Agility often inspires images of graceful gymnasts or dancers performing with fluid motion. In the design world, it’s often used to inform workplace functionality. Technology has driven change and agility in the workplace for decades, heavily influencing how office space is designed and how it functions. Today, employees seek companies that offer a variety of spaces to meet the ever-evolving needs of their employees and their schedules.
Recognizing this, a Global Technology Company sought out Mancini to develop new, agile offices in Annapolis Junction, Maryland, to house their Wireless Networking Groups, the largest of the company’s nine working groups. The design team met with the Group to discover what was and what wasn’t working for them in their current space. Hoteling, or free-desking, became a solution that informed the design of the Group’s new space. This reservation-based concept takes its cues from the hospitality industry and reinforces agility for maximizing space, empowering employees to design their own work environment by choosing when and where they want to land every day. Operating from this model, Mancini captured key areas for collaboration and support spaces, adding density while creating openness within the floorplan.
With this project, the design team rethought conventional office finishes. The goal was to prove that tight schedules and tight budgets don’t mean compromises on design. Using corrugated metal, industrial fixtures and customized plywood, the team created an “elevated industrial” style space envied by tech firms and startups across the nation. Plants and plush seating provide a comfortable contrast to brick, blackened steel and concrete, adding depth and character to each zone. Hanging industrial lighting fuses ambience and functionality.
Spread across two and a half floors, the 55,000-square-foot office for the Group aims to inject a fresh perspective into the nationally recognized brand. Employees are greeted at the main entrance by a sculptural concrete planter with cascading plants, offsetting a dramatic living green wall that, reportedly, is a favorite spot for selfies and visitor photos. This level also houses a conference center, training room and additional amenities. The conference center was designed to be flexible, including sliding glass doors that can close off the room during training seminars, or opening to accommodate town-hall style meetings. Arranged in the pre-function area is informal seating where focused work, meetings or meals can be enjoyed.
On the second and third floors, large windows, plants and seating areas create a central “courtyard” that acts as a welcome zone for staff. These zones are highlighted by custom-designed shelving units that offer opportunities to infuse branding while shielding elevator circulation and creating a privacy screen for meetings and gatherings. The mixed media of this feature wall adds visual depth and texture, accenting the space so that it feels more like home than a corporate setting. From there, agile workstations, huddle rooms and other meeting and support spaces radiate out, taking advantage of the natural light from four walls of windows.
