Portland Press Herald Newsroom

Maine Today Media, in the midst of updating technology and consolidating staff locations, wanted to consolidate offices and move their newsroom and associated departments from One City Center in Portland to the former press hall on Gannett Drive in South Portland. The architect was brought in to collaborate on the renovation of this industrial building and tasked with creating a modern, collaborative space with a nod to the past by adapting the cavernous press hall into an inviting work space for the newsroom.

Before the 15,000 square foot press hall could be transformed into the architect’s design and outfitted with accommodations befitting more than 100 employees, the former 3-story tall, 750-ton press had to be disassembled and removed, carving an open chasm where the press once stood. However, prior to the dismantlement of the old press, a new two-story tall printing press had to be installed in a separate part of the building to continue printing papers throughout the renovation. The entire installation, replacement and renovation occurred over the course of six months in 2017.

The new double-height editorial floor includes the newsroom, dining/break area, conference spaces, and standalone audio and video production studios that “float” in the middle of the press hall space. The café and break space were created by transforming the former plate cleaning room. The existing press control room and pressman’s offices were converted to the conference spaces.

All the news staff, including the publisher, now sit in the newsroom, where the desks are arranged in a hub and spoke pattern to funnel news toward the editors in the center of the space. Large media screens are mounted on the walls, keeping the pressroom up to speed on all the worlds news.

The main newsroom is surprisingly quiet, but one large conference room, small focus and huddle rooms around the perimeter, and the video booth in the center provide private meeting spaces. The glass partitions around the conference rooms double as writing surfaces for presentations.

The café, a former storage and work space that housed barrels of printing ink, was made inviting with limited intervention: oversized windows, color, lighting, a polished floor, and a variety of seating. Careful attention to graphics, signage, furnishings, and employee spaces has turned this industrial building into a welcoming and collaborative place to work.