GHJ
Green Hasson Janks (GHJ) approached HLW for programming and design services after signing a lease to move into the top floor of The Bloc, a high-rise building in downtown Los Angeles. As an accounting, tax, and consulting firm, the company wanted the move to address and change two existing conditions. Firstly, the current workspace in West LA didn’t reflect the company culture. Oddly-shaped perimeter offices engulfed narrow, white-washed hallways that separated enclosed rooms from oversized cubicles that were mostly empty. Aside from a small galley kitchen and a large conference room, the existing office provided no areas for collaboration or conversations away from one’s desk. To the second point, only 52 people out of 160 showed up to the office on an average day due to the nature of GHJ’s work, leaving the office feeling empty and quiet.
GHJ leadership wanted a new space that invigorated the company – not only a showcase, but a place where people would be excited to come to work. To avoid the ‘emptiness’, HLW programmed a certain number of unassigned but bookable offices. Through visioning and programming, metrics were evaluated to right-size the number of workstations and bookable offices. A sandbox activity followed this effort to further clarify the spatial parameters in a more graphic way, which led to leadership feeling more excited and engaged in the process prior to design development.
The final result led to bookable offices clustered in different areas of the space to provide differentiation and clarity between quiet zones and areas for socializing and hosting. A mix of open lounge and open workstations are adjacent to enclosed meeting rooms and collaboration spaces that GHJ lacked in their existing space. A generous hub and cafe welcomes employees and visitors upon entry, and the design yields an atmosphere that is “homey”, textural, and warm.
Date: March 3, 2022
