Applied Ergonomics was invited by Oscar Ibarra of renowned architect firm, Batir to create an interior design plan that brought out the best of their architecture and helped transform and reimagine a 20,000 square foot abandoned gymnasium into a refined ergonomic-friendly corporate headquarters office.
OUR SOLUTION
An exquisite space with the design-forward essence of a Silicon Valley high-tech office.
The Applied Ergonomics team designed, specified, and procured the flooring, tile, millwork, and decorative lighting. Likewise, in collaboration with the client’s residential stylist, Laura Flynn of Element Design, who joined on aspects of the project, the AE team designed and provided all of the furniture to embed ergonomic sophistication into the workspaces. And finally, we together developed an art program which incorporated abstract art, artistic photography with roads as their theme, and our own professionally shot photographs of the client’s newest facilities and vehicles as a common thread to tie everything together and reflect the spirit of the company.
THE RESULT
Builders Asphalt’s new headquarters reflects the company’s aspirations as a forward-thinking, world-class organization. Similarly, this endeavor also showcases Applied Ergonomics’ suite of capabilities and introduces its new brand of top-tier ergonomic-centric furniture used throughout the facility, ergoFocus.
THE APPROACH
When approaching multi-faceted initiatives such as this, Applied Ergonomics collaborates with the client to understand and think through their goals for the building so that the interiors will serve them well over time. These include:
Rethinking how spaces can be most ergonomically flexible to support workplace health and well-being in a world reshaped by Covid.
Using the space to attract and retain top talent and as a sales tool with potential clients.
Anticipating headcount growth and ensuring space planning is efficient and realistic so that each employee has the expanse, storage, tools, and acoustic and visual privacy to do their job without distractions and collaborate as appropriate.
Engaging in product selections that support sustainability objectives.
Honoring the work of the architect with complementary interior design.
Achieving the highest level of excellence possible so that it reflects favorably on those who invited Applied Ergonomics to collaborate on their project, whether that is an architect, designer, or client.
MANUFACTURERS USED
Construction: Bentley Mills, EF Contract, Shaw Contract, Daltile, Porcelanosa, Garden State Tile, Gilasi, PureEdge Lighting, OCL, SPI Lighting, Rejuvenation, Restoration Hardware, Shades of Light, Offect.
Furniture: ergoFocus, Arcadia Contract, Artopex, Boss Design, DFM, Ekitta, HAG by Flokk, Humanscale, Keilhauer, Krug, Martin Brattrud, MDD, Mobilia, Paul Brayton, Phoenix Fire Files, Rouillard, Source International, Tayco, Via Seating. Upholsteries by Architex, Arc-Com, Brentano, Concertex, and Momentum.
Photography: Photos by Michael Lipman and Sam Wengroff.
THE STORY/THE BLUEPRINT
To begin, the Applied Ergonomics designers brought 2D AutoCAD drawings into Sketchup so that all aspects of the interior could be visualized and a look that reflects the client’s company could be created. Builders Asphalt makes most of the asphalt that is used on the roads and highways in the Chicago metropolitan area, selling it to others as well as doing paving themselves.
The president of Builders Asphalt is forward-thinking and wanted an exceptionally clean, modern look. Materials that reflect the earth the business is tied to were selected to be juxtaposed with white walls and bright LED lighting.
To complement the 13-foot ceilings in the reception and conference room areas, the Applied Ergonomics team customized a light over the conference table to balance the volume of the space.
The reception area features an MDD series reception desk with gleaming LED accent lights, imported from Poland. The clean look and white laminate of the reception desk was paired with custom-built matching mail sorters for the staff. The seating area takes advantage of the great design lines, aesthetics, and value of the Kimber series by Paul Brayton Designs, a favorite of Applied Ergonomics team, paired with Ekitta.
Another large decorative fixture was selected over the seating area in the lobby. Additional LED lighting was utilized throughout the reception area to bring a bright, modern feel to the welcoming entry.
The main flooring material selections included three elegant carpets from Bentley and LVP plank flooring from EF Contract which had just the right color and grain texture to align with the design intent. Door and stair stains were later matched to the LVP.
Early in the process, flooring was chosen and the ideation process began for the millwork paneling for the conference room and president’s office.
The client wanted a lot included in the president’s office so while the space was quite large, it featured a number of exciting space planning challenges to solve for. Some of president’s desired items included a fixed-height executive desk, sitting area, 6’ round meeting table, and an 80“ TV across the room from the desk.
The mixed materials and clean lines that DFM designed into the Alto series was a perfect fit for the room, so the Applied Ergonomics team requested DFM to modify it to be a fixed height. DFM was also used to make a complementary credenza for behind the desk, an adjacent buffet height credenza with hidden refrigerator and cross-cut veneers, and a full-wall storage/display opposite the desk.
The team then commissioned Mobilia to make a 6’ round table with a matte-finish laminate and stainless inlays. The round table was paired with Red Dot award-winning, carbon-neutral Keilhauer Swurve chairs. To put the final touch on the fit and finish and functional style of the room, the team selected another favorite, the sustainably-produced Norwegian Hag Tribute executive task chair.
Also in the president’s office, the boardroom millwork wall and carpeting were mirrored to tie the spaces together. Elegant LED lighting was also inserted into the drywall ceiling in a pair of concentric squares for even illumination and to avoid having 28 can lights. Inspired by a design from Scandinavia, the Applied Ergonomics team created models of the wall and ceiling millwork.
The boardroom table is from Krug, North America’s oldest wood furniture manufacturer. Their Nuvo line, another Applied Ergonomics favorite, is engineered with aluminum rails for expansive tables. The sculptural lines and white accents of the Boss Design chairs are exquisite and well-priced to boot.
The task chairs are all ergoFocus™ Engage in white and gray, a high-performance fully ergonomic weight-activated synchro-tilt chair that fits a wide range of individuals and even includes a convenient coat hanger. The open area meeting chairs are the white and gray ergoFocus™ Sustain, a simpler chair intended for home office or meetings. The height adjustable bases are all custom over-sized versions of the ergoFocus™ Endurance line of premium bases.
The work areas within each workstation and office are very generous. The workstations are each 9.5’ x 9.5’ with an 88” W x 29” D height-adjustable main desk surface and a 90” W x 36” D rear surface for laying out construction documents like blueprints.
The offices are designed with an oversized 78” x 78” curved corner desk, all height adjustable, and an open-leg 84” W x 30” D rear surface, with a combination storage cabinet past the end of the credenza. These sizes are almost impossible for furniture dealers to accomplish with height adjustable bases, but easy for ergoFocus™ when there’s sufficient lead time.
The first-floor open area also has both unassigned individual workstations perfect for office hoteling and non-office employees to come in to work at, and also features a communal meeting table for collaboration.
The breakroom was important to the company’s president to bring the whole team together. Thus, the Applied Ergonomics team made every effort to make it beautiful but comfortable and inviting while also incorporating a full kitchen which is stocked with snacks, wine, and goodies.
Breakroom flooring from Shaw was chosen once the complementary material for the island was selected. The breakroom counters were fabricated by Gilasi, a local Chicago resource who hand makes recycled glass countertops. In the bathrooms, the company president requested subway tiles so textured white tiles were chosen to run vertically together with concrete-feel large scale tiles from Porcelanosa and Daltile.
The Applied Ergonomics team has found that as beautiful as any space may be, until there’s art on the walls it feels unfinished. To this end, the company’s president requested photographs of their newest plant, so Jeff Meltzer and Laura Flynn selected and led professional photographers on two shoots to capture images to be used as display art in the offices.
Following post-production touch-ups, the images were printed and framed locally for use in the board room, stairwell, and private offices. A full-wall mural was also created for a prominent corner of the open area on the first floor.
ENJOY A COMPLIMENTARY COPY OF THE BUILDERS CASE STUDY.
