United Commercial Services

1330 Plainfield Ave. NE 
Grand Rapids, MI 49505

Returning customer United Commercial Services (UCS) came to r.o.i. Design with an interesting challenge. They purchased a building in the Creston Heights Neighborhood of Grand Rapids that originally was a mortuary but most recently a medical clinic. They wanted to remodel it to create a new home for their cleaning and maintenance business.

Greg Metz from Lott3Metz provided the architecture and together we planned the space that included a central kitchen lounge, open and closed offices, much-needed conference and collaboration spaces, warehouse, and shop, as well as an entire lower level dedicated to the process of hiring and training new team members. Pinnacle Construction managed the construction and found solutions to the surprises that a 60-year-old building provides.

The exterior got a bit of a facelift, keeping the existing brick but adding new canopies, windows, doors, and trim, giving the building a new bright look.

Not only is their space now larger, giving the team more amenities to make their work efficient, but there are also design features that make working there more fun. Recycled wood panels clad the walls in the lobby, kitchen, and lounge. The kitchen island has big pendant lights and is large enough for the whole team to stand around. There are barn doors to the “war room”, which has an entire wall of whiteboard wallcovering to use for planning projects. The lower level has a kitchenette with bar top tables. Carpet patterns offer interesting pops of color. The lounge furniture from West Elm adds a residential flare.

United Commercial Services is a Grand Rapids-based cleaning and janitorial service contractor that has been a part of the West Michigan community for over two decades. They clean over 12.5 million square feet each night and manage over 240 employees.

Mill Steel

2905 Lucerne Dr. SE 
Grand Rapids, MI 49546

 This project began with r.o.i Design managing a programming step, interviewing a variety of people from Mill Steel and creating bubble plans for Dixon Architecture to use in creating the floor plan. The plan included private offices and meeting rooms, but proportionately much more open office, collaborative and shared spaces. There are a café and a breakroom, as well as a patio and fire pit. Staff have plenty of breakout areas for private conversations or just to get away.

Mill Steel wanted the space to be engaging and represent their personalities; they liked clean lines and assured us they weren’t afraid of color. The interior was completely demolished and remodeled – most new walls have glass doors and windows that open up all the rooms to the natural light. r.o.i. Design worked closely with contractors on the lighting and ceiling plans to make sure the space was well lit and energized. The color scheme included their brand blue color but overall was kept neutral, light and bright.

Some of our favorite interior design features include:

• A metal paneled wall in the lobby
• A “Live Wall” in the breakroom
• Pivot doors from the breakroom to the training room
• A custom twenty-one-foot boardroom table
• Painted wall graphics
• Floors with interesting carpet and luxury vinyl tile patterns throughout the office.

Mill Steel is one of the largest steel service centers in the nation.  They specialize in flat-rolled carbon steel for various markets including automotive, appliance, construction, HVAC, and agriculture. Their 32,000 sq. ft. facility is a two-story building with walkouts on both levels and conveniently located to highways.

For more information on Mill Steel, visit millsteel.com.

Communications By Design

4101 Sparks Dr SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49546

A technology consulting company focused on the classroom, Communications by Design (CBD) recently moved into their new offices on Sparks Drive in Grand Rapids. CBD Consulting provides solutions and services to help their clients create innovative, transformational learning environments that are supported and inspired by technology in the most efficient and cost-effective way possible.

While their new office is the workplace for consultants, engineers, and administrators, it is also a laboratory, classroom, and learning lab for teachers. CBD asked that their offices reflect their technical style, so r.o.i. Design included several details using cable. They describe the training as taking the teacher on a journey, so using birch plywood, we created a row of columns leading the visitor from the entry to the classroom. They asked us to keep the design light and inviting, with flexible spaces for multiple uses.

Some of the architectural design features include polished concrete floors, open metal ceiling decks with organic ceiling clouds, and a partially-covered outdoor deck. Finishes include neutrals with pops of orange and green, clusters of small hanging lights create the illusion of one big light, and a custom-designed community table which features a laminate wood top and u-shaped bases.

All photos © First Companies