Cleveland is a city on the rise. The city’s recent success in sports has lifted a heavy shadow off of many backs, but something has been brewing there for much longer. Fiercely proud Clevelanders [this editor included] are finally getting recognition for the great things they’ve known to be happening there for many years.
The city has a burgeoning cultural arts community and a wild food scene poised to rival any of the top foodie cities in the U.S. But Cleveland’s hardworking ethos and appetite for innovation is what made it great in the first place, and it’s doing so now, too.
Talented tech companies and other businesses with staying power are finding a home there – a place that blends a low-key Midwestern vibe with the resourcefulness and energy that comes with being young and hungry.
Dealer Tire, one of the largest distributors of tires and maintenance products in the U.S., is a family-owned company doubling down on its investment in Cleveland-born innovation. It hired A&D firm Vocon to design its new headquarters in downtown Cleveland, situated in the historic Victory Center at the corner of Euclid and Carnegie Avenues.
Dealer Tire’s request was for its new workspace to foster and enhance innovation, and Vocon’s design strategy zeroes in on that request. Innovation was already happening at the company, at the most critical point – its people; the new headquarters amplifies that innovation gene.
“Collaborative is an overused word, but this company actually embodies that word in the most meaningful way,” said Bob Porter, studio director at Vocon and architectural planning consultant. “They’re very agile; they sell tires, and they’re very excited about cars and speed, but they’re a tech company at their core. And their previous space was a big impediment to that core. They couldn’t gather quickly and easily meet in teams and groups. We used that collaborative nature of their culture as the main focal point from a programming standpoint.”
On the interior, a 20+ feet wide “street” runs the entire length of the building from Carnegie to Euclid, providing the central skeleton for a social and collaborative “innovation center” on the first floor. On the sides of this street are zones whose main purpose is interaction, productivity and creativity.
“We spent a lot of time getting that space right – defining their culture of innovation by holding workshops to understand how they work, said Scott Ashley, senior workplace strategist at Vocon.
The ground floor innovation center is encircled by an indoor walking track that employees can come to if they feel like getting away from their desk, whether for a meeting or to gain a fresh perspective on something they’re working on. At one end of the track, just inside the edge, is a stadium seating collaborative zone – one of many third spaces.
“Designing a track inside a building is not something we do every day,” said Mr. Porter. “They’re now walking around the campus in a way that most offices can’t provide for.”
“Some teams host walking meetings to mix up the daily routine, while others choose to use one of the conference rooms – which are named after cars, longtime dealership customers and famous tire brands,” continued the project description.
In a series of primary work zone neighborhoods, departments are kept close together with an all-inclusive floor plan design.
“Our goal was to create microcosms for each department so they wouldn’t constantly have to navigate to a central conferencing center. Instead they can stay in their neighborhood. Within each neighborhood, there’s a main street of huddle rooms and conferencing options. It fosters an ease around the ‘I need you quickly’ behavior.”
At 165,000 square feet, the new offices offer Dealer Tire’s 500 employees 50,000 more square feet. One of the space’s most captivating features is its extensively curated collection of art, owned by Dealer Tire owner Scott Mueller.
“The owner is an avid art collector, and a lot of the work is directly or indirectly related to tires and automobiles,” said Mr. Ashley.
Nestled into every corner of the new offices, the art collection is at the heart of Vocon’s aesthetic approach. The collection provides a source of company ethos and inspiration while blurring lines between playful gallery and workplace. Vocon chose to paint most of the walls an off-white, complemented by thoughtful lighting design, to ensure the pieces are shown to their fullest potential. The ceiling, a striking exposed waffle concrete slab, provided a natural counterpoint to the clean aesthetic.
“It’s a neutral space,” said Lindsay Kovach, interior designer at Vocon. “We wanted to keep it neutral, but not sterile. A place that would show off the artwork. They’re self-described as a gritty, jeans and t-shirt type of company. So we kept it pared down and very neutral, especially upstairs in the open office work zones. They wanted a simple space where they could get their work done.”
The new offices are open, airy, light-filled and acoustically soft – something Vocon achieved by working with an acoustic consultant to insulate exposed ceilings and install acoustical tiles. presented significant acoustical and lighting challenges that Vocon handled
Vocon also did some rearranging to the building site, rethinking entryways to accommodate features Dealer Tire wanted to offer its employees. The building’s historic entrance on Euclid was closed, and a new entrance on Carnegie was created for better access to a new 650-space parking garage. The offices also offer a bundle of amenities now common in campus-like headquarters – a grab-and-go café serving breakfast and lunch, height adjustable desks for every employee, state-of-the-art fitness facilities, and a small outdoor campus via gradated grassy areas.
“I went to visit a couple months after they moved in, and I rode up in an elevator with a few ladies in the office,” said Mr. Porter. “I didn’t say I was part of the design team, just a visitor. We were chatting about the new office, and right before we parted ways, one of them said, ‘You couldn’t have come to a more beautiful place.’ That’s the best thing I could ask for.”
Dealer Tire’s investment in a downtown Cleveland location is a great step in the right direction for both the company and the city. Vocon’s skillful design shapes the company’s vitality and creative energy into a physical expression.