VELUX® Modular System brightens Charlotte-based marketing firm Wray Ward
In 2020, Wray Ward completed the construction of their new office at 2317 Thrift Road in the FreeMoreWest area of Charlotte, North Carolina. The agency, which has over 40 years of experience and specializes in the home building and design market, needed a new headquarters for its growing staff of over 150 employees. The 39,000-square-foot space houses offices, meeting rooms and a photography studio under one roof in a hybrid adaptive-use and new-construction project. VELUX Commercial Skylights provide ample natural light throughout the building for an environment that promotes collaboration and creativity.
Challenge
Wray Ward wanted to incorporate diffuse, natural light to create a space where employees would feel both energized and creative. Numerous studies have shown the benefits of exposure to natural light throughout the workday, including improved mood and more restful sleep, but many offices only offer some light from small windows. And while the two-story stadium seating, dubbed Town Hall, features full-length windows, the light from windows can be angled and inconsistent, leading to shadows that can change the look and feel of a space.
Solution
To solve this problem, Brooks Runkle, founding principal of Redline Design Group, incorporated three types of VELUX Commercial Skylights: the VELUX Modular Skylight System (VMS), VELUX Commercial Sun Tunnels® and VELUX No Leak Fixed Curb-Mounted Skylights.
Runkle designed three VMS Longlights into the building. The largest, a 15-module Longlight, bathes Town Hall in natural light.
“In the front of the building, we wanted a large, dramatic piece that links the first and second floors to draw your eye up to the ceiling, so you can experience the whole town hall,” Runkle said. “It creates a lot of drama.”