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ce design

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Emerging trends Let us take a look at what some firms in the A/E/C industry are doing to make the workplace work better By Liisa Andreassen Correspondent F rom activity-based neighborhoods to personal enclaves, today’s work- place is designed to focus on collaboration, culture, and brand identity. DOING MORE WITH LESS. Erin Estep, an associate at Ayers Saint Gross (Bal- timore, MD), a 140-person professional design firm, is seeing higher density with less square footage per individual resulting in lower walls, more benching systems, and fewer and smaller private offices. “To balance the reduction in individuals’ space there is an increase in com- mon spaces. We are seeing more formal conference rooms mixed with in- formal break out rooms, phone rooms, soft seating, collaboration space for group meetings, and communal tables. Hoteling options are being provided, including café seating that takes advantage of robust Wi-Fi networks and other furniture with power to recharge mobile devices,” she says. RETHINKING OPEN SPACES. At JLG Architects (Grand Forks, ND), a 101-per- son firm, Elizabeth Medd, interiors leader, reports that the return of the open office has had a huge impact on how clients visualize using their spaces. “What we are seeing more and more though, is that having an open office isn’t enough,” she says. “They can be noisy, individuals are still closed off, and it still doesn’t solve all of the problems of office segregation and dwin- dling culture identity in the workplace.” The JLG team is now designing spaces with an “action” mentality, including: Personal rooms. These aren’t much larger than a phone booth, where people can recharge, refocus, or take a call. Personal enclaves. These hold two to four people, and are casual with lounge furniture instead of the standard conference table and task chair but still have all the technology to plug in and get work done. These encourage impromptu meetings in a more cozy setting. Huddle rooms. Intended for groups of four to five, these rooms are a blend of casual and conference depending on the size of the company and their meeting needs. They typically have most, if not all, of the technology requirements of a typical conference room. Aside from spaces, Medd adds that they are also seeing a shift in color, branding, and incorporation of textures and art. “Clients are becoming more open to bright crisp colors in the work place, es- pecially when incorporated thoughtfully with textures, earthy wood tones, fun and funky furniture, and lighting and through branding elements,” she says. “And up-and-comers want to identify themselves with entities that have strong identities, a strong brand and its incorporation into the space can signify the company’s dedication to its own future and to the future of its employees.” BETTER HEALTH IMPACTS BOTTOM LINE. Leigh Stringer, a senior workplace ex- pert with EYP Architecture & Engineering (New York, NY), a 525-per- See TRENDS, page 10

Important aspects of programming involve ex- amining the density of the space. “As designers, we balance the increased density through thoughtful integration of building sys- tems in the programming and schematic design phases,” Estep says. “With the cost of real es- tate increasing, improving density becomes an important mission for designers. In workplaces today, an increased density allows for improved collaboration and more sustainable practices in- cluding increased access to daylight.” “Our objective is to examine the problem from several perspectives, challenging ourselves to find better ways of doing things and offering options to Google to evoke the benefits of experience or to contribute to the cumulative body of workplace research, knowledge, and experience.” For example, their clients are trending toward less closed offices along the windows, moving closed offices to the interior to allow more em- ployees access to daylight and views. COMBINE HARD AND SOFT SKILLS. At JLG Archi- tects (Grand Forks, ND), a 101-person firm, Elizabeth Medd, an interiors leader, says that all designers come to the table during a first client meeting with a box of tools – their education and experience in the science of buildings. But, what’s just as important is their understanding of people, experiences, commonplace interac- tions, etc. “Bringing that combined knowledge to the ta- ble at the very beginning and having open, fluid, frank conversations with the clients and their user groups, is at the foundation of the success- ful implementation of good design,” she says. “It’s important to listen, repeat what we heard, and listen again.” Medd says that while designers are there to guide the client, they can only do that if there is trust. She says that there can be insecurities on the part of the client and it’s their job to make them feel comfortable. See WORKSPACE, page 8

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NOVEMBER 2, 2015, ISSUE 1126

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