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Confidential Energy Provider
The Summit. The highest attainable point.
- PDR Service Design + Architecture, Brand
- Industry Sector Energy
- Office Houston
- Project Goal Company Purpose, Employee Experience, Collaboration
The sense of optimism and renewal that comes from a new beginning was precisely what our energy client hoped their new three-floor workspace would elicit in employees and customers. It needed to include both ample working areas for their internal team and an innovative Customer Experience Lab for their visiting clients. Beyond that, the timely relocation allowed the company to leverage its new office to help solve some longstanding challenges causing inefficiencies relating to how their departments communicated and collaborated.
The seating arrangement at the client’s existing workplace prioritized the utilization of space rather than the purpose behind each team’s placement. This led to siloed efforts and poor information sharing. As a result, employees felt disconnected from their coworkers, detracting from the company’s goals of creating a culture of collaboration.
Beyond the alleviation of internal challenges, the client hoped their space would mitigate the stress and anxiety the nature of their work sometimes causes their team.
To ensure our design solution addressed the client’s objectives, we created a minimalist aesthetic with liberal use of clean and calming white space. The design incorporated bright lighting along with a softer color palette interspersed with surprising instances of bolder brand colors. These subtle occurrences allow the space to feel unique to the company’s culture and branding without detracting from the open and light atmosphere.
Addressing the client's concerns around team synergy and collaboration, our plan focused on supporting internal workflows, seating departments together, and placing them in adjacent “neighborhoods” near teams with whom they frequently collaborated.
In support of the client’s goals around company-wide collaborative ideation, our design also included ample gathering spaces for professional or social interactions, including private conference rooms and “Collaborate to Ideate” meeting spaces. These areas were strategically included to allow for organic employee connection throughout the day.
Among the project objectives was an emphasis on elevating how the client’s brand manifested in their workplace. Instead of a rudimentary
inclusion of their logo and simple use of brand colors, our team worked to infuse the client’s brand elements and the purpose behind their
brand into each space. The design centered around the idea of summiting a mountain—the sense of achievement that comes from accomplishing a
goal together. This begins as employees enter the main reception area where they’re met with interconnecting stairs, featuring a backdrop of
experiential graphics that create the perspective of height and reinforce the brand vision. Similar brand graphics were then dispersed
throughout the space to achieve a unified feel.
The minimalist design aesthetic and imbued brand elements were also extended into the Customer Experience Lab, where clients could interact
with team members for personalized assistance, or simply complete common tasks on tablets, like paying their bills or understanding options
for cost saving. Its unique design and location at street level allow it to capitalize on foot traffic, encouraging potential clients to
enter and engage with customer service team members.
At the far end of the lab, an additional office entryway doubling as a graphic wall allows for a seamless transition of clients to more
private meeting spaces, providing a quiet spot for more in-depth meetings.
Ultimately, the entire design solution serves to support the client’s business objectives and acts as an interactive branding experience. The clean design, intentional layout, and summit-inspired graphics create an environment where the team can feel inspired and emboldened to climb even the most mountainous of challenges as a united team.
Project Details
Square footage: 105,000 SF
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