Key Dates
Image Credit : Chris Cooper
Project Commissioner
Project Creator
Project Overview
Bringing together teams takes connections, and Informa’s new workplace bridges groups to enable seamless dialogue and smarter collaboration. Informa is a global leader in business intelligence, academic publishing, knowledge and events. With so many different departments spread across separate physical locations, they needed to bring these diverse groups together into a single, more cohesive and synergistic environment.
Team
Ross Markham Project Executive, Unispace Hannah Hackathorn Design Principal, Unispace Island Woodwork Millwork WSP Lighting Consultant Robert Derector Associates - MEP
Project Brief
Unispace worked closely with Informa to consolidate four of their New York locations into one workplace that fosters collaboration between teams, promotes productivity and creates a cohesive culture. Our team considered each group's needs and worked with Informa to vet potential new locations that would embrace teams and strategically place departments together to foster connections.
Project Innovation/Need
Due to a tight timeline and budget, we used our design/build methodology to deliver the space. Our delivery team, involved from the very beginning, helped to vet the build-ability of spaces, and seamlessly constructed the final design, resulting in an open, cooperative workplace that brings multiple groups together and creates a distinct culture that drives connection and productivity. The office design draws inspiration from New York’s old Third Avenue rail yards and train stations. It incorporates black and bronze metals, natural oak finishes and Informa’s brand colors to create an industrial vibe across the space. The rail yard concept is carried throughout with “quiet cars” in each quadrant that give employees a serene, library-like space where they can focus on heads down work; phone booths provide a space where employees can have private conversations; and “collaboration cars” located on each floor give employees a space where they can have interactive meetings.
Design Challenge
Managing the change of employees coming together from different workplaces was important. Some locations were very traditional with perimeter offices & high panel workstations, so creating a unifying idea that bridged everyone helped bring shared understanding among staff. Our team focused on understanding what drives employees and based on those results, dedicated a large part of the floor plan to creating a central gathering space called the Union that includes three different seating options staff can use depending on the task at hand. The first is a co-working area with hot desking where employees can get a change of scenery away from their typical workstation. The second is a large gathering area where employees can decompress, play games or congregate for a movie night. The third is a large cafe and dining area where employees can get together to eat and meet informally with their colleagues.
Sustainability
We approach sustainability not only through materials but also well-being design. While we were cognizant of using energy-efficient appliances and lighting, as well as materials with recycled content and low off-gassing, our emphasis was around providing a well-being focused workplace with natural light, and spaces where employees can go to seek quiet or privacy. Even the often unused corners of the workplace are used in this way as shared amenities for informal collaboration or focus space.
Interior Design - Corporate & Commercial
This award celebrates innovative and creative building interiors, with consideration given to space creation and planning, furnishings, finishes, aesthetic presentation and functionality. Consideration also given to space allocation, traffic flow, building services, lighting, fixtures, flooring, colours, furnishings and surface finishes.
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