People mingle on the 2nd floor of the new NDC headquarters with industrial piping in the ceiling above.
Corey Gaffer

Studio BV Designs a Mixed-Use Space for the Neighborhood Development Center in Minnesota

For an organization built around helping others, Studio BV made it a priority to return the favor, designing the Neighborhood Development Center headquarters in St. Paul, Minnesota, as a pro-bono project. The center, which helps budding entrepreneurs turn business visions into realities through an array of services, from long-term mentorship to low-cost workspaces, needed a new home—one with enough room to foster a growing community. That’s where Studio BV stepped in.

“I started my own design studio by saving my money and building it from nothing, so I can relate and connect to the Neighborhood Development Center (NDC) entrepreneurs,” says Betsy Vohs, Studio BV founder and CEO. “I felt it was hard to start a business and I am well educated and own my own home and am a native of this country. I could understand how almost impossible it is for an immigrant or a person who doesn’t speak English as a first language to try to build a business here.”

A woman walks through a kitchen area with orange cabinets and a white table.
NDC features coffee bars as well as a larger test kitchen for entrepreneurs to test recipes.

The vibrant and welcoming mixed-use space was four years in the making—the result of a true collaboration between the design team and NDC. One goal centered around creating a space that felt approachable, ensuring anyone would feel at ease discussing their ideas, which is a hurdle in itself when starting a new venture. NDC’s former space, housed on the second floor of a building in St. Paul, lacked areas for community meetings and featured a small lobby with two chairs. The new space reflects a dramatic glow-up, an airy labyrinth punctuated by bright yellows, reds, and blues.

“The most compelling story of the space is the use of color and wood,” shares Vohs. Given that NDC facilitates vulnerable conversations, color is used strategically to instill a sense of confidence and warmth. “The use of color and warm birch wood was designed to help ease the visitor into the space and make them feel a sense of possibilities.” The furniture and lighting follow suit.

A steel staircase with orange wood panels in front of floor-to-ceiling windows.
Local artist Seitu Jones collaborated with Studio BV on the center’s artful staircase.

A focal point of the NDC headquarters is a stairway created in collaboration with local artist, Seitu Jones, who also created panels for the exterior of the building to forge a connection with the neighborhood. “When we were designing the entry experience, we thought the idea of having a mural by Jones in the interior would allow the team at NDC and their clients to experience his story telling in a new scale and be something that they could engage with more directly,” adds Vohs. Intricate patterns carved in birch wood panels add a dynamic element to NCD’s concrete and steel stairway, affirming its connection to community indoors and out.

A woman sits behind a reception desk at NDC with a greenwall nearby.
The NCD lobby features a reception area with a greenwall.
People chat in a blue lounge area with white chairs and an orange stool.
Collaborative areas are a key component of the space, encouraging entrepreneurs to make new connections.
The stair that connects the 2nd and 3rd floor features patterns cut into plywood, designed by Jones, and allows light to filter into the space.
The stair that connects the 2nd and 3rd floor features patterns cut into plywood, designed by Jones, and allows light to filter into the space.
People mingle on the 2nd floor of the new NDC headquarters with industrial piping in the ceiling above.
Flexible workspaces support open and closed collaboration as well as spaces for ideation and meetings.  
A woman works on a laptop on a blue couch in a common area surrounded by windows.
Each floor has lounge spaces, coffee amenities, and places to meet and work.

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