How design helped employee moral during a corporate downsizing.

The Situation:
Concern with economic pressures and the resulting changes in operation led the governing groups of American Baptist Churches, USA, to seek a comprehensive understanding of how its “purpose-built” headquarters building could best respond to the economic, functional and technological changes of its five organizations and their employees. Comprising approximately 100,000 square feet of area over three floors of office space and over 150,000 square feet of area in a separate warehouse building, the American Baptist USA headquarters building was designed to reflect the multiple, but equal organizations that operated within the ABC, USA umbrella. With a floor plate that resembled a donut, with five separate segments, the planning of the operational spaces was always a challenge. With personnel downsizing and mounting facility costs, the executives of the organization realized that new approaches to the management of the facility needed to be considered.

The Process:
MGZA, hired to work in association with financial consultants, Radnor Advisors, was charged with the responsibility of assessing the function, staff, support and growth needs of the multiple organizations that comprised the American Baptist Churches, USA family. With detailed program interviews, MGZA analyzed the forecasted future use and area requirements for the facility. After determining, with block diagrams, the relationships of the organizations with respect to building and floor positions, MGZA assessed the utilization options of the buildings, with an eye toward consolidation.In addition to the requirements of efficiently utilizing the building’s spaces, MGZA was asked to also assess the opportunities of strengthening the organization’s philosophy and culture. With personnel moral at a low, due to the forced changes in the organization, the unification of the staff and the strengthening of the community spirit of the organization was particularly important.

The Solution:
Given the limited financial resources of the organization, the extremely well-kept existingenvironment, and the sensitivity of the organization to change, the client was adamant that building modifications be selective, with changes to the environment being necessitated by financial objectives, coupled with the enhancement of the community culture of the organization. With Radnor Advisors, MGZA found that the objectives of American Baptist Churches, USA, could be met, while consolidating organizational operations and opening blocks of space to possible new tenants. With efficiently re-organized floor plans, 20,000 square feet within one segment of the building, was released for other uses, representing significant benefits for tenant income, given that the facility waslocated in an attractive development zone of the western suburbs of Philadelphia. In conjunction with replanning ABC’s facilities, MGZA also reviewed test fit plans for future tenants of the newly opened areas. Circulation planning, including the assessment of new parking areas were also studied,with capacities determining the compatible tenants for zoning requirements.With the approval of MGZA’s recommendations, plan changes were finalized, with theincorporation of unifying finishes and furniture systems. By the summer of 1996, 80,000 square feet of operations were consolidated, with improvements to ambience, efficiency and moral.