After over 40 years in our Bellaire home, we realized a headquarters relocation was vital to facilitate the health and expansion of our growing company. The project is an 18,000 sf tenant improvement of the seventeenth floor of Sage Plaza – a 25-story Class-A office building constructed in 1981 with renovated common areas.
In consideration of 70+ employees in a collaborative environment, density within the office area became a primary focus. At 290 square feet per person, the design team realized that compressing the occupiable footprint with program elements not traditionally inhabiting people such as file storage, printer rooms, and libraries was not an option. Conceived of as a ‘zero-back-of-house’ strategy, these traditionally neglected territories are designed as desirable work areas providing employees with a myriad of work experiences while remaining physically distant.
The overall space is generously equipped with 10 conferencing areas ranging from 14-person rooms to single-person video-conference booths evenly distributed throughout the entire office. Each space houses technology to collaborate in-person or remotely including wireless presenting tools, online conferencing, easy-to-connect screen sharing, high-definition webcams, and state-of-the-art audio equipment. A total of 56 workstations (non-shared) are organized in ‘neighborhoods’ with the collaborative spaces creating the threshold that separates them. Wellness was specifically considered with the incorporation of a wellness room that speaks to the firm’s growing diversity. A 1,400 sf training center defines the character of the space providing 52 seats, a coffee bar, ping pong tournament arena, and 49’ linear feet of counter space in a galley style kitchen. The custom-designed workstations feature a sit/stand desk, personal storage, natural light, and incorporate easily cleanable surfaces and higher privacy panels for enhanced physical distancing.
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