CREJ - Building Dialogue - June 2016
When you walk into the doors of CBRE’s new downtown Denver Workplace360 office, the first thing you will notice is the views. “There is an immediate ‘wow’ moment when you enter the space and take in the sweeping views of the Colorado landscape,” says Pete Schippits, senior managing director for CBRE in Colorado. CBRE and global design firm Gensler joined forces to design CBRE’s new Denver space in conjunction with CBRE Workplace Strategy, an arm of the commercial real estate firm focused on advising companies on how to improve the performance of their workplace. The Denver office transformation is part of a global initiative called Workplace360 – CBRE’s approach to workplace strategy designed to maximize collaboration and promote productivity through technology-enabled, free-address, paperless offices. CBRE moved from its former space on the 29th floor of 1225 17th St. to take the top two floors of the building, previously the headquarters of Molson Coors. “As a real estate firm, it’s certainly an advantage to be on 32nd floor,” adds Schippits. “It’s nice to be up here and be able to show clients landmarks ranging from Union Station to Cherry Creek and the foothills.” Working with CBRE Project Management and Boots Construction, CBRE demolished the former space to make way for its new design, which currently encompasses more than 32,000 square feet but will eventually expand to 38,975 square feet in 2018. The second thing you may notice standing in the new space is the front desk – or lack thereof. “The openness is strategic,” says Schippits. “Many companies use a front desk as a sort of gatekeeper to control who comes and goes in the space. Our Workplace360 entry area is designed to feel more like a hotel lobby, with a concierge desk off to the side available to greet you and assist in any number of ways but not to interfere with your movement through the space.” Turning to the right of the entry, you step into an area CBRE calls the “Heart.” Large media screens play videos, share announcements and are available for presentations. The internal staircase that connects the two floors sits in the Heart, and at the far end of the space is the RISE Café, named to reflect CBRE’s RISE values (Respect, Integrity, Service and Excellence). They call the area the “Heart” because it functions as the central hub of the space. “It comes back to connectivity,” Schippits says. “Never before did we have so many opportunities for employees from different parts of our company to spontaneously interact and share ideas. That collaboration is what creates the innovation that propels companies forward.” Leaving the Heart, you pass several different types of huddle and focus rooms before landing in a workstation neighborhood. A key tenet of CBRE’s Workplace360 initiative is its commitment to a free-address system. Free address means no assigned desks – for anyone; even Schippits doesn’t have an assigned space. But workstations are grouped into neighborhoods by business line, so you are encouraged to sit near to the people you collaborate with day in and day out. Free addressing is one of the Workplace360 components CBRE employees seem most hesitant to adopt and then end up finding most rewarding. The strategy is all about empowering employee choice. Instead of being told to sit in the exact same environment each day, employees are free to choose where to sit based on the tasks they need to accomplish in that moment. The space includes more than 15 different workspace options, everything from an individual workstation to an enclosed office for a day (called OFADs), to a line of tall, noise-cancelling booths called “the Canopy.” The four corners of the office, previously home to private offices, are now reserved for shared, collaborative spaces – each looking a little different. CBRE took advantage of having the entire floor plate and worked with Gensler to coordinate pops of color in different areas to reflect the views. The western side of the office has pops of blue to reflect the mountains; the eastern side incorporates yellow for the plains; and the side facing south uses green to symbolize the views of the city parks. The entire process to design the Denver office took 18 months. CBRE Workplace Strategy began by studying CBRE’s current office to analyze how people work and what types of spaces could enhance productivity and collaboration. In addition, they cultivated employee feedback through three committees that met leading up to the opening. The employee committees advised on decorative art, health and wellness initiatives and office protocols. Gensler led the interior design process, including a visioning session to gather input about the look, feel and aesthetics for the space. All of the preliminary activities worked toward the goal of ensuring the space was representative of CBRE’s culture. While CBRE has long worked to advise companies on the role real estate can play in building advantage for their business, the Workplace360 office now gives the company a new visual learning tool. “Before we could talk about how an office can influence employee engagement and performance,” says Schippits. “Now we can bring clients through our doors and let them see, touch and feel how a workplace can not only reflect but enhance and grow your company culture.”