Hartford Business Journal

8 Hartford Business Journal • September 5, 2016 www.HartfordBusiness.com FOCUS REAL ESTATE/ARCHITECTS Adams & Knight Inc. Headquarters: 80 Avon Meadow Lane, Avon No. of employees: 52 A dvertising and PR firm Adams & Knight's workplace mirrors the company's main business function: creativity. Its office includes a retro 1959 diner, complete with a vintage Coke machine and Wurlitzer juke- box. With its roomy booths and counter seating, the diner doubles as the agency lunchroom, where employees and visitors are treated to free lunch every day. It's also an inviting place to hold informal meetings. One of the agency's most utilized meeting rooms is the "think tank," where team mem- bers from across the company come together to brainstorm and review ideas. There's also a 60-seat theater, complete with 17 surround-sound speakers and a 10-foot screen, where the firm premieres its latest TV commercials, video productions and integrated campaigns. Adams & Knight also has its own photography/video studio as well as a full editing suite to create, shoot and edit projects on site. Amenta Emma Architects Headquarters: 242 Trumbull St., Suite 201, Hartford Employees: 32 A menta Emma Architects' Hartford digs are located in a historic downtown office building constructed in 1925 and repurposed in the late 1990s. Featured elements include multiple flexible meeting areas for informal design reviews, including movable walls that allow for privacy when needed. There are also adaptive workstations that allow for staff expansion, and full integration of state-of-the-art technology for individual work areas and presentation spaces. The open spaces also foster employee collaboration and aim to create a sense of community among staff, who were involved in the design of the office space. Greater Hartford's innovative office spaces S ilicon Valley is known for its unique office spaces, where companies developing cut- ting-edge technology use as much innova- tive thinking in how they design their workspace as they do producing products or software. Although known as the Land of Steady Habits, Connecticut, too, has many companies redefining the modern office space, incorpo- rating new designs and features that not only aim to give the office an innovative look, but also enhance employee productivity and com- munication to create a competitive advantage. In an effort to discover some of the region's most innovative office spaces, Hart- ford Business Journal asked companies in Greater Hartford to submit photos and expla- nations of atypical workspaces. We received nearly 30 submissions, and we're highlighting some of them in the pages that follow. Many companies are using open floor plans to encourage teamwork and commu- nication. The high-walled cubicle is largely a thing of the past. Now it's more common to see company executives sitting near other employees in flexible desk areas that can be used by any staff member on any given day. Flexible meeting areas allow for privacy when needed. Natural light and bright colors define a lot of innovative office spaces, along with fully stocked kitchens or cafeterias. We hope the office spaces we highlight provide ideas for how to reshape your own work environment. – Greg Bordonaro Editor Hartford Business Journal P H O T O S | C O N T R I B U T E D P H O T O S | C O N T R I B U T E D Common Themes M any of the most innovative office spaces in Greater Hartford shared common themes including collaborative and open floor plans, state-of-the-art videoconferencing centers and hip kitchen areas that allow employees to socialize and share ideas. Here are some diverse examples of each of these trends. OFI's newly renovated Herman Miller Living Office show- room in Newington also serves as a state-of-the-art work- space that includes an open floor plan for formal or impromptu meetings in a setting that combines task and soft seating. Innovative technology, including large video monitors, supports greater flexibility within the space and encourages collaborative sharing. P H O T O | C O N T R I B U T E D

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