NEXT Office Design
To shape the built environment as the elements shape the natural environment.
Project Details
fall 2023 // Colorado State University
2601 Victory Ave, Suite 300, Dallas, TX 75201
- School project, fictional
- 15,000 Square Foot Architecture and Design Firm
- Part of the 2023 Steelcase NEXT Student Design Competition
- Created in Revit, Enscape, and Photoshop
Design Approach
Through the use of biophilic design, organic forms and materials, and sustainable practices, NEXT is focused on employee wellbeing and cultivating vitality. I took a holistic approach to integrated sustainability, meaning I took into account the economic, societal and environmental impact. In order to foster community, improve productivity and design mindfully, the space was thought through from user experience to the human impact.
Concept: Eutierria
“When the human-nature relationship is spontaneous and mutually enriching” (Albrecht, 2019).
As humans spend more and more time indoors, a desire to move toward our inherent connection with nature has become prevalent. The built environment has caused a “disconnection from nature” which has resulted in an array of health problems (Lerner and Stopka, 2016). The design of the Dallas NEXT office aims to bridge this gap and connect humans back to their roots. Through the use of biophilic design, organic forms and materials, and sustainable practices, NEXT is focused on employee wellbeing and cultivating vitality.
Drawing inspiration from the Austin Chalk Formation, and ambient winds of Dallas, NEXT imitates natural landforms designed by the elements. Similar to how the elements shape the natural environment, architects and designers are “elements” shaping the built environment. “Given that four percent of business costs result in lost productivity,” NEXT is empowering employees to live a balanced lifestyle (Lerner and Stopka, 2016). Through the integration of rejuvenation areas, flex spaces, and a community centered mindset, everyone entering the NEXT Dallas office is considered, cared for, and treated equally. The focus of integrated sustainability allows for a holistic approach in meeting needs of not only users, but nature and NEXT’s business model. Featuring an open office plan, large mezzanine areas, a yoga space, and opportunities for privacy, NEXT Dallas has a space for everyone to create, learn and grow.
Albrecht, G. (2019, July 15). Eutierria. Psychoterratica. https://glennaalbrecht.wordpress.com/2018/02/20/eutierria/
Lerner, A., and Stopka, M. (2016). The Financial Benefits of Biophilic Design in the Workplace: A Review and Summary of Current Research. Green Plants for Green Buildings. https://greenplantsforgreenbuildings.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/The-Financial-Benefits-of-Biophilic-Design-in-the-Workplace.pdf
Rendered Floor Plan
Rendered Mezzanine
Zoning Work Modes
The implementation of the five work modes, focus, collaboration, learning, socializing, and rejuvenation, improves employee wellbeing, productivity and retention. Focusing on creating rejuvenation areas was an important piece of this puzzle. These spaces include a wellness room, a yoga studio and a lounge area highlighted in grey on the right.
Employee Space
The floor plan is split into an employee space, on the west end, and a client space, on the east end. This supports the efficiency of space and allows for each group to feel supported, cultivating a community within the workspace. The employee area houses private offices, huddle spaces, workstations, meeting rooms, a design library and innovation lab. NEXT follows a hybrid work mode, meaning they don’t require employees to be present in the office five days a week. This allowed for unassigned work stations, providing users with flexibility based on preference and needs. Private offices, designed with curtain walls, surround the open workspaces to provide acoustic privacy while keeping open visuals throughout the team. Finally, curved elements throughout the space imitate natural forms, connecting to the concept of eutierria.
Client Space
As the client enters the space they are greeted with reception, which contains a seating area under stairs, providing refuge and decompression. Moving deeper into the space, there is an open concept work cafe and lounge space with a variety of seating to provide a sense of choice and opportunity for socialization for the user. The open concept allows light to penetrate into the space which increases productivity and wellbeing. However, the combination of 30 foot ceilings and open socialization spaces can create noise. To combat this, recycled PET acoustic felt baffles were installed.
The enclosed spaces include a meeting room, client presentation room, private offices, a wellness room and a yoga studio. The wellness room and yoga studio are situated outside the lounge space, to create a rejuvenation area within the office. The yoga room incorporates the eight limbs of Yoga into the office space. These bring “a state of complete physical, social, mental and spiritual well-being and harmony with nature” (Bernardo, 2022).
Finally, a large mezzanine level, designed as a flexible classroom area, lays above the enclosed spaces and looks over the work cafe. This flex space promotes active learning through flexibility of furniture and engagement.
Bernardo, C. (2022). The Shavasana: Reimagining Mind and Body Wellness Through Architecture and Design. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. https://ezproxy2.library.colostate.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/shavasana-reimagining-mind-body-wellness-through/docview/2682402657/se-2?accountid=10223
