INTERIOR DESIGN
FIVE BELOW HEADQUARTERS HYBRID CLASSROOM
A hybrid training environment designed to advance Five Below’s digital equity initiative through immersive learning, flexible seating, and high performance audiovisual integration.
The Five Below Headquarters Hybrid Classroom is a 2,800 square foot educational and collaboration space developed to support the company’s national employee training program and digital equity initiatives. The space integrates workplace, academic, and auditorium functions within a highly technical floor plate that demanded clear sightline studies, acoustic strategy, and a detailed seating model to ensure maximum visibility and comfort.
As Designer and Job Captain, I led the project from concept through construction, including spatial planning, detailed modeling, technical documentation, multi discipline coordination, construction administration, and final implementation.
"You no longer need to be present to have a presence..."
Project Team: IA Interior Architects
Client: Five Below, Inc.
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Year: 2023
Sector: Corporate / Educational
Size: 10,600 SF
Cost: $1 million
Type: Interior Fit Out
My Role: Interior Designer — Concept Development Support, Space Planning, FF&E, Millwork Detailing, Revit Documentation, Consultant Coordination
Status: Completed
A bold, energetic hybrid classroom environment designed for training, collaboration, and company culture at Five Below’s headquarters.
DESIGN NARRATIVE
The Five Below Hybrid Classroom was conceived as a multifunctional training and collaboration hub supporting the company’s rapidly evolving workplace culture and strong commitment to digital equity. Developed as part of a broader corporate initiative to expand access to technology, upskill employees, and strengthen community partnerships, the classroom serves as a flexible learning environment that brings together teams from training, HR, IT, merchandising, design, and operations.
The design needed to embody Five Below’s energetic brand while supporting a wide range of instructional modes , from digital literacy sessions and product development workshops to leadership meetings and hybrid learning. Writable surfaces, mobile furniture, and integrated technology allow the room to shift seamlessly between formal presentations, breakout collaboration, rapid prototyping, and hands-on demonstrations.
A bold yet durable materials palette reinforces the company’s fun, accessible identity, while maintaining the practicality required for constant reconfiguration. Strategic planning ensured clear sightlines, intuitive circulation, and tech-forward teaching zones that accommodate both in-person and virtual engagement.
By bridging brand expression with digital access and corporate learning, the hybrid classroom becomes more than a meeting room — it is a space designed to empower employees, foster collaboration across departments, and support Five Below’s mission to make innovation and opportunity accessible to all.
CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT
Early concept direction exploring playful brand energy, bold color accents, and flexible collaboration zones.
EXISTING CONDITIONS & SITE CONSTRAINTS
Base building conditions at the time of project kickoff, including the existing reception aesthetic and the empty historic classroom shell.
DESIGN DRIVERS & PROJECT CHALLENGES
Core design principles and existing constraints that shaped planning, technology integration, and brand continuity.
The design was guided by Five Below’s digital equity initiative, the need for seamless cross-department collaboration, and the unique constraints of the historic shell. Limited ceiling height, tight column spacing, and adjacency to the branded reception area informed circulation, AV placement, and the overall material direction. These considerations helped shape a flexible, technology-forward classroom that reinforces the company’s energetic identity.
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Support digital literacy, hybrid learning, and multiple instructional formats
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Maintain brand continuity with the existing HQ reception aesthetic
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Address tight structural column spacing and restricted ceiling height
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Integrate AV, acoustics, and technology seamlessly within spatial limitations
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Provide rapid reconfiguration capabilities for workshops, onboarding, and collaboration
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Balance durability, flexibility, and brand expression in all finish and furniture selections
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Coordinate across HR, IT, merchandising, marketing, and engineering disciplines
SPATIAL STRATEGY
Overall floor plan showing the renovated reception area and the connective circulation leading into the hybrid classroom.
TECHNICAL COORDINATION & DOCUMENTATION
Comprehensive coordination across disciplines to deliver a flexible, technology-integrated learning environment.
The project required extensive technical coordination to integrate AV systems, acoustics, lighting, structural conditions, and digital infrastructure within the classroom’s historic shell. Working as the acting Job Captain, I led consultant alignment, managed documentation standards, and ensured that all technical requirements supported both instructional clarity and brand expression.
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Directed coordination across AV, acoustics, structural, lighting, IT, mechanical, and electrical disciplines
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Ensured clear sightlines and optimal teaching-wall visibility despite restrictive ceiling heights
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Integrated multiple display systems, microphones, speakers, and writable surfaces into millwork
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Managed acoustic treatments to balance speech clarity with collaborative activity noise
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Oversaw Revit documentation, detail development, and cross-disciplinary drawing updates
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Verified compliance with accessibility, safety, and corporate standards
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Led on-site construction coordination to resolve conflicts and maintain design intent
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Organized budget tracking and deliverables across all project phases
SIGHTLINE STUDIES & SEATING ANALYSIS
Evaluating instructional visibility, seating tiers, and ergonomic constraints within a low-height, column-restricted historic shell.
A primary challenge of the classroom was achieving clear sightlines to the teaching wall while maximizing seat count within strict spatial limitations. The historic shell offered limited ceiling height and a tight structural grid, requiring a detailed study of tiered seating options, instructor visibility, and AV placement. Multiple iterations were developed to ensure every participant had unobstructed views, regardless of seating configuration or learning mode.
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Analyzed ideal eye heights, viewing angles, and instructor visibility across all seating zones
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Tested multiple seating-tier configurations to determine maximum capacity without compromising comfort
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Evaluated the impact of ceiling height restrictions on display size, orientation, and distance
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Coordinated AV placement to maintain visibility from every position, including edge seats
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Mapped circulation paths for safe movement in low-height and high-density seating conditions
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Integrated sightline geometry into final planning and DD documentation
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Ensured compliance with accessibility guidelines for all seating arrangements
FINAL SEATING CONFIGURATION
Selected layout maximizing classroom capacity, instructional visibility, and circulation within spatial constraints.
FINAL PLAN & SEATING SECTION ANALYSIS
Resolved floor plan and sectional analyses demonstrating tier heights, visibility, and AV alignment across all seating zones.
COLOR CODING & MATERIALITY STRATEGY
Color-coded seating tiers and finish selections enhancing wayfinding, zoning clarity, and Five Below’s branded energy.
RENDERINGS
Visualization of the completed hybrid classroom showcasing brand integration, flexible layouts, and technology-forward instructional zones.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Completed space photography showcasing the branded reception, classroom environment, and hybrid technology integration.
CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTATION
Full construction documentation package that I developed in Revit, including coordinated plans, RCPs, elevations, sections, and millwork details used for bidding, coordination, and construction.
LINKS & ACCOLADES