Next Office Design Steelcase Competition Fall 2024

Nina McNay

CLIENT PROFILE

NEXT is a global advertising Agency focused on redefining how spaces inspire creativity and collaboration working with 4 key clients to represent their brand.

For this project, Next’s headquarters is on Levels 6 and 7 of a prominent business firm in Chicago

Location: 811 West Fulton Market Chicago, IL SF: Aprox. 16,000 NEXT focuses on innovation and bringing people back into the office. With workspaces that are built to inspire and support employees at every level to create a hybrid working style.

NEXT’s reflects the ethos of the client base: Fast food chain, shoe brand, beverage company, and a consumer-packaged products company.

By incorporating their values into every element of the design I want to create an office that is: “Being more human” -Steelcase

Level 7 Level 6

CONCEPT BOARD

My concept is derived from the Golden Ratio (Fibonacci Sequence), a universal equation of proportion found in nature—human bodies, plants, animals, and galaxies.

Symbolizes harmony, balance, and aesthetic appeal, the creation of a biophilic, human-centric workspace.

My logo and design choice was inspired by shell patterns aligned with the Golden Ratio, incorporating driftwood and natural materials.

Incorporating to the idea of harmony and wellness I used the featured skylight on the rooftop to align with my staircase to add to the human experience with natural lighting.

Designing these elements align seamlessly to blend into their environment to create a unified and harmonious space.

This transitions into the four key chain brands, embodying what NEXT means to me. With intentional selection inspired by the

4 KEY BRANDS

Golden Ratio, I chose sustainable brands driven by their mission and ethics for consumers.

Food Chain

Shoe Chain

Product-Consumer Chain

Beverage Chain

Sweetgreen emphasizes health-conscious, sustainable sourced foods, aiming to redefine fast food with a focus on transparency and nutrition.

VEJA is minimalist, eco-friendly sneakers crafted from sustainable materials like organic cotton and recycled plastics. The brand has ethical sourcing, and sustainable practices and with a nature-inspired, health-conscious theme.

Good Start Packaging is ideal because it embodies sustainability, eco-conscious innovation, and aligns with health-focused values for consumer packaging for to-go boxes, containers, and etc.

GT’s Kombucha is recognized for its health-centered approach, promoting probiotic wellness with a focus on natural ingredients and organic processes benefiting the human body

MATERIAL BOARD

Terrazzo Epoxy

Acoustic Cork Board

Grass Turf

Terracotta Upholstery

Polished Concrete

Acoustic Wall Slats Dark Driftwood

Terrazzo Epoxy

Office Carpet

Office Carpet

Textured Wall Cover

Wood Flooring

DEVELOPMENT SKETCHES

Wild Card preliminary sketch on a floor plan enclosed area + shell shape turf

Work station half wall millwork inspired by a layered shell to create movement

Elevation sketch of cafe seating adding a half wall for privacy + aesthetic

Elevation sketch of creating a visionary area while including the Fibonacci Sequence of the 4 key brands to represent NEXT

Floor plan sketch of an area in the cafe + half walls to create an enclosed of golden ratio shape

LOGO DEVELOPMENT

Development process of NEXT was to transform the “E” to a symbol of the golden ratio. A shell has the golden ratio in it, so I developed this into my logo

8 7

LEVEL 6 FLOOR

9

4

6

1

4 6 6

2 8

3

1/8”= 1’-0”

1 Reception 2 Client Pres Wall 3 Mother’s Room 4 Huddle Rooms

5 Meeting Room 6 Private offices 7 Workstations 8 Glass Phone Booths 9 Monumental Stairs

4

6 4

6 5

1/8”= 1’-0” 1/8”= 1’-0”

LEVEL 7 FLOOR PLAN

7

1

6

6

6

6

5

5

2 3

1/8”= 1’-0”

1 Pet Area/ Wildcard 2 Workstations 3 Wellness Room 4 Resource Center

5 Glass Phone Booths 6 Team Meeting Rooms 7 Work Cafe

4

BUILDING SECTIONS 6&7

Team Meeting Room

Work Cafe

Workstations Monumental Staircase

Workstations

Section A 1/8”= 1’-0”

Workstations

Wellness Room

Reception Area

Client Presentation Wall

Private Offices

Section B 1/8”= 1’-0”

Section A Section B

Level 6

Level 7

Meeting Room

Campfire Personal Table

Black laminate for a minimalistic design to highlight the ambient lighting

KEY PLAN: LEVEL 6

Marble Finish creating a sleek look for countertop and shell half walls

Reflected Ceiling Plan on Level 6 shown is the custom suspended wooden baffles coved around GWB above the reception millwork

The 6th-floor reception marks the entry to NEXT with a custom semi-circular, shell-inspired reception desk featuring a polished marble countertop and a layered half-wall for privacy and an influence of shell layers. Strip lighting highlights the counter and floor, while the illuminated NEXT logo directs visitors to private offices. Above, a dark driftwood baffle ceiling mirrors the desk’s shape, enhancing the ocean-inspired design with integrated lighting.

1

Reception ceiling area 1/4" = 1'-0"

a McNay

The design incorporates an open monumental staircase extending up to the 7th floor, crowned by a skylight aligned above it. Natural light cascades down, illuminating the space. A serene waterfall wraps around it, with cascading greenery blending indoors and outdoors

RECEPTION AREA

Coalesse Chord Conference Seating

Blu Dot Acre Lounge Chair

Monumental Staircase

Wooden slat accent to highlight the client presentation wall

To showcase all four business chains and meet the competition requirement for a client presentation, I integrated my concept of the Golden Ratio and Fibonacci Sequence to represent the different brands: shoe, fast food, product packaging, and beverage. I designed custom digital signage that frames and highlights the Fibonacci proportions, seamlessly tying the concept to each brand’s identity.

CLIENT PRESENTATION

KEY PLAN: LEVEL 6

Option 1

KEY PLAN: LEVEL 6

For this competition, it is require to show 3 different office layouts that is not only practical use for each key client, but integrating my concept color palette to transform an ordinary office into a lively office.

Option 3

3 PRIVATE OFFICES

Option 2

Steelcase Height Adjustable Desk

Blu Dot Storage Filing Cabinet

Steelcase LED Task Light

On levels 6 and 7, custom workstations reflect my concept with I created a millwork cork half-walls with a layered wave design inspired by shells. The cork adds a natural touch and serves as a pin board for projects. These human-centric stations offer vibrant colors, privacy, and flexibility, allowing team members to stand and move freely.

WORKSTATION AXON

Viccarbe Swivel Chair

WORKSTATIONS

Reflected ceiling plan of the suspended wood baffles + linear lighting below

Terracotta upholestery to compliement the blue

Cork Material for a natural textural material + pin up space Navy blue to breakup the warm palette

1

Workstation level 6 ceiling area 3/16" = 1'-0"

McNay

KEY PLAN: LEVEL 6

MEETING ROOM

KEY PLAN: LEVEL 6

Reflected ceiling plan of the meeting room showing a coved ceiling with a suspended acoustic cloud in a shell shape wrapped with LED color changing lighting with wooden slats

1

Meeting room ceiling area 1/4" = 1'-0"

Nina McNay

Past the five private offices on level six is a meeting room where the 4 key clients present projects. Natural light streams through the large windows, an accent wall of wood slats framing digital screens for a cohesive design.

Coalesse Conference Seat

Turnstone Bivi Storage Shelves

Viccarbe Swivel Chair

Campfire Side Table

Storage Tower Shelving

Established & Sons Quilt Lounge

KEY PLAN: LEVEL 7

For my Wildcard space, I designed a half-wall pet room featuring a custom Fibonacci sequence-inspired partition to separate it from the public office.

This space allows team members to leave their trained dogs in a comfortable environment. The room includes a shell-shaped turf area with pet-friendly flooring and a high countertop with barstools, creating a collaborative workspace where team members can work while keeping an eye on their pets. Bringing the homespace into a workspace.

WILD CARD AREA

Viccarbe Upholstery Bar Stool

Bolia Dining Table

For my Work Café, my concept came to life. Sketching inspiration from the Golden Ratio, I designed wooden half walls in a shell-like shape to enclose seating and table areas. These walls provide team members with privacy while maintaining an open flow for easy access. The space has pops of orange and greenery, adding vibrancy and uniqueness. Above, a custom shell-shaped coffered ceiling features strip lighting to create ambient lighting, while additional strip lighting on the floor traces the contours of the half walls for an atmosphere.

WORK CAFE AXON

Blu Dot Dining Chair

WORK CAFE

KEY PLAN: LEVEL 7

Viccarbe Lounge Chair

Viccarbe Maarten Meeting High Table

TEAM MEETING

KEY PLAN: LEVEL 7

Coaleese Conference Seating

Slim Work Table

Media Scape Conference Table

On the seventh floor past the work café, this team meeting room features frosted curtain walls with black mullions framing a Fibonacci-inspired design. Inside, a digital conference screen, seating, pendant lighting, and a textured accent wall create a cohesive and inviting space.