Whether taking an automobile for a spin or attending workshops at the Apple Store, test drives have helped the modern consumer understand innovation.

To mark the centennial of its founding, law firm Kaye Scholer wanted to update its look.

A sign on the door of Dudley Dough, a soon-to-be opened caf' on the ground floor of Boston's recently inaugurated Bruce C. Bolling Municipal Building, advertises 'pizza, coffee, and economic justice.' This improbable menu gives a clue to the larger goals behind the construction of the 215,000-square-foot, six-story structure completed this past spring.

The Milanese firm of CLS Architetti, founded in 1993 by Giovanna Cornelio, Massimiliano Locatelli, and Annamaria Scevola, has carved out a reputation for a modish modernismo style. Its portfolio includes fashion boutiques, offices, showrooms, apartments, and the Lia Rumma Contemporary Art Gallery in Milan (2009). 

To accommodate its staff, the Denmark-based studio reimagines wood buildings once used by the Royal Danish Navy.