Kinsale Insurance’s growth created a straightforward challenge: the need for additional space—quickly—without leaving its Richmond campus. The solution was directly across the street. The former Anthem North Building, a concrete mid-century structure constructed in the 1960s, offered the size and proximity Kinsale needed but required a comprehensive transformation to meet contemporary workplace and operational demands. 

Now known as Kinsale North, the renovation adapts approximately 280,000 square feet into a Class A office environment supporting more than 900 employees. For the design team at Baskervill, the project became an exercise in making deliberate, pragmatic decisions—balancing speed, flexibility, and long-term performance while working within the constraints and opportunities of an existing building. 

From the outset, schedule was a defining factor. Baskervill partnered with the Hourigan under a design-build delivery model, with Introba leading mechanical and plumbing systems. Design began in late summer 2023, with demolition starting in early 2024 before construction documents were fully complete. Early demolition packages and phased GMP releases allowed design and construction to proceed in parallel, leading to substantial completion in late 2025. 

“Design and construction had to move together,” said Christopher Cromer, AIA, project architect at Baskervill. “The timeline required it.” 

One of the primary architectural goals was to change how the building related to its surroundings. The original structure was defined by a heavy precast concrete façade and limited engagement with the street. On the north side, the team introduced a new two-story entry volume that establishes a clear primary entrance and a more legible identity for Kinsale. The intervention responds to the site’s slope, allowing entry at different levels on the north and south sides. 

The lower-level houses mission-critical infrastructure, including switchgear, generators, and systems supporting both the North and South campus buildings. Office and amenity spaces occupy the first through fourth floors, with upper floor plates averaging more than 40,000 square feet. 

On the south side, previously recessed exterior areas were infilled to create training rooms, café and amenity spaces, and a secondary employee entrance. The original 1966 precast façade was removed entirely and replaced with a contemporary exterior assembly of metal stud framing, storefront systems, selective curtain wall, and spandrel panels aligned with floor levels—introducing daylight and transparency while aligning the building with the broader campus. 

An Existing Condition Shapes the Strategy 

Early in the design process, one existing interior condition emerged as a significant driver: the ConCore 1000 PosiLock system, which was originally installed during a renovation in the early 2000s and later upgraded to a ConCore 1250 PosiLock as part of the renovation.  

“The question was whether to remove it or work with it to create an advantage," he said. 

Retaining and extending the raised access floor aligned with both Kinsale’s operational needs and the realities of the existing structure. The building supports substantial data, power, and HVAC distribution, all of which benefit from underfloor routing. The system also helped accommodate slab irregularities typical of older concrete construction. 

“There were areas with slab depressions,” Cromer said. “Most pedestals were around 20 inches, but some reached about 30 inches. That flexibility allowed us to avoid expensive slab correction.” 

From an interior design perspective, the raised access floor simplified coordination above the ceiling while shifting service distribution to the floor plane. 

“It was almost like flipping the building,” said Eline Warren, CID, NCIDQ, WELL AP, lead interior designer at Baskervill. “Having a clear ceiling plenum made the ceilings much easier to design and coordinate.” 

Approximately 75–80% of each floor plate—primarily open office areas—uses carpet tile to preserve access to the underfloor plenum. Hard surface flooring was introduced selectively in restrooms, coffee bars, and interior amenity spaces, where design priorities outweighed the need for frequent underfloor access. 

“The client was very specific about how those spaces should look,” Warren said. “They were willing to give up access in certain areas to achieve that.” 

With the directive in place to use field applied finishes, we undertook additional early coordination to ensure critical systems were not located beneath inaccessible zones. Transitions between raised floor areas and slab-on-grade conditions—particularly on the first floor, where showers and wet spaces occur—required additional detailing and close coordination during construction. 

The raised access floor also influenced wall construction, acoustics, and security planning. For an insurance company handling sensitive information, confidentiality was a critical concern. “With air delivered from below, you have to rethink some basic assumptions,” Warren said. 

The team adopted a selective approach. In areas requiring higher levels of privacy, walls extended fully to the slab. Elsewhere, carefully designed airflow paths helped limit sound transmission while maintaining HVAC performance. 

One of the most noticeable benefits of the system appeared at the ceiling plane. With fewer mechanical systems overhead, the design team had greater flexibility in ceiling heights and finishes. “Ceilings didn’t have to come down as often,” Warren said. 

Throughout the building, ceiling types include exposed structure, acoustic metal panels, wood-look systems, turf baffles, Axiom trim details, and traditional ACT—often combined within the same floor plate. 

“Having that floor system reduced conflicts above the ceiling,” Cromer added. “That opened up more design options.” 

Planning for Change 

From a construction standpoint, the raised access floor required different sequencing and attention to plenum integrity, including sealing penetrations prior to drywall installation and understanding testing requirements. While this introduced a learning curve, the team found it manageable with proper planning. 

For a company continuing to evolve, long-term flexibility remains one of the system’s greatest advantages. 

“As needs change, even small adjustments—moving workstations or adding rooms—are much easier,” Cromer said. “Instead of cutting into a slab, you’re opening a panel.” 

Warren emphasized that post-occupancy performance will ultimately define success. 

“How the space works once people are in it—that’s what matters,” she said. 

By working with an existing infrastructure service distribution under the raised floor, the design team supported an accelerated schedule, accommodated complex systems, and created a workplace with built-in adaptability—repositioning a mid-century building to meet the current post-occupancy needs while allowing for future change.