication and flexible workspaces, with sit-stand desks that promote employee wellness.