Columbus Idea Foundry

If the Shoe Fits…

We’ve all heard the adage, “The cobbler’s kids have no shoes”; but the team at Idea Foundry Columbus had, in fact, cobbled together a great idea for a grand space. This client had a vision to convert an old shoe factory into a coworking and makerspace. Triad leveraged the client’s limited funding to design a place where creators could build, patent, sell, and move their wares to market. Together, we knew we could make the shoe fit.

At Triad, we’re always eager to utilize our skills and talents to make our clients’ visions become reality. We were excited to discover and reimagine a space on one of the grandest scales the Columbus coworking community had ever seen.

Building Dreams on a Shoestring Budget

At the Foundry, we were challenged to create a mixed-use facility where activities such as welding and laser cutting could occur in the same complex where K-12 students could attend classes and professionals could host high-end events.

At Triad, we are invested, literally and figuratively, in our clients, projects, and communities. We engage purposefully and immerse ourselves to deliver against their vision, goals, and challenges. We knew that the shoe factory conversion project would require a collaboration based on trust, integrity, transparency, and mutual respect.

Our client had received initial feedback from other architects and contractors that they needed $3 million to make anything happen in the building. But the team had only $500,000. With our contractor partner, we were able to devise a plan to get the client into the space and functioning within the budget while also developing a vision for future phases of the project. The success of the first phase quickly attracted investors who funded the second phase.

Service and Stewardship

The Triad team welcomed the opportunity to bring unique perspective, top talent, experience, and expertise to the work at Idea Foundry Columbus. Our combination of architecture, design, construction, facilities management, and real estate development services allowed us to become invested members of the communities where we collaborate, and this was no exception. We were thrilled to transform the space for a client promoting inspiration and innovation in a useful, educational place.

Services Provided 

Facility/Master Planning, Stakeholder Engagement, Fundraising Assistance, Feasibility Studies, Architectural Services, Interior Design, Budgeting/Scheduling, Regulatory Approvals, Construction Administration