The interior of this office was designed to foster collaboration and to showcase the client’s innovative technology. The space was separated into two areas: the executive offices and the software design open workstation area. The manner in which the executive and software designers function is quite different, but the design creates an integrated team environment. Bridging these two areas is a large social café and lounge space. During the discovery phase, the design team identified the Café + Lounge as a critical element to the project, it is a place for the entire team to collaborate, communicate, socialize, and relax.
The entry to the office is a blue stained pine (pine beetle wood) surround with the client’s logo front and center. Directly opposite is a collage seamlessly applied to the wall complete with the client’s corporate message. Strips of blue stained pine frame reception and seating areas that continues curving up the wall and onto the ceiling, creating texture and contrast.
A curving white terrazzo floor leads people to the Café + Lounge beyond the reception to the spectacular waterfront view. The criteria for the Café + Lounge were for it to have the comfort of a home and function like a high tech studio. Three LCD panels are flush mounted within the column cladding, fully integrated and can be accessed from multiple locations within the Café + Lounge. The custom table supported by the column houses a touch screen computer which is a place to test new capabilities, demonstrate software to clients and most importantly, play games. A variety of seating spaces in this area create the perfect environment for meetings and social gatherings.
Beyond the lounge, the boardroom is visually linked to the heart of the office through its frameless glass face. The boardroom table is wired and a touch panel screen transforms the room from meetings, to video conferencing and presentations at the press of a button.
The executive office area is faced with a glass and aluminum wall system and sliding doors creating an open and approachable environment. The walnut and metal desks have clean modern lines and can be moved into a number of configurations to suit a variety of occupants. The software design area is adjacent to the Café + Lounge, accessible through an archway and bordered with a custom marble planter. Low panel workstations with customizable graphic panels offer clear waterfront views.
The office is modern in form and colour with a combination of natural and hi-tech materials providing interest and excitement throughout the space, described by one team member as “when I walked in, it felt like a breath of fresh air”.
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Is there such a thing as being too comfortable at work? Some employers worry about too much fun and relaxation in the workplace. They worry that incorporating games rooms, gyms, cozy couches and the like will lower productivity or send a message that this isn’t a ‘serious’ business.
Release those concerns if you have them. This hasn’t been our experience. In fact, the opposite is true. Giving employees a chance to blow off steam, socialize, and incorporate healthy breaks into their day is far more likely to increase productivity, creativity and staff retention. It could also be a strong hiring advantage when the employee market is tight.
The culture of your workplace and your brand itself is influenced profoundly by how the management team views ‘fun’ (i.e. ‘okay, but only in small doses’, or ‘where’s the party?!’ or ‘fun is just a normal part of our everyday life’).
If you would say that ‘innovation’ or ‘balance’ or ‘creativity’ are important brand values for your company, ask yourself if those are truly a part of your employee experience today.
Here are some thoughts for you to consider:
• Think of your workplace as a community. Then ask yourself: how can I make this community function in the most healthy, productive way?
• We advise: allow for fun. People are social beings. Productivity is not best delivered in a regimented environment.
• Create spaces that encourage informal discussions and interaction. Really. Some genius business ideas occur over a latte.
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Six years ago we re-envisioned our own workspace when we moved here to our digs here at 1111 Melville Street. A move to a new location is a chance to reinvent and refresh, and we wanted to fully embrace that. Now that our space is lived in, we thought we would reflect on what we set out to achieve with the space, and how it’s working out for us.
In a creative business like ours, people are everything. The designers we hire are not just the heart and soul of the business. They are the business. So we had the challenge of devising a space to serve these highly creative and innovative people. A place where they can find both calm and intellectual stimulation. A place where there are wide-open spaces for storyboarding and brainstorming, and where there’s a logical workflow throughout. We wanted to instantly convey who we are and what we do to anyone that first entered our office.
Here are a few of the design elements that really make the space work for us:
• The space communicates who we are. For example, there are multiple layers of glass with inspirational messages that lead to the peaceful exterior vista
• There is not one enclosed office in the entire space. All members of the design team are located in open workstations. We wanted to promote communication and teamwork.
• Multiple meeting rooms and breakout areas allow for privacy in project meetings
• Major millwork units are mobile and easily relocated. This allows us to use our space in many ways and gives us tons of space for our Annual Soiree.
• To reduce our environmental footprint, we made use of custom cabinetry from the previous tenant. With some re-configuring and refinishing this storage now suits our specific needs. Minimal walls were constructed and only to enclose meeting rooms.
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