Northside Achievement Zone

2023 Top Project by Finance & Commerce
Finalist for the 2024 Minnesota Real Estate Journal Awards

The Northside Achievement Zone’s new office space was designed to be incredibly versatile for a changing hybrid work environment. The design team reimagined the main level to support a wide range of work styles, placing private offices and conference rooms of varying sizes around the perimeter while keeping an open office space at the center. This strategic layout maximizes daylight from the existing skylights, creating a bright, inviting workspace that fosters collaboration and focus.

To support large gatherings, the design incorporates two expansive boardrooms separated by an operable wall. This feature offers exceptional versatility—allowing the rooms to function independently or combine into one larger space for training, events, and organizational assemblies.

One significant challenge was transforming the existing building into a fully accessible environment. The existing floor heights were split into four unconnected levels and the lower level lacked accessible street‑level entry. Through inventive problem‑solving and clever design work, the team simplified the first‑floor levels and introduced a multi‑stop elevator to make the entire building accessible. These improvements bring the facility to modern accessibility standards and dramatically enhance its usability for decades to come.

A commitment to sustainability and resource stewardship also guided design decisions. The team was able to relocate and reuse most of the existing doors from the building and repurpose several hollow metal windows used for interior glazing.

Another design focus was creating a basement‑level environment that feels warm, welcoming, and comfortable for families. The design team capitalized on the generous height provided by the exposed double‑tee structure above, leaving it exposed to create openness and volume. Bright, playful colors animate the corridors and kitchenette areas, while glazed classroom doors bring natural light deep into the space—resulting in a lower‑level environment that feels anything but subterranean.

Through strategic planning, creative reuse, and a human‑centered design approach, the team delivered a transformed facility that meets NAZ’s operational needs today while supporting its mission well into the future.