Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com • November 13, 2017 • Hartford Business Journal 11 FOCUS Greater Hartford office features that stand out M any innovative office spaces in Greater Hartford had one or two features that were truly unique. Here are a few that stood out: Friar Architecture Inc. Headquarters: 21 Talcott Notch Road, Farmington No. of Employees: 19 I n April, Friar Architecture purchased a 10,000-square-foot office building in Farmington to expand its footprint. The existing three-story building was orig- inally a clubhouse for an adjacent condo complex, complete with an indoor pool and residence on the upper floor. It was later sold and renovated into an office building; the floor plan divided for tenants and the pool covered over. On the interior, the renovations included gutting walls at the entry level to create flowing open space for Friar's production team. A mixture of built-in and furniture workstations were added, and images of the firm's creative processes and built work highlight the walls. Visitors are greeted with a digital display featuring current events and the firm's portfolio images. Natural finishes, plants and abundant windows in the main conference room provide natural daylighting. Some of the unique features include a second-floor collaboration room, which has a large TV monitor networked to the server, and whiteboards and tackable wall surfaces. On the third floor a presentation wall was adorned with a large screen TV and comput- er for staff meetings or for use as a casual workspace. The third floor also opens out to a roof deck with tables and padded seats. i-Health Inc., a division of DSM Headquarters: 55 Sebethe Drive, Cromwell No. of Employees: 120 I -Health Inc. is a consumer-packaged goods company that recently renovated its 40,000-square-foot office in Crom- well. The company created an open "plaza" hub that is used as an everyday kitchen area but also a spot for casual meetings. The office has an exposed ceiling giving an industrial feel that is juxtaposed with the warmth of the space's colors and materials. The company is encouraging collaboration through gaming tables that include foosball, billiards and shuffleboard. They also intro- duced branding elements that include key company adjectives written on the walls. The office has new sit-stand workstations with a focus on employee's ergonomic health and eight conference rooms of varying size. "Touch down" stations offer small areas to connect before or after a meeting out- side the conventional conference rooms without tying up reserved meeting space. Office seating options include benches, soft seating, tablet-arm club chairs and adjustable task chairs. Conference rooms are equipped with state-of-the-art technol- ogy, including the Microsoft Surface Hub, a touch-base all-in-one collaboration hub with an 84-inch display screen and Click Share for wireless presentation sharing. A custom-designed reception desk is built with locally sourced reclaimed barn wood. IT Direct Headquarters: 67 Prospect Ave., West Hartford No. of Employees: 31 I T Direct's office space aims to promote a cooperative atmosphere that allows employees to openly share information on company and individual goals and also meet in different groups with easily acces- sible technology. The group floor plan allows for both person- al space and cooperative, open communication. Key company performance information is displayed throughout the office to create ac- countability. The four large, ceiling-mounted screens show key performance indicators, sharing details about the success of individual and team efforts. A monitor in the break room displays the results of a weekly employee sur- vey question as well as the status of a "Caught Someone" recognition program. A large training room has recording tech- nology that allows employees to record and publish training sessions for both internal and client use. A teleconference room was designed with a large screen for teleconfer- encing with clients, vendors and prospects. The space also has tons of natural light and a kitchen with snacks, employee-donat- ed goods and monthly foodie events. The keg and popcorn in the training room encourage late afternoon camaraderie and down time, and the rooftop patio provides a location for client and employee cookouts and fun events. It's no surprise Glastonbury commu- nications firm Cashman + Katz knows something about creativity. Its octagon- shaped office features a unique video production studio and green room along with a one-way glass, closed-circuit viewing room for focus groups.

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