SGA — a national, multidisciplinary firm whose work spans architecture, interior design and master planning for major developers and corporate clients like Titletown Development, Citizens Bank, Related Beal, and Boston Properties — has released its 2023 Workplace Amenities Report. To help developers and employers identify the most desirable workforce amenities, the firm’s interior design team surveyed hundreds of employees spanning generations, locations and industries to gauge their preferences for workplace amenities across four categories: health and wellness, productivity and meeting space, daily convenience, and transportation.
With hybrid work spurring a nationwide “flight to quality” trend in commercial real estate, creating higher quality spaces and amenities that transform the workplace into a destination have become essential components of attracting employees and tenants back to the office. Overall, the results of the survey demonstrate a reflection of larger societal shifts: 1) a greater focus on personal well-being and safety; 2) interest in sustainable modes of transportation; 3) convenient places to grab food and packages; and 4) spaces that facilitate social interactions.
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HÅG SoFi combines two market drivers in a single product: clean aesthetics and groundbreaking engineering. Available in black or gray mesh, the HÅG SoFi provides
breathability and gives a sense of space thanks to its transparency, making it ideal for space planning. HÅG SoFi, available through 9to5 Seating, has an innovative mechanism that lets users shift forward or backward, naturally finding balance in motion.
This active task chair energizes the user, making HÅG SoFi a smart seating solution for workplaces that prioritize the health and well-being of their workforce. HÅG SoFi’s ergonomic features include adjustable seat depth, padded adjustable lumbar, the intuitive HÅG in Balance mechanism and innovative SlideBack™ armrests, which slide back to allow users to get closer to their desks, sit sideways or use the armrests as elbow support. The HÅG SoFi joins the 9to5 Seating quick ship @NCE series, which guarantees fast — usually 24-hour — shipping.
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Rebranding has become an indispensable practice in architecture firms that want to adapt and prosper in today’s increasingly competitive market. Successful rebranding efforts can open doors of opportunity, increase client engagement and give firms a more robust footing within the industry — as seen with Jones & Associates, who recently revitalized its brand for future success. The firm was known primarily for traditional office design expertise until corporate office design and construction demands decreased due to abundant CBD office space available for lease. Then the firm embarked on an aggressive rebranding effort focused on mixed-use destinations that combined work-live-medical uses. With help from branding consultancy Squadhelp, Jones & Associates quickly emerged as pioneers in transforming office buildings into vibrant multi-use spaces, drawing in clients such as retail shops, medical providers and residential communities.
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Mushrooms nourish, heal and inspire us with their diverse shapes and forms. They teach how nature works — interconnecting and regenerating all types of matter into new sources of life. An exploration into nature’s hidden side, Wild Dyer from Mohawk Group celebrates the unexpected richness and beauty of dyes from the often overlooked mushroom. Two 24" x 24" carpet tile styles pay homage to mushroom growth patterns. Inspired by groupings of mushrooms close to one another, style Curious Cluster layers organic striations with a boucle texture. Named for mushrooms that grow with a bit more separation between them, style Wandering Troop provides an all-over pattern in boucle with pools of color. Used individually or together, Curious Cluster and Wandering Troop create dynamic depths of movement with a beautifully constructed palette.
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The Institute for Market Transformation and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Buildings Initiative announced the 2023 Green Lease Leaders at the Better Buildings, Better Plants Summit. Launched by IMT and Better Buildings in 2014, the Green Lease Leaders program sets the industry standard for what constitutes a green lease. Each year, the program recognizes landlords and tenants who modernize their leases to spur collaboration on decarbonization, energy efficiency, cost savings, health and a range of other environmental and social issues.
This year the program expanded by 31%, including 34 organizations receiving Green Lease Leaders recognition for the first time. Additionally, six companies earned Platinum-level recognition, and there was a 42% increase in Gold-level awardees.
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The design-build industry has every incentive to stop contributing to landfills, to question conventional construction methods, and to limit damaging emissions because its leadership cares about the future of our planet and humans’ wellbeing. Fortunately, FreeAxez designed Gridd with the goal of creating a system that would be long-lasting and reusable. The low-profile raised floor and cable management system is made from steel, one of the most durable materials available, has minimal components and is infinitely reusable.
Gridd® by FreeAxez is a low-profile raised floor and cable management system that counters construction’s negative impact and makes a positive difference. Gridd was created with the goal of remaining in use forever — easily relocated, reconfigured or repurposed — and never being discarded into a landfill. FreeAxez commissioned The McMorrow Reports to research and write the paper, The Circular Economy of Gridd®: How to Deliver the Power to Change.
This paper explores the circularity of Gridd as considered under the ISO 59.010 Standard: Circular Economy. A case study is presented that compares a project with conventional wiring and cable management (with wires and cables above ceilings and embedded in walls) to a project that uses Gridd, with the goal of illustrating how Gridd is not only a circular product, but also is an alternative to other cabling methods because of the potentially smaller carbon footprint for installation.
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Facilities management (FM), which includes commercial cleaning, constitutes more than emptying a wastebasket nightly. The benefits go beyond anything we can see at first glance (although a just-cleaned office is easier to work in than a filthy one). Your FM and janitorial company are protecting you from many issues that could lead to lost profits, personnel issues, and a tarnished reputation. If your FM company isn’t protecting you from these specific issues, it might be time to make a change, says facilities services provider OpenWorks:
1. Your talent pool running dry
Today, knowledge workers, or any worker for that matter, have their choice of where they want to work. They can choose a hybrid, online, or in-person office, and if you don’t have what they are looking for, they’ll find it somewhere else. But that’s a discussion for another time! Right now, what you have control over is your office’s appearance. A clean and tidy office not only attracts new hires, but keeps employees focused and feeling comfortable. In addition, following properly cleaning and maintenance protocols removes risk of injury and illness by removing harmful germs and removing slippery surfaces. This regimen includes a process for keeping floors professionally cleaned.
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Facility managers, architects and interior designers looking for solutions for the new workplace, education campus or healthcare facilities will finally get answers from the contract furnishings industry when they attend the NeoCon show next week, June 12-14, at THE MART in downtown Chicago. Up from 255 entries in 2022, the Best of NeoCon Awards program has garnered 315 entries from 107 exhibiting companies.
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Tonic Collection by Watson Furniture, Fundamentals Storage Divider by BOLD Furniture, Uku Casegoods Collection by Tuohy Furniture, Krossi by Schiavello, and Lacasse Lockers by Groupe Lacasse, shown in the image, are among the Best of NeoCon 2023 entries. |
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Fifty jurors who are facilities managers, architects and interior designers will judge in 10 teams in the days before NeoCon opens at THE MART. The McMorrow Reports’ team will be attending NeoCon and managing the Best of NeoCon for the 32nd year.
With Gen Z projected to make up a third of the workforce by 2025 (Manpower Group, 2023 Workforce Trends Report), and older generations retiring later, designers, facility managers and other specifiers must cater to an expanding community with diverse needs and expectations. Human connection, well-being and consistent comfort have emerged as priorities for both younger generations looking to establish smart habits and older generations seeking physical longevity as well as a vibrant and active career. As a result, there is a demand for spaces and products that offer opportunities to connect and collaborate while also allowing users to accommodate their personal wellness goals and feel more balanced.
NeoCon is open to trade, C-suite executives and other industry-related professionals, and registration is free for all attendees. Register for NeoCon. Show details, including a full list of exhibitors and the lineup for programming and events, are available here.
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Building and retaining the FM workforce, the value of FM training, addressing the FM skills gap, and the importance of FM credentials and qualifications were among the four categories addressed in the 2023 FM Training Outlook Survey conducted by the Professional Facility Management Institute (ProFMI) and Building Operating Management (BOM) magazine. The survey identifies top FM challenges and workforce trends, determines the current need for FM training and credentials, and gauges how sentiments have shifted over time since the survey began in 2019.
Among the report's findings: Organizational growth and attrition are driving the need for more FM staff, while providing an attractive work environment and employee development programs can help attract and retain talent. FM managers see improved job performance, confidence, credibility and job satisfaction as a result to FM training, yet basic training dollars and resources are lagging behind the need.
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The Book of the Week from FMLink's new Books section hails from the Architecture category. This collection of peer-reviewed books has been curated by the editorial team at FMLink to provide facilities, engineering and A&D professionals with access to publications relating to the Architecture topic.
In The Architecture of Value, Craig Park updates his 2002 publication Design. Market. Grow! with an expanded collection of observations and lessons learned drawn from more than 40 years in the building industry. Framed as practical direction for aspiring leaders, he shares real-world examples of how to build a professional service firm through a combination of leadership, collaboration, and value — the basis for creating an enduring professional service practice.
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