Award of Merit
2022 IIDA SW Design Awards
Commercial Office Space 20,000-75,000 SF
Project Client. Axway
Project Location. Scottsdale, Arizona
Project Type. Interior Tenant Improvement
Project Size. 53,000 GSF
Project Budget. $3,710,000
Project Phases. Programming, Schematic Design, Design Development,
Furniture Procurement, Construction Documents, Construction Administration
Programs Used. Revit, Sketchup, Enscape, Photoshop
Project Description. Axway came to SmithGroup with a desire to make bold moves and push the boundaries of what they considered "business as usual" in their new workplace. The goal was to design a space that promotes and enhances culture by connecting people through an agile environment, populated with social and collaboration spaces through a variety of work settings. The design was crafted to support Axway's fast-paced work style through increased levels of transparency and ease of communication by eliminating boundaries and increasing flexibility. With a supportive and diverse environment, the space will serve as a foundation to fuel innovation and increase productivity. A simple, yet sleek aesthetic was made possible in part through close collaboration with our engineers. Many obstacles come with a second-generation space that has exposed ceilings and power accessibility throughout in a building that did not have a lot to space. Custom large scale graphics bring personality to the space and provide wayfinding. With the motto "everyplace to sit, is a place to work", variety in furniture, infrastructure and intuitive technology make it possible for people to connect anywhere in the space
My Role. This was my first project where I took full lead in completing all the phases. I was apart of the client workshops, I created the programming documents, determined inter-office adjacencies, developed the test fit. I produced the schematic and design development phases, creating the design brand for the space. I developed the 3D renders and all client deliverables. I selected and specified all lighting and materiality within the space. I worked with our contracted furniture vendor to procure all the furniture choices, including all fabric and materials selections. I drafted the entire construction document set and worked closed with our in house engineers to coordinate plumbing, power and media plans. I attended all weekly construction meetings, completed RFI's and Submittals and addressed all problems on site until seeing the project through to the end of completion.
sneak peek of a final photo of this space
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workplace strategies
understanding the current working style
The first approach to learning about the client was issuing a survey to everyone in their Phoenix office. We asked questions in ways to understand their working styles and desired environments. Above you can see an example of the results we generated for some questions. We wanted to understand how Axway works, and most importantly, how it can work best in the future.
strategic workplace workshop
One of the first client meetings with the executives and office leaders of Axway, was to conduct a visioning workshop. We went through the overall results of the surveys and had constructive conversations about where differences may lie within the hierarchy of the company. Below you can see one of the activities we had in this workshop to talk about how the current structure and collaboration of the environment is, and where they ideally would like to seem themselves in the future.
Our end goal for the workshop was to create the five key components of Axway's workplace needs:
1.Celebrate and Enhance the Axway culture
2.Boost productivity and innovation
3.Upgrade technology to better communicate locally and globally
4.Support growth and collaboration with a flexible, agile environment
5.Establish health and wellness as a priority to increase productivity.
the space
all of level 5, a small portion of level 4
These plans represent the demo plans showing what walls we demo'd from the existing space. A huge benefit to having access to any existing materials, is that we were able to re-use almost all of the existing interior glazing partitions and door systems.
programming &
adjacencies
After developing a strong space program which included all the necessary support space and meeting room types, the next step was to determine the adjacencies of the departments. Each department gave me information on who they work closest with and who they would prefer to work closest too. I developed an adjacency diagram to show the links needed between the departments, then translated that into mapping it out on the floor plan, based on the size of each department and where they may fit best in the circulation of the floor.
blocking plan
representing workstations and space typologies
The blocking plan was very important to show the client how these different space typologies could be implemented throughout the entire space. The goal was to give each neighborhood different varieties of the meeting and collaboration spaces. You can see below the different room types with their color that references back to the plan.
focus
2 person huddle
4 person huddle
6 person huddle
small meeting
war room
open
collaboration
final test fit plan - level 05
there are six neighborhood hubs that are central collaboration spaces for all adjacent departments
final test fit plan - level 04
the conference & collaboration center, adjacent to the NOC security room
schematic design | design development
Axway was very proud of their company colors blue and red. I wanted to emphasis those in the materiality and paint throughout the space. Purple and Yellow were also a apart of their branding, however I thought bringing that into the graphics and furniture might be a nice touch. After many decisions, I selected the above finishes as the base of the pallet, clean, neutral and cool. The touches of warmth are brought in through the wood wall accents throughout. I also had the opportunity to create a custom red carpet design, incorporating the Axway Red branding color. Shown on the right are three samples of the red carpets I was working through to decide on the final look.
simple application, big impact
This was a tight budget project at about $46 a sq. ft. I had decided that keeping the ceiling exposed throughout would lift up the space and add an edge with exposed ductwork and conduits. With the budget already pricing to paint the exposed ceiling all a color, why not make it BOLD. My client loved the idea, and luckily the first color I selected was a hit. This big move makes such a huge impact in the space, and brings such a vibrancy throughout.
initial design intent
elevator lobby, reception area, work lounge, innovation lab, break space
As one enters the elevator lobby they get their first glimpse of the steel blue ceiling. As they look left or right that have views to the exterior, seeing natural light shine in. Walking into the reception, they are greeted by a big branding moment in the accent wood wall behind the desk. Turning into the open work lounge concept, there are many places to sit, meet, and collaborate. Natural light, plants, and a white open exposed ceiling to brighten up this large community space.
open office area, neighborhood hubs, circulation, collaboration space
As one first enters into the employee access side of the space, they are instantly immersed into the open office environment. The bold blue ceiling, vibrant graphics, and variety of seating options gives them a variety of choices of where they want to sit down and work. Having a quick get together with their small internal team is simple, as they can reserve a meeting room, or grab an open collaboration space from the many choices.
central collaboration, east to west pass through, hidden library
Walking through this central collaboration space, there are many options for individual or group work. All with access to technology. Just to the left of the elevator lobby one can quickly and efficiently meet with a group, large or small. In through a simple door, only the employees are aware of the hidden gem in the central part of the office. A quiet get away to break, get some peace, or do heads down focus work. Continuing through the space, the variety of collaboration furniture gives endless possibilities for whatever work style is desired.
pass through spaces, open office variety, enclosed meeting room functions
Walking through the north part of the plan there are many pass through moments in the central block, that allow for easy circulation and open connection from hub to hub. With the neighborhood hubs containing similar space typologies, each area has access to the same possibilities in their zones.
4th floor | conference center
The 4th floor acts as the conference center. Having the main board room and extra large conference room, it's a place for the executives and office leaders to meet and entertain guests. An accent red break area and large lengthy graphic, relate to the branding on the the floor below. Around the corner there is an open collaboration area with some individual booths and collaborative seating, a more discreet place that employees from the floor above could escape too.
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construction documents
Drafting this entire set was both a challenge and huge opportunity for me grasp all components of a project. From developing the egress plan and determining occupancies, to detailing a custom reception desk and all millwork sections needed, it was a huge project that I knew so well. Creating this construction manual only made me understand my project that much better. The biggest challenge I faced was the amount of coordination it took working with the in house electrical engineers. As a tech company, it was very important to Axway that all power and access to media and casting was efficient. This was crucial for the projects goal of "everywhere to sit is a place to work".
click here to view my construction document set I drafted to receive permit
furniture procurment
furniture & material selections for entire site
After selecting our furniture vendor, we had several meetings with them and the client, going to showrooms to select all the ancillary furniture for the space. As a team we spent a week selecting all the fabrics and materials for each piece. Curating a cohesive look that fit with the brand and interior design. Selecting fabrics based on testing and pricing was very important, to stay within budget and meet the durability needs of the new space.
custom reception desk
The reception area is a focal point and one of the first impressions the guest have when they enter the space. I wanted this area to be fully designed. Custom designing the reception desk was important to make it feel a part of the whole space. I specified the same product that was on the wall behind to become the desk surround and had it painted black to ground it in the space. Ergonomics is especially important in workplace design, if the user will be in the same space the whole time. I designed the reception to have a void in the quartz countertop and millwork so that a height adjustable desk could be placed within for the employee.
graphics
Axway had an internal graphic designer that I worked with to create the branding graphics for the space. Using Axway's branding colors, there were 7 graphics that were implemented from the floor to a 9'-6" datum that was throughout the whole project. The concept with the graphics was to represent different technological advancements over time, from the first wooden wheels, to the first interpreted keyboards etc. Each graphic represented an important advancement in history. Above you can see examples of the graphics and how their colors and two tone prints looked in real life. Below you can see other graphics that were implemented from my original iterations. Some big moves were adding the giant Axway logo in-between the wood wall slats behind the reception desk, adding branding words to the floor, labeling the meetings room doors, and digital and linear waves spanning the walls, along major circulation paths.
construction administration
weekly on-site meetings, RFI's, submittals, coordination
The construction site was very exiting. Watching the space go from existing, to demolition, then seeing all of my plans start to come to life. It was an incredible process. During the construction timeline, I worked directly with the contractors to address RFI's, material submittals, and any coordination with plans and questions about design.
final photography
The design goal for Axway was to create a space that balanced collaborative team work with focused team work. Although an agile environment, teams still need to sit near each other when working on certain projects. The "neighborhood hubs" not only provide support spaces throughout, but also create buffers with in the open work zones to allow for more focused project work where teams could sit near each other and be accessible when needed. This space needed to be vibrant and bold, to reflect the company's goals.
The clients priority was to change the way people work. Going from a very traditional, office heavy, high partitioned office space to an agile environment with no offices was a huge shift. Success meant providing a wide variety of work settings that not only supported modes of work, but also served as design opportunities to create interesting and unique spaces for all to enjoy.