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Seizing an opportunity: Reimagining a corporate campus during the pandemic
Corporate Real Estate Journal,
12
(4),
340-350
(2023)
Abstract
Financial services company Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association (TIAA) retained IA Interior Architects to renovate and modernise its Charlotte, North Carolina campus — a 92-acre site encompassing six office buildings, various parking facilities and nearly 1mft2 of interior space. The timing was noteworthy: IA was hired in late 2019 and presented the final strategy report to the client in March 2020 — just days before the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown. That meant having to revisit the already completed workplace strategy and conceptual plan and adjust them for a new, and very uncertain, reality. In addition to redesigning the layout and workstation configuration for social distancing protocols, the client, which had just ended a work-from-home programme rolled out a few years previously, needed to rethink its goal of bringing all 5,000 employee-associates back to campus five days a week. Pivoting again, the team had to contemplate what a new hybrid policy would look like and determine how the design and messaging could best support it. Pandemic aside, many clients face similar situations when embarking on large-scale multiyear projects in a volatile economy, or simply when business needs shift midway through a facility redesign. Additionally, many design strategies employed and challenges solved at TIAA are relevant to other organisations: accommodating changing headcounts; enticing hybrid and remote employees to the office; enabling movement and work-setting choice throughout the day; creating collaboration and small-group gathering spaces; bringing cohesion to a large campus; and future-proofing a facility to answer current work needs while artfully anticipating future ones.
Keywords: hybrid work; employee experience; campus renovation; workplace strategy; experiential design; employee wellness; workplace amenities; flexible; campus; redesign
The full article is available to subscribers to the journal.
Author's Biography
Julie Maggos is Senior Director of Experiential Design at IA Interior Architects. Julie helps organisations communicate within their environments to convey their messages, share their story and engage their visitors and employees. She is responsible for defining their desired experience, planning and executing visual design solutions appropriate for the context. Julie founded and has built the Experiential Design practice at IA to be truly integrated throughout design and delivery of all of IA’s projects. She is passionate about mentoring and growing the next generation of designers and leaders within the experiential design field. Julie was Co-Chair of the Chicago chapter of SEGD (Society for Experiential Graphic Design) for six years and has spoken at events for CoreNet, IIDEX, SEGD and NeoCon.
Stephanie Schmitz is a Project Director and Principal at IA Interior Architects, based in the company’s Denver studio. She has been with IA for over 18 years and has extensive design and project management expertise. Stephanie is an inspiring leader with ample experience leading accounts, directing multiple projects and project teams concurrently. Her project experience ranges from 5,000-1mft2, including oversight on all design, operations and project management phases, from initiation through completion and move-in.
Sarah Bird is a Senior Strategist and an Associate in IA’s Chicago Studio. Sarah has 15 years’ experience in the design and real estate industry and a strong workplace strategy and change management background. She is a Senior Strategist and Associate at IA Interior Architects, based in the Chicago studio. Sarah focuses on experience-led and human-centred design thinking to create and sustain transformative spaces. Her project experience includes multiple Fortune 500 clients within various market segments and corporate headquarters. Sarah is also involved with company-wide benchmarking and sustainability and wellness initiatives.
