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Design Inspires Innovation in Dynamic’s Lab by Melanie Raines

10.02.24 | By
Design Inspires Innovation in Dynamic’s Lab by Melanie Raines

Discussions on creative thinking and productivity often center on best practices, streamlining processes, and a smattering of other solutions that make the workforce responsible for inspiring themselves. But the onus to stir the human spirit should be shared by the architects and designers crafting these spaces. Just as actions towards sustainable outcomes positively impact well-being, so too do beautiful conditions enhance the pursuit of innovation.

Dynamic – an industry research site promoting cross pollination between the commercial and institutional, office and laboratory – has become a model for interiors informed by this philosophy. Designer Melanie Raines, of her eponymous studio, tempers this high-traffic facility with high-touch finishes that rival those typically found in luxury residential projects.

Modern hotel reception area with wooden and stone design, featuring a central desk, decorative lighting fixtures, and plants. Marble floor and geometric seating provide a contemporary ambiance.

Dynamic is a 355,000-square-foot building – atop Houston’s 37-acre life science campus called TMC Helix Park – comprising 12 stories of research-based environments created in partnership with Beacon Capital, the developer who selected the Austin-based practice for Raines’ innate ability to speak an enchanting architectural vernacular free from superfluous honky-tonk. Scientific investigation requires an atypical, intense level of interest and rigor not for the faint of heart. The designer dignifies this workplace with venerable interiors and layers of material treatment that are as unexpected as they are inviting.

A modern hallway features three elevator doors with sleek, dark finishes and walls adorned with patterned wooden panels. The floor is tiled, and recessed lighting illuminates the space.

Modern lounge area with contemporary furniture including a curved sofa, chairs, and coffee tables on a brown rug. The room features wooden paneling, potted plants, and subdued lighting.

Modern living room with a curved sectional sofa in shades of brown and gray, stone coffee tables, and vertical wooden wall accents under soft ambient lighting. Elegant and minimalistic decor.

“We drew inspiration from a well of aspirational hospitality projects, local makers and materials, and conversations with future tenants,” Raines says. “With so much sameness online these days, a designer is only as good as their sourcebook. We’re constantly engaging with makers and investing in building relationships as an essential part of this work,” she adds. “It is personally satisfying to see teams from other buildings in the park, award-winning in their own designs, come by and remark at how different Dynamic feels.”

A modern room with floor-to-ceiling windows, wooden furniture, and shelves with books and decor. Light streams in, illuminating a long dining table with chairs and a countertop with stools.

A modern living and dining area with wooden flooring, contemporary furniture, minimalistic decor, and a large window. Indoor plants add greenery to the space. Two framed artworks are displayed on a sideboard.

Raines’ ethos is first anchored in the 4,500-square-foot lobby experience, which delights in the potential for discovery that may lie ahead. It is an extreme departure from the daunting interiors typical of corporate American architecture. Tenants and visitors enter through a plaza that pulls the park inside to a public lobby. It offers a lounge space as well as reception, where guests may either pass through to the gym and lockers, or a set of elevators that lead to the floors above. The entry boasts an artful Texan palette with a main desk made of rainbow onyx and American black walnut alongside a backdrop of custom breezeblock, poured terrazzo and marble flooring, and bronze metal panels.

A modern kitchen with wooden cabinetry, a sleek island with marble countertop, bar stools, tiled backsplash, and shelves featuring decor items and framed pictures. A vase with flowers adorns the island.

In contrast to the clinical spaces surrounding it, the 7,000-square-foot amenities floor celebrates employee dedication as it echoes previous sentiments of hospitality through softer, sensory environments. Another lounge greets guests off the elevator, melding with a continuous string of training rooms and balcony that showcases panoramic vistas around the periphery. White oak casework incorporates handmade tiles into what is Dynamic’s second distinctive piece of millwork. This library shelving, in combination with unique seating arrangements, serves to be a resource as well as a place of respite. Additional magazine racks display periodicals to encourage collaboration and discovery outside of the typical workspaces.

A modern lobby with a curved pink sofa, round stone tables, dark upholstered chairs, large indoor plants, and glass doors with partial text visible, leading to an outdoor area.

What’s more, most furniture pieces throughout are custom creations for the project if not procured from vintage sources, marrying aesthetics with utility. And the variety of lamps, sconces, and chandeliers add sculptural elements to each space while mitigating scale to foster a sense of intimacy in otherwise expansive spaces. Fixtures, furnishings, and flooring alike are specified for their ability to withstand heavy traffic while being light enough to rearrange into fresh, atmospheric vignettes and easy to maintain.

A minimalist kitchen area with a wooden cabinet, a sink, a shelf unit, and a beige armchair with an ottoman next to a small side table holding a bowl of lemons.

Raines manages an effortless fusion of the pragmatic, pretty, and personal. “Unlike a boutique hotel which can be highly-conceptual and typically only a pass-through, this building is a second home for many, so it needed to be warm and artful without being overly-designed.”

A modern office lounge with green sofas, a wooden table with chairs, and a conference area in the background, featuring large windows and neutral tones.

A modern conference room with U-shaped table setup, chairs, a large screen, a projector, and windows providing natural light.

A hallway with wooden floors and white walls has signs indicating directions to rooms "Decode" and "Encode.

A modern, well-lit locker room features a vanity area with three green cushioned stools, large mirrors, hairdryers, and two plants. Light wood lockers are visible in the background.

Modern gym with large windows, treadmills, exercise mats, exercise balls, and various equipment. Indoor plants and benches are placed around the space, providing a clean and minimalistic look.

A modern shower with white and grey marble tile, a black hand-held showerhead, three bottles on a built-in shelf, and a black bench. A bundle of fragrant herbs hangs from the showerhead.

To see this and other projects by the designer, visit melanieraines.com.

Photography by Chase Daniel, courtesy of Beacon Capital Partners.

With professional degrees in architecture and journalism, New York-based writer Joseph has a desire to make living beautifully accessible. His work seeks to enrich the lives of others with visual communication and storytelling through design. When not writing, he teaches visual communication, theory, and design.