VisionPoint Marketing is a tech-oriented company that offers marketing solutions for institutions of higher learning. As one of Business North Carolina’s Top Ten Employers for 2016, VisionPoint already had a dynamic and successful corporate culture in place before looking to relocate and expand their offices. iS design was hired to help create a new environment to allow that outstanding culture to grow and thrive.
Although this project had no formal space programming phase per se, the concept for early planning focused on the need for an open, collaborative environment that encourages an interactive nature between staff. There was also the desire for a start-up type ambiance in which everyone feels empowered to make a meaningful contribution and workplace amenities abound. As a point of design departure, VisionPoint wanted their space to cultivate an atmosphere that speaks of who they are. This began with the selection of a single piece of benching (workstation) furniture. From that small beginning, configuring the open workstations to encourage collaboration, while avoiding facing co-workers directly, became an organizing element.
Further pre-design conversations produced the following list of desired attributes for the space:
The final design solution opens into a large, flowing, and flexible open office with smaller spaces organized around it on three sides. The existing lay-in ceilings were removed to open the space vertically as well. That expanse is broken up with new lay-in cloud structures helping to control acoustics while also providing ambient lighting. All offices have glass that helps foster visual connections throughout the suite. Small collaboration spaces are interspersed throughout with a large glass-enclosed collaborative space that connects the open office workstations.
“In our business, we find that we get the best results for our clients when we're able to have a true partnership with them. We bring our expertise and experience; they bring theirs and we end up with something better than each party alone could have done. Such was the case with working with IS Design. We had a true partnership in which we were encouraged to bring our vision to the table and the folks at IS didn't just take that and run with it; they partnered up with us. They brought their expertise in areas we had little-to-none, and they actively listened and reacted to ideas we had. The time we spent with them was invaluable and it led to an amazing new office space that is not only aesthetically beautiful and impacting; it has also transformed the way we work as a company.”
