The Leader - November/December 2007 - (Page 26)

real e stat e ma NaGemeNt Smaller Workspaces, Better Workspaces: Space Utilization Solutions Are Within Reach by marGe small aND kelly sterk Is It possIble to realIze sIGNIfIcaNt space savINGs aND stIll provIDe a better Work eNvIroNmeNt by specIfyING NeW INteGrateD storaGe? It happeNeD WheN chIcaGo-baseD huroN coNsultING Group teameD up WIth allsteel INc., a maJor coNtract furNIture maNufacturer. uron Consulting, a leading provider of financial and operational consulting services, was founded in 2002 by Chairman and CEO Gary Holdren and 25 former Arthur Andersen partners. Since then, the firm has rapidly grown from 200 to more than 2,000 employees (including contractors) in offices in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Washington, D.C., Boston, San Francisco, Charlotte, Atlanta, Dallas, Detroit, Houston and Tokyo, along with document review centers in Raleigh, N.C., Rock Hill, S.C., and Miramar, Fla. This significant growth was not without some significant challenges: Huron experienced a major increase in hiring and was faced with needing to fit more people in less space. This created a demand for additional and more efficient office space and workstations throughout the organization. In particular, Huron’s Chicago headquarters had outgrown its space, and as the firm made plans to expand to an additional floor, it wanted to utilize the new space as efficiently as possible. In this case, it turned to Allsteel and invested in the manufacturer’s Reach integrated storage product. Huron representatives had seen Reach in its prototype stage during a visit to Allsteel headquarters in Muscatine, Iowa, and were eager to incorporate the system into the company standard. Huron found that the Reach workstation actually uses storage to create the wall. It replaces traditional overheads and pedestals with a single consolidated wall of storage that divides 2 0 0 7 the le aDe r H space while providing increased storage capacity and space effectiveness to individual workstations. That means getting rid of the confining overheads and pedestals, which makes the station feel bigger; it also allows lower panel heights for more natural light and improves overall aesthetics. but WheN Is smaller ever better? The installation of these stations made each workspace actually feel bigger as Huron went from 64 sq. ft. (6 sq. m.) per station to 42 sq. ft. (4 sq. m.). The company carefully monitored reaction from its employees to make sure they didn’t feel the organization was sacrificing their space just to save money. The reactions were extremely positive, and the findings from employee satisfaction surveys included: 26 November / December

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of The Leader - November/December 2007

The Leader - November/December 2007 Leadership Contents Message from the CEO Real Estate in the News Investing in India 110 to One Smaller Workspaces, Better Workspaces Innovating the Workplace Through Design Sustainability and Energy Efficiency Getting It Right Using Location Intelligence to Reinvent Franchises Philips International’s Ron Blanken CB Richard Ellis’ Karen Ellzey The State of Louisiana’s Mike Olivier Industry Tracker Economic Developer Directory Discovery Forum Findings Career Development Emerging Leader Economic Development in the News A Look Ahead Executive Development Spotlight

The Leader - November/December 2007

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