State of Tennessee: Transforming Tennessee for Tomorrow (T3)

6

SHOWCASE

Transforming Tennessee for Tomorrow

State of Tennessee: Transforming Tennessee for Tomorrow (T3) GRESHAM, SMITH AND PARTNERS

Transforming

Tennessee for Tomorrow

STATE OF TENNESSEE: TRANSFORMING TENNESSEE FOR TOMORROW (T3)

F

Commissioner Steven Cates

LOCATION

Tennessee

MARKET

Corporate + Urban Design

SERVICES

Construction Administration Interior Design Planning Workplace Strategy Signage and Wayfinding

TEAM PIC Jack E. Weber, IIDA, MCR, LEED AP PM Kelly Knight Hodges, NCIDQ, LEED AP PP Jen Howard Murphy, IIDA, LEED AP PD Erin A. Schumacher, NCIDQ, Associate AIA

PD Claire Claytor PD Cassie Welch PC William C. Mays

Jim Alderman, SEGD Kelly M. Cathey, AIA Martha T. Fox, IIDA, NCIDQ, LEED AP E. Michele McMinn, IIDA, LEED AP ID+C, EDAC

Michelle M. Oakley, IIDA, LEED AP David P. Park G. Mike Summers

“While the primary goal was consolidating space, the secondary objective was to give people a much nicer work environment where they could be more productive.”

—JACK WEBER

SHOWCASE SIX

Haslam, the comprehensive workplace strategy and master planning initiative would transition more than 1 million square feet of leased space into a more efficient use of space within state-owned facilities by following the strategies established during the pilot.

“We initially worked on the pilot program with state leadership, including the Commissioner of General Services, Steven Cates, to evaluate new workplace standards and provide innovative ideas for how the state utilized its space,” explains Jack Weber, GS&P senior interior designer and principal-in-charge on the project. “As the pilot progressed, Commissioner Cates was also working on putting together a plan to consolidate the state’s real estate, which became Project T3. As a result of the pilot, the commissioner asked GS&P to partner with the state to work on the project.

“The state’s extremely aggressive schedule was the primary challenge.

The goal was to consolidate more than 12,000 people in less than two years, which not only involved moving people, but also included extensive renovations to spaces, eliminating much of the previous hard-walled office environment, and transitioning staff into a more open and collaborative atmosphere.

“A tremendous change to such a large number of employees meant that we had to pay particularly close attention to how we could move that many people with as little disruption as possible— and within such a narrow window of time.”

S TAT E O F T E N N E S S E E : T R A N S F O R M I N G T E N N E S S E E F O R TO M O R R O W ( T 3 )

or decades, State of Tennessee workplaces had evolved without a formal strategy for managing real estate efficiency. Without an official plan, these workplaces had become outdated, cluttered and inefficient, often isolating agencies from one another. As time progressed and agency missions changed, often their space needs within state-owned buildings increased or lessened dramatically. Contractions usually meant leaving significant amounts of underutilized space in buildings.

Growth meant moving into leased space, which only resulted in further space inefficiencies and diminished interaction between agencies in state buildings. Consequently, Tennessee was spending close to $40 million each year on leased space, while approximately 1 million square feet of available state real estate stood vacant or vastly underutilized.

As part of a master planning project, the Tennessee Department of General Services began evaluating all buildings occupied by the state— both owned and leased—looking for ways to improve real estate utilization.

With the need to increase efficiency, GS&P was asked to lead a workplace strategy process and pilot project for the central procurement office. The goal was to create a more efficient, effective, open and modernized floor plan with an increase in shared spaces, such as enclaves and collaborative areas. The pilot project would serve as a future workplace example for all state agencies.

Due to the pilot’s success, GS&P was selected to help undertake a massive real estate consolidation effort known as Project T3: Transforming Tennessee for Tomorrow. Spearheaded by Tennessee Gov. Bill

CLIENT

State of Tennessee

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JOHN SEVIER 500 Charlotte

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NEEDS MET WITHIN TENANT BUILD-OUT

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One of227 the design team's consolidaprimary and secondary goals. In (1) 50p, (1) 100pIn an effort to mitigate the imNEEDS MET (4) 25p CONF HEARING FRENCH LANDING tion tactics was to perform a Shared addition to reducing the overall ocpacts of the move on workers—as NEEDS MET BY CONVERTING CONFERENCE SPACE TO TRAINING SPACE GREAT Space310 Study—an analysis of all cupancy of real estate, these goals well as better prepare each agency to CIRCLE WAY MET - SEE EXPLANATION IN RECOMMENDATIONS MAINSTREAM shared665spaces such asNEEDS conference included: developing a new workoperate more productively—a formal or training rooms—to get a better place that enhances efficiency while change management process was understanding of spaces that could maximizing flexibility and adaptimplemented. As an orientation to be reallocated to improve efficiency ability; redesigning existing agency the strategy, the GS&P team created, and use.

Existing facility studies, presented and distributed a workworkplaces to allow space for agenSPACE NEEDS DIAGRAM: METRO CENTER online surveys and staff interview cies moving from leased facilities; place strategy guideline document data were evaluated, and it became and providing increased interaction that informed state employees of the evident to the team that the large between employees and the various project goals and upcoming changes. concentration of state agencies in state agencies.

Through this document—along with the downtown Nashville area showed “Generally speaking, the worktown hall meetings, videos and other the greatest need and potential for place hadn’t been touched for demeans of mass communication—the improvement. Recommendations cades,” says Weber.

“It was outdated, team was able to convey the objectives LEGEND E AV were then developed on location, dark and isolated, featuringELhigh-panof the project and respond to any conBY SH space, tools and audio/visual staneled work stations. The atmosphere cerns or questions that transitioning BUILDING NAME / ADDRESS TEXT was dreary and not at all conducive employees might have. dards based on the needs and work “We wanted to clearly convey the to productivity or collaboration. So patterns of the various agencies.

BUILDING LOCATION DIAMETER = TOTAL SF OCCUPIED After the shared spaces were state’s goals for the consolidation,” while the primary goal was consoliCOLOR: says Weber, “and perhaps more imidentified and reallocated, the design dating space, the secondary objective OWNED SPACE team developed a standard floor was to give people a much nicer work portantly explain why we were doing LEASED SPACE organizing concept for each buildenvironment where they could be this and how things would occur.”

“T-3 BUILDING” ing that addressed all of the state’s more productive.”

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S TAT E O F T E N N E S S E E : T R A N S F O R M I N G T E N N E S S E E F O R TO M O R R O W ( T 3 )

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ANDREW JOHNSON

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SHOWCASE SIX

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Developing a prototypical floor plan for each building takes into account building floor plate design; structural bay size and spacing of columns; proportions of interior and exterior space; and dimensions from the central core to the building perimeter. These elements inform appropriate circulation paths, location of walled spaces and open spaces.

FORMAL AND INFORMAL MEETING SPACES: Located throughout, providing increased opportunity for ad-hoc meetings and collaboration

WORKSTATIONS: Located near the perimeter for access to natural light and increased circulation

SATELLITE AND CENTRALIZED COPY/ PRINT/BREAK AREAS: Centrally located to foster community among staff

PRIVATE OFFICES: Located on two sides of perimeter near staff

CREATING A BETTER WORKPLACE for access to their peers. The building’s perimeter is both the warmest and/or coldest zone in the building because of its proximity to the glass, so another reason for perimeter circulation aisles was about maximizing employee comfort. An equally important aspect of maintaining continuous circulation was that it allowed for increased views and daylighting.

The fewer objects bisecting the glass, the more open it appears.

“Previously, agencies had their own suites, conference rooms, breakrooms and copy areas. With this new strategy, these areas are shared by any and all agencies occupying the floor. Fewer walls separate agencies from each other, which has led to a tremendous increase in their interaction with one another.”

To offset the perceived increase in noise levels, panel fabrics and ceiling tiles with increased absorptive characteristics were used, as well as a sound-masking system to provide additional ambient noise covering normal speech ranges.

—COMMISSIONER STEVEN CATES

SHOWCASE SIX

“This project focused on capturing underutilized ‘me’ space and allocating it to ‘we’ spaces that can greatly benefit everyone.”

S TAT E O F T E N N E S S E E : T R A N S F O R M I N G T E N N E S S E E F O R TO M O R R O W ( T 3 )

As part of Project T3, Gov. Haslam sought to enhance office spaces so employees were afforded the opportunity to work in an up-to-date environment that allowed them to better serve the people of Tennessee.

To bring this environment to life, the prototypical floor plan for each building took into account floor plate organization, the structural bay size and spacing of columns, the proportions of interior and exterior space, and the dimensions from the central core to the building perimeter. These elements ultimately informed appropriate circulation paths and the location of both walled and open spaces.

“The design team kept the offices on only short ends of the building,” explains Weber. “When there’s a need for additional offices we can stack them away from the perimeter circulation corridor. Maintaining continuous circulation at the perimeter was a central goal for a number of reasons: most importantly, to promote access to other employees, eliminating travel down dead ends

ROLLING OUT THE CONSOLIDATION Encompassing approximately 20 state buildings across Tennessee— and roughly the same number of government agencies—the phased rollout of the project started with the William R. Snodgrass Tennessee Tower (originally acquired by the state in 1994), and included buildings in Memphis, Chattanooga and Knoxville.

In addition to updating and consolidating agency workplaces, the design team updated public spaces—such as entry and elevator lobbies, corridors, restrooms and shared meeting centers—to today’s standards for Class A office buildings.

Projected to save Tennessee $100 million over the next decade, Project T3: Transforming Tennessee for Tomorrow reduces the state’s overall real estate footprint by 1 million square feet, and transitions its employees from outmoded, inefficient workspaces into a user-friendly, collaborative environment that can easily adapt to meet the state’s changing needs.

“We’ve provided the state with the right design solution,” says Weber, “which is reflected in the feedback we’re starting to get from employees who really like the more open and contemporary environment.”

“Our employees have been pleasantly surprised with their new space and have really embraced the new standards,” reports Commissioner Cates. “They’re feeling better about coming to work as it’s cleaner and more inviting.

“Most people relate efficiency to square feet per person. However, efficiency is not just about saving space; it’s also about using space more wisely. This project focused on capturing underutilized ‘me’ space and allocating it to ‘we’ spaces that can greatly benefit everyone.”▪

BEFORE

SHOWCASE SIX

T3 is projected to save Tennessee $100 million and 1 million square feet of real estate.

S TAT E O F T E N N E S S E E : T R A N S F O R M I N G T E N N E S S E E F O R TO M O R R O W ( T 3 )

The William R. Snodgrass Tennessee Tower served as the pilot project for T3.

Twenty-five floors were renovated, five at a time. Employees benefit from a cleaner and more inviting work space.

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