DECEMBER MONTH 2015 2012
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THE
70 PER CENT TELUS GARDEN GROWS THEFOCUS TELECOM ONCOMPANY’S MOBILE WORKFORCE
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CANADIAN FACILITY MANAGEMENT & DESIGN
[ contents ]
DECEMBER 2015 MONTH 2012
COVER PHOTO BY EMA PETER; PHOTO (RIGHT) BY KAREN MACKENROT, TELUS
�
On the cover: Telus Garden, downtown Vancouver’s first LEED Platinum office tower, features more than 10,000 square feet of outdoor space. Page 20.
XX 20 A six-ton, custom-built spiral staircase connects Telus’ executive reception to its hosting centre.
16 TORONTO’S NEW SPACE STANDARDS One of Canada’s largest municipalities pilots an office modernization program 18 EXTREME WEATHER-PROOFING FACILITIES How to prepare for this winter’s forecast for a super El Niño.
12
20 VERTICAL GARDEN Telus plants downtown Vancouver’s first LEED Platinum office tower.
30 LET YOUR SPACE TELL YOUR STORY The impact of office space on organizational identity.
32 WORKSTATIONS RISE TO THE OCCASION As sit-stand solutions gain traction, benching systems follow suit.
17 columns 6 OBSERVATIONS 12 FM ERGONOMICS 14 OPERATIONS & MAINTENANCE 18 FM EDUCATION 26 MANAGEMENT MEMO 34 LAST WORD
departments 10 FOUNDATIONS 31 INFO GUIDE
[ observations ] BY MICHELLE ERVIN
BACK TO THE FUTURE
W
e are forever gazing into our figurative crystal balls, trying to forecast the future. And every year, industry experts endeavour to predict how the workplace will change. In an IIDEXCanada seminar dubbed Office of the Future: Trends in Tech Workspaces, B+H Architects’ Adrian Berry and Joslyn Balzarini made the case that the traditional concept of a “tech company” no longer applies. And as everyone competes for the same skilled workers across all sectors, said Berry, the people-focused approach that originated in those traditionally defined tech companies is spreading. One of the defining features of such a workplace, according to Balzarini, is the allocation of space to teams versus individuals. Telus Garden, the telecom company’s new Vancouver home and the subject of this month’s cover story, sounds an awful lot like Berry and Balzarini’s office of the future. Telus’ new facilities are expected to support employees as the company aims to reach a target of a 70-per-cent mobile workforce by the end of the year. So what exactly does an office look like when a majority of an organization’s employees are on the move? Well, apart from the hoteling stations that can be booked online, much of the space is devoted to collaborative areas such as meeting rooms and a team kitchen. Also in this, CFM&D’s site selection and relocation issue, are a package of articles on office decommissioning, pre-move-in preparations and aligning space with organizational identity. Plus, our products column rounds up the latest and greatest in workstations, which are taking sit-stand solutions to new heights. Year-end seems like an appropriate time to take stock of industry trends and ponder what the year ahead holds. For now, we’ll just have to wait and see whether any of the forecasts for 2016 come to fruition. One thing you can count on is that CFM&D will be there, reporting on it.
MICHELLE ERVIN michellee@mediaedge.ca
DECEMBER 2015 Volume 30, Issue No. 7 PUBLISHERS: Arvid Stonkus, IFMA Fellow Tel: (416) 236-5856 cfm@sympatico.ca Sean Foley seanf@mediaedge.ca EDITOR: Michelle Ervin Tel (416) 512-8186 ext 254 michellee@mediaedge.ca SENIOR DESIGNER: Annette Carlucci annettec@mediaedge.ca DESIGNER: Jennifer Carter jenc@mediaedge.ca WEBDESIGNER: Rick Evangelista ricke@mediaedge.ca PRODUCTION MANAGER: Rachel Selbie rachels@mediaedge.ca PRODUCTION COORDINATOR: Karlee Roy karleer@mediaedge.ca CIRCULATION: Maria Siassina circulation@mediaedge.ca (416) 512-8186 ext. 234 PRESIDENT: Kevin Brown kevinb@mediaedge.ca GROUP PUBLISHER: Melissa Valentini melissav@mediaedge.ca DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL MEDIA: Steven Chester stevenc@mediaedge.ca EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Barry Brennand, Merlin Consulting Group; Jaan Meri, P.Eng., Consultant; Alex K. Lam, MRAIC, The OCB Network; Janine Reaburn, LoyaltyOne, LEED ® AP
Canadian Facility Management & Design (CFM&D) magazine is published seven times a year by MediaEdge Communications Inc., 5255 Yonge Street., Suite 1000, Toronto ON M2N 6P4; Tel (416) 512-8186; Fax 416-512-8344; email: circulation@mediaedge.ca SUBSCRIPTIONS Canada 1 yr $50* 2 yr $90* USA 1 yr $75* 2 yr $140* Int 1 yr $100* 2 yr $180* * Plus applicable taxes. Authors: CFM&D magazine accepts unsolicited query letters and article suggestions. Manufacturers: Those wishing to have their products reviewed should contact the publisher or send information to the attention of the editor. Sworn Statement of Circulation: Available from the publisher upon written request. Although Canadian Facility Management & Design makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information published, we cannot be held liable for any errors or omissions, however caused. Printed in Canada. Copyright 2015 Canada Post Canadian Publications Mail Sales Product Agreement no. 40063056 ISSN 1193-7505
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CFM&D December 2015
Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: MediaEdge Communications Inc., 5255 Yonge St., www.cfmd.ca Suite 1000, Toronto, ON M2N 6P4
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THIS MONTH’S ONLINE EXCLUSIVES ALL THE BUZZ
Healthcare engineers trek regulatory landscape Rental housing landlords sometimes think of themselves as the most regulated real estate operators, but healthcare engineers and facilities managers make a good case for claiming that title. Responsibility for ensuring consistent service provision for a large, varied and vulnerable occupancy comes with many complex specifications.
Teknion has opened a new showroom called the Collaboration Hub in downtown Toronto.
FROM THE GREEN BIN
Change to Toronto sewers bylaw on tap for Jan. 1 One of two sewers bylaw changes that are expected to trickle down to building owners and managers is on tap for the New Year. Toronto’s public works and infrastructure committee recently voted to adopt a proposed environmental code of practice for food service establishments.
Real estate reaps smart technology paybacks Smart buildings could be characterized as a venue for colliding cultures as real estate moves away from a tradition of proprietary systems and IT takes on a growing role in operations. A recent seminar even presented that theme in an energy management vs. building automation context, albeit largely as a teaser for a discussion of the broader linkage of technologies to deliver high-performance buildings.
A demand response pilot program will assess the potential to reduce energy loads during peak periods in Ontario.
EXPERT ADVICE
Ray Cole explains how regenerative design challenges the orthodoxy of current green building practices.
CONNECT WITH US ON:
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NEW OAKVILLE HOSPITAL TO OPEN THIS MONTH The state-of-the-art Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital, designed to expand health care services and improve the patient experience, is scheduled to open on Dec. 13, said the Ontario government in a news release. “This is a significant and exciting milestone for health care in Ontario,” said Minister of Health and Long-Term Care Dr. Eric Hoskins. “The new Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital will help put patients first by providing better access to high quality health care services in a modern facility.” The Ontario government has committed up to $2.27 billion in funding for the project, which represents one of the province’s largest to be completed under its alternative financing and procurement model. At 1.6-million square feet, the facility is three times the size of the Oakville hospital it will replace, or roughly the same size as Toronto’s Eaton Centre. When it opens on time and on budget, the new hospital will have as many as 457 inpatient beds ready, up from the 135 beds in the current hospital. The mostly (80 per cent) single-patient rooms will contribute to improved privacy and infection control. Features aimed at enhancing the patient experience include generous windows, patient-controlled lighting and temperatures, room service food delivery and pull-out couches for family members who wish to stay overnight. The use of laboratory robotics will allow for faster specimens processing and results delivery. The use of a wireless system in place of a paging system for nonemergency messages will minimize noise. In addition to existing services such as critical care, diagnostics, rehabilitation and surgery, the facility will also deliver a cancer clinic, stress echocardiography tests and endoscopy ultrasounds. “Today’s grand opening of the state-of-the-art Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital signals the beginning of a new era of high quality, patient-centred healthcare in our region,” said Halton MPP Indira Naidoo-Harris. “This new facility will allow us to better meet the needs of our growing community.”
SUSTAINABLE WORKPLACES CERTIFICATION TO LAUNCH IN 2016 BOMA BEST has announced that its Sustainable Workplaces pilot project was successfully completed. The aim of the certification program is to help organizations become more sustainable by providing a standardized management system framework to manage and improve their environmental performance both inside and outside the office. “Through a process of extensive stakeholder engagement, BOMA Canada identified the need for the new BOMA BEST Sustainable Workplace module. As a new pathway for continual improvement, BOMA BEST Sustainable Workplaces provides a unique way for an organization to obtain recognition of their own sustainability efforts while also supporting sustainable building operations, tenant engagement and employee satisfaction,” said BOMA Canada president and CEO Benjamin Shinewald, in a press release. The certification program requires organizations to understand, monitor and improve performance in the areas of energy, water, waste, e-waste, space construction and renovation, procurement practices, business and employee travel and indoor air quality. BOMA BEST Sustainable Workplaces was designed to be completed in-house and will be launched early next year. The preceding news briefs originally appeared on the REMI Network. 10
CFM&D December 2015
SUSAN WIGGINS RESIGNS IDC POST FOR ROLE AT ASID Susan Wiggins will step down from her post as CEO of the Interior Designers of Canada (IDC) at the end 2015, announced the IDC’s board of directors. Wiggins will assume a new role as senior strategic adviser to the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) on Jan. 4, 2016. “The entire board is extremely pleased for Susan; there is no one more qualified for this role,” said Aandra Currie Shearer, president of IDC. “The Canadian interior design community has been strengthened over the past several years and there is no denying that the reputation we have developed is the result of Susan’s hard work and professionalism.” Wiggins was named CEO in 2010, following a restructuring of Canada’s association communities. She spent the previous decade serving as the executive director of the Association of Registered Interior Designers of Ontario (ARIDO). “The past 15 years have been the highlight of my career and there are so many people to thank for that,” said Wiggins. “My decision to leave, while difficult, was made easier knowing that progress continues on every front, there is a passionate and committed board, staff and volunteer community in place, and most importantly, my relationship with IDC and the membership will continue through my role at ASID.” IDC has established a recruitment committee to conduct the search for its new CEO; in the meantime, the association will appoint an interim CEO before Wiggins steps down. www.cfmd.ca
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[ fm ergonomics ]
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BY DR. MICHAEL O’NEILL
BEYOND THE WORKSTATION A new ‘active’ approach to ergonomics considers how to support safe postures in a range of areas such as increasingly popular collaborative spaces. Dr. Michael O’Neill highlights lessons from a Haworth white paper on the subject, including tips on spacing planning and furniture selection
T
he scope of traditional office ergonomics is limited to individual work within the primary workspace. ‘Active ergonomics’ is a new approach in which good ergonomic principles are applied to all elements of workplace planning, group and individual workspaces, furnishings, and technology. It builds on a foundation of thinking about the need to expand the scope of ergonomics.1, 2, 3, 4 Active ergonomics offers organizations the opportunity to better support the health and performance of their employees — regardless of their work location. Read on for examples of how to apply active ergonomics principles to both the planning of workspace, and for group spaces and their furnishings.
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makes it easy for people to learn, or guess, where a desired space type might be found. Conversely, a “cube farm,” where the floor plan is laid out with monotonous regularity and every location looks the same, forms a disorienting maze. Complex “illegible” layouts can suppress desirable movement of workers between workspaces, increase wasted time, and reduce overall sense of control in people. If the intended use of a space and its technology is ambiguous (such as café spaces, lounge areas, etc.) people will avoid using them or waste time trying to figure out how to use the space and furnishings. Poor legibility of floor plan and spaces has been linked to negative health impacts.6 The overall “legibility” of the space can be improved by five design elements. Legibility can be “designed in” to the office space by offering a floor plan layout that is easy to understand and learn, landmarks that help people orient themselves, visual access within the space and outside to landmarks, and signage that guides people with information about the intention and use of the space.7
SPACE PLANNING
“Legibility” is key to active ergonomics in space planning. Legibility is related to how easily people can understand, and navigate, the interior layout of a building, and effectively understand the intended use of all the workspaces within. Legibility is a fundamental part of active ergonomics because it puts people’s needs first — it is intended to create a positive work experience that makes it easy to locate the type of space needed, and quickly and effectively use each space type. The layout of a legible office space is clearly organized. People can easily create a “mental map” of the layout and find any location within the building, even with limited experience within the space.5 In terms of design, the layout of the office should set up a predictable rhythm that
SELECTING FUNISHINGS
Active ergonomics principles can be applied to the design of group and social spaces, and their furnishings. Most organizations offer a variety of spaces to facilitate the collaborative work and social interactions that occur throughout the workplace.8 Following are some general tips for specifying ergonomic furnishings in group spaces. 1. Lounge spaces and their furnishings are not intended to be an “all day” work environment. While these furnishings can support individual work, they are typically intended for group interaction and should be furnished and designed to facilitate safe postures during collaboration. In addition, the spatial relationships www.cfmd.ca
between furniture elements should not cause unsafe postures when people are interacting (for instance, leaning too low or too far forward while talking or sharing a display device). 2. Use furniture elements that provide access to power and data modules within group and social spaces. Power modules should be located to accommodate the typically short cord lengths of devices so people do not assume unsafe postures (e.g., bending, stooping) when plugging in. 3. Use height adjustable tables whenever possible in collaborative meeting spaces. Standing height meetings tend to be shorter in duration and provide people time a break from prolonged seated postures.9 Consider providing a foot rail for fixed standing-height tables. 4. Lounge furniture (couch, casual seating) can support safe ergonomic postures for people using devices such as laptops and tablets.10 Select furniture with firm seat and back cushions, preferably with soft, wide armrests. Offer support pillows so users can adjust for seat depth and lumbar support, and for arm support when seated in the middle of a couch, and when holding a tablet or other device. Active ergonomics broadens the benefits of healthy productive workspace to include the entire work environment. Office
work has fundamentally changed. For most people, the days of continuous heads-down work in a cubicle are a thing of the past. The daily work experience is now inseparable from technology use, and includes individual, group, and social interactions that occur in a widening range of space types. However, the scope of traditional office ergonomics is limited to individual work in the primary workspace. The active ergonomics approach includes all work environments where social, interactive, and focused work is conducted. Active ergonomics broadens the scope of influence of good ergonomics principles to the entire workplace — not just the primary workspace. It can help organizations create an overall environment that reduces health risks and increases the performance of people — wherever they may be working. | CFM&D The preceding article is reprinted with permission from the Haworth white paper “Active Ergonomics for the Emerging Workplace.” As senior research strategist for Haworth, Dr. Mike O’Neill conducts research projects with leading companies to assess how workspace design affects employee performance and health. Previously, as a professor of interior design and industrial engineering at the University of Wisconsin, he taught and conducted workplace ergonomics research. O’Neill is
REFERENCES
the author of several books, including Ergonomic Design for
1.
Hendrick, H. and B. Kleiner (Eds.) (2002). Macroergonomics:
Organizational Effectiveness (1998), and Measuring Workplace
Theory, Methods, and Applications. Lawrence Erlbaum
Performance (2007).
Associates, New York, NY. 2.
Wilson, J. (2000). Fundamentals of ergonomics in theory and practice. Applied Ergonomics, 31, 557-567, Elsevier Science Ltd.
3.
Taylor, James C., and David F. Felten. (1993). Performance by design: Sociotechnical systems in North America. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall.
4. O’Neill, M. (2007). Measuring Workplace Performance. Taylor & Francis, New York, NY. 5.
Weisman, J. (1981). Evaluating architectural legibility. Environment & Behavior, 13, 189-204.
6. Garling, T. and Evans, G. (Eds.) (1991) Environment, Cognition and Action: An Integrated Approach. New York, NY: Oxford
2015 Awards of Excellence CONGRATULATIONS TO THE RECIPIENTS
Press. 7.
O’Neill, M. (1999). Theory and Research in design of ‘You Are Here’ maps. In: H. Zwarge, Boersema, T, and Hoonhut, H. (Eds.), Visual information for everyday use: Design and research perspectives. Taylor & Francis, New York, NY.
8.
O’Neill, M. (2010). A model of environmental control and effective work. Facilities, Vol. 28, No. ¾, London: Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
9. Vlahos, J., “Is Sitting a Lethal Activity?” The New York Times, April 4, 2011 (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/
2015 Outstanding Contribution Award
2015 FM of the Year Award
FMP Certification Education Grant
magazine/mag-17sitting-t).
Geoff Williams
Lidia Ragusa
Syed Nawaid Amir
10. Gold, J., Driban, J., Yingling, V. and Komaroff, E. (2012). Characterization of Posture and Comfort in Laptop Users in Non-Desk Settings. Applied Ergonomics, 43, Elsevier Science Ltd.
Canadian Facility Management & Design
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December 2015 CFM&D
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[ operations & maintenance ] BY STEPHEN ASHKIN
A MOVE TO SUSTAINABILITY Relocations represent a chance to expand efforts to maintain an organization’s space in a more environmentally friendly way. Stephen Ashkin presents a pre-move-in checklist for facility managers looking to improve the sustainability of their operations
and provide a clean and healthy environment for building users. Suppose an organization is relocating to a building that has been occupied for the past 10 years. Once the space is empty, the facility manager could potentially take the following steps: 1. ASSESS THE OVERALL CONDITION OF THE FACILITY.
If any interior items remain, determine what can be saved or reused to promote sustainability and what should be removed due to age, appearance, or environmentally unfriendly attributes. Always look into recycling discarded items. 2. LOOK INTO MECHANICAL SYSTEMS.
Many HVAC systems are far more energy efficient than those installed 10 or more years ago. This also applies to lighting and water heating systems, etc. Consider replacing cooling systems with systems that do not use CFC refrigerants. 3. CHECK WINDOWS.
F
or facility managers, a relocation represents an opportunity to transition to more sustainable operations. Before move-in, the vacant space can be updated with environmentally preferable products and materials. After move-in, consider maintaining the space
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CFM&D December 2015
with cleaning solutions, tools, and equipment that are certified green because they use fewer chemicals and less water than traditional equipment and products. Green cleaning strategies help prevent the many allergic reactions attributed to the use of cleaning chemicals. The goal of cleaning is to eliminate these problems
If the facility has single-pane windows, consider installing more energy efficient double-pane window systems. Otherwise, check that the windows close and open properly and examine their caulking for gaps and cracks. (Shining a flashlight around the edges of a window at night is the best way to look for cracks and gaps; to detect drafts, light an incense stick and move it around windows.) The same goes for doors and skylights. 4. CONDUCT A WATER AUDIT.
Identify all water-using fixtures in the facility; check pipes for leaks; and check water delivering/removing systems. Unless replacing faucets, showerheads, etc., consider installing aerators in all such fixtures and replace toilets and www.cfmd.ca
urinals with the most water efficient systems possible. 5. REVIEW LANDSCAPING.
Smaller buildings are often landscaped with vegetation selected for its appearance, with little consideration for how much water it consumes. Xeriscaping (landscaping that conserves water through plant selection, among other strategies) can reduce a facility’s overall water use dramatically, as landscaping typically uses more water than any other area of a facility.
preferable and sustainable manner going forward. Along with the health benefits for occupants, there are many benefits for building owners and managers as well. Reports have shown that green facilities help organizations improve worker productivity, as well as morale, which are both things business owners now consider when selecting a new office space. | CFM&D
Stephen P. Ashkin is founder of the Green Cleaning Network, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to educating building owners and suppliers about green cleaning, and president of The Ashkin Group a consulting firm specializing in greening the cleaning industry. He is considered the “father of green cleaning,” on the board of the Green Sports Alliance, and has been inducted into the International Green Industry Hall of Fame (IGIHOF).
6. UPDATE ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS.
Many offices centralize items such as copiers, printers and vending machines in one area. Most of these electronics use energy even when they are turned off. To save energy, consider installing devices that can shut down the electric circuit completely when these electronics are not needed. 7. SELECT CLEANING SOLUTIONS
First, determine which areas should be cleaned. For instance, if it’s likely that the space requires new carpet, remove the old carpet and recycle it. This is far more environmentally responsible than cleaning the old carpet when it’s soon to be discarded. Once the space is empty, select cleaning solutions for each area. All structural surfaces, such as door knobs, electrical controls and other high-touch areas, that are expected to remain in place should be cleaned. Using a disinfectant on all of these surfaces may be overkill. Many disinfectants can have a negative impact on the user and the environment, especially if used improperly, so consider alternative cleaners. Green certified disinfectants have been independently tested and proven to meet specific standards and criteria by such organizations as UL/Environment, indicating the product has a reduced impact on the environment. Otherwise, a quick and easy way to reduce the use of disinfectants is to determine where they are necessary, such as in restrooms, and restrict their use to those areas. Once the facility is move-in ready, ensure that it’s cleaned and maintained in an environmentally Canadian Facility Management & Design
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15
REAL ESTATE FEATURE BY MICHELLE ERVIN
TORONTO TESTS NEW SPACE STANDARDS One of Canada’s largest municipalities has kicked off an office modernization program with the goal of reducing its real estate costs. The City of Toronto will pilot proposed new space standards in three renovation projects that will deliver collaborative areas, open floor plans and unassigned workstations
I
n a bid to optimize its real estate portfolio, the City of Toronto has kicked off a pilot Office Modernization Program (OMP) targeting 10 to 15 per cent in cost savings. Over the next 12 months, the municipality will complete three renovation projects designed to test new space standards. In a report, staff
said it expects the more efficient use of space envisioned in the projects to enable the city to collapse a lease ending next year and avoid future costs as it accommodates growth. City Council in July approved the $3.12 million in capital funding it will take to begin the program this year. Next year, the remainder of the pilot’s
“The move will likely double the floor plate area dedicated to collaborative work.” 16
CFM&D December 2015
price tag, pegged at a total of $9.15 million, will be considered as part of the budget process. Once the City achieves payback — in about 7.5 years — the pilot is projected to generate $1.08-million in savings annually. More than a cost-saving exercise, the modernization program is intended to capitalize on the benefits associated with current workplace design trends such as collaborative areas, open floor plans and unassigned workstations. “One of the key objectives of the OMP program is to improve employee engagement and productivity as well as attract and retain talent,” says Josie Scioli, chief corporate officer at the City of Toronto. The program marks the first time in roughly 10 years that the municipality has updated its office standards. Although this hasn’t stopped some divisions, such as Municipal Licensing & Standards, that have mobile employees like inspectors from moving to shared work space models. The program’s proposed changes are based on recommendations from Gensler, a firm with space design expertise that the City commissioned to conduct a review of its office environments. “Gensler’s review didn’t reveal any major surprises,” says Scioli. “The review highlighted that the current work environment at the City was not aligned with new and evolving work habits and business needs for more collaborative and flexible spaces.” The chief corporate officer points to open floor plans, though incorporated into some the municipality’s recent renovation projects, as the most significant departure from its current office standards. “The move will reduce the number of enclosed offices and bring more flexible www.cfmd.ca
focus/quiet areas and touchdown stations, and will likely double the floor plate area dedicated to collaborative work (meeting rooms, flexible and shared work spaces, etc.),” says Scioli. Gensler’s design recommendations included providing ample access to daylight, long sight lines and a welcoming atmosphere. The firm also recommended where to test the new standards based on factors such as employee readiness and floor plan suitability. The renovation projects will transform the second and fifteenth floors of Metro Hall as well as the first floor of North York Civic Centre, which will affect Toronto Building, the Information & Technology division and the Chief Corporate Office. An accompanying change management program will guide the transition of the roughly 520 employees involved to their new work environments. After the pilot ends, staff will analyze its results and use its findings to inform the overhaul of its office standards. “The assessment will include both quantitative metrics as well as qualitative employee response to new space,” says Scioli. “A number of key performance indicators and metrics were collected prior to the pilot to allow for comparative analysis on the modernized space.” Staff is due to report back to council in the third quarter of 2016, after the three renovation projects have been completed. If the program rolls out across the City’s real estate portfolio, staff forecasts that the municipality could potentially save $4 million to $6 million annually at its target of cutting real estate costs by 10 to 15 per cent. Currently, it spends $40 million annually — more than $6 million on office rent and $34 million to run city-owned buildings. The City is also contemplating alternative work arrangements, such as telecommuting, as it develops a new mobility policy. | CFM&D
CALGARY’S NEW WORKPLACE PROGRAM Toronto isn’t the only Canadian municipality looking at ways to optimize its real estate. Here’s a timeline of a similar initiative underway out west, as captured in an IFMA case study: 2011 Calgary City Council, in response to a request for more real estate funding, directed its administration to look at other approaches to accommodating the staff growth necessary to sustain city services — essentially to grow without growing. Three enabling services — corporate properties and buildings (CPB), IT and HR — co-sponsored and initiated a new workplace program. 2012 Tomorrow’s Workplace (TW) was created as a five-year capital initiative designed to prepare the organization to work flexibly in its existing space. The first task was to understand the baselines for the organization and build the case for change within the organization. 2013 The City conducted a workplace study to understand how its workspaces were being used. Observing over 2,250 spaces in 10 buildings revealed that 52 per cent of the City’s workstations sat empty on a typical day. In June, Alberta was hit with record floods and the case for flexible work was made even stronger. In spite of seemingly insurmountable difficulties resulting from damage, the City’s staff was able to get back to work and respond to priority citizen services. 2014 In May, the City’s administrative leadership team approved a space efficiency target goal: to decrease the number of assigned workstations by 10 per cent by 2018, thereby supporting the program and driving the organization toward a more flexible work environment. Future Because TW is only a five-year initiative, the team is looking at how flexibility will be sustained over time. The program that TW will leave behind is called myFlexwork, and it is divided into three components: flexible workstyles, flexible workspaces and flexible work schedules. The preceding timeline is excerpted with permission from IFMA’s “Distributed Work Revisited: Research Report #37.” The full report, which includes new workplace strategy trends and data
The preceding article originally
as well as more insightful case studies like this one, is available for sale online at https://www.
appeared on the REMI Network.
ifma.org/marketplace/store/product-view/distributed-work-revisited.
Canadian Facility Management & Design
December 2015 CFM&D
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[ fm education ]
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BY RYAN D. N. JONES
C A N A D A
HOW TO MANAGE EXTREME WEATHER RISK With a forecast for a super El Niño this winter, Canadians may see unusually warm weather followed by colder-than-average temperatures and even more snow. An expert shares tips for defending facilities against flooding and ice damage
E
nvironment Canada is predicting “a super El Niño” — an irregularly occurring series of climatic changes which will bring with it unusually warm water off northern Peru — this coming winter, stronger than any since 1998. It was then that warmer temperatures brought an ice storm to central parts of the country, but this prediction can also bring colderthan-average temperatures and even more snow. This increased variability for extremes makes it critical to plan for all types of scenarios going into winter. Risks such as flooding and ice damage can bring activity in any facility to an abrupt halt. And according to Environment Canada, the reality is that warning systems aren’t perfect. For example, there currently isn’t a specific flash flood warning system, so facility managers can only prepare for the factors within their control. Two years ago, Canada experienced one of its worst years for severe weather. In 2013, the country’s vulnerability to weather cost $3.2 billion in insured losses— the highest in its history. Years of examining the trends, however, have shown that it’s possible to mitigate risks when facility managers anticipate extreme weather, plan ahead and exercise constant vigilance. Extreme weather ranges from flooding and hail to hurricanes and snow storms. Realistically, facility managers don’t need to plan for each weather pattern, but rather the damage that could result. RSA Canada claims data indicate that water damage from extreme weather 18
CFM&D December 2015
is the number one claim by general contractors during the winter season. Knowing that the damage most likely to result from extreme weather is water damage, facility managers can plan for this specific issue. Compounding the effect of extreme weather damage over the winter season is the potential for human error. But, the human element can also offer a systematic and proactive approach in risk management. There are three main areas where facility managers can focus to mitigate risks associated with extreme weather. 1. Bring in a risk engineer
If planning for a potentially volatile winter season, insurance companies can assist with risk assessment by having an industry specific risk engineer visit the facility to review policies and procedures to ensure best practices are in place. A risk engineer will review the construction’s characteristics and special features, the site’s external and internal exposures, management safety systems, physical protection systems, emergency planning, mutual aid and public protection. This is especially important for facilities that may not have internal risk assessment expertise. Under normal circumstances, the rule of thumb is to bring in a risk adviser once every three years. In instances where there is a greater potential for loss, it is a good measure to have a risk adviser review the site sooner.
2. Develop a risk management plan
Identify potential problems related to extreme weather risk, then develop solutions before the season of extreme winter weather hits. Examples include evaluating passive and fixed protection systems, identifying evacuation routes and meeting locations, and developing an emergency process for equipment replacement. With potential problems and solutions top of mind, facility managers can effectively and efficiently respond to extreme weather and any resulting water damage. This should limit the length of any interruption within a facility. 3. Assign a quality control expert
After developing a risk management plan, brief everyone in the facility on any new practices and procedures and on how to identify problem areas such as broken or missing equipment or tools, gaps in safety protocol, and emergency response responsibilities. When it comes to mitigating risks, everyone has a role to play. However, it’s important to have a team member dedicated to ensuring that quality control and preventative measures are met. Having someone own the plan will help ensure everyone is doing his or her part and following the set procedures. To ensure project and business continuity, the quality control expert is responsible for designing the test plans, documenting test results, identifying potential areas for improvement and ensuring compliance with procedures and best practices. By making parts of the unpredictable predictable, facility managers can manage exposures and mitigate vulnerability to risk. | CFM&D
Ryan D. N. Jones is national risk control leader, Construction & Engineering, Global Specialty Lines, at RSA Canada.
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One of two cantilevered offices, also known as “sky boxes,” contains four programmable areas
20 CFM&D December 2015
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VERTICAL GARDEN Telus has planted downtown Vancouver’s first LEED Platinum office tower. The building, and the telecom company’s leased floors within, projects the company’s commitment to sustainability with a West Coast sensibility while supporting its flexible Work Styles program and its tech-driven mission BY MICHELLE ERVIN
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here are visual cues that this isn’t your average office tower. Glulam ribs give the street-level pavilion a West Coast sensibility with local materials, close to 300 solar panels read as a design feature in diagonal rooftop fins, and the tree-topped glass levels in between signal more than 10,000 square feet of outdoor space. The architecture foreshadows an equally environmentally sensitive interior fit-up. This is downtown Vancouver’s first LEED Platinum office tower, and it was planted by Telus, Canada’s fastestgrowing telecom company. The 24-floor office tower, which officially opened in September, is rooted next to a 53-floor residential tower, to be completed in 2016. Together, the towers collectively known as Telus Garden will totally transform the block bounded by Richards, Robson, Seymour and West Georgia streets. The sustainable mixed-use development is the product of a 50/50 partnership between Telus and Westbank
Canadian Facility Management & Design
Project Corp. The project dates back to 2010, when the telecom company established the internal business case for its new headquarters. The case was based on a confluence of factors, recalls director of real estate Cathy Wardlaw. Telus owned an eyesore of a parking lot on the same block as its existing offices, the dated layout of its existing offices made it difficult for employees to collaborate, and the new space would represent a chance to showcase its position at the forefront of technology. Underpinning all this was a commitment to sustainability which fueled the telecom company’s drive to surpass the city-mandated threshold of building to a minimum standard of LEED Gold. Telus and Westbank tapped Henriquez Partners Architects to bring their vision to life. The firm’s portfolio consists mainly of large-scale, mixed-use developments with minimal amounts of office space, says director-in-charge Peter Wood, which gave it the perspective to be able to challenge the status quo with its design of Telus Garden. December 2015 CFM&D
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FACILITY DESIGN
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PHOTOS BY EMA PETER
Clockwise from left: A lounge area is one of four programmable spaces in the “sky box,” Café Fresh is a kitchenstyle space open to all Telus team members; and the Innovation Centre is a prime location for collaborative work.
“Inspired by an Emily Carr painting, the arched glulams and printed low-iron glass roof of the pavilion simulate the natural beauty of the typical British Columbia experience of walking through a forest in dappled light under a canopy of leaves.” Almost immediately, the consultant team identified the opportunity to harvest and recycle waste heat from telecommunications equipment in Telus’ existing data centre. “Once we explored what using reclaimed low-grade energy could mean 22 CFM&D December 2015
— the use of in-slab and perimeter hydronic heating and cooling systems instead of using air as the medium of energy transfer — we discovered that we didn’t need a traditional dropped ceiling or a high raised floor,” Wood explains. “We could even have windows because we didn’t need to balance the air conditioning.” Not only did the resulting district energy system reduce the office tower’s heating and cooling cost by an estimated 80 per cent compared to a conventional office tower, but it reduced floor-tofloor height enough to gain an extra floor within the site’s zoned limit. www.cfmd.ca
Rather than conceal sustainable design features such as this, the building broadcasts them. As an example, Wood points out how the facades differ based on their orientation, with the east and west facades sporting vertical glass fins with horizontal frit, while the south facade sports horizontal sun shades and the north facade, floor-to-ceiling glass. The local context displays prominently in the design too. “Inspired by an Emily Carr painting, the arched glulams and printed lowiron glass roof of the pavilion simulate the natural beauty of the typical British Columbia experience of walking through a forest in dappled light under a canopy of leaves,” says Wood. “The anthropomorphic ribs also echo West Coast indigenous forms, in whose cultures wood is a precious material.” The interior fit-up of the nine floors Telus leases within the office tower carried through the overall development’s theme with natural materials, says Michelle Biggar, principal at the Office of McFarlane Biggar Architects and Designers (OMB). A restrained palette of bronze, stone, woods and whites marked a departure from some of Telus’ previous spaces, providing a neutral backdrop on which Canadian Facility Management & Design
to project the company’s culture and values. “Rather than using lots of different materials on different floors, we used the same materials but in different combinations,” says Biggar. “So, for example, we’d have the wood on the core walls [and the stone as a feature] on the typical workplace floors, and then on the executive floors, we’d flip it and have the stone on the core and the wood as a feature.” This subdued approach offset some of the interior design’s focal points, she adds, which include a spiral staircase and “sky boxes.” At six tons, the custom-built spiral staircase that connects the executive reception to the hosting centre needed to be craned into place before the office tower was topped off. A sculptural light
installation complements the staircase with bold-coloured, glass pendant lights that were hand blown by Bocci, a local Vancouver company. The sky boxes are cantilevered glass cubes that jut out over the city sidewalks on either side of the building, with which OMB developed four programmable areas. They include floating woodclad meeting rooms within, lounge areas on top and waiting areas below. These are just a few of the more unique collaborative areas, which also comprise an innovation centre and a team kitchen. The interior design introduced Telus’ brand and values into the space in an integrated way, as Biggar details. Favourite animals from the telecom company’s famous ad campaign have a home in a gallery of framed portraits. Company values of change and opportunity,
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PHOTO BY KAREN MACKENROT, TELUS
FACILITY DESIGN
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L to R: Close to 300 solar panels read as a design feature in diagonal rooftop fins; an online booking system allows employees to reserve hoteling stations up to two weeks in advance.
growth, innovation and teamwork are engraved into feature walls with graphic representations of the words. The pared-down design provides a modern yet timeless, West Coast canvas on which to add layers of interest in the form of furniture and art, she says. In an unconventional move, Telus tasked OMB with managing the art program to ensure a holistic approach. The program, which included two national competitions and pieces produced by the telecom company’s partners in the local arts community, supports the telecom company’s “give where we live” credo. Featured works fit under the banner “materials of meaning,” such as copper, textiles and wood. As with Telus Garden, the telecom company is pursuing LEED platinum certification for its leased floors within the office tower. Although the base building’s systems will be big pointsscorers for the interior fit-up, materials selection will also play its part, a notable example being the use of local red alder 24 CFM&D December 2015
— one of the B.C. coast’s most plentiful hardwoods, says Biggar. If sustainability dominated the design dialogue, it wasn’t the only driver of project decisions. Telus’ leased floors were also required to support its Work Styles program, which launched slightly less than a decade ago. The initiative gives the telecom company’s employees the flexibility to work how, where and when they’re most effective. “If they need to go watch their child’s holiday or Christmas school play, they can go do that and pick up their work when it works best for them,” says Andrea Goertz, senior vice president, strategic initiatives, and chief communications and sustainability officer at Telus. “We’re very much focused on metrics and output and managing by performance, and much less focused on managing by seeing someone in their cubicle for eight hours a day.” The initiative has indeed boosted productivity, according to the employee engagement metrics tracked by AON
Hewitt on behalf of Telus. And what started out as a real estate program, she says, has become an integral to the telecom company’s HR practices. Cost was nonetheless a top consideration in introducing Work Styles, Goertz acknowledges. To date, the initiative has enabled the company to reduce its real estate by approximately one million square feet, which amounts to about $50 million in savings annually, across Canada. However, the overarching idea was to create more effective space, she says, which in Telus Garden has meant emphasizing team areas over individual areas. By the time the telecom company moved into its new Vancouver headquarters, more than half of its workers were mobile; by the end of the year, the telecom company expects 70 per cent of its workers to be mobile, which is its ultimate target. Wardlaw notes that some employees — roughly 30 per cent — will always need to remain what it calls resident workers, who work from assigned workstations in the office. www.cfmd.ca
After following up a LEED Silver Ottawa project and a LEED Gold Toronto project with this LEED Platinum Vancouver project, Telus will be taking its latest lessons and applying them to its next big project: Telus Sky in Calgary. | CFM&D
PHOTO BY EMA PETER
its new Vancouver headquarters, it hopes Telus Garden will become an iconic building on the city’s skyline and a destination landmark. “I really hope that we’ve inspired others to be creative and very thoughtful about designing sustainability into their new developments,” says Goertz.
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Given the telecom company’s mission, it was only natural that its Work Styles program would be bolstered with the latest technology in its new space. A case in point: the online system that lets mobile Telus employees view floor plans and book workstations (including sit-stand and walking options) up to two weeks in advance. The system sends a confirmation email on the morning of to release workstations in case an employee sets and forgets a reservation, Wardlaw says. Even though Telus employees were relocating within the same block of downtown Vancouver, the move entailed a great deal of change. Change management involved phasing in the Work Styles program, says Wardlaw, in steps such as a switchover to laptops. Other change management activities engaged the team from the mock-up stage onward with votes on decisions such as panel heights (which are lower) and task chairs. As the telecom company settles into Canadian Facility Management & Design
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[ management memo ] BY KEN BLANCHARD, JANE RIPLEY AND EUNICE PARISI-CAREW
WINNING HEARTS AND MINDS Collaboration is about more than working in teams; it’s about the broader company culture. As Ken Blanchard, Jane Ripley and Eunice Parisi-Carew explain in an excerpt from their latest book, the responsibility to create this culture starts at the top, with the CEO
A
s Dave [Dave Oakman, division head for Cobalt, Inc.] approached the kitchen, he swore he could smell toast. He soon realized he wasn’t the only insomniac in the house. “Hi. I couldn’t sleep — it’s that awful eight-hour time difference,” Beattie [Dave’s sister-in-law visiting from the UK who recently took her company, Blenheim Industries, public] said, shaking 26 CFM&D December 2015
her head. “I hope you don’t mind, but I helped myself to tea and toast. I see my dear sister thoughtfully bought English toasting bread.” She laughed. “I don’t know why they call it that. It’s nothing like our toast.” Dave poured himself a glass of milk and put a piece of bread in the toaster. “And your chips are nothing like ours!” He sat down wearily. “I couldn’t sleep, either.” “Is the Primo project [a recent business enterprise under Dave’s
watch which failed to generate a profit] keeping you awake?” “Yeah.” Dave took a deep breath. “Beattie, I’d like to take you up on your offer to help me figure out how to get all of our people to work together. Maybe what helped your company succeed can help our company, too.” “Brilliant!” exclaimed Beattie, toasting Dave with her tea cup. “I think we’d better get started right away if I’m going to try to singlehandedly change our entire company culture,” said Dave, only half joking. Not missing a beat, Beattie began. “All right, then. Well, as I mentioned at dinner, collaboration is the key to a high performing organization.” Dave shook his head. “I’ve been thinking about that since you mentioned it — but we already have teams. In fact, we’re pretty smooth when it comes to running individual teams.” “Dave, collaboration is a whole order of magnitude beyond teams. It’s in the DNA of the company culture. It’s the mindset of every member of the organization — the air the company breathes. It’s an environment that promotes communication, learning, maximum contribution, and innovation — which, of course, all lead to healthy profits.” “Hold on a minute,” said Dave. He went into his study and returned with a notepad and pen. He began to write as Beattie spoke. “First, let me give you our guiding principle of collaboration: Collaboration begins with YOU.” “You sound just like my boss,” said Dave as he wrote. “No matter what reasons I gave him about why Primo failed, he said, ‘I don’t care about any of that. You were in charge and it was your job to make it work.’” “In one sense, he’s a wise man,” said Beattie, “but in another sense he isn’t — because he put all of the accountability www.cfmd.ca
Collaboration is a whole order of magnitude beyond teams. It’s in the DNA of the company culture.
in your court. He never acknowledged his duty as CEO to create a collaborative culture throughout the organization. When we say ‘Collaboration begins with you,’ we’re talking about every person in the company taking responsibility, from the CEO to the people at entry level. Let me see if I can explain this better. Give me the pen.” On Dave’s pad, Beattie wrote: Heart Head Hands “I’m going to teach you a simple way to understand how a collaborative culture works. Each word — Heart, Head, and Hands — represents a different domain of collaboration.” “I’ve heard of that model before, but isn’t it head first, and then heart and hands?” “Not in this case. At Blenheim, we refer to collaboration as an inside-out mindset. It has to start on the inside, with the heart. If you don’t get the heart part right, you’ll never be effective as a collaborative leader, because the heart is really who you are as a collaborator — your character and intentions. Then it moves to the head, which is about what you know — your beliefs and attitudes about collaboration. And finally, the hands are all about what you do — your actions and behaviour during collaboration.” Pen in hand again and writing quickly, Dave said, “This is interesting, Beattie, but I owe Jim a do-or-die report in two weeks. Where do I start?” “Why don’t we start with the heart domain and see where that takes you today?” Dave nodded his head in agreement. “The focus here is for you to answer this question: As a leader at Cobalt, do you think all the brains are in your office, or are there bright people around you? Canadian Facility Management & Design
If you think you’re the one with all the answers, I guarantee collaboration won’t occur if you are involved.” Beattie’s statement caught Dave off guard. First there was Dee’s remark about my ego, and now this! I’d been thinking Wayne and the other
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managers were the major obstacle to our progress with Primo, and now Beattie is implying that I’m part of the problem! “When your heart is right,” continued Beattie, “you want to bring out the best in others. Tap into the wealth of knowledge all around you. Utilize different opinions and perspectives. A few people at my company came up with a phrase that beautifully captures the essence of this concept: ‘None of us is as smart as all of us.’ As a leader, it’s your job to get everyone to share what they know. Let people bring their brains to work! And this is important: the more diverse the perspectives in the room, the better.” “But if you put a lot of people together with different opinions on how things should be done, won’t they all end up arguing?” Dave asked. Beattie took the last bite of her toast and said, “Maybe. But when everyone has a collaborative mindset, conflict can
be constructive. There’s an old saying: ‘If two people always agree, one of them is unnecessary.’” Dave smiled. “Yeah, I know that saying. But it seems to me that conflict would be the opposite of collaboration.” “Not at all — conflict can be very healthy within a collaborative group, as long as everyone sticks to the issues and things don’t get personal. It can lead to
breakthrough learnings and innovation.” Beattie yawned. “At last, I feel tired. Time for a nap, I think. Can we continue this later?” “Sure — and thanks,” said Dave as he scribbled Utilize differences on his pad. If conflict is healthy, Cobalt managers are Olympic athletes, he thought. He’d have to ask Beattie to explain that concept in more detail. | CFM&D
The preceding article is reprinted with permission from Collaboration Begins with You by Ken Blanchard, Jane Ripley, and Eunice Parisi-Carew, Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc. (www.bkconnection.com). Ken Blanchard is chief spiritual officer of The Ken Blanchard Companies. He is the author or coauthor of more than sixty books, including The New One Minute Manager®. His books have combined sales of more than 20 million copies in forty-two languages. Jane Ripley is a cofounder of Wired Leaders (www.wiredleaders.com). She has served as a board director for three companies and was an officer in the British Army. She has spent the last five years doing research on the topic of collaboration. Eunice Parisi-Carew is a cofounder of The Ken Blanchard Companies, where she is a senior consultant. She is the coauthor of three bestselling books: The One Minute Manager Builds High Performing Teams, High Five!, and Leading at a Higher Level.
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OFFICE TRENDS FEATURE BY PETER DAVIES AND MATTHEW JOHNSON
LET YOUR SPACE TELL YOUR STORY Organizations don’t always consider the impact that their choice of office space could have on their identity. While office space can be a tremendous promoter of the image and mission, it can also deliver a negative or neutral message
O
ffice premises are generally viewed as a necessary expense. Rarely do nonprofit organizations look upon their premises as a vehicle to promote their identity, culture and purpose. The results of a recent Colliers survey of more than 50 non-profit organizations throughout the Greater Toronto Area affirm this. The survey explored identity — what office space says about an organization — as one of its key themes. The survey asked leaders in the nonprofit sector what first impression they would like their office space to make. Answers varied, but responses such as “efficient,” “modest,” “professional,” “warm,” “inviting” and “welcoming” were most common. These adjectives illustrate the intricate relationship between identity and financial accountability. And while the survey focused specifically on the non-profit sector, many of its lessons apply equally to the for-profit sector. Viewing office space as an opportunity to invest in the organization and its people, rather than as a cost, carries benefits that go well beyond the balance sheet. Office space can be an asset for engaging with stakeholders, promoting external brand and identity, a reflection of the culture, and also a helpful tool to attract and retain highly valued employees. It’s common to find oneself in a client or prospect’s office, about to meet with a highly educated individual
30 CFM&D December 2015
mandated with the stewardship of a major organization, while surrounded with fraying carpets, tired furniture and headache-inducing lights. This is not an ideal work environment, let alone a space inspiring employees to produce at their highest capacity on a daily basis. While not easily measured, the impact that a less-than-ideal work environment can have on talented workers can be significant. It can also send an instant negative message to any prospective employee, volunteer or donor/funder who takes a seat in reception. Imagine instead walking through the doors of a non-profit organization and, without speaking to anyone, immediately becoming familiar with its recent successes, ongoing projects and even being able to see and read testimonials from individuals positively affected by its work. Now think about the individual who has absorbed all of that positive messaging going into their appointment. Be it a prospective new hire, donor, funder or volunteer, by the time that individual sits down with whomever he or she is meeting, it is likely that that individual will have a positive outlook on the organization and its culture. Also think about the longtime employee, volunteer, board member or other stakeholder and the value of that same messaging in reaffirming all the positive reasons
they stay actively engaged in helping the organization thrive. Colliers’ benchmarking survey suggests organizations may be missing this opportunity. Responses showed that alignment with identity ranked eighth out of 10 reasons why an organization would choose to lease in a particular building. Organizations aren’t giving consideration to their brand/culture as often as they should. What’s more, introducing messaging into a space that drives home the organization’s identity and promotes the good work being done in the field can generate significant benefits, at an insignificant cost. One example of a low-cost measure would be the big screen in Plan Canada’s reception that walks through its projects and initiatives. Another example is a Toronto sales office where, with a walk down the hall, past the boardrooms and into a meeting room, visitors learn where the company was founded, its major acquisitions, its current sponsorships and its currently featured brands. So what should an organization do now? Employees and stakeholders are the most important asset of any organization, so ask them for their thoughts on the environment where they spend the vast majority of their waking hours. At the very least, such a survey will provide stakeholders with a sense that their opinion matters and is important to the organization’s leadership. What is more likely to occur is that the organization’s leadership will learn of a few simple changes to the workplace design that will improve the culture and productivity. | CFM&D
Peter Davies and Matt Johnson are vice presidents and co-chairs of Colliers Not-forProfit Advisory Group. They can be reached at Peter.Davies@colliers.com and Matthew. Johnson@colliers.com; Twitter: @ColliersNFP; www.collierscanada.com/notforprofit.
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32 Canadian CFM&D Facility October Management 2012 & Design
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December 2015 www.cfmd.ca CFM&D 31 Untitled-3 1
14-01-29 11:04 AM
FOCUS ON WORKSTATIONS
DESKING SYSTEMS RISE TO THE OCCASION Though available on the market for some time now, the height-adjustable table only recently began to gain traction. Its ascent corresponds with the increasingly accepted industry gospel that “sitting is the new smoking.” What’s new this year is that offerings among sit-stand solutions have expanded from the single workstation to benching systems
ergoCentric has teamed up with TiMOTION, a designer and manufacturer of high-quality linear actuators and integrated control systems, on upCentric™. The height-adjustable table, which has a 26-inch range, is the first in a series of desking systems to be produced by ergoCentric and to use TiMOTION’s actuator and control box technologies. Available in two- and three-leg versions, upCentric features an up/down electronic push-button control and saves up to four heights. Suitable for a variety of tabletop sizes, the height-adjustable table frame comes with a choice of wood laminate or veneer-finished surfaces or can be used to convert existing surfaces into sit-stand solutions.
Fitterfirst, a company with exclusive Canadian rights to VARIDESK, showcased the desktop computer stand at IIDEXCanada. The riser rests on surfaces, where it lets users transition from sitting to standing in three seconds. The Pro Plus 36 (pictured) is the most popular of the more than 10 models Fitterfirst carries. Available in black and white, the Pro Plus 36 features a new lifting keyboard tray for ergonomic comfort at all heights. Measuring 36 inches by 27 inches, the new work surface is ideal for workstations outfitted with dual monitors or docking stations. The desktop extends up to 18 inches; the keyboard extends up to 14 inches.
Herman Miller has extended its Renew Sit-to-Stand Table line with the addition of Renew™ Link, sit-to-stand benching. Designed by Brian Alexander, the bench builds on the line’s intuitive controls, fluid motion, ergonomic design and integrated cable management with shared power and data infrastructure. In an effort to address distracting eye contact that occurs in a grid layout, the benching offers optional angled work surfaces with a subtle sawtooth pattern for clear individual sight lines.
32 CFM&D December 2015
www.cfmd.ca
Versteel recently launched Eliga Benching, a fixed rectangular table with a top-edge thickness of one inch and a choice of a two- or four-leg base. The table is available in widths of 48 and 60 inches; the two-leg table comes in lengths of 72, 84 and 96 inches and the four-leg table also comes in lengths of 48 and 60 inches. Materials include laminate or veneer selection for the top surface and standard core and powdercoat base finish. Optional accessories include media cases, privacy panels and wire management.
hiSpace, the latest addition to Teknion’s height-adjustable tables offering, features a signature square leg profile, C-Leg design and electric height-adjustment range from 25 to 50 inches (63.5 to 127 centimetres). A telescopic universal base finished in Platinum supports work-surface widths from 48 to 72 inches (122 to 183 centimetres) in six-inch (15 centimetre) increments and depths of 24 and 30 inches (61 and 76 centimetres). Work surfaces are available in Source Laminate, Foundation Laminate and Seamless finishes with four edge-trim styles. A digital display switch with three memory settings is standard. hiSpace is also available in freestanding and stage-integrated versions.
GLOBALContract has built on its Bridges desking solution with the addition of Bridges II Collaborative Seating. The collection of lounge seating, privacy screens, tables, tablets and power provides the design flexibility to configure components for a variety of goals, including high privacy and open concept. Available for standalone or integrated use, the components can be combined with Bridges benching, Boulevard and System 3 panels.
Canadian Facility Management & Design
December 2015 CFM&D 33
[ last word ] BY RICHARD BEAUMONT
FROM TRASH TO TREASURE Relocations and renovations cost both companies and the environment when old office equipment and furniture are sent to the landfill. Richard Beaumont recommends planning to decommission like planning to move
E
veryone can get behind an office relocation or renovation. A sleek new look, updated technology and effective use of space all help organizations build culture, retain talent and improve productivity. But few organizations take the time to consider what happens to their old office “stuff” as they endeavor to renew their workplaces — or the business case for doing so. They should, though, because how organizations decommission their existing space carries real implications, risks and opportunities. IMPLICATIONS
Put simply, every office transition paves the way for newer, better furniture and equipment, pushing everything else out the door. The problem for business and society is threefold: 1. The business-as-usual approach of liquidation or junk-removal is a cost with little-to-no return on investment; 2. It also generates millions of tons of avoidable waste each year in North America from perfectly usable office products; and 3. Non-profit and community organizations everywhere are in desperate need of better furniture, equipment and supplies. Part of the problem is that clearing out an office seems easy. Until a facility manager is staring down the barrel of a thousand-line spreadsheet of no-longerneeded items, it seems plausible, and maybe even likely, that everything can be resold or donated easily. After all, businesses invest a lot in their office 34 CFM&D December 2015
equipment and naturally assume there is a market for them. But by the time decision-makers realize that the second-hand furniture market is limited and that large-scale donation is itself a complex project, they’ve wasted too much time to implement an effective solution. They are left with no real plan and literally tons of potential waste. RISKS
At the risk of delaying other components of a broader workplace project, they turn to the only option that requires neither time nor strategy: a liquidator (or worse, a junk-removal service). And most liquidators have no use for anything but the high-value items. The remainder is sent to the dump. The need to change this practice is becoming increasingly urgent. Environment Canada estimates that Canadian landfills alone generate 27 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year. As world leaders converge in Paris this month to make serious commitments to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, how can businesses reduce their contribution to the problem via their buildings? Business can do better by planning to decommission in the same way they would plan for any other component of their move. Companies look to their A&D firm to plan and execute a renovation, manage the complexities and risks, and provide measurable results. Or they look to their property managers to
provide specialized project management and workplace continuity. OPPORTUNITIES
Companies can bring on experts to manage the complexities and maximize asset recovery, but also to reduce waste and steward community investment. With an expert responsible for framing the project and accountable for producing a triple-bottom-line outcome, the results are dramatically different. Where there was only risk, cost and waste, there is an opportunity for much more. Businesses that have tried to manage donation internally may see it as more costly than dumping items, but that’s because they don’t have the expertise, connections and processes to make it efficient, effective and measurable. In short, when combined with asset resale and strategic recycling, donation can be cost-competitive with landfill. Sending things to landfill comes with hard costs: labour and transportation as well as the landfill tipping fees. Instead, this investment could help non-profits reduce their overhead while improving their office space. It’s a win-win for businesses and the communities in which they operate. Organizations are paying significant amounts to have their surplus office furniture and equipment dismantled and hauled away with little record of where it goes. But with these costs could come amazing benefits, from reduced internal effort and distraction to waste diversion and community engagement. All it takes is for organizations to plan ahead, rethink their processes, and engage experts in the space — and turn their relocation or renovation waste into something more. | CFM&D
Richard Beaumont is the co-founder and CEO of Green Standards, a specialized sustainability firm that works with corporations to manage their surplus office furniture and equipment in a cost-effective, responsible manner. For more information, visit www.greenstandardsltd.com or contact Richard at rbeaumont@greenstandardsltd.com. www.cfmd.ca
EMPOWERING INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANIZATIONS TO GROW AND SUCCEED.
Our longstanding history of strong partnerships and best practices make Sodexo an outsourcing partner of choice. From building operations and maintenance to customer service centres; from catering and retail food services to fitness centre management; and from cleaning services to grounds maintenance and landscaping; Sodexo designs, manages and delivers solutions for clients that improve Quality of Life in the workplace contributing to the development of individuals and the performance of organizations. To learn more about our Quality of Life Services please visit www.sodexo.ca
© 2015 All Rights Reserved. Global Design Center 15.0171 River seating shown with Allante, Bisque (A42E) seats and Momentum Odyssey, Rue (OD53) backs. River tables are shown in White Chocolate (WHC) with Tungsten (TUN) bases.
a quiet harbor Bring people together in a place where ideas, insight and inspiration can be shared. River supports an endless array of curvilinear and rectilinear configurations with three back heights and benches. Seating and tables can be specified with power and RIVER SEATING SERIES.
USB outlets for mobile devices. An optional HT construction lets River overachieve in high traffic, high demand environments such as airports and universities.
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