The Los Angeles-based team at global architecture firm Gensler has redesigned the third floor of its workspace as a pilot for the remaining spaces. By utilizing a work-lifestyle approach, the group was able to create an area that is ideal for work, yet with a blend of residential and hospitality touches.
The staff’s post-pandemic return to the office came seven years into a 15-year lease of its spaces, which are a part of Gensler’s vertical urban campus located in the downtown area. With a growing staff and changing needs in the hybrid era, the architects seized the moment to re-evaluate every aspect of the office, from layout to style. “We took the opportunity in this post-pandemic period to hit pause and really do a year of listening,” said Sarah Koos, senior strategist at Gensler.
For the employees and management, this included 12 months of surveys, focus groups, and meetings to ensure that every voice of the 500-plus staff was heard. Not surprisingly, the office was not at full capacity, but it was being utilized differently than originally envisioned. “Not only are we not in the office all of the time, but when we’re here many of us are in meetings, in our DXD lab, or gathering in pantry spaces, and there is more information flow and informal conversations happening,” Koos explained.
The staff’s approach to selecting particular areas echoed their home environments that doubled as unstructured work hubs for so long. It was clear that generic furniture or surroundings were no longer aligned with the team’s work. “We heard that the original space felt cold and sterile, without any sort of personality or identity. So we had this wonderful blank canvas to work on,” said Kirk Bairian, senior designer at Gensler.
They also wanted an upscale casual setting that was reflective of LA’s own relaxed style— functional, but not fussy. “At home, people were afforded much more comfort,” Koos noted. “The sterile, corporate office wasn’t resonating anymore. We really wanted to elevate the look and experience to be much more of a work-lifestyle.”
The materials, including maple plywood, darkened metals, and subtle textures were paired together to form a quieter backdrop to showcase the projects of the architects, via pin-up display boards. Several products from Gensler collaborations are also on view, from open shelving to communal tables. The overall softness is inviting and not too formal, the antithesis of a sea of uniform desks. “We leaned into this warm, not overly precious palette,” Bairian explained. “We wanted our work to bring in the energy. We focused on creating this foundation onto which we could layer the color of our renderings or models.”
The data also revealed that there are a number of worker personality types that require different setups based on specific job requirements. By providing some key components like communal tables and focus pods to each studio, people would be able to use them and then swap out as needed. “We created a kit-of-parts as a baseline, made of this whole spectrum of working points,” Bairian added. “It gave everyone a sense of pride and ownership because they had a hand in designing their studio.”
This first phase was completed last August, and the second phase is expected to begin in the fall, refining facets of the pilot. Post-occupancy research, conducted three months after move-in, detailed that mobility increased. Koos noted that on average, each staff member was sitting at four different desks a week.
With the right mix of areas, people said that they were more productive and able to more effectively collaborate in the new space. While such anecdotal evidence is positive, the number of those back in the office are even more impressive, with an increase of up to 35% in attendance for the studios that relocated to the third floor.
By prioritizing the tasks that staff completes every day, rather than only looking at a few amenity areas, the LA group has transformed a basic floor into a place that people want to return to. “We were very intentional about where we decided to pilot this. It is not our front door or a client conferencing space,” Koos said. “This is our workspace, and we wanted to emphasize that. Programmatically, the message is clear.”
