WRI asked 40 employees from different levels in the organization to participate in visioning sessions for the new offices. This vision was kept in front of everyone throughout design and construction. The new location provides 20 percent more space than before, enough to meet the organization's projected space needs for the next five years. In addition to meeting WRI's environmental challenge, HOK was charged with designing a space that would facilitate interaction and communication between WRI's employees. We left the perimeter open and grouped offices and work stations in the center of the floor.
Closed offices are on the inside of the space with open offices on the outside.
To us, it's an 'inside-out office,' a configuration that maximizes the flow of natural light into the space, creating an open environment that encourages people to get out of their offices. All offices, including those of Jonathan Lash, WRI's president, are the same size and have the same access to windows surrounding the building's perimeter. Clerestory windows set six feet high in the deep-yellow walls, which feature black trim around the windows and doors, allow natural light to reach into all offices. The panel fabric used at the work stations is a 100 percent recycled PET plastic. The standard office size, coupled with furniture standards, allows WRI to easily move personnel based on changing organizational requirements.