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V O L . X X V N O. V I I I A P R I L 1 5 , 2 0 1 9 32 I nside the salt-water fish tank at WEX's new global headquarters, orange-and-white-striped clown- fish and blue tangs swim in and out of coral structures. "It looks empty, but it's progres- sively getting populated," Safet Cobaj, WEX's vice president of global real estate, says during a recent tour. e aquarium isn't just there to look pretty, but to contribute to the well-being of the 400 employees set- tling into WEX's showcase waterfront site, which has capacity for 450. Located on the second floor next to a gathering area and windows overlook- ing Casco Bay, WEX's aquarium is among several design features aimed at boosting workplace wellness — physi- cal, mental and emotional — to keep employees healthy, happy and, as a result, more productive. "Being able to have that piece of nature right there within the workspace can really help people calm down if they're stressed out," says Jeana Stewart of SMRT Architects & Engineers, which designed the interior of WEX's new corporate home. "It gives them a chance to chill out." WEX has committed $15 million and 15 years to the building, which was developed by Portland-based Jonathan Cohen. It's not the only large Maine employer splashing out on new or expanded digs that prioritize employee health and well-being through features from on-site fitness and recreation to maximum natural sunlight. Animal- health firms IDEXX Laboratories in Westbrook and Covetrus in Portland, as well as benefits provider Unum, are also keeping their architects busy as part of a wider strategy to lure and retain talent. Maine's aging population and record- low unemployment give that mission greater urgency. Growing architectural niche Sensing a growing business niche, SMRT Architects and Engineers has set up its own in-house Workplace Studio headed by Stewart, who has also designed corporate office renovations for Hannaford, the law firm Bernstein Shur and accounting firm Baker Newman Noyes. She says the most challenging part of the WEX project was the tight time frame, with eight months for the design and a year for construction. Stewart says that all new proj- ects include "preference mapping" to determine where a client stands on technology — early vs. late adopters or in the middle. She sometimes uses Mad Libs-type games, with clients supplying verbs and adjectives related to their organization and where it may be headed. Ideally, there's also input from employees. Stewart, past president and former board member of the Maine Interior Design Association, says that while corporate hierarchy used to dictate workplace design, today's emphasis is on creating a collaborative, welcoming environment. She also sees her work for employ- ers and higher education fitting together nicely since a lot of firms are P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY Building healthy workplaces Employee wellness a growing design priority for large Maine employers B y r e n e e c o r d e S R E A L E S TAT E / C O N S T R U C T I O N / D E S I G N F O C U S Jeana Stewart, an interior designer at SMRT Architects & Engineers, in the firm's Workplace Studio in Portland.

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