Steelcase Next Design

Steelcase Semi-Finalist 2023 13,000 sqf

The Boston Seaport is an adapted neighborhood with creative people and new businesses. Boston, like many other cities, lacks in school funding. Less than 1.5 percent of school funding is left for schoolroom equipment and supplies. The Boston office will further NEXT taking steps to fill the gap in access to STEM education both globally and in the local community of their developmental branch office.

Inspired by the gap in access to the Seaport neighborhood from the Boston T train route, the design interprets the intersections and visual pathways of the T map to represent the NEXT mission to fill the gap in STEM education with their culture and physical space. A place that celebrates the intersections of the creative process, uplifts innovation through variety, and employs a vibrant atmosphere with bright hues.

Project Room Design

The process sketch illustrates a form inspired by the Boston T pathways that becomes the consistent geometric strategy throughout the design.

Open collaboration is important to the NEXT teams. The workstation neighborhood layout ensures that NEXTERS are always steps away from a Project Room, team space, or individual work.

Each workstation neighborhood has a different level of privacy to offer employees comfort without obstructing wide exterior views of the seaport or visual access to team spaces.

The custom booths reflect the repeated metal partitions in a new way with the softness of plant life and comfortable cushions. The lowered ceiling and added privacy make the booths an intimate retreat.

In the work cafe, every seating option has access to power to encourage social collaboration and choice. The center dining space is multi-functional for hosting lunch and learns or casual meetings.