Spaces Indiana honoured local companies at the leading edge of design, at the inaugural Spaces Indiana Awards held on September 15th.
About Spaces Indiana
Matt Waggoner of JLL Introduces the Awards (Photographer: Kristin Hornberger)
Spaces Indiana was founded by Matt Waggoner, Senior Vice President, Tenant Representation of JLL. He noticed that there wasn’t an easy way to show clients practical examples of creative, collaborative and innovative spaces in Indiana. Waggoner notes that:
“In a world where companies shift their focus from a business strategy to a people strategy, culture and environment are competitive differentiators for many companies. This initiative was envisioned as a place to showcase and celebrate local companies’ uniqueness, but also to serve as a hub for potential employers and customers to gain inspiration for creating spaces that do more for their culture and staff.”
Since it’s one-year launch, Spaces Indiana has profiled over 60 different local companies, from which last week’s winners were chosen. Four key criteria were used to judge winning spaces:
- space functionality
- design uniqueness
- branding
- culture/employee engagement.
As demonstrated by the criteria, Waggoner says the contest is about more than just a cool space. Companies have to be thoughtful and believe in the environment they are creating. The winners listed below exemplify elegant and smart workspaces, designed intentionally to create environments that go beyond pure function or aesthetics.
The Winners By Category:
Large Organizations (100+ Employees): Hoosier Energy Rural Electric Coopertative
Architect/Interiors: Schmidt & Associates
Employees: 150
Sq.Ft: 83,000
Space Functionality: Collaboration is central to the design. Conference/meeting rooms and amenities are located in the middle of each floor, promoting casual collisions and interactions.
Design Uniqueness: Natural light is prominent in this LEED Gold building – designed with sustainability in mind. Subtle natural design elements like repurposed wood panelling complement the environmental feel.
Branding: The Hoosier Energy brand stands for commitment to working with customers to ensure a reliable, affordable power supply. Interactive pieces in the space, as well as artifacts on a heritage wall all signify this commitment. Hoosier aimed to communicate that they value all their assets, from people to facilities and pay homage to their past.
Culture/Employee Engagement. Connectivity and promotion of collaboration build the foundation for employees to get together. Continual learning is supported by the indoor and outdoor spaces that get employee creative juices flowing.
Medium organizations (26 – 100 employees): TrendyMinds
Industry: Digital Experience Agency
Architect/Interiors: N/A
Employees: 37
Sq.Ft: 8,000
Space Functionality: Comfortable and unique furniture were important for employees focus. A variety of spaces were also provided to ensure that employees can choose to collaborate in the ways they need to.
Design Uniqueness: Original brick walls from the 1920’s provide a juxtaposition with the new gray-blue and bold orange painted walls. The X-shaped intersecting original and new staircases add to the contrast.
Branding: TrendyMinds is about creating a journey for their customers. Their office’s comfortable and relaxing feel allows the team to best collaborate with and get to know their customers.
Culture/Employee Engagement. To create a true team atmosphere, different rooms provide different ways for the team to come together. Whether gathering around an espresso machine, enjoying drinks at the bar or hanging on the rooftop deck, the space encourages team building and interaction.
Small organizations (1 – 25 employees): High Alpha
Industry: Venture Capital/Company Building
Architect/Interiors: DkGr Architects / Parallel Design Group
Employees: 19
Sq. Ft.: 9,045
Space Functionality: Open concepts are key for not only collaboration but also faster and easier interactions. Whiteboards, glass walls and workspaces promote impromptu meetings and idea sessions.
Design Uniqueness: The Whitewashing hardwood floors set the tone for the entire space. The space was meant to help employees and members dream big with a feeling of walking on clouds.
Branding: The name High Alpha is based on both an aeronautical and finance term to describe liftoff and outperforming expectations, respectively. The metaphors are illustrated throughout the office and woven into both the design and culture.
Culture/Employee Engagement. Core values of “Move Fast, Dream Big and Expect More” encourage unique solutions. Features like custom furniture and unique, open designs exemplify the company’s culture of outside-the-box thinking.
Spacemakers (Companies in the CRE or design industry): Milhaus
Industry: Mixed Use Development, Construction, Property Management
Architect/Interiors: Blackline
Employees: 75
Sq.Ft: 12,000
Space Functionality: Keeping relevant departments together is important for in-team collaboration and business functions. This is balanced with other collaborative and private spaces that can be used throughout the day.
Design Uniqueness: Overhead garage doors, that open the office onto the street, provide great natural light for employees and bring in fresh air. They’re a focal point for both visitors and passers-by.
Branding: Committed to building strong communities, the Milhaus office was developed from an old warehouse that had previously been vacant for 3 years. Bringing the space to life with eco-friendly design, the space maintained the heritage brick front and incorporated local touches like art. All these features are a nod to the commitment Milhaus makes in their developments.
Culture/Employee Engagement. Visibility in the office allows for a sense of community despite three distinct and unique departments. Bikes along the back of the office encourage employees to get up and be active. Monthly socials also keep everyone connected to not only the team, but local community as well.
More Pictures From the Event
