Hartford Business Journal

19 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | June 20, 2022 been working in their own little silo," said Amenta Emma's Seay. "It can take some time to get people to feel comfortable to interact with their coworkers again." Hybrid working and the trend toward a more residential feel in offices also seems set to cement the phenomenon of "hot desking" with fewer employees having a place that's their own territory at work. Seay said resimercial design incorporates elements like lockers or bookshelves to provide storage for employees who don't have an assigned desk. Psychology of work Beautiful as the new designs are, they come with a note of caution for some. Dr. Carrie Bulger researches industrial-organizational psychology at Quinnipiac University, and specializes in work-life boundaries. "If we make work look more like home, well, we've just blurred a pretty big boundary," she said. "The aesthetics of it are certainly lovely – who wouldn't want to work in a place that was beautifully designed and tastefully appointed? But the message it's sending is – this is your home, you never have to leave. At least that's the message that I get!" So far there's been little research into how the trend might affect the psychology of work, and of work-life boundaries. "One way that we make those boundaries is to really depend upon the space," said Bulger. "So if the space looks different, that really helps us to establish both physical and cognitive boundaries. But if work looks like home, that might make that transition just that much more difficult." For now, Overabove's Visgilio said he's happy to have tempted his employees back into a beautiful space after a long period apart. "We're thinkers, we're designers, we're writers, we're creators," he said. "You have to really be in the same room to do that effectively." He does admit the visionary makeover cost a little more than he might have anticipated. "I think it's well worth it, and we're very happy about it, but I don't dwell on the budget page," he said with a smile. "I love when I come into the main floor and somebody is sitting at the waterfall island, just like you would in your home kitchen, and they're working. To me, that's what we were focused on." Infinity Group's downtown Hartford office space has home-like features including a TV room, plush couches and plants. PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED Dr. Carrie Bulger Here's A Glimpse of Our Bank Portfolio... Building banks is a specialty of ours. Over the years, PDS has had the great privilege of working closely and often with some of the area's most respected banks, including TD Bank and Webster Bank. These projects have ranged from new construction to general renovation, including several new free standing buildings, one of which incorporated the latest TD Bank design with LEED Platinum credentials. In addition, we have completed fast track interior fi t-outs with all new fi nishes specifi c to our client's design needs. With in-house disciplines of engineering from civil to mechanical, PDS can design the right building to fi t your budget and timeline. SPOTLIGHT ON: COMMERICAL 107 Old Windsor Road, Bloomfi eld, CT 06002 | 860.242.8586 | pdsec.com THINK • PLAN • BUILD 4,000 SF | Wallingford, CT 4,000 SF | Norwalk, CT Various Interior Renovations IMPACT PLASTICS | PUTNAM, CT TAC AIR HANGAR V BRADLEY AIRPORT WINDSOR LOCKS, CT LIBERTY MAZDA | HARTFORD, CT EPPENDORF | ENFIELD, CT NEFCO | EAST HARTFORD, CT Building For Your Success Retail • Industrial • Commercial • Institutional • Education • Healthcare • Religious PDS Engineering & Construction has been meeting the needs of the construction industry since 1965. Our dedicated team of design and construction professionals welcomes the challenge of serving its past and future customers on their most demanding projects. THINK • PLAN • BUILD

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