March 2009

The new corporate home for non-profit Peckham, Inc, Lansing is truly a place to celebrate. The sustainable manufacturing facility balances the triple bottom line of people, profits and planet to create a healthy, sustainable environment that supports all Peckham employees no matter if they work on the sewing line, the cafeteria line or on the bottom line in the accounting office.

It has also earned IA the honor of the 2008 AbilityOne / NISH Partnership Award for Products and Services. This national award is given to a company whose work with an AbilityOne-producing nonprofit agency results in increased employment opportunities for people with severe disabilities. NISH is a national nonprofit agency whose mission is to create employment opportunities for people with severe disabilities by securing Federal contracts.

When IA was hired to design the Peckham manufacturing / corporate headquarters we embraced the opportunity to create a world-class environment for a unique population. Our commitment went beyond simply understanding their mission and needs to supporting their efforts and contributing in a real way to their mission, the people they serve and as a result, the larger community. Utilizing Universal Design standards, we created a place that is usable by everyone, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design.

That commitment earned the respect of our client and resulted in the following nomination submitted by Jo Sinha, Peckham, Inc. Corporate VP

“From the outset, this team of bright and socially conscious architects and engineers saw this as not just another assignment but also a real and meaningful way to contribute to our mission, the people we serve and our community.

At every opportunity they listened and really heard what people needed, how they wanted to interact with their environment and how they wanted their environment to interact with them. The result? Not only do we have a built environment that creates new opportunities, we have a building that empowers, respects and welcomes our diverse client base.

They deeply cared about who we were serving and understood that this building was for our clients and they put their hearts and souls into helping us realize our dream.”