Traditional Medicinals (TMI), a plant based medicinal tea company had expanded to the point that their production facility in Sebastopol was no longer big enough to house both production and office space. First MAD Architecture assisted with the feasibility of finding the location that best fit their needs. As a result they landed at SOMO Village in Rohnert Park. Secondly MAD Architecture led extensive Tenant Improvements of this old Sonoma County industrial structure.
“Light and Green” was the overarching design goal of Traditional Medicinals (TMI), dedicated to fair trade organic tea. The resulting plan placed private offices and conference rooms to the back of the space so all workstations would have access to outdoor views and natural light. The entry lobby showcases source plants and product displays telling the story of tea in custom cabinetry. Visitors and staff drink tea in a living room setting. Great care was taken in the specification of earth friendly materials for all surfaces. Therefor natural elements were chosen such as hemp, reclaimed wood, nature murals, and birch cabinets. The workstations are divided by 4 rows of specific oxygen giving plants. The lunch room has glass roll up doors for an open-air dining hall. The expansion area shows off all the building systems, added new floor to ceiling glass and 6’ wide x 20’ skylights.
The planning scheme allows flexibility to create more space between work stations for physical distancing. This built-in adaptability was achieved by building out the core functions such as the lab, IT and the kitchen so the remainder of the space could flex with the unknown future.