Balancing Office Design With Company Growth
If the name 30 Degrees North sounds familiar in the realms of this blog, it's because this will be the third office I've worked on for this full service marketing and growth agency. It is a joy to watch their small business expand and move forward!
In this post, I share the design strategy we used to help this small business balance the design of their workspace with their company growth over time. From starting out to settling down, and each step in between, you will see how they made conscientious design choices that supported their budget and their brand. Lastly, don’t miss my “5 Tips for Growing With Your Workspace”.
The team at work in their latest workspace on Woodstead Court.
Their Story
Just starting out
30 Degrees North started out as a side business in 2005. The three business partners, Mary Ann, Brian and Mark, each had their own respective practice areas of Marketing, Graphic Design and Web Development. They begin working from home in the evenings after putting in regular hours at their full-time jobs. In 2009, all three partners decided it was time to leave their former positions and give 30 Degrees North a go 'full-time'.
We worked together to create custom signage. This piece is clear acrylic with printed graphic mounted with stainless steel standoffs.
Adding to the team
As business started to increase, so did the need for more than just home offices and a remote workforce. With the addition of more members to the team, they saw the benefits of having a place to meet and collaborate in-person even though a majority of their work is digital.
In office number one, they started out in a single room suite. They shared a conference room and ancillary spaces (restrooms/ breakroom/ amenity spaces) with other tenants.
Our design strategy divided up the space in the suite for multiple open workstations and a small collaborative area in-between. As a short term solution, we unified their desking system elements with an affordable off-the-self option from a local retailer. Then we invested in quality task lighting and commercial grade, ergonomic task chairs.
To put their stamp on this small space, we worked together to create one of my favorite signage elements. We made sure that it was something they could take with them as they grew. Moving forward, the sign has become a statement piece in each of their successive offices and has set the tone for their branded interiors.
Getting Established
As they grew and added several more on-site employees, they moved into office number two.
This larger space gave them private offices for their execs, two open workstations, a hoteling station for remote team members to use when in the office, and two dedicated meeting areas that supported multimedia presentations and video conferencing.
This suite was in a new office park and they were the first tenants of the unit. They were able to select their finishes from a few approved (by the landlord) options and make some minor adjustments to the layout without going through a major renovation.
Since many of the finishes were set by the landlord, we focused the design strategy on furniture and technology. We worked with local furniture dealerships to select, order, deliver and install the new private office casegoods (desks and credenzas), executive task chairs and meeting room tables and chairs.
“When clients visit, they recognize the cohesiveness of our brand all the way down to the small details in our office. Studio Croft was key in helping us create a plan to fit the space and then find just the right pieces to make it a beautiful, colorful, and fun place to be every day.”
Settling Down
In 2018, they signed a longer lease in an established office building close to the center of town. Office number three, is by far the largest in terms of square footage. The updated space plan gives them three private offices for execs, six open workstations, multiple collaborative areas, a breakroom, a small meeting room, and a large conference room. There are currently a few open areas with in the suite that can transition into additional workspaces as they continue to expand.
This space required a refresh from the previous tenant to better meet the needs and image of 30 Degrees North. Our design strategy first focused on space planning and updating the interior finishes. Minor updates to the floor plan, new carpet and a fresh paint color gave this suite new life and better functionality. The landlord was very accommodating with the build-out and continues to improve the whole building with things like new solar film on the windows and upgrading all the overhead light fixtures to LEDs for better efficiency.
In addition to the finishes and floor plan changes, we continued to build their furniture collection. Because there are so many spaces in this new office that did not exist in their previous office, they opted to space their investment out over time by adding furniture in phases.
Outfitting a workspace is an investment, and potentially a size-able one. It pays to purchase quality, commercial grade furniture and finishes from reputable vendors and manufacturers, even if that means you have to do it over time.
Here's how we broke it down for 30 Degrees North:
First they moved forward with upgrading and expanding the open workstations with the RE benching system from OFS.
Next they added some soft seating to their front-of-house lounge area that doubles as a waiting area for guests.
Lastly, they are in the process of adding furniture, additional video conferencing equipment and sound control solutions to their large conference room.
5 Tips for Growing With Your Workspace:
Know when to move up. It's ok to start small, but set benchmark criteria to help you know when it is time to move up to the next size space. For example, here are just a few signs you may need a bigger office:
Your headcount has exceeded a certain number of employees.
You have run out of room/desks for those employees.
You find your storage spaces increasingly cramped with inventory or necessary supplies.
You have constant scheduling problems with overbooked meeting rooms.
Use a qualified commercial realtor to help you find the best space for your company’s needs. Here are some ways they can help you:
Introduce you to new or existing properties that you may not have considered.
Decipher commercial realty terms like Class A/B/C office space, Net Rentable Area, Useable Area and Triple Net Leases, etc.
Help you steer clear of common real estate pit falls and recommend when you may need to seek legal review.
Negotiate the best lease terms for your business.
Use a qualified, reputable and fully insured relocation/ installation company, like our friends at Houston Installation Services who did a great job on the latest 30 Degrees North move.
Look for a landlord that is willing to help you improve the space to meet your needs.
This is part of the lease agreement called the tenant improvement allowance. “The tenant improvement allowance is the amount a landlord is willing to spend so that the tenant can retrofit or renovate the office space. It is usually expressed in a per-square-foot or total dollar sum. This amount is decided upon during lease negotiations.” Source.
Be aware that you many need to supplement your budget for extras and upgrades that may not be covered by the T.I. Allowance.
Use a professional Interior Designer, qualified to work in commercial spaces. They can advise you on interior build-out processes, appropriate materials, functionality and space planning. They can also help you invest in good quality, commercial grade furniture pieces so you add to your space as your business grows over time.
