MMM Atlanta Case Study.indd

Morris, Manning & Martin, LLC
Atlanta, GA
“
Cavara is the best product we saw
on the market. And Nucraft never
missed a deadline. They were a
”
PROJECT SCOPE:
Large, full-service law firm renovating it’s Atlanta offices
PROJECT SIZE:
6 Floors, 124 private offices for partners and associates
shining star in customer service.
DESIGN FIRM:
Ward Bondurant
Atlanta, GA
Partner, Morris, Manning & Martin, a full service law firm offering
market-leading legal services with national and international reach
Gensler
DEALER:
Office Creations
Suwanee, GA
NUCRAFT PRODUCT:
Cavara reconfigurable casegoods
Morris, Manning & Martin Case Study | 1
Doing Things a Little Differently
New Life, New Look
“We tend to be a little out of the norm,” says Ward
Bondurant, partner in the Atlanta-based law firm
Morris Manning & Martin (MM&M). Founded in 1976,
MM&M is a young firm in the area. “When we moved in
1986, we didn’t go downtown, we moved to the Atlanta
Financial Center in Buckhead,” the hip and vibrant
Atlanta neighborhood.
With those issues in mind, MM&M was seeking a
comprehensive design that fits their footprint and
expresses a consistent, coherent visual message on all
floors.
“It showed we weren’t in the traditional law-firm mold.
We’re willing to do things a little differently.”
MM&M applied that philosophy last year when it
came time to renovate their office space in the Financial
Center. Over the years, the firm expanded floor by floor,
and each of the six floors had its own interior style.
Likewise, furniture was acquired in stages. “It was a
mish-mash from the ’80s, ’90s, and 2000s,” Bondurant
says.
A major challenge was the Financial Center itself. “It’s
an unusual building,” says MM&M partner Brian Butler.
“There are not many right angles. When it comes to furniture, it’s like trying to fit square pegs into trapezoidal
holes.”
“We wanted to bring new life to the offices and be a
place where everyone is excited to come,” Bondurant
says. “We wanted a place that positions us for the next
20 years—not the last 20 years.”
While being fresh and contemporary was a priority,
“We’re still a law firm,” Butler says. “We’re less steel
and glass and more wood and leather.”
Fruitful Partnership
To help facilitate this major change, MM&M chose
Atlanta dealer Office Creations (OC). “They helped us
assess our situation and figure out how to best use the
space,” Butler says.
Office Creations also helped MM&M choose the
furniture vendor. Says OC design director Holly Lybeer,
“We internally bid four manufacturers, and after
months of specs, drawings, pricing, and renderings,
we narrowed it down to Nucraft’s Cavara casegoods.”
“We all worked very well together,” says Laura
Rosen of RS Reps representing Nucraft in Atlanta.
“MM&M was closely involved every step of the way.
Their ability to articulate their needs really helped
them end up with the solution they wanted.”
The project totaled 124 offices for partners and
associates on six floors. Three floors were installed
in October, 2012; the remaining floors February 25
through March 15, 2013.
Partners sit in U-shaped configurations, and associates
T-shaped, with various components and accessories to
meet different work process needs.
Morris, Manning & Martin Case Study | 2
Why Cavara?
“Cavara was the winner because of the look and all the
extras,” Lybeer says. “With its clean, contemporary
design, Cavara complements the renovated space
without being overwhelming. The fit and finish are far
superior to other manufacturers.”
“Cavara is the best product we saw on the market,”
Bondurant says. “People in this firm have strong feelings
about quality, and we wanted no shoddy workmanship.
We rejected the others for that reason.”
“Cavara is a nod back to the richness of traditional
wood,” he says. “Lawyers equate dark wood with quality,
and Nucraft worked with us to achieve the right balance.”
He adds, “We try to be good stewards of firm’s money.
Nucraft achieved the right value point for us. Cavara
wound up very competitive on price with better quality.”
Cavara is flexible and reconfigurable, which lets it easily
handle the different floor plans in the Financial Center.
“Only about half the offices fit the standard footprint,”
Butler says. “Nucraft and OC helped us develop multiple
typicals for the different sizes and shapes without
deviating too far from standards.”
Partners’ offices have low credenzas, which enable
layered surfaces that separate primary and secondary
work areas and have a lighter, more contemporary look.
Customized and Individualized
“A lot of the furniture is custom Cavara,” Bondurant
says. “Nucraft was always willing to work with us to
come up with solutions.”
A focus of customization was wire management for
partners. For MM&M, the back of the open-shelf
credenza is open and aligns with wall outlets for easy
access to power and data.
In the back of bookcases, a custom cutout lets wires
pass through to route power and data.
Storage addresses unique law-firm needs. One-inch-thick
Another custom feature is larger-sized partner desks.
shelves and deep overheads are designed for redwell
expandable files, heavy law books, and binders. Drawer Nucraft added 1/8-inch of thickness to surfaces to
provide extra support.
slides are heavy duty, as are box/file drawer boxes.
Drawers also offer side-to-side or front-to-back filing.
While MM&M wanted a more uniform look and
function, they didn’t want to force anyone into any
Features like soft-close doors and drawers, power
drawers with built-in outlets, and closed-door overheads one solution. “Cavara is perfect because it’s flexible
and reconfigurable to accommodate each individual,”
appealed to MM&M as well.
Butler says.
“
With its clean, contemporary design,
Cavara complements the renovated
space without being overwhelming.
The fit and finish are far superior to
other manufacturers
Holly Lybeer
”
Design Director, Office Creations
Morris, Manning & Martin Case Study | 3
“Early reconfiguration was needed in a few
situations,” Bondurant says. For example, a partner’s
U-shaped layout was the mirror image of what he
needed. Since Cavara components are modular and
non-handed, “Nucraft came in right away, flipped it
around, and put it back together in no time, and that
partner is now happy as a clam.”
“
We try to be good stewards
of the firm’s money. Nucraft
achieved the right value point
for us. Cavara wound up very
competitive on price with
better quality
Ward Bondurant
”
Partner, Morris, Manning & Martin
Great Reviews
Smooth Move
This was an in-place move, Bondurant says. In six stages,
people moved to another floor while their furniture was
being installed, so it was critical that deadlines be met to
minimize disruption.
“Nucraft never missed a deadline,” he says. “They
performed as promised. Nucraft was a shining star in
customer service.”
“And quite honestly,” Butler says, “we made a lot of
revisions and were beyond our deadlines on more than
one order, and Nucraft still delivered on time. Nucraft
was very patient with us, and they are easy to work with.”
Morris, Manning & Martin Case Study | 4
“They couldn’t be more happy with the products,” OC’s
Lybeer says. “We are constantly getting feedback from
MM&M saying that the performance and aesthetic are
beyond what they expected.”
“We’re hearing only good things,” Bondurant says. “It
fits well, it meets everyone’s needs, it’s very functional.”
Looking ahead, he says about 50 offices are yet to have
Cavara installed. “And I’m 100 percent certain that in
the next few years, they will be furnished with Cavara as
well.”
For more information about Nucraft & to view our full
product offerings, visit nucraft.com

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