Office design: You don't have to know the future to go there

Office design: You don't have to know the future to go there

By ANDREA VANECKO
Callison Architecture

If you're like many of the companies we work with, you know your office needs to change - you just can't see exactly how. Or how much, or when, or to what.

As much as companies spend on facilities, wouldn't it make sense if space could be test driven? That's why we have changed the traditional pre-design process.

Callison opened Future@Work in June 1997 in the Columbia Seafirst Tower as an exhibit and laboratory space dedicated to exploring new ideas in the workplace environment. As a result of research, the firm has refined a pre-design and testing process that helps companies envision what changes will work best for them as well as a method to communicate change. The findings are part of Callison's workplace consulting services, which focus on the workplace as a tool for achieving business goals.

Think of it as corporate psychotherapy: you have the information, we have the tools to extract and interpret it.

A new pre-programming phase called "Discovery" takes clients through a series of comparisons which measure collected data and design concepts against experiential exercises; it's a focusing process that continues until a vision is absolutely clear.

Think of it as corporate psychotherapy: you have the information, we have the tools to extract and interpret it. Together, we work toward resolution. This is a process that leads a company on a self-discovery tour to learn more about what workplace solutions will best improve its health.

Unlike traditional programming, the questions do not hinge on how to simply design things differently from what they are today. They seek to open minds: What is best, and how can we get there? It is from self-examination that a distinct strategy for making real improvements emerges.

One of the most powerful tools for unearthing new information is the Future@Work lab. Used during work sessions to interview users and introduce new ideas, discussion in this space provides two benefits: first, because it offers neutral ground away from work distractions, people provide thoughtful and less guarded feedback; second, Future@Work provides real examples of new approaches to the workplace. The ability to experience the ideas first-hand - to touch, see, feel and question the concepts - gives people a better understanding of what might or might not apply to their situation.

Another important piece is to test the "answers"' With information gathered during the discovery phase, pilot projects can be implemented that "beta test" solutions, giving companies the ability to make adjustments before committing dollars to hard space.

Callison is using this process to help companies use real estate as a strategic tool. Clients include Boeing, Hewlett Packard, Nextlink, Sun Microsystems, REI and the Casey Family Program.

Using experiential discovery and testing results in a broader understanding of the possibilities and which of them are appropriate to a company's culture and work styles. The result? More effective design that increases the speed at which a company's space supports changing business goals.

Andrea Vanecko is a principal and director of interior design with Callison Architecture, Inc.

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