Located within The Spark building, The Institute is a place that fosters and drives positive social impact toward more sustainable cities and communities.   The Institute is intended to be an outward facing, non-branded Think Tank space. Members of the public are invited in to help solve local issues in a very flexible “maker’s space” where a high school student and a business leader will feel comfortable working together to bring change.  The space features a central kitchen as the heart of the space.  Surrounding the kitchen are a variety of spaces that offer flexible learning, teaching and collaboration.  The industrial feel of the space was accomplished through the introduction of raw materials, industrial garage doors, and exposed ceiling treatments.  A wide range of flexible moveable furniture and technology compliment the overall space design.

The Spark is a 9-story multi-tenant building on East Washington that houses Starting Block Madison, American Family Insurance’s DreamBank and The “Institute” (ie. Think Tank), and American Family staff offices. We were the architect for Community Spaces – which are spaces open to the public, or used by any Spark building tenants with each having a unique design and feel.