“A dozen brokers have told me that this is the most forward-thinking office interior on Long Island,” said Frederic Strauss, Principal at TPG Architecture.
He is referring to a recently completed project in Melville: 44,000 s/f of workspace for the trade association the American Institute of Physics.
As scientists and administrative professionals, AIP at first glance does not seem like a risk-taking, pioneering group.
It is a trade organization whose membership is made up of physicists from all over the world, and in that central role AIP is also the publisher of 24 professional and academic journals.
In planning its new, larger offices, senior management committed to a process of “Definition and Discovery,” according to TPG’s Strategy and Innovation Group. Working closely together, TPG and AIP looked at space usage standards for publishing and other industries as well as trends in technology, demographics and economic forecasts.
The more they talked about the future, the more AIP became eager to align its values to its office space and to transform to an efficient, customer-focused work environment.
The pre-design phase for AIP was extensive. It included staff interviews throughout the organization, and encouraged AIP to confirm its core identity; TPG asked AIP to restate its mission, its position in the business community as well as in the scientific community, how it recruits new employees and what messages they wanted the new space to communicate.
TPG used the key responses and insights to develop the final space plan, which encourages collaboration, provides flexible space and more amenities, and explicitly portrays AIP’s brand and mission.
“Messaging” in the form of prominent graphics is one of the most unexpected aspects of the new space.
TPG’s in-house graphics group developed large-scale graphics to create a branded environment of physics.
One presentation wall, with a video screen set into it, features photos of Albert Einstein; on the long wall by the central common dining room, a colorful montage of color fields and scientific imagery adds visual interest. Toward the back of the office, one of the large walls declares “We are physics,” in tall letters, and features photos and quotes from AIP members (and subscribers) that briefly explain what the Institute and/or its publications mean to each individual.
Probably the two biggest changes, both with big implications, were the move to open plan seating in which there is absolutely no hierarchy, and the workstation clusters that were planned for most of the workspace.
Both had a major cultural impact on employees.
While they were very interested in a more open, collaborative environment and a more efficient footprint, people were greatly concerned about sacrificing the ability to focus and concentrate. Another challenge was the impact on the ability to remain organized in behavior and communication
To help everyone adjust to a new space that brought significant cultural and behavioral changes, TPG held small group and one-on-one meetings, worked with HR to review all aspects of the transition, created interactive tools, facilitated multiple leadership education sessions, and developed a space usage guide to help employees learn how to best utilize and take full advantage of their new space.
Just before moving in, TPG presented AIP with a 3-minute video, shown to the entire firm, highlighting the design and presenting the advantages of working in a collaborative, flexible and technologically advanced new office.
Strauss said, “I never thought, when we started the design and planning for AIP, that they would end up with such a dynamic space, an office that really looks to the future. But they have embraced it, and I feel like everything we did to support and guide them through the process was well worth the extra steps.”
