The School of Engineering and Applied Sciences needed to attract and retain talented graduate students that were being lured to high tech jobs across the country, specifically companies like Google and Facebook with deep pockets and amenity-rich environments. Located in a mid-1980’s developer grade building designed for mixed use office and retail, Ford 3 was tasked with transforming an outdated, dark space into a collaborative environment for creative thinking that reflects the importance and prominence of the University’s program. Our design provides a comfortable and functional space for the offices of graduate students and professors alike that that is environmentally sustainable in both performance and materiality.