Background

Butler Square wasn’t always full of trendy offices and retail shops. In the early 1900’s, the building was home to Athletic Park, the 1,800-seat venue for the Minneapolis Millers and the St. Paul Saints. A century later, this nine-story historic landmark in Downtown Minneapolis is better known as the home to corporate offices for companies like AIMIA.

AIMIA, a data-driven marketing and loyalty analytics company, recently underwent a brand renaissance, emerging with a new name and culture. In celebration, the company set out to find and renovate a flagship Twin Cities office. Butler Square was the ideal space, but there was plenty of work to be done before move-in day.

After an extensive renovation, the resulting open-concept environment seamlessly blends office and hospitality design and uses a dizzying array of flooring products. Installed with precision and care by the team at Sonus Interiors, an INSTALL Warranty contractor with a history of working with large and complex commercial projects, the flooring provides zoned workspaces that are welcoming to both clients and employees.

Design Overview

Relocating AIMIA’s U.S. corporate headquarters to the historic Butler Square building in downtown Minneapolis was an opportunity for architect MSR Design to help the company redefine its workplace culture. Gone were traditional cubicles, and in entered expansive collaborative workspaces, meeting tables and lounge-type furniture that provide choice and flexibility for employees. Three different color-coded neighborhoods (green, blue, and purple) provide differentiation and facilitate wayfinding throughout the office.

Installation Challenges

Faced with a limited budget, MSR selected cost-effective finishes and furniture to be used in innovative ways. While these decisions ultimately saved money, the flooring installation process was complex and time constraints meant that there was zero room for error.

INSTALL Warranty Contractor Sonus Interiors was selected to head up the flooring installation based on a preexisting relationship with the property management team. They were entrusted with the renovation, and immediately got to work with the architect to plan and install the intricate zoned design.

Incorporating 24 different types of carpet, this project was no ordinary retrofit. In fact, the interior architect’s design was so complex that one journeyman was devoted to navigating the pattern, while the other journeyman completed the installation.

The pattern wasn’t the only challenge. During the initial tear-out of the existing office space, the floors were so sticky from previous glue that you could literally get stuck in it. Having construction debris ground into the glue would have been a nightmare, so Sonus Interiors used a primer to seal the existing floors. If they had not done this, the time spent to scrape the floors of construction debris would have been exhausting, and it would have been a hazard to the other trades working in the space.