Working in style: Employers look to create unique offices

In an old, industrial stretch of Frederick, Engage USA embanked on a unique construction project.

Located in a nondescript and aging building, the database management company wanted to renovate its space to support more efficient workflow, activate some underutilized space, show its corporate culture and create visual impact.

Collaborating with the design team, Petrie Construction reconfigured the floor plan to create a more desirable array of offices, cubicles, conference rooms and huddle spaces. It opened up the front area to create a distinctive lobby/lounge/workspace that exuded company culture.

“We exposed some of the building’s original beams and masonry work to show some of the old architecture that flows through downtown Frederick and to show some of the imperfections and age of that building,” said Matthew Cornelius, Senior Project Manager at Petrie.

The redesign broke with the convention that an office is “a 14 by 10 manilla-colored box with an acoustical ceiling,” Cornelius said. “This client wanted to go beyond cookie cutter ideas and it was exciting to tackle a project where we got to do some eclectic things.”

Those eclectic features extended to the building’s exterior where Petrie erected a custom solar screen. The stand-alone steel structure, which stretched across the entire front façade, was designed both to limit solar gain inside the facility and to make the building highly recognizable.

“I have never had a client ask to erect a steel structure like that before,” Cornelius said. “It is a couple of metric tons of structural steel with corrugated, perforated panels adorning the structure. For anybody who is interested in architecture, it almost makes you snap your neck.”

More budgets for office projects

In Maryland and throughout the country, the office construction and fitout market has been slow since the beginning of the pandemic. Now, gradually, employers are starting to invest in office upgrade projects again. And some of those projects are extraordinary. Completing ambitious and distinctive designs, however, is challenging project teams to deliver exquisite craftsmanship, navigate supply chain challenges, and seek out options to contain costs.

“We’re starting to see more office interior projects,” said Scott Albright, Senior Vice President of MacKenzie Contracting Company. “Some companies have had improvement money in their budgets that they haven’t spent for the past couple of years, maybe because they were unsure of what was going to happen with their offices. Also, a lot of landlords don’t want to see people leave their buildings, so some are offering more tenant improvement money.”

MacKenzie Contracting recently completed the award-winning development of Howard Hughes Holdings’ Maryland regional office. The 14,000-square-foot renovation within a building in Columbia’s Merriweather District created a variety of modern workspaces, gathering spaces and a full café. Filled with warm colors, high-end finishes and several architectural features, the project required exceptional craftsmanship.

“There’s a conference room with a full, insulated, sliding-glass partition that can be closed for big boardroom meetings or opened up to the reception area to create space for bigger gatherings,” Albright said.

Installing that glass wall perfectly and creating a seamless transition across the floor and beyond the wall was especially challenging.

“We had to skim the entire floor, using a laser level, so that when the glass wall went in place the floor looked exactly the same whether the wall was closed or opened up,” Albright said.

Crews completed an extensive and high-end millwork package, including the installation of a custom product to ensure that a wood wall covering showed “the tiniest bead of brushed aluminum” on exterior corners, he said.

Crews installed elevator lobby tile sourced from Italy, a sophisticated lighting package in hard ceilings, and extensive, custom, acoustical treatments.

After applying a standard spray “so you don’t get echoes from the metal deck, we went back in and did a soundproofing spray on all the open areas,” Albright said. “Howard Hughes wanted a [spray] color that would match some of their other finishes, so we had a custom color created and we sprayed the entire ceiling. It added acoustical value and created a more uniform finish throughout the entire open space.”

Attracting talent with better offices

Although some employers have been consolidating their office space, a growing number of companies are now investing in creating nicer workspaces in order to boost morale, increase productivity and attract talent, Cornelius said.

“I have definitely seen a shift towards making the office more inviting, more engaging and warmer than the Plain Jane beige offices of the past,” he said. “There is an HR element to these projects. They want to make the most of people when they are in the office so there is more collaborative and shared space.”

More colorful and comfortable spaces, expanded amenities, unique displays of corporate culture and design elements that are simply fun are included in projects both to please existing workers and attract new ones, he said.

In Aberdeen, Petrie Construction recently completed an expansive, phased renovation of the FritoLay building.

“It was a big push to rejuvenate their office space that was designed to be very brand intensive and create a modern, progressive feel,” Cornelius said.

Bright colors and brand-specific elements dot the redesigned cubicles, collaborative workspaces, break room and other areas.

“They even hired an independent artist to create a mural on one wall of their bullpen,” he said. “From a morale standpoint, it was a huge lift for people who had been working in a dated space.”
In addition to constructing improved offices, some construction companies are creating nicer workspaces for themselves.

In September, Wagman Inc. moved into a new office after completing a gut renovation of a building it constructed for a client in 1994. The new space includes a mix of offices, workstations, hoteling stations, nine conference rooms, a large training room, and informal collaboration zones. Amenities include two kitchen/breakrooms, showers, lockers, a wellness/mother’s room, a fitness center in an adjacent building and a walking path on the property.

“The renovation transformed a dark, outdated building into a bright, modern workspace. We removed every wall,” said Lisa Wagman Glezer, President of Wagman, Inc. “Our previous office was divided across multiple floors, making proximity and collaboration a challenge. The new headquarters offers a cohesive, open layout with exposed ceilings, warm wood finishes, and ambient lighting that balance industrial style with comfort.”

The renovation was also tailored to “reflect Wagman’s identity as a bridge, building and geotechnical contractor,” Wagman Glezer said. “Coordinated colors, finishes and bold wall graphics tell our story throughout the building,” including images of signature projects, floor-to-ceiling graphics highlighting major operations and a “This is Wagman” wall that “celebrates our people on the jobsite, at events and in the community.”

Serving as your own general contractor can certainly streamline a project but doesn’t necessarily make it challenge-free.

Mid-project surprises included “design changes driven by an evolving operational need, coupled with supply chain challenges,” said Ryan Dailey, Senior Project Manager at Wagman. “We worked closely with manufacturers and explored alternative products to keep the project moving forward. Despite the design changes, we were able to stay within budget by finding creative cost-saving solutions.”