When two entities decide to coexist in the same workplace, design teams move from helping one client to juggling a balance of two clients. How separate/disparate those entities are when they come to the table varies.
An acquisition by one company of another with the same business model or similar processes, and with slightly different cultures, presents its own set of challenges.
But there are more complex, more mosaic-like partnerships out there.
When media giant Condé Nast decided to combine its Chicago teams – a Condé Nast sales branch and Pitchfork, a recently acquired online music magazine – under one roof, they started down a road with little common ground.
So where to start?
“There’s two different cultures there, and people working on two different products,” said Michael Berger, director of interiors at local Chicago firm GREC Architects. “Our design needed to create a place for both of them to exist and grow symbiotically.”
Condé Nast – Client Profile
>Chicago’s advertising sales branch; no creative/editorial functions
>Coming from: the John Hancock Center home, occupying perimeter offices on the 35th floor. Building profile: reads corporate, legacy, traditional.
>Employees: a sales team used to sitting in private offices, elevated building security, and corporate vibes
Pitchfork – Client Profile
>Online music culture magazine. Tagline/slogan: “The Most Trusted Voice in Music”
>Coming from a garage in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood. Building and neighborhood profile: reads quirky, trendy, bike friendly, hipster haven still holding onto its midwestern sensibilities.
>Employees: creative forces behind editorial and music festival planning. Accustomed to close collaboration and an informal culture.
GREC Architects began by guiding Condé Nast groups through site selection. In this project, site selection was critical. The two entities worked in starkly different circumstances in their previous offices, and their new building would set the tone for the identity the two groups would share in the future.
“We walked the Hancock Center space and the Logan Square offices to see how each side worked, and then worked with them to choose the space that would be the right connection for both sides,” said Mr. Berger.
After looking at a few corporate towers in the Loop, Condé Nast settled on a 12,000 square foot, full-floor rectangular space on the 21st floor of the Merchandise Mart. A corporate structure common for many companies like Condé Nast would fall short of capturing the culture at Pitchfork.
“We wanted to make sure we found the right connection for the Pitchfork side, and a corporate banking tower didn’t fit them at all,” said Mr. Berger. “The Mart provides its own sense of history and identity that both sides can reference and appreciate, regardless of what their own histories entail.”
The location and superb site amenities at the Mart spoke to both groups, and the Condé Nast side were happy to have the added professionalism and security that comes with owning the elevator space. But, the new interiors align more closely with Pitchfork’s culture.
“The new environment is much more similar to Pitchfork’s way of working, and a bigger change for Condé Nast,” said Mr. Berger. “Condé Nast had been in their Hancock Tower space for 15 or so years, and they had really stretched out the life of their space.”
Separate zones for the Pitchfork team and Condé Nast sales team (30 people in each group, for a total staff of 60) are joined by a block of architectural elements between them.
The Pitchfork team space, a studio layout in the shape of an inclusive square, fosters constant open conversation between people. Open sight lines run across all desks.
On the Condé Nast side, individual workspaces are a bit more spread out and have medium-height partitions and shelving, offering more acoustic relief and privacy to sales people who are often selling ads between different products and publications. The Condé Nast team moved from all enclosed offices to just one private office at the Mart.
“We distilled everything down to a common set of parts, and the right building parts, for that space and for their needs,” noted Mr. Berger. “The importance of the idea of having spaces designed to adapt and grow as time passes came through midway through the design process, so that was something we needed to tweak for.”
For example, the furniture in the workstation areas are designed to adapt and grow with changing needs; the benching was made as large and long as possible so that a second person could be added into the space if needed in the future.
Using a “style survey” tool, GREC helped the client map out how they wanted their new office to look and feel. Eight people from both sides were shown a series of 100 images, and they identified images they liked.
“We create what is essentially a Pinterest board, and the images that appeal to the most people rise to the top. Then, we dig deeper to figure out what exactly they like about those images.”
The style survey provided a series of aesthetic qualities driving the feel of the new office:
>Open – yet cozy
>Inviting and comfortable
>Familiar and well-travelled
>Looking outwards; connection to outside the office space
>Relaxed and chill
>A bit retro; turning back to the building’s character
GREC use these character qualities to craft a design muse that moves beyond the constrictions of the typical “glossy media” office.
A number of key design elements cultivate an open, communal experience between team members and visitors, including an elevated stage for performers, lounge and kitchen with home-style amenities, and huddle spaces and phone rooms. There’s an art/creative layout area for Pitchfork designers, who often move their projects from digital to live, in-person drafting.
Natural light floods the space from all four sides. A warm color palette with brass accents help create a welcoming atmosphere supported by inviting lounge spaces. And GREC tapped into the retro aesthetic by revealing elements of the original Mart structure, complimenting newly polished concrete floors.
“GREC also left walls blank as a canvas for the creative brands’ teams to display original artwork.”
Open spaces are made even more difficult to master when the office will be shared by two separate entities with vastly different work functions. Listening, respecting the culture of both parties, and weaving their individual strengths together will shape a prosperous workplace.
“We’re moving toward more collaborative spaces, but there’s also now more concern about offices being too open,” said Mr. Berger. “That concern is real and warranted, but if you listen to your clients and their needs, you can create an open space that works. As open as this space is, it still provides the rooms and amenities for people to do their jobs well.”