■  Hibernia National Bank leased nine floors of office space in the Place St. Charles building in 2005. The first three phases included office space consisting of workstations of varying heights and offices that have aluminum storefronts on the perimeter to allow natural light into the central work areas. A large employee break area with lounge seating and stained concrete flooring was designed on Floor 17 as well a state-of-the-art fitness center. New finishes and a bright color palette were brought into the design of the space to provide new and bright office space and in keeping with the Capital One main headquarters.

■  Achieving LEED certification was a guiding principal throughout the design process. The office areas have accessible flooring which serves as both an air distribution plenum and wire way for power and data systems. The office towers are oriented such that the long facades of the building face North and South, maximizing the light but minimizing the heat gain associated with the East and West facades. This building is the first commercial office building to achieve LEED Gold certification in Louisiana.

■  This facility houses the offices for the coal storage and handling company within an industrial site located along the Mississippi River . The program included executive offices, supervisory personnel rooms and a meeting / training room. The architects developed an axial plan using repetitive structural bays and locating entrances on both ends of the central axis. The elongated “parti” maximized the views from the building of the adjacent river and port facilities. In efforts to enhance the quality of the workspace and provide a sense of unity, a two-story naturally illuminated circulation spine was created. All offices within the building open directly out to this central axis.

■  All banking functions remain on the first floor at this a-typical fidelity branch. A separate after-hours entry with an elevator allows the banking area to remain secure while the second floor is in use after-hours. training facilities for bank employees and the board room are on the second floor. The large training area also serves as a gathering space for functions hosted by Fidelity. A generous break room and food preparation area are also included. .

■  Freeport-Mcmoran, the copper and gold import company, hired textron, a local ship building company, to design a speed boat to be based near Freeport’s Indonesia location, where water tides shift so frequently, riverbeds can actually disappear within hours. Therefore, the boat needed to transport international clientele on land as well as water. The challenge for the Mathes Group was not only to design a high class interior to entertain and impress Freeport clientele, but everything in the boat, was required to be fixed in place due to the 70 mph boat speed. The boat was also equipped with a state-of-the-art audio/visual system for sales meetings during transport.

■  The design concept allowed the original building’s materials and wood structure to be the focus of the interior spaces. The new architectural elements were kept simple and modest. Although, the floor area was divided into individual offices, all occupants have views upward and outward which celebrate the historic building. New partitions were kept low and glass clearstories were added over offices. Wood beams were installed between existing columns. Original historic parts of the building such as the sliding fire door at the stair and the bi-fold service elevation door were allowed to remain as non- functioning elements of the interior design.

■  The site chosen was at the distinguished corner of Alameda Dr. Manuel Enrique Araujo y Calle Nueva Uno in the new financial district of Colonia Escalon in San Salvador. The building consists of two underground levels of parking and five floors of office space. It has been built to US standards of a Class A building. Pan American Life now occupies portions of three floors of the building. Citibank, N.A. and other Multi-national companies have purchased various floors of the building.

■  The 53 story granite-clad reinforced concrete office tower was constructed on the most prestigious location in downtown New Orleans , the site of the former St. Charles Hotel, located in New Orleans ’ historic Business District on St. Charles Avenue . The building has a two-level retail arcade with shops and a food court, parking for 800 cars, spacious ground level arcades, and wide balconies offering shelter from the elements, and a distinctive design culminating in two 50 foot glass lanterns offering spectacular views for tenants and a lighted beacon in the night skyline.