Abacus Planning Group, a locally owned wealth management firm, searched for a building that could grow with it, prioritizing generous space to collaborate with one another and with clients, a visual expression of the firm’s high-tech, high-touch brand, and an abundance of natural light. The owners also wanted to recycle an existing structure and fold in other sustainability strategies. The building at 2500 Devine has the right bones: a solid, reassuring brick exterior, mature landscaping, and a welcoming front door.

The design removes the interior partitions entirely to expose a simple, open structure with a central line of columns aligned to the front and rear entrances. A new clerestory inserted above that column line forms a light monitor of aluminum and glass along the building’s spine, drawing daylight deep into the interior, while bay windows along the Queen Street elevation add light and views. Glass partitions and three-quarter-height wooden “thick walls” organize the open interior into public and private zones: a welcoming lobby with direct access to generous meeting space, and more private areas configured for two groups of eight employees clustered around a core of workroom, team rooms, and the owner’s private office. The “thick walls” double as storage for supplies, books, and more.