For the HQ, NELSON and Polaris came together to create a design concept that conveyed the brands guiding principles: “Best People, Best Team,” and “Safety and Ethics Always.” Welcoming guests and employees is a new architectural expansion equipped with a visitor entrance and security desk. NELSON’s additions to the existing atrium included matching the glazing and roof structure for a cohesive design between old and new. Furthermore, large wood and stone forms extend from exterior to interior, truly bringing the “outdoors in.” A feature vehicle display is anchored by a custom color-changing LED “North Star” ceiling element. With increased vendor conferencing in a central location, employees can now meet and greet their guests nearby the product showroom. Open, collaborative spaces are included throughout the lobby for employees and their guests to kick the tires with intermittent meeting spaces from end to end. A separate employee entrance enters this space creating a more efficient circulation for day-to-day workers. Read the full article here.

The International Facility Management Association’s (IFMA) Facility Fusion conference is an annual gathering of industry innovators in the facility management world, exchanging ideas on the fast-paced, ever-changing nature of the workplace. As a specialist in change management, and one of the founding members of the Workplace Evolutionary leadership team for IFMA, I chose to present a topic I feel is a pertinent reminder of why we do what we do as workplace strategists, in a time of rampant technological advancement and aggressive shifts in the real estate market. In the end, it’s all about co-creating a better work experience, leading by example, and engaging people in the planning and design process in meaningful and timely ways with empathy. Forgetting about the end user in the process takes the eye off the target, misses key opportunities for engagement and can have a detrimental effect on the result.

In addressing “remembering the people” from a design perspective, I posed five simple questions:

• What are we designing?
• Why is “change” the verb?
• How do we engage people?
• When do we engage people?
• Who leads the change?

What are we designing?

The workplace is not a thing, it’s an experience! There’s been a fundamental shift in expectations about what we as designers are actually designing. This workplace evolution is best summarized as a shift from the workplace-as-a-product or thing (e.g., office building) to the workplace-as-a-service (ala WeWork) and currently toward the workplace-as-an-experience. So, we are now in the business of designing experiences which raises the bar on expected outcomes well beyond a product or a service, and redefines the involvement of end users as consumers in a co-creation process.

Why is “change” the verb?

When we hear the phrase “change management” most people understand it to mean managing change. Next time you hear the phrase “change management” simply reverse the verb and restate it as changing management! That’s what I mean by “change is the verb!” New work environments that support new work styles require new management styles. New management styles require leadership. Putting a hip or cool “work café” into a workplace solution will not be successful unless employees see managers leading the way by using it themselves. Management needs to model desired work behaviors. All eyes are upon what they do more so than what they may say. That’s why we emphasize new work behaviors with changing management style and behavior as the key element.

How do we engage people?

When trying to learn a new language, skill, or behavior, learning is accelerated when people can relate it to a topic about which they are passionate. Whether learning language, writing, reading, or math skills, this is referred to as interest-based learning. If we want people to adopt innovation or adapt their work behavior to a new environment, we need to understand their interests and concerns as individuals. Everyone is not affected by change in the same way, nor do they adapt at the same pace. So we need to identify stakeholders as audiences with unique interests and concerns. For example, managers moving out of dedicated private offices into an open plan environment are affected very differently than people already accustomed to working “in the open.” We need to engage people and their interests and concerns in ways customized to what’s uniquely at stake for them.

When do we engage people?

We strongly advocate the principle that the change management process must run from beginning to end in parallel and integrated with the design process. Change is not something we “sell” to end users once a design solution is already fully developed without their input. Genuine engagement must go well beyond persuasion and influence used to get people to accept innovative ideas involving new choices about how, when and where to work. The change process begins during the pre-design “programming” stage engaging end users in a dialogue about imagining alternative workplace solutions that better support the way they work. When people see their ideas reflected in proposed design concepts, they don’t need to be “sold” on new ideas.

Who leads the change?

Leading requires changing hats. Trying on a hat makes us more aware of what fit and style make us feel more or less comfortable. We have more to learn about why a hat makes us feel uncomfortable. Trying on hats other people wear allow us to understand them and ourselves better. When we think of hats we wear similar to roles we play, sometimes simply changing hats (or roles) requires empathy and makes all the difference in bringing about and being open to change. Whether you’re a designer embracing workplace as an experience, a manager embracing a new management style and modeling new work behaviors, a facility manager responsible for maintenance and operations, or any other player in the workplace creation process, we will all succeed more together by trying on the hats of others. This empathetic process is what we refer to as human-centered design. Mahatma Ghandi said it best… “You must be the change you want to see in the world.”

PHILADELPHIA – February 14, 2023 — Award-winning architecture, design, and strategy firm NELSON Worldwide is excited to announce the advancement of Andrew Lengel to Studio Leader of Retail. Andrew will thoughtfully grow and develop connections between the design team and clients to foster growth for the firm’s retail practice in the Philadelphia area and broader Northeastern region.

“Andrew continuously brings a positive outlook and commitment to elevating talent within the teams he leads,” says Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at NELSON Worldwide, John “Ozzie” Nelson Jr. “His aptitude for mediation and introspective communication makes him the ideal candidate for advancement within the firm.”

Andrew brings his sense of reliability and wide breadth of industry experience to the role, enabling him to confidently deliver projects that exceed client expectations. To ensure success among his teams, he strategically champions people to do their best work. As Studio Leader, Andrew is committed to encouraging teammates to follow their interests as they change over time, recognizing that all project types bring invaluable experience to his teams. Across all responsibilities, from drafting proposals and strategizing with clients to inspecting construction sites, reviewing drawings, and coordinating with internal and external project teams, Andrew’s penchant for efficiency allows him to consistently deliver the high caliber of design and architecture solutions NELSON is known for.

“I am privileged to continue collaborating with some of the best people in the industry,” remarks Andrew. “In my new role, I aim to maintain the team’s cohesion and introduce new partners to NELSON’s impressive scope of work.”

Andrew’s unique professional journey and project history have shaped his worldview and approach to design. His career highlights include developing an augmented reality exhibit for education on elephants, designing a golf practice facility for inner city youth, and witnessing his hand sketch become the front entrance artwork of a new school in Camden. This vast experience taught Andrew how to wrangle conflicts of every kind and find his own ‘voice’ within the design and architecture industry.

Currently, Andrew is collaborating with the retail team on several restaurants and concession stands at the Philadelphia, Newark, and New York airports, among other locations, with a goal of making traveling “delicious” again. Driven by tenacity, thoughtful leadership and a distinct worldview, Andrew will continue to expand the firm’s impressive retail portfolio with strategic and innovative design and architecture concepts.

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About NELSON Worldwide

NELSON Worldwide is an award-winning firm, boldly transforming all dimensions of the human experience through architecture, interior design, graphic design, and brand strategy. With more than 700 teammates across 20 offices, the firm’s collective network provides strategic and creative solutions that positively impact where people work, serve, play, and thrive. The team combines industry knowledge, service expertise, and geographic reach to deliver projects across the country and around the world. Client partnerships across the NELSON network include Hilton, Macy’s, Comcast, Simon Property Group, Prologis, Yum! Brands, Boston Consulting Group, T-Mobile, Emory Healthcare, SAP Fieldglass, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Kroger, Hyatt, Bayer, Target, and many more.

We all can agree that technology has greatly affected the way we work. The days of handwritten requests, oversized portfolios, and piling stacks of physical documents are long gone. Laptops, tablets, and smart phones have replaced pens and papers. Renderings are done solely through computer apps, and social media has become an acceptable way to communicate information and ideas. Ringing true in the realm of interiors, this notion explains the many ways that designers are conducting their current workloads.

Take for example the design story of The Tie Bar. Tucked away in an industrial loft in Chicago’s Fulton Market, the offices of this popular retailer are warm, expressively urban, and reminiscent of a men’s club. However, it wasn’t always this way. After deciding on a big move, The Tie Bar retained the services of NELSON to design their vintage brick-and-timber style location, making it more representative of their brand. They sought a hip space that would not only house employees but would also act as a way to showcase their bright and colorful line of men’s accessories.

Rather than sticking with just traditional-styled meetings to complete the visioning sessions, the team worked virtually using the social media site, Pinterest, to develop the design concept. NELSON teammates and executive members of The Tie Bar team pinned their ideas to various boards to accurately depict their vision. From there, the NELSON team developed multiple design charrettes, presenting them in-person as a way for the client to see and feel the fabrics, patterns, and designs.

After productive back-and-forth online conversation and necessary face-to-face meetings, the team decided upon what are now the completed offices of The Tie Bar. Through the use of social media and in-person meetings, a 6,000 square foot loft was transformed into a fun, practical environment with different compartments for various working styles. The casual yet industrial feel layered throughout the loft presents employees with an opportune space to both work and play. The final outcome is a true depiction of how technology and social media are greatly impacting the working world today.