Balzer & Associates, Inc.

Description: Bill Chandler, president of Manchester Industries, Inc., manufacturer of bulk paper products, commissioned Balzer and Associates in the winter of 2002 to design a new office/warehouse building to be located on a high profile site close to downtown Richmond. The design concept for the project was to create a building, which accentuates the factory/industrial use inside while projecting an attractive view to the two streets bounding the site. This was achieved by revealing the pre-engineered structural frame on the exterior of the building and painting it with a high profile color: bright red.

The corner of the building nearest the streets, where offices and a retail store are located, features a combination of brick veneer, insulated metal panels and floor-to-ceiling storefront windows on the exterior. The windows provide a dramatic view of the streets below from the second story office.

To provide shade from the sun, the first floor retail area features a series of steel canopies, which are curved in plan to create a unique shadow feature across the front wall.