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V O L . X X I I N O. X V I I J U LY 2 5 , 2 0 1 6 22 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 Another key change is the addition of fi tness centers, health clinics, healthy meals and break areas equipped with games — all designed to foster mental and physical health as an important aspect of work. Sustainability initiatives, such as EV charging stations, compost- ing and onsite community gardens are also featured. Collaborative spaces and huddle rooms Unum Group has tackled many of the same issues as IDEXX. "What we've done so far is around energetically trying to modernize the offi ce," says Paul Larkins, director of corporate planning and construction at the Unum Group. Unum has about 2,900 employees in Portland and 10,000 at more than 110 sites around the world. Unum's existing fl oor plan in Portland consisted of a large open space divided by partitions and enclosed offi ces. e company brought in strategy experts to help develop a toolkit, visited other com- panies to review innovations, and started implementing changes last year. Like IDEXX, Unum worked with employ- ees, allowing them to defi ne various needs for space. at includes a mix of open and enclosed collaborative spaces, individual-focus spaces, huddle rooms, learning rooms and presentation rooms. Furniture styles vary from area to area. For example, some collaborative spaces within the open area are equipped with high seating and counter arrangements — in the style of an island in a kitchen — around a white board or touchscreen. e thought was that fl exible envi- ronments lead to better productivity, aided by technology. "We still have a high percentage of people in dedicated spaces," he says. "But we think, over time, we'll pull that back as teams morph into new teams or groups. As that happens, the need to be anchored to one space in one place won't be as great. Given the work-life balance we're able to achieve through technol- ogy, people should be able to work wherever they're most productive — at home, at a client site. Demand around dedicated offi ce space should decline as connected collaborative space increases." How space fosters creativity and engagement At Kepware Technologies, a software developer in Portland, change started in 2008. "Our space was battleship gray. We defi nitely compensated for that," says Brett Austin, senior vice president at Kepware, which was acquired in January by PTC, an Internet of ings company based in Needham, Mass. "We wanted to have our space be more creative, collaborative and engaged, and allow us to work diff erently." With the recession rolling in, the timing for a move wasn't good. Instead, the company contracted with its landlord to phase into new space in its existing headquarters, and worked with Portland- based Workplace Transformation Facilitation founder Lisa Whited to think through function and appeal. "We have a lot of software develop- ers, so we wanted to be more collabor- ative. But we also needed to be careful of impacts on their ability to function," Austin says. "We didn't want to disrupt that by swinging too far from closed to open environment." e result? Almost all private offi ces were eliminated in favor of an open plan with workstations. Senior management also works in the open. "Our work station walls went from 6 to 7 feet high to sometimes no walls. e south-facing side was offi ces, all drywall and doors except for sidelights into each offi ce. at came down, and glass went up in its place. We have one or two offi ces now, and they're all glass. Our meeting rooms are primar- ily glass. We're very transparent as a company, and we wanted the space to refl ect our culture." Meeting spaces range from large conference rooms to one-person "telephone booths" for private calls. "Huddle rooms" with screens accom- modate teleconferences . Spaces are customized: Marketing is relatively open, with lots of conversation; web development assistance is buff ered by glass walls so engineers can scruti- nize technical issues. Other changes included sound-masking and multi- stage lighting. "We put more thought than I ever thought we would into the lighting system," says Austin. "It used to be we had two on-off switches. Now we have banks of lights that give our teams much more personal control." e workplace of the future is not only for existing personnel but for recruitment. And change is ongoing. "When we started in 2010, I thought, ' is will be a two-year process,'" says Austin. "But there's new technology and furnishings and systems available today that wasn't available in 2011 — so we tweak." L au r i e S c h r e i b e r , w h o c o v e r s r e a l e s t a t e f o r M a i n e b i z , c a n b e r e a c h e d a t l a u r i e @ p r o f i l e s m a i n e . c o m Efficiency Maine supports high-performance commercial building construction with incentives and technical assistance. Building owners and design teams may find out more information by calling 1-866-ES-MAINE or visiting www.efficiencymaine.com by calling 1-866-ES-MAINE or visiting www.efficiencymaine.com www.efficiencymaine.com » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E

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