Hartford Business Journal

22 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | JULY 24, 2023 FOCUS: Workplace Tony Amenta, co-founder and managing principal of Amenta Emma Architects (shown left, holding his glasses), discusses an office space design with staff. PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED What do employers want to know about office space design? 'How do we get more people back to work' By Greg Bordonaro gbordonaro@hartfordbusiness.com O ne of the more common ques- tions Tony Amenta receives from existing and prospective clients these days is top-of-mind for many employers. "It is along the lines of 'how do we get more people in the office?'" said Amenta, co-founder and managing principal of Hart- ford-based Amenta Emma Architects. "They're also asking, 'what do we do when our lease is up? Should we move? Should we renovate in place?'" Of course, there are no easy answers to those queries. Many employers have struggled to find the magic formula that gets their workers back to the office on a consistent basis. Office design — something Amenta Emma specializes in — can certainly play a role in enticing people back to work, but it's not a panacea, Amenta admits. "I think that employers seem to understand that it's not all about the space," he said. "I wish it were, for architects sake, but technology plays a role, flexibility is huge, accommo- dating employees' needs is important. Maybe it's just a battle for which days to be in the office. Employers are spending a lot more energy and time on these things." Amenta is a proponent of having employees return to the office, and he's hopeful more downtown Hartford workers will come back to work to bring more life to the city. His firm has a three-day, in-office policy. About 35 employees are required to be in Amenta Emma's 8,000-square-foot downtown Hart- ford office at 242 Trumbull St., on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. About two years ago, Amenta believed most employers would return to a five-day-a-week, in-office policy. Now, he's not so sure about that. Technology has made it easier to distance work, and also created some efficiencies, like reducing the number of long commutes for client meetings. Sometimes, a simple Zoom video- conference suffices, he said. "Having said that, it's still better to be all in the same place with a team if you could do it," he said. "That need of having somebody next to you cannot be replaced 100%." Meantime, the pandemic didn't change Amenta Emma's office design, because the firm had already adopted many of the features employers are embracing today: open office aesthetics, socially distanced desks, and collaborative spaces. Cubicle farms, he said, are a thing of the past. "We have a great office and I'd love to stay here," Amenta said, noting he does have one major renovation in mind. He'd like to convert the firm's large underused conference room into a flexible, multi-use workspace area, with different kinds of seating that gives people the opportunity to work privately, or in smaller groups. However, he said he's held off on the renovation given the uncertainty about his building's future. Hartford's largest landlord, Shelbourne Global Solutions, recently purchased 242 Trumbull St., a 324,000-square-foot mixed-use office/retail complex, for $4.75 million, with plans to convert part of the building to apartments. Amenta Emma has the option to renew its second-floor lease, with views of the XL Center across the street, in 2025. It may shrink its foot- print by 15%, Amenta said. The pandemic also had an impact on the firm's business. Work on office space design is down, so Amenta Emma's six-person workplace group has shifted some of its focus to supporting multifamily housing and higher-education projects — its two largest industry sectors. For example, the firm is working on plans for New Jersey-based the Michaels Organization, which has proposed a $100 million, ground-up apartment development on a 2.8-acre parking lot south of Hartford's Bushnell Park. "We're very busy," Amenta said, thanks to the firm's diversified client base that also includes public works and senior-living projects. "I was surprised by that, because I kind of thought that we'd see a little bit TONY AMENTA Co-founder & Managing Principal Amenta Emma Architects Education: Bachelor of Architec- ture, University of Notre Dame Age: 69 Tony Amenta

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