A dynamic technology software company expresses its collaborative attitude in its interior design.

Like its corporate mission focused on the development of award-winning business collaboration software, PointBridge (which was acquired by Perficient Inc. in 2012 and now goes by that name) is an organization that believes in teaming-and in providing the proper workspace to support it. Its Chicago office, in 10,000 sq. ft. of loft space in the River West area of the city, was designed by Eastlake Studio to address the needs of a highly mobile staff with a collaborative culture to touch down and periodically gather as a group, while also supporting those who “hold down the fort” day to day.

“At the core of the design solution was this question of how to bring all these folks together successfully,” says Jon Salzmann, Principal, Eastlake Studio. Though administrative and development staff call the office home on a regular basis, PointBridge is essentially a technology consulting organization, and as such, much of its 100 person Chicago staff is out in the field at client sites most of the time, and only occasionally use the office for touch down space. At least once a month, however, everyone is expected to return to the home base for a company meeting. “A big driver of our planning strategy was how to create a sizable enough space to accommodate that,” says Salzmann.

Variety, flexibility, and openness were key to a successful design solution in which the floor plan revolves around a central gathering space, open plan work areas dominate, and different types and sizes of meeting rooms—from more formal conference rooms to lounge-like huddle spaces—provide variety for a range of teaming needs. The main café/gathering area was located at the heart of the floor plan and directly adjacent to the main conference room, where a glass and aluminum garage door divides the two spaces. When the door is rolled open, the floor area available for large staff gatherings is essentially doubled.

Eastlake’s conscious decision to place the café at the center of the office also helps define the collaborative atmosphere of the entire space. “We did not push it off to the side or enclose it at all, and the circulation goes right through it,” says Salzmann, noting that what acoustical concerns this raised were resolved with a careful choice of sound dampening materials including circular acoustical ceiling tiles above and Interface carpet tile underfoot.

As Salzmann explains, clients are not typically received in this office, so the design gestures were mostly intended to value and energize the staff, both those who work there daily and those who visit only occasionally. The loft-like space provided an architectural envelope of considerable character, which the designers fully embraced. “The shell of the space had so much visual interest, and we wanted to create something complementary,” he says. “We only concealed what was existing when it was necessary in order to accomplish a functional goal.” Exposed brick walls, wood beams and columns, and exposed ceilings and ductwork create the backdrop for a neutral palette of simple materials. Pops of vibrant color are provided by an inspired composition of Interface carpet tiles on the floor. Industrial style lighting complements the aesthetic and the copious amount of natural light that streams into the space through enormous windows and interior glass walls.

The overall effect is that of movement and energy, appropriate for a dynamic young company on the leading edge of technology.