To encourage collegial teamwork, giving priority to spaces for collective use over spaces for individual use. In January of 1996, Nationwide signed the lease for the PlanLab space and asked the architect to develop a schematic design for the building shell, plus three alternative layouts for cubicles. Nationwide intends to pilot each of the schematic layouts sequentially. To correspond with each successive installation, light fixture locations and cables for data and voice transmission will be shifted. Light doors that pivot to modify conference room size.
Reflective copper mesh to animate creative space.
Cubicles configured to break the traditional orthogonal box, and grouped to support teaming work strategies. Work counters interspersed among cubicles to encourage teamwork and impromptu collaborative discussions. In May 1996, modified versions of the building shell and Nationwide's standard scheme were constructed under the direction of Paul Zelinka, a planner with the Nationwide Facility Planning group. In May 1996, eight individuals from Nationwide's pension customer service group occupied the space and became the first of the PlanLab's interactive participants. In March 1997, an Ohio State University graduate student, Sanjeev Arya, developed and administered a survey to determine baseline employee attitudes about the PlanLab work environment, as part of his studies under Jack Nasar, Professor of City and Regional Planning.