CRAIN’S MARKET ON THE INSIDE INNOVATIVE OFFICE SPACE S2 BUILDING THE BEST TEAM FOR YOUR COMMERCIAL VENTURE S4 A Special Advertising Supplement to Crain’s New York Business INNOVATIVE OFFICE SPACE CHAMPIONS ‘ACTIVITY-BASED WORKING’ Christopher Hosford By Special Advertising Section N ew York companies increasingly are moving away from office spaces featuring cubicles and perimeter offices, and adopting unconventional layouts, residential-type furniture and wide-open interior spaces. These are moves toward what is known as “activitybased working,” creating offices that promote employee comfort along with enhanced productivity. There’s another side effect: These changes can produce office interiors that are simply spectacular to see and work in. A prime example is the new office of Gerson Lehrman Group (GLG), at 60 E. 42nd St. (One Grand Central Place, the former Lincoln Building), designed by San Francisco-based Clive Wilkinson Architects. The consultancy moved in June from traditional offices on 3rd Avenue in Turtle Bay, and was determined to create interiors in its new 65,000-square-foot space that worked as impressively for visiting clients as for employees. The lobby, a vast two-story atrium with a skylight, is dominated by a central staircase and flanked by open workspaces, couches, easy chairs and cozy, glass-enclosed collaboration rooms. An open coffee bar is off the atrium, complete with a professional barista who serves employees their favorite coffee concoctions while they work on laptops at the bar or on nearby couches. Employees have no assigned seating and work within a concept known as “hoteling”—that is, their workspace of choice lacks personal items; the things they bring to work are stored in assigned lockers. If employees need privacy for personal matters, they can retreat to enclosed “phone booths.” “It completely deconstructs the typical idea of an office,” says Richard Socarides, GLG spokesperson. “We wanted a very modern space which sends a message to both our employees and visitors, that this is a place of innovation, and that something new and big is happening here,” he says. A DIFFERENT WORK ARRANGEMENT Another representative office is the headquarters of ad agency Horizon Media, at 75 Varick St., designed by architecture firm A+I Design. A first phase was completed in mid-2010, with more phases to come. The 150,000-square-foot space, across three floors, features collaboration areas with couches and tables arranged against tall windows. These are separated from the interior work space by wide corridors lined with cushioned benches for ad hoc teamwork. Conference rooms and executive offices are set against the central core. Similar to the GLG space, Horizon’s office is dominated by a grand staircase that cascades in a straight line through all three floors. It leads down to The Dunes, an open public space with terraced, cushioned seating where employees can gather to collaborate or relax. A compelling feature of Horizon’s office is a massive open terrace on the building’s 14th floor, an amenity one would expect in a luxury penthouse apartment. “The search for office space and decisions about design aren’t all quantitative,” says Bradley Zizmor, an A+I principal. “There are more basic questions, such as, ‘What does it mean to come to work?’ and ‘Where are you most productive?’ It opens up the reality that humans are more creative when they work in a variety of situations and areas.” A+I worked closely with office furniture company Steelcase Corp. to customize Horizon’s modular furniture, cabinets and storage units. “The essence of activity-based working is about taking your workplace and really making it a destination,” says Vanessa Bradley, Steelcase advanced applications manager and interior designer. “Ideally, it can become a hub, a magnet that helps employees want to work there,” she says. “We believe you can drive engagement by creating a variety of spaces for employees to choose from, and then giving them the power to choose.” REACHING FULLEST POTENTIAL Microsoft Corp.’s new offices at 11 Times Square include 205,000 square feet across six floors. Designed by architecture firm Gensler and newly opened in February, the space has no private offices and no assigned spaces. Microsoft’s “work anywhere” concept extends to tables and chairs near the windows, various long tables, multiple banquettes with smaller tables and private single-user “pods” that block out sight and sound for greater privacy. As at Horizon Media, there is a large, wrap-around open terrace available for employees to work en plein air. “Senior leadership wanted spontaneous collaboration, not planned collaboration,” says Keith J. Milone, Microsoft real estate portfolio manager. “We think it’s an environment that enables workers to reach their fullest potential.” S2 We congratulate our client on breaking ground for Trinity Academic Center a $40 million, 80,000-square foot, LEED certified building on Trinity Washington University’s campus that will feature state-of-the-art science and health labs and classrooms Want more info on our done deals? Scan the QR Code with your smart phone. Special Advertising Section Assembling g the right g team to smooth your office ffi move By Christopher Hosford It’s time to move your office from one building to another. Do you have the right team in place? It’s not an idle question. The move of any office, particularly a large one, requires the close cooperation of a whole raft of experts, both inhouse and outside the firm. Ensuring that everyone critical to the operation is on board, and that they collaborate fully and effectively, can mean the difference between a successful move that facilitates future productivity gains … and disaster. “You can’t work in a vacuum,” says Francine Smith, an interior designer at Hunt Woods Manor Design Group, in Mount Vernon, N.Y., who specializes in commercial real estate space. “It’s best if the client can identify subject-matter experts for each department or need. You don’t want to find out too late that IT needs a 10-by-10 room for wiring that wasn’t planned for. And some departments might not even exist yet, depending on how long the company will be in its new space. You want to be flexible and plan for growth.” S4 The lineup of team members can be long and inclusive. For example, the team facilitating Gerson Lehrman Group’s (GLG) June move into its new office space at 60 E. 42nd St. included the following: acoustics consultant, audiovisual consultant, architect, budget analyst, building occupancy permit expediter, food service consultant, general contractor, graphic designer, lighting consultant, mechanical engineer, move specialist, office designer, project manager and structural engineer. Information technology was represented in the person of Dennis O’Brien, vice president of IT and office operations. “Of course, you start with a real estate broker (continued on page S6) ©2014 City National Bank “My financial needs are complex, I trust the professionals at City National.” Bob Lieber Executive Managing Director Island Capital Group Visit cnb.com/TrustCNB to hear other City National clients. Call (917) 322-5245 to find a Wealth Management advisor near you. City National Wealth Management CNB MEMBER FDIC Special Advertising Section (in GLG’s case, that was CBRE Group Inc.) who knows the client and its positioning, where employees and clients are coming from and their ease of travel, and more,” O’Brien says. He also cites the value of a project management firm (here, Gardiner & Theobald), in particular in negotiating the price of materials, among other myriad duties. “Having the IT person on point at the facility is important,” O’Brien says, speaking of his own role. “The real key to combatting snafus is to be on site constantly,” he says. “That way, I was able to hear the daily chatter and make decisions ASAP, when needed.” GOING BEYOND SPACE SEARCH The role of the broker goes beyond a search for available space; ideally, he or she would understand the different “personalities” of building management and how best to negotiate with them. Brokers can bring some specialized knowledge as well. “Typically, if a client has a question on the financial end, one of our MBAs will look at the profit and loss, cash flow, capital expenses and how the lease will be viewed over 10 or 15 years,” says Joe Cabrera, eastern regional vice chairman at Colliers International. In searching for likely new office locales, Cabrera says his team often does a “commutation analysis,” studying where current employees live. “If you have 500 people who have always worked in midtown, for example, we’ll do an analysis of who goes into Penn Station versus Grand Central, to narrow down the new location possibilities,” Cabrera says. “And if that midtown organization wants to move up near Columbus Circle, they better be prepared for employees having to endure an extra half hour to 45 minutes of commuting time, and the resulting loss of productivity.” S6 Brendan Rafferty, facilities director with 3-D printer manufacturer MakerBot Industries, has become accustomed to moving office spaces: Within the last year, he’s helped the fast-growing Brooklyn-based company open three retail spaces, two new offices and several additions to its factory, in addition to managing kiosks at various Home Depot stores. “The facilities director can quarterback the entire move,” Rafferty says. “Once you find the location, you work with the landlord to draw the lease, make sure legal reviews it and determine that finance thinks the costs are doable. You make sure the security deposit is taken care of, that the insurance policy is set for the new space and that you have enough work stations and power to support them. I’ll make sure everyone is moved safely and quickly, hire a cleaning company and follow up if anything is broken. “It’s a fun job to have,” Rafferty says, not even stopping to catch his breath. “I’m really enjoying myself.” &UDLQ·VRQWKH0DUNHW is published by &UDLQ·V&XVWRP&RQQHFWLRQV6WXGLR )RUPRUHLQIRUPDWLRQSOHDVHFRQWDFW 7ULVK+HQU\DWRU WKHQU\#FUDLQVQHZ\RUNFRP TWO MONTHS FREE* BY MENTIONING THIS AD Expires 12/31/14 28 West 44th Street 125 Park Avenue 3 Columbus Circle /ÕÀiÞÕÝÕÀÞ> >ÌÌ>"vwVi-«>ViÃvÀ,iÌt Fully Furnished • Fully Wired • Fully Serviced New York City is the place to be for your innovative, growing, ahead-of-the-curve business. 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