Hacker's New Home: The Big Moment
Crane-assisted furniture installation day
Hacker’s New Home: The Big Moment
Jennie Fowler
March 3, 2020
Our move is nearly here and our new home at District Office is looking great. In our previous post, we shared the process behind the final concept: a creative workshop designed to support the way we work. Here’s a preview!
The building’s cross-laminated timber structure lends the raw space a beauty of its own: it’s open, warm, and wrapped in picture windows. Natural light and views are what visitors notice first. Rather than boxing in the reception lobby with meeting rooms, the entry offers vistas through the floor and beyond. Staggered monument walls give order to the space, creating oblique views and a heightened sense of movement as one moves through. We wanted people to experience these qualities, and to have an ease of orientation within the space.
The staggered walls organize and anchor seven project team “neighborhoods” – zones arranged in open workspace schemes that are informed by the flow of conversations, sketching, and impromptu crits. Each zone revolves around a wall and worktable that create a focal gathering point for pin-ups (or their digital equivalent) and meetings. A “baker’s rack” cart for material trays stows neatly under the work table for easy access. The minimal, neutral palette lets our work – along with a good measure of plants for biophilia – add texture and color day to day.
Choosing a desk – as a collective – was one of the most challenging aspects of designing our own space. It generated a robust conversation about what constitutes the optimal desk, and for whom. We wanted a desk design that satisfied a variety of practical, functional needs, balancing a wide range of individual preferences, while making room for desk-side collaboration. Ultimately, we opted for seven-foot-long desks with plywood tops custom designed by our team and adjustable bases (both made locally in Portland).
While teams will meet mostly in their zones, enclosed meeting rooms and flex spaces throughout the office give everyone plenty of options depending on their needs. One of these flex spaces, the double-height living room, is a centerpiece of our office. It’s a breathtaking retreat where people can get away from their desks. An adjacent kitchen, communal table, and open stair also make this space an important connector physically and socially for our two-level office.
Even positive change requires thoughtful handling. To prepare for our move, we’ve re-acquainted the office with the design, provided resources to orient everyone, and set up Slack channels to gather comments on ergonomics, acoustics, light, and other measures. This feedback will help us secure WELL certification, and more importantly, inform adjustments to the design down the road.
Our new office will be open for business on March 9, and we look forward to sharing it with you in the coming months.
Featured
