KoDA Brings Nature to Aviation Resource Group’s New Headquarters in South Florida

KoDA is bringing nature into the workplace. The architecture and design firm is designing the new headquarters for Aviation Resource Group, a company that provides a unique portfolio of aviation services. Located  just west of the Ft. Lauderdale – Hollywood International Airport, the new office will rise on the last remaining sliver of natural landscape within this industrial area. KoDA’s design breaks from corporate tradition and creates a space that promotes productivity, collaboration and well-being.
 
The design of the 3,300 square foot building connects and enhances the abundance of existing sub-tropical landscape. A combination of Gumbo Limbo trees and century-old Oaks contrast the building’s rigid, steel structure. Contained within two horizontal planes, KoDA designed various functions of the space around a central courtyard, which allow for maximum daylight, transparency, and visual connectivity throughout.
 
“Research shows that incorporating nature within workplace design improves employee productivity, health, and well-being. Aviation Resource Group’s new office building reexamines the importance of enjoying time spent in the workplace,” said KoDA Principal and Founder, Wesley Kean.
 
The building’s outdoor spaces are activated through a combination of private and public functions including an entry plaza for special events and sequestered gardens, which serve as break-out areas for a collaborative work environment. KoDA enclosed the building’s private offices within darkened wood-clad volumes, while the public areas like the kitchen and reception are defined by expansive glass walls. The design also features screens made of re-purposed helicopter rotor blades that divide the open workspaces.
 
The most admired space, the aircraft design and conference room, is nestled within the central courtyard with open-air gardens on either side. This provides for a contemplative area supporting inspirational design sessions and day-to-day meetings.
 
“KoDA took the time to understand our business and our needs, and that is completely reflected in the design they have created for our new space,” said Aviation Resource Group Founder and CEO, Milan Rakic. “We immediately fell in love with the way the indoors and outdoors blend together, and we’re excited to see our office come to life.”
 
KoDA selected subtle materials to serve as a muted backdrop to the vibrant landscape surrounding the building. Exposed concrete make up the building’s flooring. The walls are a combination of white walls and black Shu-sugi Ban clad walls. Natural walnut, black stainless steel, black wood veneer, black and white laminate, and quartz countertops compose the full-service kitchen. Additionally, KoDA used steel for the building’s structure to minimize construction waste.
 
“Green elements were incorporated from the inside out to truly create a sustainable building that serves staff and the environment,” added Kean. “The result will be a building that exemplifies what celebrating nature in design means for both well-being and productivity in the workplace.”
 
ABOUT KoDA
KoDA (Kean Office for Design and Architecture) is a Miami Beach-based practice designing with ambition for its clients and optimism for the world. KoDA architects and designers are experts in connecting architecture with nature and finding radical solutions to sea-level rise and other environmental concerns.  Led by Principal and Founder Wesley Kean, the award-winning KoDA uses analysis and research to inform the design of highly distinctive buildings, landscapes, interiors and experiences. KoDA designs without pre-conceived notions of style, form or materiality, but rather a careful evolution of a particular idea. For more information, please visit www.KoDAMiami.com or follow them on social media @KoDAMiami.