Blue 2.0 | Appleton Wisconsin

Blue 2.0 is a rapidly growing technology solutions provider that specializes in streamlining businesses by rethinking process management. When the St. Louis-based company looked to expand its reach to Wisconsin, V Three Studios was brought on board to develop a distinct design that reflects the company's identity, while still serving as an IBM Bluemix Garage, which will offer a collaborative workspace where developers from small start-ups and large companies alike can come together to create new cloud applications. 

As an IBM Blue Partner, Blue 2.0 needed a collaborative environment that was flexible to meet the needs of interdisciplinary companies housed in the space, with an emphasis on technology integration. The interior was kept as open as possible, while loosely defining several smaller areas that cater to different types of collaboration. The layout also emphasizes flexibility, with large glass sliding doors that allow the office to be divided, or joined to create a larger space that will allow Blue 2.0 to host meetings and technology events. V3 worked to develop cost effective solutions by using simple light fixtures, materials and graphics in new and creative ways.

Sugarfire Smoke House Now Open

Sugarfire Smokehouse has officially opened its newest and largest location designed by V Three Studios in downtown St. Louis adjacent to the National Blues Museum. The design takes aesthetic cues from the museum, using reclaimed materials in unexpected ways to create modern textures with a contemporary feel. The new location features barn wood walls, hand-painted graphics, large scale neon “Sugarfire” sign on corrugated shed tin and a bottle cap mural wall. Nothing goes together quite like Blues and BBQ. 

In addition to the restaurant design, V3 worked with Sugarfire and the city to design and implement a 24-foot shipping container located on 6th Street that houses two smokers. This unique location will bring Sugarfire’s incredible barbeque to an entirely new demographic in downtown St. Louis, as well as the many visitors who make the journey to the new National Blues Museum next door.

National Blues Museum Grand Opening

The National Blues Museum, a signature project for V Three Studios, held its official opening in downtown St. Louis on April 2, 2016. The completely renovated 23,000-square-foot space now features a modern, interactive museum celebrating blues music and its impact on American and world culture. The museum’s live venue hosted once-in-a-lifetime performances by Bobby Rush, Big Joe Brock and of course St Louis’ own Marquise Knox. The museum is anticipated to attract up to 100,000 visitors per year, and has been endorsed by celebrities such as Buddy Guy, Morgan Freeman, John Goodman, Derek Trucks and Jack White. During the opening week the Blues Museum was delighted to host over 4,000 visitors from all around the country. When the museum doors opened to the public on Saturday morning there was a line two blocks long filled with Blues enthusiast eager to be among the first to experience the interactive displays and exhibits. The first person through the door was a Chicago native who had driven overnight and started the line before the sun came up.

Images courtesy of the National Blues Museum.
See more photos from the Grand Opening here.

Alpha Media | One of Radio Ink's Fantastic Facilities

Radio Ink just released its annual fantastic facilities issue that features the recently completed V Three Studios project for Alpha Media. The 7,800 square foot facility in Biloxi/Gulfport Mississippi features 8 studios for broadcast operations and a collaborative office environment. The broadcast operation’s studios and tech-ops-center are connected by an adaptive electrical infrastructure that will allow Alpha’s engineering team to update the studios as the technology in this industry continues to evolve in the digital age.

“Complete with eight clustered studios for on-air and content production, flexible infrastructure, and a primarily open office layout, this facility is poised to easily adapt to the ever-changing radio and digital Industry. The layout and design approach by V Three Studios LLC has proven to increase efficiency and will be the basis for future renovations across the country.”

— Radio Ink

The Alpha Media facility is located directly next to the regional airport which presented acoustic challenges with studio sound isolation. The sound tests for departing aircraft were measuring at an NC-40. The acoustic assemblies for the studios were designed to bring the NC Rating to an acceptable level below a NC-25. The Henserling Construction team’s implementation of the design was excellent and the actual metered NC levels upon completion were just above an NC-15.

The project team consisted of architect V Three Studios, general contractor Dan Hensarling, Moses Engineers, OmniRax for studio furniture, and Axia for broadcast equipment.

View the full article here

Native Broadcast Enterprise | St. Michaels, Arizona

Native Broadcast Enterprise is pursuing plans to build an approximate 7,500 sq ft freestanding facility for the Voice of the Navajo Nation in St. Michaels, Arizona. The building will include eight studios supporting AM/FM radio broadcast, and implements V3’s response towards radio station facility design in this dynamic age of media evolution. Prior to V Three’s involvement, the project experienced various unsuccessful starts, but V Three was able to get the project back on track with a completion date slated before the end of the year.

Learfield Sports Office Expansion

Learfield Sports, a collegiate sports multimedia and sponsorship firm, further expanded their facility in Dallas to accommodate a new entertainment suite, training area and additional office space. V Three Studios worked closely with the client in order to create an efficient design that also achieved the complex requirements of the project. The 4,700 sq ft suite was transformed into a multi-functional and technologically advanced space that meets the needs of the growing company.

The features of the completely renovated suite include a unique lobby, a large multipurpose entertainment space with a bar and flexible seating, a full kitchen, an employee training area, a video conference room, and five private offices. The design reflects the athletic aesthetic of the company’s brand, featuring wood walls resembling gym flooring, stadium-style seating, wood and aluminum bleacher seats mounted to the lobby wall, a 60-foot LED ticker running along the corridor, and a 21-panel LED screen wrapping from the lobby wall onto the ceiling and extending into the multipurpose space. A glass wall separates the lobby from the entertainment space, meeting a curved exterior wall with unique booth seating spaces for entertaining. These unique touches make this new addition feel like an extension of the company’s culture and are sure to make a lasting impact on visitors to the space.

WUSTL | The Olin Library Transformation

The John M. Olin Library - the academic centerpiece of Washington University in St. Louis' Danforth Campus - will soon undergo a $13.5 million renovation with construction scheduled to start in summer 2016. The Olin Library Transformation design effort is being led by Ann Beha Architects (ABA). V Three Studios was selected in the summer of 2015 to work with ABA as the local, associate architect for the renovation of this essential building at the world-class university. V3's responsibilities focus primarily on the design of the expanded Whispers Café; the food service area within Olin Library.

With its construction in 1960 and renovation in 2004, the University is further modifying Olin Library into a center for 21st century scholarship by adding extra space for study, exploration, technology and special collection storage. A central feature of the renovation will be the Newman Tower of Collections and Exploration; a four-story glass volume rising within the atrium of Whispers Café. The tower's base will extend down into newly constructed space one level below grade and be anchored by a new "exploration hub" that consolidates emerging information technologies into one highly visible facility accessible to the campus community. The Olin Library Transformation will allow the building to adapt to current technologies and modern library functions while creating new connections between the users and staff and reinforcing the library as the heart of the campus.

National Blues Museum to Open April 2, 2016

The National Blues Museum is a signature project for V Three Studios that will be opening to the public in downtown St. Louis on April 2, 2016. The 23,000 sq ft space has been completely transformed from a turn-of-the-century department store into a modern, interactive celebration of blues music that is anticipated to attract up to 100,000 visitors per year. Along with the exhibit spaces, the museum houses a 100+ person theater and performance space for hosting live concerts and events. The theatre has direct views to the MX district through a glass acoustic wall assembly along Washington Avenue. V3 also designed a flexible workspace that will serve as administrative offices and an educational center for local schools and organizations.

Supported by renowned musicians and personalities such as Buddy Guy, Morgan Freeman, John Goodman, Derek Trucks and Jack White, the National Blues Museum features an array of exhibits and artifacts intended to inform visitors of the heritage of the blues and the effects the genre has had on contemporary music. As visitors move through the exhibits containing memorabilia and artifacts from blues history, a series of interactive touch panels will allow them to become a “Blues Legend” by creating their own pseudonym, lyrics, instrumentation and album artwork. After completing each of the steps, visitors will be able to take their completed “album” home as a souvenir. The museum also includes a real-time interactive music experience called "Jug Band Jammin'" in which users can play traditional blues instruments along with performers on interactive screens. All of these unique features are housed in a rustic yet modern space that is anticipated to become a major tourist attraction in downtown St. Louis.