We were asked to redefine the relationship between producers and staff while creating spaces to make collaborative work easier. We worked very hard to make sure that the team structure allowed close contact between Producers and Staff but kept acoustical privacy as a main concern. Inventure used a glass wall system to connect the two groups and make the process of providing exceptional customer service easy. Low height workstations faced the glass-walled offices and the taller height workstations were toward the back.
For acoustical privacy, the main conference room was brought into the center of the plan. For making the employee’s lunch and breaks better the break room was moved to the glass. Light bright colors were used to compliment all of the glass and provide an office that was meant to lift the spirits of the staff and create a better place to work. Almost immediately after moving into the space, SureTec decided to take the rest of the floor and we continued the design layout and finishes.
During the expansion project, SureTec was acquired by MARKEL, a Fortune 400 Company. Looking to a location closer to where the staff lived, MARKEL chose to move to the amenity-rich CityWestPlace. Inventure was again asked to redefine the relationship between producers and staff while creating spaces to make collaborative work easier. We were also asked to try to reduce the square footage to meet the new MARKEL standards. We immediately looked at moving the producers to the inside of the plan and moved the Staff workstations to the windows.
Lower height panels provided views and light and glass-front offices provided equal access to views for all employees. We kept the main conference room on the interior and also kept the staff breakroom on the exterior. Because there are never very many visitors, we were able to combine the reception area with the workroom in a creative amalgamation. Low height files provide tabletop work areas and act as dividers for the different teams. Glass walls also help to control sound between teams so that the space is again light and bright and very quiet.
We built upon the designs and layouts for the Dallas office, which was moving across the Tollway to new offices in Legacy West in Plano, TX. The space available was highly constricted with the building design and the parking, and we actually moved the entry, to the parking garage, as many of the contractors who use MARKEL entered directly from the garage. Returning to the original model we used for SureTec, the producers again found their offices on the exterior with large amounts of glass and the staff workstations contained in the center.
Custom millwork stations allowed collaboration to happen with the staff. Construction materials were used to acknowledge that construction groups, are most of their customers. A brick facade was added in the reception area and the ceiling was left out of the break room / conference area to see the workings of the space. Because of the layout of the space, we had to add a new set of restrooms and mechanical space to the floor to accommodate MARKEL.
