Project Description
We removed the walls between departments to reconnect them with a central gathering space in this Fort Worth, Texas office
FORT WORTH, TEXAS
Like many growing companies, Healthcare Payment Specialists has expanded over the years into adjacent leasable space in the same building. Eventually they occupied several suites in the same building, but these spaces remained divided by walls. It was soon apparent that this separation of departments did not create a working environment conducive to collaboration and it was affecting employee morale.
After studying how the company functioned, we devised a plan to remove walls between separate suites and to create central shared spaces, such as copy, file and supply rooms. A shared kitchen that was part of one of the suites became more easily accessible to all employees. The resulting large central gathering space serves as a lunch room for daily use, and for occasional all-office meetings and presentations. To differentiate this space from the surrounding working areas, the ceiling was raised and a perimeter soffit was added, which incorporates cove lighting to illuminate the ceiling.
Project Info & Tips
- A multipurpose gathering space can help bring employees together for scheduled and unscheduled events
- Consider opening up and raising the ceiling in larger open spaces to help define the space
- Changing the floor material or using a different commercial grade carpet can help differentiate a gathering space from the surrounding office space
- Consider your lighting options: indirect lighting that reflects off a ceiling can provide soft lighting without glare
- Be careful of too many hard surfaces that will reflect sound. Using soft surfaces and acoustic ceiling tiles can make a larger space perform better for presentation or multimedia events
- Level of Design Services: Consulting
- How do I Estimate Construction Cost and Design Fees?