CLIPS November 2006

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VOLUME 18 NOVEMBER 2006

LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT DESIGNER FORUM DESIGN TRENDS BUILDINGS FURNITURE

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HEALTH SOHO OFFICE MANAGEMENT CULTURE TECHNOLOGY CASE STUDY

Corporate Headquarters 81 S. 9th St. Suite 350 Minneapolis, MN 55402 Ph 612-343-0868 Fx 612-332-5733 Toll Free 888-333-4664 TCI-1 (Retail Store) 2470 West 79th Street Bloomington, MN 55431 Ph 952-885-7600 Sales Office / Showroom 1365 North Road, Suite C Green Bay, WI 54313 Ph 920-884-0265 Sales Office / Showroom 1020 John Nolen Drive Madison, WI 53713 Ph 608-257-0521 Sales Office / Showroom 2804 Rib Mountain Drive, Suite E Wausau, WI 54401 Ph 715-849-3131 Sales Office / Showroom 902 North Perryville Road Rockford, IL 61107 Ph 815-398-3300 targetcommercialinteriors.com Š 2006 Target Commercial Interiors

CLIPS is a service provided by Target Commercial Interiors to help keep you informed of industryrelevant trends, issues and ideas. We survey the literature, summarize key articles and present them in a digest format for your convenience. Full text articles are available by contacting Megan.Sciera@target.com.

RIPPLE BENCH MANUFACTURED BY BRAYTON

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From the President We continue to find additional ways to reinforce our brand promise at Target Commercial Interiors – Expect More. Pay less. There are two capabilities we have developed over the last two years that may be of specific interest to you.

1. As you probably know, Target has a long-standing tradition of embracing diversity – one of the significant components in our corporate commitment to community service. Now Target Commercial Interiors – through a unique mentor-protégé relationship – can help you fulfill your organization’s willingness and determination to support minority owned businesses.

Thunderbird, a Native American owned enterprise, has been working with us on a mutually beneficial basis. We provide educational opportunities, sharing our expertise with this young company, and Thunderbird helps us find additional organizations to serve.

2. We have also dramatically accelerated our ability to serve our customers on a global basis. The list of completed projects grows each month, and now includes workspace development in: • • • • • •

China United Arab Emirates Egypt Hong Kong India Dominican Republic

• • • • • •

Mexico Pakistan Singapore Turkey Portugal Korea

Our international work includes all of the traditional product and service offerings you are accustomed to through Target Commercial Interiors, but includes an important new service as well – product sourcing. The appropriateness and availability of individual manufacturer’s products varies significantly around the world. As a result - for performance, reliability and cost-effectiveness - we have found that finding the right products for each unique location and region is extremely important We hope you enjoy this edition of CLIPS. We are delighted that Mic Johnson from Ellerbe Becket has contributed to our Designer Forum. Remember, if you want full text articles from this publication, just contact Megan Sciera – megan.sciera@target.com.

Sincerely, Joe Perdew, President

Mic Johnson, AIA Design Principal, Ellerbe Becket, Inc

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A gifted and collaborative design architect, Mic Johnson has been associated with Ellerbe Becket for 14 of his 30 years of practice. In his tenure with the firm, he has led design teams for some of the firm’s most notable projects. He returned to Ellerbe Becket in January 2006 after spending three years as a principal of RSP Architects.

Mic is consistently focused on creating great buildings that are on target for each client and each site. His portfolio spans a variety of building types and has been widely honored through awards and publication. Mic’s past work with Ellerbe Becket includes Target Plaza South; 900 Nicollet mixed-use (both in Minneapolis); Yonsei University Medical Center’s New Severance Hospital and Samsung Medical Center Cancer Center in Seoul, Korea; Dubai Healthcare City University Teaching Hospital in the United Arab Emirates and at the University of Minnesota: the renovation of Coffman Memorial Union; the new Mark G. Yudof Residence Hall and the Washington Avenue Pedestrian Bridges. While with RSP Architects, Mic led the design team for the Wells Fargo Home Mortgage Minneapolis Campus Expansion and Target Northern Campus Building D exterior.

Target Northern Campus, Building D Brooklyn Park, Minnesota

Target Plaza South (at far left) and 900 Nicollet Mixed Use - Minneapolis, Minnesota

900 Nicollet Mixed Use - Minneapolis, Minnesota

DESIGNER FORUM

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Throughout his professional career, the majority of Mic’s work has been focused in urban areas or within a campus environment. He is extremely skilled at community engagement in the design process and understands how the built environment can be enhanced through thoughtful design strategies. For the past four years, Mic has taught graduate-level design studios at the University of Minnesota’s College of Design that are focused on designing within the urban context, and has served as a visiting design critic and lecturer at universities across the country. Mic earned a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Oregon and is a registered architect.

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Yonsei University Medical Center New Severance Hospital - Seoul, Korea Yonsei University Medical Center New Severance Hospital - Seoul, Korea

University of Minnesota, Washington Avenue Pedestrian Bridges Minneapolis, Minnesota

Community Building

University of Minnesota, Coffman Memorial Union Renovation - Minneapolis, Minnesota

Mic Johnson, AIA

A work of Architecture must reinforce the form of the community it serves. This is my job as an architect. I perform this work not alone, but with many others and I do this from a point of view that is respectful of the collective history of architecture. My work cannot be confined to a single style because I believe real “modernism” is the knowledge and use of the past – not just the last fifty years of architectural history.

My work includes the whole of architectural expression. The engine of my work is not just computers and pencils but instead is based on a process of continuous discovery and testing of what is unique about a particular place.

Understanding the nature of a place is the most important aspect of creating an essential community work of architecture. Only by listening to the heartbeat of the community – and strengthening it – can the work of the individual architect be collective. To work this way I have given up individual expression in favor of making places of commonality, whether building or street, working with all of history instead of being current, acting on behalf of the community I serve.

My work is our work – which is the work of making architecture. It grows from the individual mind into collective need where it becomes impossible to separate one from the other. As architects, we all begin our careers with the notion that architecture is an individual and personal expression until we begin to practice. Practice teaches us that we must work with others who have important ideas, like our clients and our community. Most of us are not taught to consider different points of view as an aspect of how a work of architecture comes into being. Our education often does not provide us with the tools to be inclusive.

In both the office and at the university, I teach that a work of architecture is much more than a statement of artistic process. To be successful, a work of architecture cannot be selfish or exclusive – but instead must open up to the broadest participation, interpretation and respect for all within our communities. I am committed to collective thought, social and physical sustainability, and teaching as a primary engine for all my work and the underlying philosophy that a work of architecture is an expression of community.

de The Great Escape Julia Schlosser 4

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Fortune; March 20, 2006 v153 i5 p107

Summary: The cubicle still claims the largest share of office furniture despite decades of bad press from designers and workers alike. Recently, however, organizations have begun to develop economical and productive alternatives. This article provides an historical overview of the rise of the cubicle and the economic reasons behind its success. Among the more than 100 cubicle variants the article touches on are Steelcase’s “Personal Harbor” (which can be filled with its own lighting, fan, door and window), Knoll’s A3 or “anticube” (a rounded, podlike structure with privacy provided by translucent mesh) and a June launch of two Herman Miller cockpit-like systems that emphasize color and privacy.

But is this where we’re really heading in office design? This article doesn’t think so. One long-range planner believes that people will develop ways to work outside traditional offices, particularly through the use of home offices and Starbucks. This article notes the successes of companies like Cisco Systems and Hewlett-Packard, the latter of which is expected to benefit from telecommuting by cutting its annual office space expense by $230 million by mid 2007.

“Bike racks and shower facilities for bike riders, open spaces that promote walking and elevators that are paired with staircases.”

Healthier By Design

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Mark Rowh

Florida Trend (St. Petersburg); December 1, 2006, v48 i8 p14

Summary: With obesity on the rise nationwide, 1990s benefits like the corporate cafeteria and convenient employee parking are being replaced by building designs that promote fitness. Bike racks and shower facilities for bike riders, open spaces that promote walking and elevators that are paired with staircases are the result. Among other healthy designs mentioned in this article: • Longer distances between parking areas and offices; • Recycling projects; and • Workplace air distribution systems built under the raised flooring that allow individual control over each employee’s vent.

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Offices Inject Play Into Work / These Firms Say Colorful Décor, Four-Legged Pals Alleviate Stress

Houston Chronicle; June 5, 2006, p1

Summary: The premise of this article is that workplace environment plays a key role in employee attitudes and productivity. The Creative Group, a California-based firm specializing in staffing services, surveyed 250 executives from the nation’s largest advertising and marketing firms and found that more than half believe the office environment – including layout, décor and lighting – “greatly” affects creative output.

Other corporations are also learning that office space can make a difference and are continuing a move toward open work spaces and are building “natural gathering spaces” where employees from different departments can share ideas on related products they’re working on.

The article notes that personalizing one’s working environment seems to help with creativity and productivity and the author lists a number of efforts in that regard, from table tennis tables, pet dogs and live parrots to upside-down umbrella lighting fixtures. Communal areas described range from bar and lounge areas to porches with hanging swings.

This article ends with a call to construct “creativity zones” - private sanctuaries and idea walls covered with paper and complete with jars of markers.

Bahrain World Trade Center Announces Plans For Kingdom’s First Intelligent Buildings Diane Domeyer

Middle East Company News (Dubai); June 3, 2006, p1

TRENDS

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Summary: The new Bahrain World Trade Center is on the cutting-edge of a post 9/11 trend toward “intelligent office building design.” The two 50-story towers incorporate a structured cabling system that integrates SMART features that include surveillance, data, energy and other operating systems.

Security features include the latest in closed circuit television surveillance and monitoring, automated tenant access to common areas, parking facilities and individual floors, as well as a “warning and response” system. In addition, the building provides tenants with crisis management, disaster recovery and business continuity services. Additional integrated services that are becoming popular range from visitor management to web-based billing inquiry systems.

Wireless messaging in hot spot areas allow access to voicemail, fax and email and enable tenants to install Wifi and high speed broadband Internet enabled hardware.

Additional features include innovative air conditioning systems and wind energy systems that generate 15% of the property’s electrical needs.

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“Wireless messaging in hot spot areas allow access to voicemail, fax and email and enable tenants to install Wifi and high speed broadband Internet enabled hardware.”

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Your Next Office Chair Could Be A Ball; Office Trend Helps Employees Get A Workout At Their Otherwise Sedentary Jobs Milwaukee Journal Sentinel; May 15, 2006, pA1

Summary: Driven by the popularity of Pilates and other corestrength fitness regimens, the newest trend in office furniture is ‌ exercise balls. Already widespread in Europe and Canada (where entire office buildings have replaced regular chairs with colorful exercise balls) this trend was picked up by cutting-edge California workplaces like Google (where nearly half of its employees sit on balls) and has spread to heartland cities like Milwaukee.

Considered a boon to people who sit in offices all day, the ball-chair provides all-day muscle toning that improves posture and controls back pain. The article ends with a number of ball-chair tips.

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Charles Lockwood

Harvard Business Review; June, 2006, v84 i6 p129

Summary: “Green” buildings have long been known for conserving natural resources through minimal on-site grading, using alternative building materials and recycling construction waste. Their interiors boast more natural lighting, their heating, ventilating and air-conditioning systems are highly efficient, and their constituent materials (paint, flooring, furniture, etc.) emit extremely low levels of organic compounds into the air.

Today, as a result of these benefits, “green” buildings are becoming just as widely known for lowered operating costs, enhanced employee productivity, lowered absenteeism and stronger employee attraction and retention. Green buildings are now less costly than standard buildings to construct and operate and the article notes that financial institutions and investors are increasingly factoring in these lower costs when determining real estate values. The author provides readers with ten rules that can help companies build green within a standard budget. Areas covered by these rules range from planning and design to the selection of materials and money-saving technologies.

buildings

Building The Green Way

The Perfect Office Chair

Mark Rowh

Office Solutions); November/December, 2005, v22 i6 p24

furniture Karen Wormald

Workstation Furniture

Office Solutions; May/June, 2006, v23 i3 p28

Summary: This article provides readers with a blueprint for purchasing workstation furniture. It begins by admonishing readers about the complexity and pitfalls of designing office interiors and the advantages of forging a strong relationship with a dealer that has extensive systems furniture experience. Early dealer involvement is deemed critical as “too many communication/ data/electrical/lighting decisions that need to be made early in the process require the dealer’s involvement.”

Guidelines for working with dealers are provided, as are guidelines for dealer selection and client expectations.

The author discusses the value of scale drawings and providing the dealer a detailed overview of what employees do and how they do it. The need for any special lighting or noise reduction must be communicated to the dealer, as well as the degree of resource sharing expected and the extent of how employees interact and function.

The relative advantages and disadvantages of single versus multiple vendor approaches is dealt with and the article ends with a list of tips culled from the Internet to make your cubicle more comfortable and serene.

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Summary: Studies have shown that the chairs used by office professionals directly affect their stress and productivity levels. This article provides readers with a look at the features that should be considered in selecting the perfect office chair. Comfort, flexibility and appearance are just a starting point. Materials and chair construction are paramount considerations, with ergonomics coming close behind. Adjustments of chair height, chair backs and chair arm height, width and depth are discussed, as are environmental concerns. The author discusses ways in which readers can assure themselves of a perfect fit and provides a list of questions to ask when chair shopping. The article ends with a list of ten features to consider when making your chair selection.

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Deadly Risk Of Heart Attack ‘Increases With Noise In Workplace’

Ian Johnston

The Scotsman (Edinburgh); November 24, 2005, p21

Summary: This article highlights new research that shows that chronic noise exposure leads to an increased employee chance of dying from a heart attack. This response to noise was found to be caused by the noise itself, not the subjective annoyance that it caused. This noise at work increased the risk of death by heart attack by nearly a third in men, but doesn’t appear to affect the health of women.

Growing Concern

OH & S Canada; January/February, 2006 v22 i1 p24

Summary: On August 19, 2005, two powerful tornadoes touched down just west of Toronto, causing major flooding in the city. That same year hurricanes caused major inundations in the U.S., most notably in New Orleans. When the water receded mold began to grow. Called the “new asbestos” in the environmental cleanup business, it is trickier than asbestos because of the ease in which it can grow back once removed.

This article provides readers with background on what mold is and how it can affect the health of workers. Health effects range from coughs and runny noses to internal bleeding and cancer. The author also provides an overview of the search for mold in the Toronto area and the adverse effects it had on groups of Canadian workers. It also provides readers with insights into how mold should be cleaned up.

Cubicle Cough The New Office Plague: Germs Are Everywhere

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Jennifer Holloway

Gillian Shaw

National Post (Ontario); February 25, 2006, pFW8

Summary: This article notes that the average office desk harbors 400 times more germs than a toilet seat and the typical office telephone has over 25,000 microbes per square inch. Coughs, sniffles and sneezes spread viruses quickly. After using the restroom, only 16% of people wash their hands long enough. Add to this the fact that every 60

seconds a working adult typically touches as many as 30 objects – desktops, keyboards, mice, fax machines and copiers included. The author concludes this article with some solutions ranging from the use of low-tech sanitary wipes to high-tech antimicrobial mice and keyboards.

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As The Cost Of Commuting Rises, More Employees Are Working From Home.

Kate McLaughlin

Daily Breeze (Torrance, Calif.); June 4, 2006, pB1

Summary: This article highlights the financial rewards that telecommuting employees bring to their companies, including lowered commuting costs and a decreased need for real estate. The Telework Coalition (Telcoa), a non-profit Washington, D.C.-based group has seen the hits on its website grow from 25,000 hits a year ago to 300,000 hits in April and more than 450,000 hits in May. Examples are provided of company telecommuting successes, including: • A one week savings of 45 million miles of travel from its 5,000 Los Angeles area study participants, and • More than 15,000 Sun Microsystem employees (half its workforce) now telecommutes with 60% of their saved commute time given back to the company.

One growing problem noted by this article is the creation of a “new wave of workaholics” among teleworkers checking their emails at 10 o’clock in the evening and “getting sucked into the screen.”

ho Thinking Outside The Office

Brad Foss

Seattle Times; April 9, 2006, pF1

Summary: A 2005 survey by Mercer Human Resources Consulting found that U.S. companies offering telecommuting options rose from 32 percent in 2001 to 44 percent in 2005. This momentum is attributed by the author to natural-disaster preparedness in the post-9/11 era. Email, teleconferences and instant messages are seen as “the modern day equivalent of a tap on the shoulder,” making telecommuters feel connected to the workplace. The author of this article sees little distinction between isolated cubicle workers increasingly using non-faceto-face communication inside the traditional workplace and telecommuters using high-speed Internet outside of it.

Email, teleconferences and instant messages are seen as “the modern day equivalent of a tap on the shoulder,” making telecommuters feel connected to the workplace.

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Designing Your Home Office

Summary: This article simplifies the home office design process by breaking it into a series of decisions based on an employee’s immediate circumstances.

Advice is offered readers as to site location within the house (particularly spaces to avoid), the value of sound dampening carpets and acoustical walls, and the placing of office furniture.

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Malay Mail (Kuala Lumpur); April 12, 2006, pO6

Workplaces Ban Internet ‘Fix’ To Increase Staff Productivity

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Summary: Companies are beginning to ban Web access and instant messaging service at work in an effort to counteract their drain on employee productivity. This article notes that the addictive nature of the Web is such that 54% of men and 47% of women would rather give up their morning coffee than lose their personal Internet fix at work. The author points out the downside of such Internet-banning policies, including difficulties in researching topics or ordering supplies and a “Big Brother-ish” aura noticed by workers.

Others Are Saying; Surf On – Just Get The Work Done Concord Monitor (New Hampshire); May 30, 2006, pBO4

Summary: The author of this article looks at the rise in U.S. economic performance over the past few years and finds it hard to believe that workplace Websurfing is really threatening office productivity. The article holds that the problem is really with managers who feel their sense of control is threatened. It calls on businesses to measure the work done rather than just whether employees manage to look busy.

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The Gold Coast Bulletin (Queensland, Australia); June 6, 2006, p31

Defining – And Enforcing – Your Company’s Culture May Be Your Most Important Job

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Norm Brodsky

Summary: It is said that when you create a company you create a culture. This article notes that it’s not planned; it just happens. While everyone else focuses on sales, services, and accounting, a small community pops up within the company, with its own customs, traditions, dress, speech and rules of behavior. Strongly influenced by the founder’s personality, it’s already established by the time you find out about it.

At this point, according to this article, it’s important to determine the nature of the culture and strongly enforce it. The reason: companies work best with one culture.

If you let managers create separate subcultures you’re inviting chaos. According to the author, “The inevitable conflicts will create communication problems, morale problems, and ultimately turnover problems.” In the end, “It doesn’t matter what kind of culture you want. It just has to be consistent.”

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Inc. (Boston); August 22, 2005 v28 i4 p61

The Wall Street Journal Asia (Hong Kong), April 24, 2006, p31

Summary: Global consulting firm Bain & Co. usually employs executive visits, DVDs, brochures and its Website to recruit management students. This article focuses on a new and unusual recruitment tool Bain is using this year – a podcast.

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“Podcasts,” the article explains, “are audio programs posted on the Internet that can be downloaded onto personal computers or portable music players.” A number of companies are now using podcasts in their training and recruiting efforts. Employers are expected to begin using podcasts to make their job descriptions come alive and reach “passive” job seekers who want to learn about employers without revealing anything about themselves.

Plugged In 31/7; The Latest Technology Allows Workers To Multitask And Accomplish More In Less Time But Also Exacts A Price Orlando Sentinel, June 5, 2006, pA1

Summary: The latest technology has workers working harder and playing harder, “squeezing 31 hours of activity into a 24-hour day. Spend a half-hour listening to podcasts while answering emails,” the article notes, ”and you’ve crammed 60 minutes of work into 30.”

The author acknowledges that such productivity boosts are exacting a price from employees, who are facing fatigue and a feeling of being overwhelmed. The American Management Association has proposed better training in the use of technology “so workers can take smarter advantage of rising productivity.” Workers should be helped to use technology to order and prioritize their work tasks to cut time wasted on cell phones, email and the Internet.

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Managing: Podcasts Emerge As Fresh Recruitment Tool

case study

Through the collaborative effort of several leading providers of office environment products and services, Northland Plaza recently introduced Smart Space, an office suite reflecting innovative best practices employed throughout the industry.

Other contributors to the project: • MetLife Real Estate Investments • Cushman & Wakefield • Northstar Partners • BDH & Young and • Graybow Communications Group.

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Smart Space sets a new standard in the leasing of office space by providing a fully-furnished suite showcasing the latest trends in office design and furnishings. Target Commercial Interiors provided all the furniture, floor covering, and many of the accessories showcased throughout Smart Space.

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Target gives back over $2 million a week to education, the arts and social services.