When we take people on a tour of Perkins+Will’s new office space at 1315 Peachtree Street, we love showing them features like our solar shades that manage the penetration of the sun to reduce interior heat and our rainwater harvesting system that re-circulates graywater into low-flow toilets. In addition to working in the space, we wanted our offices to be a living lab and serve as an educational tool for our clients.
One of the features of our space is that we have more than 220 workstations, with only eight offices, two on each of the four floors we occupy. These are largely for Senior Leadership who hold frequent conference calls, meetings, and personnel concerns. When unoccupied, they serve as additional conference/meeting spaces.
One of our mobile pedestals, a seat integrated with a rolling filing cabinet, gives our associates flexibility to work on different projects.
When we suggest a shift from offices to workstations to our clients, there is often a concern of reduced space and privacy. But when we are able to shift their focus to the enhancements they can enjoy with a redesigned space primarily based on an open environment, they ultimately love the new space and its enhancements.
We create larger more communal areas for the employee break room or cafe which provides a more enjoyable environment. People are more likely to stay and eat with their co-workers, fostering good social and working relationships. We create larger/more meeting areas and collaborative workspaces throughout so people can work together more easily as appropriate to their workstyles.
Our space has been very successful for the sustainable design and for the collaborative environment we have been able to create. Not only is good design good business it’s these solutions that every employee can get excited about.
– Joyce Fownes, Interior Design Leader, Perkins+Will
