Integrating divergent cultural and design ideals. Using integration to inspire collaboration and flexibility. OM Workspace and SABArchitects use integration to inspire collaboration and flexibility.   Project specs Location: Seattle Space: 33,000 sq. ft. Employees: 80 Office seating: 35 Open workspace seating: 16 Conference rooms: 6 Architectural design firm: SABArchitects, Inc.

Situation

Novo Nordisk is a healthcare company and world leader in diabetes care, with global headquarters in Denmark and U.S. headquarters in Princeton, N.J.

OM Workspace^® and architectural design firm SABArchitects, Inc. (SABA), Seattle, were tasked with designing the interior of the company’s new Inflammation Research Center — located in the South Lake Union neighborhood of Seattle.

Challenge

Create an office space that embodied Danish design principles of functionality, innovation and openness, while creating an environment conducive to American sensibilities and work styles, which tend to favor private office space.

Solution

OM Workspace and SABA approached the project with a goal of integrating a clean, open interior design with the picturesque exterior landscape to inspire collaboration, flexibility and performance. At the same time, Novo Nordisk sought to balance social, economic and environmental responsibilities in the design of the workspace, specifically maximizing natural light to create a comfortable, energy-efficient working environment.

To solve the dilemma of creating an open-plan workspace while providing a certain level of privacy, the team turned to international furniture manufacturer Teknion, based in Toronto, to provide office furniture and privacy solutions that met Novo Nordisk’s needs.

Teknion’s Optos^® seamless, glass wall system was able to serve as a unique alternative to traditional drywall. The wall system provided a refined design aesthetic that was a practical compromise to the open-concept work environment of the Danish headquarters. The result was a transparent, open-plan workspace with a level of privacy for those who required it, and one that made maximum use of available natural light. To accommodate for privacy during meetings, Optos walls featured an additional layer of patterned film utilizing colors and symbolism that reflected the corporate brand identity.

The reductive palette of white exterior walls and charcoal carpet as well as the use of the Optos wall system enabled OM Workspace, SABA and Teknion to bring in a punch of color with furniture and upholstery in the company’s corporate colors, as well as expand the use of wood throughout the space. OM Workspace presented the District collection by Teknion to furnish Novo Nordisk’s executive offices, private offices and workstations. The low, horizontal lines of District accentuated the openness of the office. OM Workspace and SABA completed the cohesiveness by utilizing the same flintwood trim on the Optos doors and wall system as used in the wood of the furniture. For laboratory seating, lobby lounge furniture, the reception station and conference rooms, OM Workspace and SABA brought together multiple furniture lines that met the aesthetic and functional needs of Novo Nordisk.

The high point of the project — a true collaboration of OM Workspace and SABA expertise and ingenuity — was a custom-designed conference table that served as the focal point of the boardroom. Unable to locate an existing conference table that met the company’s requirements for design aesthetics and functionality, the team worked with a Seattle manufacturer to create a conference table with a well-hidden data trough that rendered cords and cable virtually invisible. SABA designed an associated console that complemented the conference table.

The space recently received an honorable mention at the International Interior Design Association’s Northern Pacific Chapter 2009 INAwards in the Design INmass category for commercial office spaces.