flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

CBRE's bold experiment: 200-person office with no assigned desks [slideshow]

CBRE's bold experiment: 200-person office with no assigned desks [slideshow]

In an effort to reduce rent costs, the international real estate brokerage firm created its first completely "untethered" office in Los Angeles, where assigned desks and offices are replaced with flexible workspaces. 


By BD+C Staff | October 31, 2013

The idea of shared workspaces is not new. Corporations and institutions have employed "hoteling" concepts for decades.

What's new is the scale of these projects. Large corporations like GlaxoSmithKline and CBRE are implementing "first come first serve"-type workplace concepts across entire floors and buildings—all in an effort to use their space more effectively and, in CBRE's case, reduce rent costs.

The LA Times yesterday reported on CBRE's new 200-person headquarters in Los Angeles, which occupies the top two floors of the 26-story 400 South Hope tower. All 200 occupants, from the executives to the brokers to the admin. staff, work in a completely "untethered" atmosphere, where assigned desks and offices are replaced with a variety flexible workspaces (traditional workstations, small private rooms, conference rooms, lobby space, etc.). The office is designed to encourage interaction and collaboration, with large common areas and collaboration "neighborhoods" (clusters of workstations).

LA Times' Roger Vincent writes:  

"Desktop computers were replaced with laptops that can be stored in lockers in the new office. Upon arriving, employees collect their telephone headsets, laptops and key files. They then head to one of 10 "neighborhoods" where employees doing similar tasks such as legal work or property management cluster. Or they can set up in the heart of the office near the front door that looks like a cross between an upscale hotel lobby and a coffee bar.

Workstations have telephones, keyboards and monitors that employees plug into, and they can sit, stand or even walk on a treadmill while they work. There are media-equipped conference rooms for meetings and small booths for making private phone calls."

Read the full LA Times article.

 

Related Stories

| Nov 27, 2013

Wonder walls: 13 choices for the building envelope

BD+C editors present a roundup of the latest technologies and applications in exterior wall systems, from a tapered metal wall installation in Oklahoma to a textured precast concrete solution in North Carolina. 

| Nov 27, 2013

University reconstruction projects: The 5 keys to success

This AIA CES Discovery course discusses the environmental, economic, and market pressures affecting facility planning for universities and colleges, and outlines current approaches to renovations for critical academic spaces.

| Nov 26, 2013

7 ways to make your firm more successful

Like all professional services businesses, AEC firms are challenged to effectively manage people. And even though people can be rather unpredictable, a firm’s success doesn’t have to be. Here are seven ways to make your firm more successful in the face of market variability and uncertainty.

| Nov 26, 2013

Design-build downsized: Applying the design-build method in an era of smaller projects

Any project can benefit from the collaborative spirit and cooperative relationships embodied by design-build. But is there a point of diminishing return where the design-build project delivery model just doesn't make sense for small projects? Design-build expert Lisa Cooley debates the issue.

| Nov 25, 2013

Electronic plan review: Coming soon to a city near you?

With all the effort AEC professionals put into leveraging technology to communicate digitally on projects, it is a shame that there is often one major road block that becomes the paper in their otherwise “paperless” project: the local city planning and permitting department. 

| Nov 22, 2013

Kieran Timberlake, PE International develop BIM tool for green building life cycle assessment

Kieran Timberlake and PE International have developed Tally, an analysis tool to help BIM users keep better score of their projects’ complete environmental footprints.

| Nov 20, 2013

Architecture Billings Index slows in October; project inquiries stay strong

Following three months of accelerating demand for design services, the Architecture Billings Index reflected a somewhat slower pace of growth in October. The October ABI score was 51.6, down from a mark of 54.3 in September.

| Nov 19, 2013

Pediatric design in an adult hospital setting

Freestanding pediatric facilities have operational and physical characteristics that differ from those of adult facilities.

| Nov 18, 2013

6 checkpoints when designing a pediatric healthcare unit

As more time and money is devoted to neonatal and pediatric research, evidence-based design is playing an increasingly crucial role in the development of healthcare facilities for children. Here are six important factors AEC firms should consider when designing pediatric healthcare facilities.

| Nov 18, 2013

Lord Aeck Sargent opens metro D.C. office, updates brand

Architecture, design, and planning firm unveils its sixth office, plus a new visual identity system and website

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category




Government Buildings

One of the country’s first all-electric fire stations will use no outside energy sources

Charlotte, N.C.’s new Fire Station #30 will be one of the country’s first all-electric fire stations, using no outside energy sources other than diesel fuel for one or two of the fire trucks. Multiple energy sources will power the station, including solar roof panels and geothermal wells. The two-story building features three truck bays, two fire poles, dispatch area, contamination room, and gear storage.

halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021