The Cruise Web was one of the first of two tenants to sign a lease at Merritt’s newly renovated Calverton Corporate Center, relocating their corporate office to a 14,799 square-foot office space on the third floor of the building. The project included an interior fit-out of an existing shell space that required substantial coordination with the architect and the owner to achieve the desired end result. The goal was to create a space that carried features from their cruise ship business into their office environment.

The interior build-out process was extremely detailed and fast-paced. Several areas throughout the space required angled window openings to emulate the bridge of a ship. This framing was very challenging, but was achieved using both sheetrock and glass. Other challenges ensued as the design changed along the way in order to further enhance the feeling of being on a cruise ship. For example, we built smoke stacks out of drywall, involving significant and precise finishing to achieve the desired effect. Free-floating drywall clouds were also added throughout the space. To provide the feeling of being under the sun, a chandelier was installed in the lobby then surrounded by another “cloud”.

Large amounts of tinted blue glass were also used throughout the space for side lighting. These were on 60-degree angles which created structural challenges that were overcome with innovative building techniques. Finally, dozens of core holes in the building structure were utilized to keep all the inner workings of a functional office space out of sight to maintain the clean look.

The materials that were selected for this project presented yet another challenge due to their custom nature and long lead times. Working with the vendors to procure these items in order to maintain the construction schedule was a job in and of itself. Merritt spent seven days a week on the phone and on the site working to complete this project, ensuring that all required aspects were achieved.

This project is exceptional and stands apart from the rest in design, construction, workmanship, job costs and scheduling. The end result is a dramatic, contemporary space that reflects The Cruise Web’s industry and culture.