In 2013, Capital One financial services abruptly vacated its former Salinas offices at Shilling Place, leaving vacant a sprawling corporate campus with over 200,000 square feet of interior space and sea of existing cubicles. Monterey County saw a unique opportunity to consolidate eighteen different disparate departments under a single roof, and engaged WRD Architects to conduct a massive programming effort that involved civics and logistics in equal measures.

WRD Architects’ design transformed the existing one- and two-story former financial services buildings into a vibrant centralized campus for the County of Monterey. WRD provided full project oversight from project conceptualization to final interior furnishings with services that included programming, needs assessment, development guidelines, master planning, final permit documents, bidding assistance and construction administration.

WRD Architects partnered with Middlebury Institute of International Studies to renovate the Holland Center, a popular student center at Middlebury’s Monterey campus.  The newly expanded Holland Center features new kitchen and multipurpose areas, along with several different study zones for individuals and groups. The ceiling is composed of reclaimed wood salvaged from previously demolished buildings on campus.

The student center seamlessly extends outside, where students and faculty can gather under the lighted wooden entry trellis or newly landscaped patio areas in the back of the building.

Carmel Unified School District selected WRD Architects to design the new Carmel High School Library.

The library features 18-foot-high, open wood-beamed ceilings and a fully glazed exterior gable wall that offers panoramic views and abundant natural light. Inside, the facility includes a classroom, a computer lab equipped with a SMART Board interactive whiteboard, a media room, and a comfortable seating area for reading periodicals. State-of-the-art technology is integrated throughout to enhance the students’ educational experience.

The building’s exterior was thoughtfully designed to complement the bucolic character of the existing campus architecture.