211 7th St., Suite 110

A little over a year ago, plans were made in preparation for Epicom’s growth. In foresight that 105 W. Riverside Dr, Suite 230 – a humble office fitted for few – would soon provide a space too limited, the hunt for a new office building began. Ten empty spaces were explored, considered, and voted upon, until finally, a gem was discovered in the heart of downtown. 211 7th St., Suite 110 was being used as an unkempt charity storage. Piles of unused children’s toys lay below the high, debris cluttered ceilings. Burnt and broken electrical currents hung off of the raw, forgotten walls and flimsy hollow pipes that led to nowhere glimmered in the light that shone through the floor-to-ceiling windows. The potential was unmistakable.

The toys were cleared, remnants were demoed, and in late September, Epicom proclaimed this space its new home with the signing of a new lease.

Epicom is no cookie-cutter corporation, so its home should not reflect a typical 9-5 office. 105 W. Riverside Suite 230 sheltered a collaborative working environment where everyone belonged to the same room. The only offices were distinguished by open doors. Every person brought on board adds to the culture with their own characteristic individuality and every person prompted by the pleasant working vibe is dedicated to see the company grow. Though small, the community is tightly knit and welcoming. This atmosphere had to be reflected and maintained in the new space so that it could continue to resonate with existing employees and those new in the years to come.

Starting from scratch, STG Design joined Epicom to cultivate a vision. Everything organic about this new space would be preserved – its openness, its size, its industrial warehouse feel. A walkway paved in glossed concrete would invite visitors into a spacious area where an exposed ceiling gridded with cement, metal vents and an electrical catwalk would hover above the walls that lined executive offices and conference rooms. Splashes of tinted orange and green would brighten a polished contrast to the brick accent walls and cement pillars left raw. Desks would be snaked throughout the open areas and along the panel windows, giving employees a voyeuristic advantage to a displaced alleyway, the Driskill and Hilton Hotels, The Frost Tower and 7th Street. Claiming its presence as one of the few open-minded, forward-thinking, thought-leading technology firms in the downtown metropolis, this office space distinguishes the uniqueness that is Epicom.

I am wrapping up the end of my 2nd working day in this office. I stayed behind on moving day to capture a time-lapse of the move-out from 105. It seemed incredibly small when emptied. I have seen this new space progress and grow, as one of my assignments was to document the build-out process and create a video that profiles this monumental move for Epicom. Sitting it now feels like I am apart of something vast and growing, yet young and intimate – much like this world class city we call home.