Anita Turner

Author: Anita Turner

  • Enough About the Volume and Distraction of Open Plan: Here’s How to Make It Work for You

    Enough About the Volume and Distraction of Open Plan: Here’s How to Make It Work for You

    I try to remain neutral (or at least hide my biases) in most of the blog posts I write.  This is not one of those posts.  I am tired of reading that open workspaces do not work because they are so loud that people cannot focus.  This is just not universally true.  Per Gensler CEO Diane Hoskins, “Even though tech workspaces are more likely to be open plan, a design that’s often seen as a distracting productivity-killer, tech workers in our [2013 Workplace] survey reported an above-average ability to focus.”

    With proper implementation, open plan can increase collaboration and productivity while also potentially reducing real estate costs.  When your employees can see each other, the visual cue is conducive to interaction.  They consider each other more accessible than employees in hard walled offices who sometimes don’t even know their co-workers are in the building.  But how do you capitalize on this benefit without compromising productivity?  Give your employees choice.  “We found that knowledge workers whose companies allow them to help decide when, where, and how they work were more likely to be satisfied with their jobs, performed better, and viewed their company as more innovative than competitors that didn’t offer such choices.”[i]

    What does this mean to your space design and the implementation of the open plan workplace?

    Include huddle rooms, conference spaces, lounges and phone booths in your design so that your employees can choose the proper environment for the type of work they are doing at any given time. 

    JPMorganChase’s New York Tech Centre is a completely open plan, free address space.  However, to facilitate employees’ different work styles and preferences, there are also booths, huddle rooms, and soft seating throughout the space among which employees can migrate as their work dictates.  Although noise levels throughout the space are kept to reasonable levels, employees with focus work to do may sit in one of several designated “quiet rooms”.  The signs that appear on the entrances to those rooms communicate the message loud and clear (pun intended) that noise is not welcome.

    Actual JPMC Sign

    Establish quiet zones.

    At Google, employees are trained during orientation that different space is for different work styles and volumes.  Generally, in the benched areas of the space, the noise level is “library,” especially where the developers sit.  In other departments where communication between employees is more constant, employees seeking silence have adopted noise-canceling headphones both as a method of ensuring quiet and as a signal to co-workers that they do not want to be interrupted at that time.

    Wired’s Library

    Offer employees headphones.

    At Latham & Watkins in New York City, many first and second year associates sit in workstations.  When these lawyers are doing focus work, they too have adopted the noise-canceling headphone approach.  This enables them to concentrate while their colleagues who need to talk on the phone get their work done.  When the head phones are off, open seating allows these associates to bounce issues and ideas off each other – something that is invaluable at all stages of one’s career, especially the beginning.

    Eliminate speaker phones.

    BBVA Compass has adopted bench seating for the majority of their employees because they believe it is conducive to collaboration and teamwork while also saving the bank money on real estate costs.  One tactic BBVA Compass adopted was the elimination of speaker options on phones to keep call volumes more manageable.

    Train employees on the courtesies around interruption.

    A tech firm I recently visited trains new employees on what they call the “15 minute rule”.  Employees are taught that when you interrupt someone doing focused work, it typically takes that person fifteen minutes to regain their complete focus and get back to where they were when you interrupted them.  The lesson: only interrupt someone when this fifteen minutes is justified, e.g. not to catch up on last night’s Game of Thrones episode.

    Through planning and training and enclosed space options, open plan can be a positive experience for your company and its employees.  To read about tech company Gusto’s positive experience with open plan, click here.

    [i] “Employees Perform Better When They Can Control Their Space,” by Diane Hoskins, Harvard Business Review, January 16, 2014

  • What Does It Mean to “Incorporate Brand” in Office Space?

    What Does It Mean to “Incorporate Brand” in Office Space?

    In today’s work spaces, there are abundant examples of reflecting and promoting brand in office design.   Why?  To remind your employees and your clients of your company’s purpose.  Sometimes, incorporating brand in office space comes naturally.  For instance, if your company sells a product, you can integrate that product and reminders of how it solves problems for its consumers throughout your space.  Be careful: this can be easily overdone.  On the other hand, if your company sells a service, your brand image might be more abstract and therefore harder to define and reflect.

    In my travels recently, I have seen brand boldly incorporated in design.  In the same spaces, I have also seen some interesting but subtle reflections of brand.  An example? When you walk into Molson Coors’ offices in a high-rise Denver building, the first thing you see is a wall of kegs behind the reception desk.  Turn around and you will notice that the creative team at architecture firm RNL Design built an adjacent pub with window views that mirror the mountains seen on a Coors can.  You know that you are in the space of a company whose product and passion is beer.

    There are other, gentler reminders of Molson Coors’ business throughout the rest of its space, including barley emblems in the iron stair rails and keg pulls installed as handles on the office doors.  The design team also sourced some antique Coors brewing implements and equipment to display on walls throughout the space as a nod to the brand’s rich history.  On a louder note, bright beer murals are painted on walls throughout the office areas.

    Disaster recovery technology firm Agility’s service is a little more abstract than beer.  Agility’s brand is built on its ability to help clients react to the effects of storms and other disasters.  Consequently, in Agility’s new offices in Denver, Interior Architects incorporated materials and finishes to evoke a storm motif which reminds both employees and clients of the company’s purpose.

    As one enters the elevator lobby, the colors are darker and the ceiling features a wood sculpture that branches out like lightning/clouds.  In the work space areas, architectural “clouds” fan out beneath the open ceiling.  Similarly, the floors feature polished concrete with carpet clouds fanning out to reflect the ceiling clouds.  The space feels moody, stormy, or bright depending on where you are sitting.

    How can you incorporate brand in your company’s office design?  In my experience, success at doing so depends on two things: (1) your understanding of and ability to communicate your brand and (2) choosing an architect/interior designer who you believe can take that information and translate it visually within your space on your budget.  We try to help our clients with #2 to ensure that they end up with space that accommodates their office requirements AND promotes their brand.

  • How Ted Moudis Used Paint, Wallpaper, Astroturf and String to Transform an Office

    How Ted Moudis Used Paint, Wallpaper, Astroturf and String to Transform an Office

    Jeff Knoll and his Ted Moudis Associates team recently worked with IPG MediaBrands, Initiative and UM to transform three floors of a former shopping mall in New York City from plain vanilla offices into funky open space reflective of the creative agencies that now reside there.  Other challenges: bringing light into a 95,000 square foot floorplate that had very few windows, moving employees from private offices to free address open plan, and an aggressive budget.  Knoll and his team met all of them.  How? 1) some seriously creative minds; 2) imaginative use of paint and wallpaper; and 3) using other inexpensive materials in ingenious ways.

    Garret Rowland

    The first challenge tackled was visually breaking up the large floorplate.  To accomplish this, each floor was divided into zones and each zone was given a different color.  That color was then tied in between the lights, columns and floors by painting the casings of the existing light fixtures, portions of the columns and the concrete floors.  Common conference rooms were distinguished from these zones by color as well – they are finished in a black and white palette.  Because paint is an inexpensive finish, this simple use of color also had a large cost benefit.

    Garret Rowland

    The black and white common areas were each given distinct personalities with different finishes.   For example, one common conference room was created by building a drywall “tent frame” and then hanging heavy black and white curtains from the ceiling inside the frame.  In another common area, the concrete floor was painted with a black and white pattern and the walls were covered in an oversized floral wallpaper.

    Garret Rowland

    The Ted Moudis team used bold wallpaper as a tool throughout the space to create architectural effects without hard construction and the associated costs. For instance, Le Salon, a common conference area, is wallpapered with a mural of marble sculptures.  Funky furniture and inexpensive yet quirky light fixtures add a further touch of whimsy to the space which had previously been a dark storage room.

    Garret Rowland

    Another conference room is hung with bookshelf wallpaper to create a fun visual effect.  My favorite office (for now) is decorated with a book page wallpaper.    All of these finishes are used in a playful way that evokes a sense of humor; none take themselves too seriously.

    Garret Rowland

    The Ted Moudis team also placed materials typically used as floor coverings in nonstandard places.  In one conference room, the blue-paint-spattered white carpeting on the floor was run up one wall.  In a hallway elsewhere, Astroturf covers an arch.  Astroturf was also used to create “grass” in an indoor beer garden with patio seating and gnome stools.  And lastly, a reception desk was covered in flokati rug.

    Gnome stools!!!

    To address the lack of natural light, high ceilings — most of which are painted white — helped immensely, as did abundant lighting.  Although enclosed spaces are few and far between, most feature glass fronts to emphasize the open and bright atmosphere.  Per code, architects are required to place “distraction strips” – typically striping of some kind – across glass walls so that people do not inadvertently walk into a glass wall they do not see.  In another fun twist, the designers created distraction strips out of interesting and motivational quotes.

    Not even elevator lobbies were overlooked by the design team.  Ted Moudis commissioned a string artist to construct a logo in the elevator lobby on the Initiative floor.  On another floor, there was an existing diagonal beam on the lobby ceiling.  Rather than downplay this beam, the designers painted the lobby on one side of it yellow and the other black to create an interesting visual effect.   The designers wanted to incorporate a funky carpet that is woven to look like a collection of rugs in a lobby area; however, the existing glass doors could not be raised so as to open above the carpeting.  The designers came up with a brilliant work-around: they left a rectangle of concrete floor exposed and painted a Welcome mat graphic onto it.

    The clients represented by IPG  were also incorporated into IPG’s space in both a nod of appreciation and an invitation to those clients to spend time in the offices.  To that end, the space includes a “bubble bar” with red and white bubble images and a Coca-Cola machine.  The computer helpdesk is called the “MayDay Bar” in recognition of client Amazon.  (The help desk also has a brilliant neon sign over it – “Turn It Off and Back On Again.”)

    Garret Rowland
    “turn it off and back on again”

    My takeaway from touring IPG’s space?  No space is “unworkable”.  With the right design team, any space can be improved and it does not require unlimited funds.  Because of this fact, I encourage my clients to bring their architect along when we tour options.  It can really help them understand the possibilities, especially if they lack that kind of creative vision.

    Read more about creating office space that encourages collaboration here.

  • Two Good Ideas: White & Case Edition

    Two Good Ideas: White & Case Edition

    While in NYC last week, I had the chance to tour White & Case’s new offices at 1221 Avenue of the Americas.  I am excited to share two good ideas that stood out to me, both of which stem from one of the design principles for their new office — wellness.  First: White & Case built a different twist on a fitness center.  Second: White & Case included a wellness center with a nurse practitioner on staff.

    The Fitness Center

    White & Case’s fitness center (“The Summit”) is unique because — unlike other NYC gyms, corporate or commercial — it is on a high-rise floor and features floor to ceiling windows with spectacular views.  The Summit is staffed with personal trainers and includes a group exercise area where employees can stream spinning or yoga videos to enjoy a class at any time.

    Eric Laignel Photography

    To ensure ease of use, White & Case provides his and hers exercise clothing to all gym-goers.  When done with a workout, employees shower and change, leaving their gym clothes behind for laundering.  No need to pack a bag as long as you leave sneakers in a locker.  Genius!  While other firms and companies offer their employees discounted or free gym memberships, if you have the scale to support it, there is definitely a convenience advantage to an on-site facility.

    The Wellness Center

    Because White & Case has over 800 employees in their New York office, they also included a wellness center with an in-house nurse practitioner in their offices.  COO Victor Nunez says that the facility is well-utilized because it saves employees travel and wait time while providing quick relief for everyday maladies.  It may also be a benefit to White & Case from a health insurance perspective.  While the wellness center concept is not entirely new, this is the first law firm of which I am aware that offers this benefit.

    Could either of these ideas pay off for your company?  As is often the case, it depends.  However, my team would be happy to help you think through it.

    If you are interested in learning more about White & Case’s fabulous new space, go here.

    For Two Good Ideas: DLA Piper Edition, go here.

  • When Is a Lease Not a Lease?

    When Is a Lease Not a Lease?

    Guest Blog by T. Michael Brown, Partner, Bradley

    Alabama Code § 35-4-6 (1975) states in part “Leases for more than 20 years shall be void for the excess over said period unless the lease or a memorandum thereof is acknowledged or approved as required by law in conveyances of real estate and recorded within one year after execution.”  Many real estate professionals have used this seemingly unambiguous statute as a basis for recording a lease or a memorandum of lease on leases with a term of at least twenty years.  A recent decision of the Alabama Supreme Court may change the recording practices of many with regard to subleases.

    On June 16, 2017, the Alabama Supreme Court reversed the decision of a Mobile Circuit Court Judge who had ruled that an unrecorded sublease was void at the end of the first twenty years.  Rochester-Mobile, LLC, and Salzman-Mobile, LLC v. C&S Wholesale Grocers, et al.

    The Alabama Supreme Court held that the sublease was not void due to the failure to record.  The Court based its holding on many of the rationales raised by the sublessor.  First, it concluded that the term “lease” in the statute does not include the term “sublease.”  The Court stated that while “a sublease is a species of lease, it has a distinct, refined legal meaning.  As an additional basis, the Court looked at multiple other statutes in the Alabama Code where the legislature used both “lease” and “sublease” and stated that to equate the two terms in § 35-4-6 would render the term “sublease” superfluous in all of the other statutes.  Finally, the Court examined the legislative intent of the statute for recording leases and determined that this purpose was not furthered by requiring the recording of subleases.  The Court also cited its desire to limit restrictions on the use of property as a reason for its narrow construction of the statute.

    While this case may surprise many real estate practitioners, it may well be the best practice to continue recording all leasehold interests of twenty years or more just to be safe.

    For those interested in the facts of the case, the details are as follows:

    The case involves a number of different entities and a number of different transactions over a series of years.  Beginning in July 1974, Multiple Properties, Ltd., entered into a ground lease with Casto Developers, a general partnership.  The ground lease was for a parcel in Mobile County, which ultimately became a shopping center.  The initial term of the ground lease was thirty-one years with five consecutive ten year renewal options.  The parties to that original ground lease agreement recorded it in 1974.  Bruno’s entered a transaction with the Casto Developers to obtain its interest in the ground lease, as the lessee.  In 1997, Bruno’s entered into a sale-leaseback with Rochester-Salzman.  Bruno’s assigned its interest in the lease to Rochester-Salzman.  Rochester-Salzman then subleased the premises back to Bruno’s.  The sublease was for twenty-five years with five additional five year renewal options.  In 2009, Bruno’s filed for bankruptcy protection.  Bruno’s rights and obligations under the sublease were assigned to Southern Family Markets as part of that bankruptcy.

    In 2015, Multiple Properties filed a declaratory judgment action seeking a determination as to whether Rochester-Salzman had timely exercised an option to renew the ground lease.  Rochester-Salzman brought claims against Southern Family Markets under the sublease alleging violations of that sublease.  Southern Family Markets counterclaimed seeking a declaration that the sublease terminated on the expiration of twenty years pursuant to § 35-4-6.  The trial court agreed determining that because the sublease had not been recorded within one year, it was void on June 25, 2017, twenty years after it was signed.

    The Supreme Court initiated its discussion of the issue by first asking whether § 35-4-6 applied to the sublease.  Southern Family Markets contended that a sublease is a lease and that § 35-4-6 applies to all leases.  Rochester Salzman made multiple arguments opposing the arguments that a sublease is a lease.  It argued that § 35-4-6 must be strictly construed as a restitution against the conveyance of property; it argues that a “lease” and a “sublease” are not synonymous; it argued that other statutes specifically use the words “lease” and “sublease” and that § 35-4-6 does not include “sublease”; and it argued that the content of the statute is not served by requiring a party to record a sublease.

  • A Green Mentality – Colorado’s Other Claim to Fame

    A Green Mentality – Colorado’s Other Claim to Fame

    It is no surprise that Colorado is “greener” than Alabama.  Alabama is a football powerhouse; Colorado is an environmental one.  Both states are probably equally proud of their monikers.  However, on a recent trip to Denver, I visited two different green co-working spaces to see if there were any environmental lessons that office markets like Alabama could learn from Colorado.

    My first stop was the Alliance for a Sustainable Colorado, a not-for-profit organization that owns a 40,000 square foot building built over 100 years ago in what is now the hip LoDo area of Denver.  In 2004, this building became the first historic building on Earth to earn LEED certifications (Gold for Existing Buildings and Silver for Commercial Interiors).   After further renovations three years ago, the building is now also LEED Platinum certified for Operating & Maintenance.

    The Alliance’s building houses its offices as well as co-working space for other non- and for-profit companies in the sustainability sector.  In order to create a space that would attract and retain tenant companies like BikeDenver, Conservation Colorado, and the Cottonwood Institute that are looking to “facilitate sustainability through collaboration”, the Alliance hired Gensler Architects for the renovation.  Gensler’s goal was to create an “open, healthy, flexible and light-filled space that would promote the cross-pollination of ideas while encouraging spontaneous interactions among tenants and visitors.”

    Some of the most striking features of the building are its lobby and adjacent boardroom.  Glass walls on the board room allow it to open up to the lobby area to accommodate 150-200 people if desired.  The lobby is home to Serendipity Coffee and includes a casual seating area that is well utilized by both tenants and the public.  Similarly, the boardroom can be booked for events by tenants and the public alike and hosts an average of 450 events per year.   Like the rest of the Alliance operations, the events spaces are not for profit because the Alliance wants them “to be a community asset”, according to Events Manager Dani Orth.

    Tenant spaces within the building include small private suites as well as pods of workstations, individual offices, and soft seating.  All of the Teknion office furniture in the space is provided by the Alliance to its tenants and is LEED certified.

    According to Christopher Bowyer, the Director of Building Operations, LEED requirements were considered from the initial design phase so the capital expenditure was lower than if LEED had been a late-stage afterthought.  This kept the LEED premiums to a minimum.  As a result, the Alliance spent $9M to renovate the building after taking into account $5M in tax credits.

    A couple miles away in the RiNo area of Denver sits GreenSpaces, a for-profit co-working space.  GreenSpaces occupies an older, single story 12,500 square foot building.  The building has 160 solar panels and uses LED lighting so almost 100% of the energy used by members is offset AND electricity costs are low.  They compost, recycle and incorporate biophilia (nature) throughout the space.  They even take this love of nature to the next level, as the building has roll-up doors that are kept up when the weather permits to allow fresh air throughout the space.

    All of the furnishings in GreenSpaces are 100% recycled and/or donated.  Individuals and companies interested in working from GreenSpaces can lease private offices, team pods, dedicated desks, or lounge space, or just opt for a clubhouse membership to drop in occasionally and work.  Dogs are welcome and the dress code is beyond casual (at least by Birmingham standards!)  There is no requirement that members’ businesses are in the green or eco-sector; however, buy-in to the green cause is encouraged.

    What can Birmingham and other cities learn from these two progressive Colorado examples?

    • There is a demand for more environmentally responsible environments. It can be met on a shoestring (“upcycling” and “repurposing” existing materials) or on a more generous budget (state of the art green materials).
    • LEED construction is most successful when LEED considerations are incorporated into initial plans from the beginning.
    • There is a demand for casual gathering and meeting spaces that do not require catering add-ons and these spaces can generate income for a property.
  • Gusto Denver: No Shoes Allowed

    Gusto Denver: No Shoes Allowed

    Since I returned from a recent trip to Denver, I have been telling everyone I meet about an amazing, high-energy workplace I visited there — the two-story headquarters of Gusto, an online payroll and benefits company.  Apparently, the ebullience of this work environment is intentional, as I learned when I did some background research on Gusto.  Their company mission statement states their belief that when businesses treat their employees like people, work becomes a source of energy rather than a fatigue.  With the help of IA Interior Architects, mission accomplished!

    According to the IA team, Gusto was founded in 2011 in founder Joshua Reeves’ parents’ San Francisco basement and the Gusto management wanted to reflect that scrappy origin in a space with a slightly more professional polish.

    The Back Story

    Gusto selected a 30,000 square foot space in a former shopping mall on 16th street in downtown Denver.  Because the space had been retail, it was not move-in ready for office occupancy.  (In fact, the escalators are still in place, although their days may be numbered.)  As Gusto is a growing company, they did not want to spend all of their capital building out expensive space so the mandate for the architectural team was to be creative with existing finishes and fixtures.

    Creative Cost Control

    IA kept the budget low through some creative solutions to the problems that arise in second generation space.  In order to avoid using core drilling to bring power to work stations, they built half-height (“pony”) walls at existing power sources and ran the power out from those.  They reused light fixtures and exterior wall finishes.  They removed walls and dropped ceilings to take advantage of skylights and bring as much light as possible into the space.  Finally, they used inexpensive solutions like graphics and paint to reflect the company culture.  For example, on one wall, there is a giant map of Denver where employees can pin or post notes identifying good restaurants, hiking trails, shopping, etc.  Together, these creative approaches helped bring the total build-out cost in under budget.

    Open Plan

    In addition to the direction on budget, Gusto asked that the space be completely open plan.  Consequently, no one has an office, although there are booths, phone rooms, and huddle rooms for teaming or quiet work.  And – perhaps my favorite thing about Gusto – they have a shoeless culture.  Yep.  No shoes.  Socks? Sure.  Slippers?  Fine.  Shoes?  Not a chance.  As a result, when you walk into their lobby, you see a wall of cubbies where employees and visitors alike leave their shoes before entering the office.

    The Results

    As a real estate advisor, I don’t know the psychology behind it, but this facet of Gusto’s culture has an immeasurably large effect on the energy level in their space.  Maybe it’s hard to be in a slump when you are surrounded by people in unicorn slippers or pink argyle socks.  That’s my theory.  Regardless, I walked into their kitchen area at about 9 am and was surrounded by a crowd of people chatting and making their breakfasts.

    This congenial vibe continued outside of the kitchen into the space. There was a soft undercurrent of chatter and laughter and likely, as a result, collaboration, throughout the office.  The space includes bike storage, foosball, soft seating and yoga mats so employees can take whatever kind of mental break restores their productivity. None of these amenities is expensive yet all of them contribute greatly to employee health and happiness.

    My takeaway from my Gusto visit: you can build great space anywhere and you can do it on a budget.  This means you can lease an ultra-hip historic building in the urban core or a rundown former mall in suburbia and make it great.  (Some great examples here and here and here.)  Great space just has to reflect and promote a great company culture.  And a good architect/broker/client team can make that happen.

     

  • Biophilia? It’s a Good Thing – Ask Lendlease!

    Biophilia? It’s a Good Thing – Ask Lendlease!

    “Biophilia” sounds like something one would want to avoid in the workplace, right?  Despite the unsettling moniker, that couldn’t be further from the truth.  Australian property development company Lendlease recently leased a floor at 1201 Demonbreun (the coolest new building in Nashville) and Hastings Architecture incorporated biophilia into Lendlease’s workspace to great success.  I had the pleasure of touring the space on a recent trip to Nashville.

    What is biophilia?  It is a school of thought that suggests there is an instinctive bond between human beings and nature.  Proponents therefore encourage the incorporation of plant life into office space to assist workers with psychological restoration.  Studies have confirmed that utilizing design elements that encourage a direct connection with nature can help employees mentally recover and maintain positive well-being.[1]  In addition, biophilia is a requirement for certification as a WELL building space under the International Well Building Institute program, a certification that Lendlease is currently in the process of obtaining.  When Lendlease completes this process, they will occupy the first WELL building space in Tennessee.

     

    Lendlease Living WallAt Lendlease, biophilia begins in the elevator lobby with a large living wall.  Then, as you turn and enter into Lendlease’s reception area, there is another living wall; this abundance of plants continues throughout the space.

    Additional warmth is brought into the Lendlease reception area with the use of reclaimed wood on the walls and wool rugs on the concrete floors.   This reception area is delineated from the main work areas by a half height wall topped with re-bar lattice so that the entire space feels open and airy.

    Phone Booth

    Within the work areas, Lendlease uses a completely open benching plan.  Per Claire Johnston, Managing Director of the Nashville Lendlease office, “There are no private offices in our new space; everyone works at team tables and can choose a space based on what their day entails… if you have focused work to do, you can move to a focus area or garden. If you have a private phone call to take, we have phone booths. We have enclosed and open spaces for team meetings of all sizes… We want our employees to feel comfortable and for everyone to get up and move throughout the space during the day. It’s physically and mentally healthier for all of us.”

    The Den

    Although employees may camp out at one desk for a day or two, they are encouraged to move around and work with different people if they appear to be settling in.  Overall, Johnston says that the open free-address plan has been well received by employees.  Why?  They recognize that it allows them to be more engaged and work more collaboratively.  This sentiment was echoed by Lendlease’s receptionist who told me enthusiastically, “We LOVE it here!”

    The Social Hub

    “Everyone has adapted to the space beautifully and everyone is finding new and better ways to work every day – whether that be utilizing the stand-up desks, working in areas like the Den, the Social Hub, or taking walking meetings outside. We couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome and are very proud to call this office ‘home’,” say Johnston.

    Whether your office design budget is big or small, I encourage you to consider incorporating biophilia into your workspace.

    [1] Human Spaces: The Global Impact of Biophilic Design in the Workplace, Interface, Professor Sir Cary Cooper and Bill Browning.

  • Why I Love the New 1201 Demonbreun Building in Nashville

    Why I Love the New 1201 Demonbreun Building in Nashville

    While in Nashville in January, I imposed on Eakin Partners’ President, Barry Smith, for a tour of his company’s brand new building, 1201 Demonbreun, and I was blown away.  Opened on October 27, 2016, the 285,000 square foot tower consists of office, retail and restaurant spaces.  After my tour, I also imposed on David Bailey of Hastings Architecture, whose team designed the building, to gain an understanding of the strategy behind the design of the building as well as many of the tenant spaces.

    Extensive thought went into the building’s design, starting with curb appeal and views.  The office building was master-planned along with the condominiums next door to maximize both buildings’ views of the sunset and downtown and the facades of each building were designed to complement each other.  Mullions on the front of the office building facing the street were designed with a horizontal theme while the mullions on the side facing the condominium were designed with a vertical theme to mirror the condominium’s glass and mullions.  The condominium building was built on the quieter side of the block while the office building was built with greater visibility to the interstate so that building signage could be optimized.

    The building (1201 Demonbreun) is 15 stories tall and consists of a large base structure with office, retail and five levels of parking as well as a high-rise office structure that provides ten stories of 26,000 square foot office floorplates on top of the base structure.  The office floorplate size of 210’ by 120’ was chosen because it optimizes a five-foot window mullion and offers the thirty-foot bays that are favored by today’s interior planners.

    Because the architects and developers wanted the building to be attractive from the street front, the parking deck is wrapped on two sides with office space featuring the same glass walls as the balance of the building.  The demands of the parking deck design necessitated that this office space would be 20’ from slab to slab.  This ceiling height would allow the second-floor tenant, Brasfield & Gorrie (also the building’s general contractor) to design double height ceilings and include a mezzanine level of workspace.

    There is a large green roof and terrace atop the parking/base structure on the side of the base building that does not rise into the office tower.  This roof deck acts as both an entertainment space for tenants and a destination for building employees year-round.  Wired for sound systems for outdoor music events, it features covered space, a built-in bar and a fire pit.  Right inside the building, there is a catering kitchen that services events on the deck.

    The building has a LEED silver designation as it reflects a truly integrated approach to sustainable design.  As an example, the green roof/deck area captures rain water for irrigation.  This benefits the municipal storm water systems.  During drier weather, irrigation for the green roof comes from excess condensate water from building systems.  High performance window glazing addresses both heat gain and insulation.

    The main building lobby includes double height walls lined with white Carrera marble and wood millwork for warmth.  A ceiling sculpture was commissioned to create movement and reflection and add dimension to the lobby.

    The building’s owners wanted to offer a fitness amenity to the tenants but did not want to run a fitness center, so they instead offered rent incentives to Shed Fitness to locate in the building.  The amenity has been well-received.

    In coming posts, I will share details of the stunning tenant build-outs in the building including William Morris Entertainment, Lendlease, Sony Music and Brasfield & Gorrie.  Please subscribe to my website to be notified when they are published!

  • How Long Does It Really Take to Build Out New Office Space?

    How Long Does It Really Take to Build Out New Office Space?

    Much has been written about how far in advance of a current expiration one should start looking for a new office space in order to ensure sufficient time to relocate.  This timeline is dictated in large part by how long it takes to build new offices.  That, in turn, is heavily dependent on the city in which the office is to be located.

    When I am working with a client who is looking for a new office location, one of my first tasks is to establish reasonable expectations as to how long the build out process really takes. I spoke with Birmingham architect, Stephen Allen with Williams Blackstock, and local furniture representative, Richie Hamer with Business Interiors, to get a better understanding of the different components of a build out and how much time each takes.

    DESIGN

    The first step in any build out is design.  Architects complete a process called “programming” to understand how a client’s office works and to determine how many offices, conference rooms, workstations, etc. the client requires and whether there are any adjacency requirements.  The architects then take the program they have developed and design a layout and select finishes.  Once a client has reviewed and tweaked these documents to their liking, the architect develops construction drawings that will be sent for permit and will guide the contractor building the space.

    The design process timeline typically breaks down like this:

    1. Programming – a minimum of 3 weeks (time mostly needed for review/discussion)
    2. Design and Construction Documents – 2-3 months

    While the design process can be condensed, it is usually at the cost of the design itself.  If you are making the effort and spending the money to relocate, it is worthwhile to budget sufficient time to get the design right.

    FURNITURE

    When relocating an office, the client will often elect not to bring its existing furniture to the new space either for aesthetic or fit reasons.  If this is the case, a furniture vendor should be brought in during the design phase.  As stated by Hamer, “all furniture has integrated technology built in these days … and that furniture relies on the building’s power source along with data access to be in very specific locations.”

    Cooperation between the architect and the furniture vendor ensures that the furniture fits the space and that power and tele-data cabling extend to each seat in the office.  This also reduces the likelihood of expensive and delaying change orders on the back end.  Upon completion of the design, the furniture order is placed to ensure delivery concurrent with completion of construction.  Furniture delivery can take between two and five months depending on a specific line’s availability.

    PRICING AND PERMITTING

    After construction documents are completed, they are sent concurrently for pricing by general contractors and permitting by the municipality.  While this timeline varies significantly based on the municipality, four to six weeks is a good base assumption.

    CONSTRUCTION

    Once permits are pulled and a general contractor is selected, construction begins.  Depending on the size and complexity of the job, it can take as little as two months (for a small vanilla office of ~5,000 square feet) to four months (for a more detailed 15,000 square foot project) to six plus months for a complex multi-floor build-out with unique finishes.

    FIXTURIZATION

    Finally, when construction is completed, most tenants require 2-3 weeks for fixturization, i.e. the installation of all furniture and cabling in the space.

    THE WHOLE SHEBANG

    Adding all of these time periods together, from commencement of design to completion of furniture install should take between six months for a small simple space and twelve months for a large complex project.  Allotting sufficient time for design and construction will ensure that you get the impact and functionality out of your investment in new space.  My message to you is to error on the side of slack in your schedule, and to make sure you incorporate the design and construction schedule in your lease.