Renovation encourages collaboration in a new modern office space

Wanting to update an enclosed and aging building, a Fortune 500 Technology Company looked to REES to help consolidate part of its sales team onto a single floor. Using repurposed furniture and knocking down several walls, REES retrofitted an outdated and confined workspace to modernize the space, accommodate different workstyles and encourage collaboration.

Promoting hybrid workstyles

Championing a hybrid workplace model, the technology company wanted to promote a flexible work environment to empower employees to choose to work in a setting best suited to them.

Carefully curated furniture nooks, soundproof focus pods and private conference rooms accommodate a variety of unconventional workstyles including independent work, one-on-one meetings, small group collaborations. The furniture layout in the open office space was refit to accommodate both assigned workstations and collaborative touchdown areas. Dispersed along the periphery of the assigned workstations are noise-cancelling focus pods providing employees a place for private conversations and phone calls.

The employee lounge and breakroom offer a modern space conducive to both private conversations and informal group gatherings. High-backed booths outfitted with textured fabric and acoustic baffling lights foster an environment for private conversation within the open common area. Additionally, live greenery and a perforated metal shroud wraps around the booths creating a sense of defined privacy between the informal lounge area and the more formal independent workstations.

Establishing cohesion in a vast space

Ornamental light fixtures, patterned carpet and natural wood elements all work to create a subtle sense of cohesion within the vast and open office. Continuous linear lighting not only illuminates the space but also creates a pathway subconsciously guiding employees and visitors navigating the open space. Subtle changes in the carpet’s pattern and color help distinguish the different work areas. From conference tables to framing focus rooms, warm natural woods are featured throughout the space creating a sense of continuity and cohesion.

Creating the illusion of depth

To open the space, walls were knocked out and glass was added to doors to make the office feel larger and more welcoming. Limited by existing building conditions, the design team opted to paint the exposed ceiling and ductwork black to create the illusion of higher ceilings. The shadow patterns created from the backlit perforated ceiling element and metal shroud also work to create a sense of greater expanse and depth on the floors. To both modernize and break up the monotony of the vast space, vibrant pops of oranges and reds are sprinkled throughout the office drawing the eye near and far.