Unilever Americas IT Agile Workplace Renovation

800, Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, United States

Add To Collection

Unilever Americas IT Agile Workplace Renovation

800, Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, United States

Type

Commercial › Office

YEAR

2009

Technology allows so much mobility for workers today that often, many "permanent" workstations within a traditional office facility sit empty. Addressing underutilization, Unilever renovated its 10,000-square-foot 1970s IT group space. The project team conducted a pre-occupancy survey and found that 62% percent of assigned seats were vacant during working hours. The design team developed a dynamic planning concept that, by allowing for a variety of work settings, saves a significant amount of space by facilitating mobility and choice, along with collaborative work environments.

The result: the Agile Workplace is a community of workspaces created by a clearly defined “kit of parts” organized into a stimulating environment to encourage new ways of working. Instead of defining space as 250 sf per seat, the Agile Workplace allows 115 sf per user. The original space had seemed tight with 68 cubicle stations; the same area can now accommodate 120 employees -- almost twice as many -- in an attractive modern environment. And the project team met even higher aspirations: to create an entire "brand" within Unilever: its first "Agile Workplace," which would support the new work styles, as a prototype and precedent.

From solitude at a single workstation or in a "quiet room," to a videoconference for 12, this thoughtfully laid-out space accommodates every possible permutation of people and work styles. A couple of "walkstations" allow activity while working. Increased: organization, communication, productivity. Reduced: real estate footprint; energy usage; paper storage; and commuting. Without fixed workspace, the Agile Workplace feels more welcoming for visitors from other offices. A 6-month Post-Occupancy Evaluation found that the "Agile Workers" feel comfortable and connected to more people than before. Now, the company is enthusiastically constructing Agile Workplaces for other departments, to implement the policy that "work is what you do, not where you go."

Photography: Ari Burling;
Demountable partition systems: DIRTT;
Bamboo Veneer: Teragren;
Panel: 3Form “Varia Ecoresin” Panel;
Counter: 3Form;
Carpet: Interface Flor;
Paint: Benjamin Moore;
Ceiling Tile: Armstrong;
Wall Base: Roppe