NEW YORK - June 1, 2005 - Many factors played a role in Wildlife Trust's decision to leave its home of five years on the Lamont-Doherty campus of Columbia University in Palisades, NY, for a new space in New York City. The staff had outgrown the two small Cape Cod-style houses - Worzel House and Nafe House - that provided office space. The organization increasingly needed meeting space, better storage space and more efficient offices. Also of great consequence, Columbia University needed those houses to provide for its own increasing need for growth.

That's when Wildlife Trust board member Karen Hobson, a real estate advisor and investor with a keen interest in the environment, accepted the challenge to find the perfect space for a conservation organization, and to navigate the tricky negotiations for leasing and renovating an office in New York City.

As of June 2005, the resulting offices provide 10,000-square feet of efficient office space, complete with meeting rooms, common areas large enough for small public events, a lab, and a 1,200-square foot private terrace overlooking the Hudson River. The views are especially appropriate as Wildlife Trust scientists working on the New York Bioscape Initiative complete much of their research in the New York harbor.

Mary Pearl, President of Wildlife Trust, says, "We are thrilled with our beautiful new space, which for the first time, includes room for a library, for meetings, and for sufficient workspace for our New York-based team. It is gratifying that we have been able to create our new office cost-effectively and at the same time with materials that reflect our values of sustainability and minimal environmental impact."

The Renovation

David Kriegel, principal in charge of the project for Gran Associates, Architects and Planners (http://www.granassociates.com/ ), provided his firm's trademark disciplined approach for the renovation of the new offices.

"More than anything, this project was driven by the construction budget, which was a quarter of what you'd typically spend on a new office buildout. That led us to use those limited funds to concentrate on carefully reusing what we could of the existing space. We took a creative approach to lighting, which included custom-made fixtures fabricated in-house, and finding a modular carpet so that we might integrate pattern and color into the overall design. Basically, we had to be extremely judicious in our use of new construction, and relied on a few important design elements to give the space some punch.

"As a conservation organization, Wildlife Trust was also concerned about issues of sustainability, so we worked with materials with a high-recycled content. By definition, the more we could salvage from the existing building, the less placed in the waste stream. We selectively demolished existing partitions to create an open plan more in keeping with the culture of Wildlife Trust, while maintaining or reconfiguring the perimeter offices. We have worked closely on issues of sustainability on many past projects, including the Center for Environmental Research and Conservation (CERC) at Columbia University (http://www.columbia.edu/cu/cerc/)."

Kriegel adds, "In creating the carpet pattern and custom lighting, we collaborated with Emma Gardner of Emma Gardner Design (http://www.emmagardnerdesign.com/aboutus.html), who selected the colors and designed the unique patterns for the wonderful flooring tiles, which were manufactured by Interface, Inc., and supplied and installed by Jordan Kane Floor Coverings (http://www.JordanKane.com). Emma has a spectacular eye for color and pattern, and the design she came up with is instrumental in the transformation of the space."

Emma Gardner explains, "We think the floor tile provides a strong marriage of convenience: compelling color options, great price and environmental friendliness. My rugs, in either wool or a wool/silk blend, tend to have a bold colorful aspect to them; I gravitate toward bold color combinations that are juicy and appealing. For this project, they also had to be appropriate for a work environment. I chose organic colors that I thought would fit Wildlife Trust's personality and would be interesting, but also soothing and earthy."

Gardner adds, "The custom-designed lighting fixtures also share that organic feel. The design for the lighting was adapted from the fern frond of the Wildlife Trust logo, which will be projected as shadows."

Kriegel says that the design provides a creative and comfortable space for enhancing a sense of community among the scientists. "One of the design goals in this buildout is that a high percentage the office space is given over to common spaces, including the communal dining area. I find that in most corporate work places, people often eat lunch at desks or outside of the office. You can't guarantee that a communal table will bring people together each day, but not providing one almost guarantees that they won't. We also provided both low bookcases and seating with castors in the lounge area so that the open space may be rearranged as needs dictate. The furniture throughout was supplied by Kimball International (http://www.kimballoffice.com/newsitems/gg_announce.cfm), with fabrics made from 100 % recycled fabrics."

Mark Harari, Co-president of phb Catalyst Group (www.phbcatalyst.com), served as the construction manager for the project. He says, "In looking back now on the process from last December, the single most important element for the success of the project was that Wildlife Trust did something that was incredibly smart. It insisted that precious financial resources not be used for extravagant changes to the space, and found a space that had 'good bones.' Wildlife Trust insisted that it wanted a champagne results on a beer budget.

"Most people would have given the space a wholesale demolition. Instead, Wildlife Trust charged the architect to be very creative in what he did; borrowing light from perimeter windows and being very strategic in how financial and design resources were spent. It helped enormously that the chosen location provided great qualities with river views and good light."

Project Manger for Catalyst, Michele Fox, adds, "We understand what owners and designers are trying to do, so we try to find a way to facilitate that intent, rather than saying you don't have the money. This was a relatively small job for us but we knew this was going to be your home office, where dedicated people are completing important work."

About Wildlife Trust

Wildlife Trust empowers local conservation scientists worldwide to protect nature and safeguard ecosystem and human health. Wildlife Trust is a conservation science innovator and leverages research expertise through strategic global alliances. Wildlife Trust pioneered the field of Conservation Medicine, a new discipline that addresses the link between ecological disruption of habitats and the effects on wildlife, livestock and human health.

Founded in 1971 by British naturalist and author Gerald Durrell, Wildlife Trust has built its reputation on 35 years of global research, education, training and experience. Research and conservation work in the United States include programs in the metropolitan New York area, Florida and along the coast of the Southeastern U.S.

Internationally, Wildlife Trust trains and supports a network of scientists around the world to save endangered species and their habitats and to protect the health of vital ecosystems. Wildlife Trust created the first egalitarian international network of science-based conservation organizations called the Wildlife Trust Alliance and is a founding partner organization of the Consortium for Conservation Medicine, a unique think-tank of prestigious academic institutions.

Visit www.wildlifetrust.org to read more.

Media Contact:
Anthony Ramos, Wildlife Trust
Director for Marketing & Communications
ramos@wildlifetrust.org
212/380-4469

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