Holst Architecture designed Ziba Design's new headquarters in Portland's Pearl District

To accommodate a firm like Ziba Design, a building must have ample space for creativity. Ziba's new headquarters, at 1044 N.W. Ninth Ave., will include plenty of desk space but also a generous supply of space to accommodate serendipitous brainstorming.

John Holmes, a founding partner of Holst Architecture, which designed the building, said his firm created plenty of open areas between project rooms - or "war rooms" - for interactions between Ziba employees.

For Holst Architecture, the job presented a chance to create space for a highly creative company. "It was a rare opportunity to work with an open-minded company like Ziba," said Holmes. "Those opportunities don't come along every day. We worked well with them and it was a great exchange of ideas."

The 76,000-square-foot building at Ninth Avenue and Marshall Street in the Pearl District will be finished in August. Ziba, which provides strategic design and innovation consultancy, has been in the Pearl District since 1996 and currently uses two buildings on Northwest 11th Avenue. Ken Dieringer, an engineering and technical services director with Ziba, said the firm has been planning the move since 2005.