Interiors & Space Planning
DOES YOUR WORKPlACE REFLECT YOUR ORGANIZATION’S VALUES AND ASPIRATIONS?
Today, more and more companies are recognizing the value of design as a competitive advantage in the workplace. Organizations that invest in design attract the best employees and increase customer loyalty. But the best interior environments go beyond that, creating spaces that boost productivity, promote collaboration, heighten creativity, and improve overall health and wellbeing. Our design team uses space, color, materials, and light to create healthy environments that enhance performance. Through intelligent planning and creative problem-solving, we work with organizations of all sizes to create beautiful spaces that reflect your values and respect your budget.
EFFECTIVE SPACE PLANNING IMPROVES EFFICIENCY, SAVES MONEY, AND IS BETTER FOR THE PLANET.
Mobility, flexibility, and sustainability are the driving forces behind workplace design today. At Freeman French Freeman, we constantly assess current trends to create modern, functional spaces that enhance the working environment while reducing overall costs.
Mobility. Thanks to modern technology, the number of workers who regularly work from home, in satellite offices, or out in the field has grown exponentially in recent years. Many of these employees do not require permanent workstations. Instead, hotdesking, where employees take unassigned desks on a first-come, first-served basis, or hotelling, which provides pre-assigned but shared workstations, are increasingly common practices. Such arrangements save both money and space for today’s on-the-go office. Flexibility. Private offices are disappearing as more employees work in teams and small groups. Instead, open, collaborative workstations are the norm, interspersed with private meeting rooms of various sizes. Typically, these environments feature mobile workstations and movable walls that can be rearranged as employers’ needs change. Another benefit: windows that were once blocked by perimeter offices now shine natural light deep into the interior. Sustainability. A more efficient office design not only lowers lease payments, it reduces energy costs, too. But a reduced footprint is just the beginning. Both big decisions (think mechanical systems) and small ones (like lighting, paint, flooring, and furniture) can make a real difference in the environmental impact of your business.
Organizations with multiple offices often benefit from workplace consolidation. Benefits include lower real estate costs, reduced energy use, less wasted space, and increased productivity.
Workstation layouts can take many forms. In this example, the honeycomb configuration creates a semi-private enclave that facilitates collaboration and helps create a sense of community among co-workers.
Making each level similar to others in multi-story buildings simplifies wayfinding for the public as well as employees working on different floors.
Natural daylight—and lots of it—is indespensible. Above, the elimination of peripheral offices and lowered workplace partitions help distribute light throughout the room. At left, a glass wall increases natural light while reducing ambient noise in a private office.
THE CONSTRUCTION PROCESS i t star ts wi th
IDENTIFYING NEEDS
1 DEVELOP DESIGN OPTIONS study adjacencies, work flows define technology needs review current codes develop and review initial design ideas choose a site: stay put or move? develop presentation drawings
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3 DOCUMENT THE VISION finalize colors, finishes, and materials finalize ceiling, furniture, and lighting plans finalize sustainability goals coordinate electrical and mechanical systems plans coordinate with consultants and specialists finalize construction documents
SUPERVISE CONSTRUCTION inspect work in progress manage change orders faciliate communication between owner and contractors review punchlist and manage project close-out coordinate move-in apply for LEED certification close permits
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DEFINE PROJECT GOALS evaluate space interview staff, management define scope determine current & future needs define and confirm team responsibilities develop a management plan develop a preliminary budget
CHOOSE A CONCEPT develop concepts for materials, lighting, colors, art, signage choose millwork, cabinetry, furniture finalize layouts estimate costs design renderings evaluate environmental impact
BIDDING Issue plans and specs for competitive bids notify successful bidders negotiate contracts
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and ends with a fantastic
NEW SPACE
CONTROLLING COSTS timing is everything
By taking the time to work through hard decisions early in the process, clients have much greater control over the final cost of any project.
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owner control of costs
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PRE-DESIGN
SCHEMATIC DESIGN
DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS
BIDDING
CONSTRUCTION ADMINISTRATION
CASE STUDY: THE NEW ENGLAND FEDERAL CREDIT UNION
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NEFCU wanted to personalize the customer experience by giving members both high-tech and high-touch options to meet their needs.
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BEAUTIFUL INTERIORS CAN BE TRANSFORMATIONAL, CHANGING HOW EMPLOYEES SEE THEMSELVES AND HOW CUSTOMERS VIEW YOUR BUSINESS. Interactive spaces with plenty of color and light, sleek, modern surfaces, and custom graphics create a “wow” space that delights both employees and customers.
1. Local branding experts Direct Design crafted these customer workstations to encourage online banking. 2. Backlit by color-changing LEDs, NEFCU’s logo is front and center, both inside and out. 3. Sleek concierge and teller stations built by Amoskeag Woodworking add color and warmth. 4. NEFCU wanted its commitment to environmental sustainability reflected in its new building, achieving LEED Silver certification from the US Green Building Council.
CASE STUDY: THE STATE OF VERMONT AT NATIONAL LIFE
FFF worked with the State of Vermont to relocate over 1,000 employees scattered across the state onto a single office complex in Montpelier.
WHEN YOU MOVE OVER 1,000 EMPLOYEES INTO A TOTALLY NEW SPACE, MANAGING PEOPLE IS AS IMPORTANT AS MANAGING CONSTRUCTION. Spread across nine floors and three buildings on the National Life campus, the gut renovation project created entirely new office environments for multiple state agencies and departments.
The new workspaces incorporate the latest thinking in office design with an emphasis on flexibility and teamwork. The open office design includes clustered workstations that increase natural lighting, improve air quality, reduce energy use, and significantly lower square-foot requirements per worker.
PORTFOLIO • RECEPTION AREAS & ENTRYWAYS
PORTFOLIO • ATRIUMS & LOUNGES
PORTFOLIO • WORKSTATIONS & CONFERENCE ROOMS
PORTFOLIO • FOOD SERVICE
YOUR DESIGN PARTNERS From our first meeting to the move in date, we work side-by-side with you and your employees to achieve your goals.
With over 30 years experience, Jesse knows how to create work environments that support the organizational culture and longterm business strategies of companies of all sizes. Jesse Beck, President aia, ncarb
Jane creates spaces that are beautiful to look at and a pleasure to work in. She will work with you to create interior spaces that remain fresh and functional for years to come.
Jane Pickell, Interior Designer IIDA, LEED AP ID+C
Whether your company employs ten people or a thousand, Jesse knows how to manage both in-house staff and outside contractors to get the job done on time and on budget. Jesse Robbins, Project Architect aia, leed ap
COMPANY OVERVIEW With a diverse portfolio and a dedicated team, Freeman French Freeman has the talent and temperament to tackle any project.
Established in 1937, Freeman French Freeman has
Our designs are not the product of any single person
been a leader in Vermont architecture for over 75
but rather of multiple talents working together in
years. Our firm remains at the forefront of Vermont
close collaboration. We approach every project as a
architecture thanks to a combination of experienced
team effort that often includes multiple designers,
leadership, the cultivation of new design talent, and
technical experts, the owner, and user groups. The
enduring relationships with satisfied clients from
result is an approach to architecture that is always
across northern New England.
fresh, inventive, and tailored to the unique needs of each client.
Established 1937 19 staff 8 licensed architects 5 LEED professionals Multiple awards for architectural and environmental excellence 81 Maple St., Burlington, VT 05401 802.864.6844 www.fffinc.com