Gros Ventre Office Building

We built our first office building for Carney Architects in 1995, to house the studio and offices of our growing architectural firm.  We had an opportunity to envision and create an ideal working space for our staff of ten.  We wanted a simple building that would demonstrate our own aesthetic, fit our modest budget and accommodate our firm's cooperative working style in an open studio plan.

The first floor of the two-story provided rental office space for other businesses.  Our own studio occupied the entire upper floor, with views of the surrounding mountains and plenty of natural light let in through dormer windows in the vaulted ceiling.  Exposed timber trusses with steel connectors were the main feature of the otherwise simple, open studio.  Five-foot high dividers allowed easy visual and verbal communication among staff.  Smaller enclosed spaces at both ends of the studio held two conference rooms and other support functions.

We were aware of being a good neighbor in this part of town with mixed residential and commercial uses. We left an older existing house on the lot, facing the town's main street.  The house was used to provide housing for one of our employees and has since been converted into a day care facility.  Now that Carney Architects has grown out of this building and built a new studio (see the King Street Office Building), the building is occupied by a group of civil engineers who use the studio space much as we did.