APB's wide hallway displays views of the beach on a large screen. Greenery is visible from the glass windows behind the receptionist's desk. An APB employee sits at her desk while a woman meanders down the hall.

Capitalizing on California cool.

The ethos and collaborative business approach of ABP Capital is guided by three principles: honesty, transparency, and openness.

These core values were the driving influences behind Blitz’s interior design of the financial company’s headquarters in Encinitas, CA. The office design leverages the building’s proximity to the beach and presents clients and staff with an open, relaxed space. The use of clear, honest, and modern materials in an accessible layout invokes the company’s principles.

An open gallery space hallmarked by a 12-foot-diameter geometric LED light fixture—custom designed by Blitz—draws visual interest upward and welcomes individuals entering the building. A 14’x9’ block of 16 monitors broadcasting a continuous loop of ABP Capital’s client videos or a live stream of the beach entertains waiting guests.

ABP CAPITAL

LOCATION
Encinitas, California

SIZE
15,000 SF

SCOPE
Architecture
Interior Design
Furniture Design
Lighting Design
Environmental Graphics

CORE+SHELL ARCHITECT
Brett Farrow Architect, Inc.

PHOTOGRAPHY
Tom Bonner
Paul Rivera

AWARDS
IIDA Northern California Honor Award,
Small Workplace, 2020

APB Capital’s hallways consist of clean wooden ceilings and flooring. Long windows span the length of the hall. Glass walls reveal a conference room, while rectangular boxes of light illuminate the halls.

A gray couch acts as the centerpiece for this lounge room. Light fixtures resembling silver wind chimes hang from the wooden slats on the ceiling. Bonsai trees and greenery are visible from the garden behind the couch.

Ocean imagery is displayed on a screen nestled inside a wooden hallway wall. Square boxes of light are arranged in a row on the ceiling alongside brightly lit lines. The second floor reveals a wooden ceiling that holds angular light fixtures.

This shot depicts an executive office with a sleek wooden desk. A potted plant rests next to a leather chair on the opposite side of the desk. A sliding glass door reveals a balcony outside. The textured area rug complements the office's gray wall.

Central to the floorplan is an atrium with a Japanese-inspired bamboo garden, visible from most vantage points throughout. The building, by Brett Farrow Architect, Inc. capitalizes upon the Southern California climate and abundant light with several open terraces and the central atrium.

Blitz’s solution to designing within a largely glass envelope was to maintain transparency without the obstruction of solid materials. Interior walls are turned perpendicular to the long, glazed exteriors of the building, and all parallel interior surfaces are glass. The program’s linear arrangement promotes consistency across the two-story building as visitors navigate both floors through a circular path that wraps around the central garden.

A woman makes a cup of coffee in the open-air pantry. Her back is turned to the bamboo chutes and decorative rocks of the outer garden. A boxed light shines down on her and illuminates the wooden pantry drawers and cabinets.

Black surfboards of various sizes hang on a pale gray wall above a cushioned bench and a potted plant. A wooden handrail leads toward a reception area. A California beach is displayed on a screen nestled into the wooden wall.

This image displays APB Capital's vast light gray exterior. A row of trees rises in front of the office's floor-to-ceiling glass windows. Brilliant rectangular lights peek through the greenery.

Two chairs with netted backings face a leather couch in the seating area. Chime-like light fixtures dangle from the wooden slatted ceiling. An APB employee sits at her desk in the background under a bright square-shaped light fixture.

A tall palm tree is reflected in the glass window behind the patio seating. Two wooden chairs and a black cage-like ottoman populate the deck. The patio floor is wooden, as is the partial ceiling looming over the space.

Lounge spaces with soft residential furnishings are balanced with industrial materials to evoke a modern, comfortable, and inviting atmosphere. Western red cedar wood slats line the ceilings. Recycled teak wood floors inject warmth into the glass and concrete structure while contributing to sustainability.

The second floor hosts the CEO’s office, main conference room, open office space, and large employee pantry. The CEO’s office is appointed with a collection of modern furniture and distinguished by a custom desk of quartzite, metal, and wood. Expansive glass walls encircle the main conference room and provide views of the LED light fixture at eye level. A custom walnut wood table anchors the space and a glass bay window—which faces the main street—extends the room over the sidewalk below.