NATURECAST SHOWROOM

Located on West 34th Street, the Naturescast showroom sits within a 26-story steel and glass building overlooking Manhattan, showcasing the innovative composite material by the company Nature's Legacy.

 

Naturescast by Nature's Legacy is a composite material made from rescued Agro-forest debris and bound by proprietary water-based binders, which makes this product biodegradable and recyclable. Since its creation in 2014, 4.43 US tons of Agro-forest debris has been upcycled. Not only is this material sustainable and environmentally friendly, but it's also light-weight, noise reducing, uses no VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds), and has a high water resistance which means this product can be used outdoors. This product can be used to make virtually any interior or exterior object like chairs, tables, decorative elements, ceiling panels and more. Since this product can be molded to almost any shape, it can also be any color and size.

 

Designed in the Fall semester of my sophomore year at FIT, the goal of this project was to pick an innovative material that appealed to each student from the extensive collection found in Material ConneXion's library. I was attracted to this material, Naturescast, not only because it is sustainable and innovative but also very practical for residential and commercial spaces. Its nature appeal is also what inspired me in creating this showroom. I wanted a space that was bright, warm, and modern and therefore I gravitated towards warm colors and natural materials like wood.

 

The layout of the space was designed as an open-floor concept and so the display area of the Showroom was placed at center of the space and near the Reception Area so that when clients walked in, the Main Showroom was the first thing that could be seen. The private and semi-private areas (Conference Room, Sales Offices, Manager's Office, Restroom, Mail & Break Room) were placed around the Main Showroom, aiding in the open-floor design. This also allows for less walls in the middle of the space and more natural light to flow in from the windows. The space overlooks Manhattan, the Hudson, and New jersey, with windows along the West and South walls, meaning there is an abundance of light pouring into the space in the afternoon. The Conference Room and Manager's Office both have a half glass wall in the interior of the space so that there is privacy but still allows light in and out. This also gives the rest of the employees and clients access to natural lighting wherever they are in the showroom.

 

Walking through the space, you first walk into the Reception Area. Behind the reception desk you will notice the decorative partition wall behind it to help divide the space without a solid wall. Both the reception desk and the partition feature the Naturescast material and are created using organic shapes to tie back to the theme of nature. The curvature of the walls to the right of the Reception help welcome the client in without the use of harsh corners and angles. To the left is the Waiting & Sitting area which also use Naturescast materials and warm textiles.

 

The space features two showroom display areas: the Main Showroom to the left of the Reception Area and the Secondary Showroom located between the Conference Room and Sales Offices, near the west windows. To distinguish the different areas, an s-shaped glass table was placed between the two showroom areas. This table features some of the new products Naturescast offers. The Secondary Showroom by the windows also has two touchscreen displays which allows guests to see more variations of the Naturescast material, like its various color options, and more ways it can be used, like for stairs or exterior facades. Seating is also found in both areas of the showroom and there are tablets for interaction between clients and sales representatives, including at the transaction counter in the Main Showroom. The Main Showroom to the left of the Reception showcases various furniture pieces using Naturescast and samples of the material. The main feature in this area is the s-shaped samples-partition, which reflects the s-shaped glass table mentioned previously. On one side of the partition are glass shelves with more decorative elements using Naturescast and on the other are the samples attached which show various colors the material can come in. To the left of that are the furniture pieces on a raised platform. Throughout the showroom there are curves that reflect one another. Notice the curves at the Reception Area reflect the curves found at the raised platform in the Main Showroom area.

 

Along the East wall is the Manager's Office which features a concealed wet bar for guests. And along the West windows, to the left of the Secondary Showroom, is the Conference Room. Here, there is seating for 10 people, a pull-down screen for the projector that drops down from the ceiling, and along the wall on the right is a large shelving unit which display more Naturescast products. The walls for both of these spaces, as mentioned previously, are half gypsum wall board and half glass. The glass here uses new innovative technology which allows it to become opaque at the touch of a button when needed.

 

To the right of the Secondary Showroom is the Sales Offices. To keep with the open-floor design, these offices are not divided with walls but with other more open methods.  One of these being the use of planters which were placed near the end of the three sales desks. This not only distinguishes the different spaces but also help bring more nature into the space through the use of plants. At the bottom of this planter is storage for the sales representatives, giving this planter multiple uses. 

 

Another method used to separate different space is through floor materials. Throughout most of the space, polished concrete was used for the flooring to give the showroom a modern feel. However, in the Manager's office and Sales Offices, wood flooring was used. Specifically in the Sales Offices, by using a different floor material, the space can be set apart as a separate area, without the use of walls.

 

The last area in this showroom is the Mail & Break Room. This room has an entry way directly to the hallway which allows for deliveries to made without coming in through the showroom. This space also has storage for office supplies, copy/fax machine and printer, and a small kitchen area with seating for employees to enjoy their meals.
 

All spaces accessible to the public and guests in this showroom are ADA accessible, including the restroom near the showroom display area.

 

Looking at the ceiling plan, you will notice the main feature is the suspended ceiling panels found in the Main Showroom area. These panels hang about one foot below the finished ceiling above (11'-0" AFF), giving the area some space and dimension, and this too uses the Naturescast material in brown. These panels also help to absorb the sound in the space. The finished ceiling found in the rest of the spaces sit lower at about 8'-0" AFF, to help create a more intimacy.

 

Note all columns in the space have been wrapped in Naturescast in the color brown. And to help let the innovative material shine, walls have been painted white. At the Secondary Showroom where the touch displays sit, the wall has also been wrapped in Naturescast. This wall can be seen as soon as guests walk in.