Knight Foundation

Born of the philanthropic minds of brothers John and James Knight, the eponymous Knight Foundation is a private non-profit organization that supports a more effective democracy by funding free expression and journalism, the arts, culture in community, as well as research in areas of media. The Foundation also invests in the success of those cities and towns where the Knight brothers once published newspapers. Faced with the demands of a rapidly evolving post-pandemic work landscape, Knight Foundation seized on the relocation of its Miami headquarters as an opportunity to partner with OTJ Architects and develop a new workplace that would functions as an agile vehicle for the continued advancement of the organization’s mission.

Like Knight Foundation, OTJ believes that the best outcomes are rooted in informed decision making. Accordingly, and from the project’s onset, our team engaged a broad range of stakeholders in an exacting workplace strategy exercise to identify, and deliver upon, the optimal alignment of built environment to client objectives. Presented as an executive brief that would serve as the basis for all design decisions, our findings set forth a mandate for a workplace rooted in wellness and flexibility. The resulting design maximizes the possibility of a new LEED Platinum base building. Low workstation partition heights and the judicious location of offices away from the window line ensure daylight penetration deep into the floorplate. Prime real estate is allocated to an airy, multi-function, and rapidly reconfigurable café that also serves as a townhall where community engagement and bold ideas can converge. In addition, glass-fronted offices and touchdown spaces balance acoustic privacy requirements against open sightlines to support the collaborative workstyle at the heart of Knight’s day-to-day activities.

Designed to the WELL Gold standard, Knight’s new headquarters is also a timeless showcase for a world-class, rotating art collection. To allow the curated works to take center stage, designers elected to express the project’s palette through honey-stained riff cut oak, grey terrazzo flooring, and muted neutral colors accented by classic mid-century furniture upholstered in deep navy leather. And, while this impressive display elevates the aesthetic value of the workplace, it also functions as an important wellness tool by providing occupants with neurofeedback through art and design.