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• AUGUST 2, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal
Office design Trends
A section prepared by the staff of the Midlands Business Journal
August 2, 2019
Offices featuring high-tech spaces with emphasis on collaboration by Michelle Leach
Modern office design facilitates and conveys workforce productivity and innovation, and one’s image, brand, and suitability as a workplace. “I see present office design trends as more of a focus on teamwork, with spaces designed specifically for collaborative purposes between coworkers, as well as for client interaction,” said KPE Engineers Senior Architect Shane Keplinger. “The office spaces of today trend towards openness, with fewer high-wall ‘cubicle’ spaces for individual employees.” He said ‘hoteling’ within the office enFucinaro vironment allows employees the flexibility to work at different spaces — solitude in a more private space, greater communication with co-workers in an open space. “There is benefit to providing both types of ‘hoteling’ stations, based on the type of work associated with the business,” Keplinger said. Studies that show an increase in one’s well-being for a more productive and enjoyable work environment support natural daylighting as a preferred mode of daytime office lighting. “Gone are the days of window-less, stale conference room spaces and work areas,” he said. “Indirect and decorative lighting fixtures are also playing a prominent role within office spaces. With today’s low energy LED lighting schemes, businesses are more open to lighting being an important design element.”
Shane Keplinger, senior architect for KPE Engineers. “Branding” is also an increasingly import- tor’s new headquarters complex, south of Giles ant part of modern office design, as Keplinger Road on 145th Street in La Vista. According to referred to accent walls in company color company information, the complex will start with schemes and logos as a focal point in entrances a 32,000-square-foot office building and planned and lobbies. future expansion of a 20,000-square-foot shop “It’s the people who really have made big featuring loading docks and a drive-through things happen at MCL [Construction], but loading area. sometimes where you live and your home really “These buildings will allow us to show showcases the services and the capabilities you the services and capabilities we have — not have — and that’s what this building will do,” just to our clients, but our building and design said Senior Vice President Tony Fucinaro. partners,” he said; specifically, spaces dedicatFucinaro is referring to the general contrac- ed to virtual and augmented reality, as well as
collaboration labs to improve communication during design and for a unique preconstruction and building experience, were highlighted. But it’s the spaces as a vehicle for professional development that have Fucinaro particularly excited. "We will have dedicated instructional spaces that can hold up to 80 of our employees at one time,” he said. In a late May announcement, President Bob Carlisle reinforced how the new MCL home will help them hire and retain top employees; the building as a “major factor to make sure they have the proper tools to succeed and to keep working for MCL.” Slated for completion spring 2020, the complex represents the third “home” in the firm’s 32-year history. The Weitz Co. projects, including those from Des Moines to Denver, and mixed-use developments to financial services “homes,” are illustrating a number of prominent trends, according to Preconstruction Leader Sean Hanrahan. “While the amount of cabling required has been reduced with mobile devices and wireless workstations, the demands on bandwidth, integration of smart devices and additional reliance on video conferencing continues to be a point of emphasis for many businesses,” he said. “Collaboration spaces throughout office buildings is a popular alternative to open office concepts. This approach provides employees with individual workspaces while still offering comfortable areas for one-on-one brainstorm sessions or team update meetings.” To technology, Hanrahan said “smart windows” are starting to come up in more converContinued on page 6.