Responding to the rapid development of three-dimensional modeling software, Autodesk sought to create a customer briefing center to introduce their products to a diverse group of clients. SOM’s design articulates their brand identity and core messages and creates a system to showcase the versatility of their products within a flexible, multi-media environment.

Project Facts

Completion Year: 2008
Project Area: 4,300 ft²

Project Awards

2009 • Chicago Athenaeum • American Architecture Award
2009 • International Interior Design Association - Northern California Chapter • Merit Award
2009 • Society for Environmental Graphic Design • Merit Award
2009 • Spark Awards • Architecture & Interiors Category: Merit Award
2009 • The Art Directors Club • Annual National Award: Bronze

The new Autodesk Customer Briefing Center is a flexible, multi-media environment composed of interactive displays, interpretive graphics, and prototypes that articulates the Autodesk brand identity and creates an enlightening client experience. This interactive office space introduces the potential of their products to a diverse group of clients from various industries. SOM translated their philosophy of “experience it before it’s real” into a comprehensive three-dimensional design that creates a flexible showcase for the constantly evolving work of Autodesk customers.

SOM’s design features three changeable exhibits that tell the Autodesk story through customer experiences. Products designed utilizing Autodesk software are displayed throughout the space explaining the customer’s design process. Touch-screen floor-to-ceiling glass panels showcase these products and demonstrate how the software allows users to experience and modify designs virtually. This design allows clients from a wide variety of disciplines to understand the range of Autodesk products and their endless applications.

A particular challenge of the project was to comfortably accommodate the client’s multifunctional requirements in 4,000 sq ft. This new customer-briefing center is in fact an elevator lobby that was enlarged slightly to extend window-to-window. An informal seating area flanks one end of the space, while a flexible conference room and dining room line the other. Visitors make themselves at home, reclining on black leather couches, navigating on-screen content, and lingering at bar-level displays.The materials and color palette employed are consistent with the Autodesk identity. White oak was used to temper the space with warmth. The overall effect is a space that informs Autodesk customers through inspiration.