NCIDQ on the Move

Overcoming (Office Move) Hurdles

Why have we been so mum lately?

As you may know, we began the search for a new office space in May 2007 in response to our lease ending March 31, 2008. Everything was going smoothly: we found a great new building a few blocks from our current location, we hired the great Perkins & Will to do the design (which we love!) and we started lease negotiations with the new building's owner.

So why haven't we begun moving? And why haven't we discussed it until now?

In any business deal, there are always going to be hurdles to clear. As it turned out, our hurdles required us to step back and look at the entire track before proceeding. We encountered a few alterations to our plans that grounded us from planning our move and discussing it with the public.

After having our attorneys review the first draft of the lease, we sent it back to the landlord and waited for a response. After a month of waiting, we learned that the building's owner changed one key aspect of the lease, no longer guaranteeing our space for the full ten years as planned. Hurdle #1.

We then discovered that the building owner was in negotiations to sell the new building. Hurdle #2. The current owner asked us to hurry up with the lease-signing in order to close the deal before the sale went through. Hurdle #3.

We were left evaluating a new lease that could force us to negotiate with new owners and potentially move from our new space earlier than planned. Given our commitment to decisions based on thorough research, we needed time to carefully study our options and financial commitments.

As negotiations stalled, we realized time was running out. Our lease in our current space was ending March 31, 2008, and we had no definitive place to move to. Hurdle #4.

Looking Ahead
In light of these hurdles, we signed a one-year lease extension with our current space. This will give us time to finalize a lease with the new owners and complete construction on our space before we move. This delay has caused our designers at Perkins & Will and the contractors to have to wait for our notification to begin construction, product ordering, etc. We aren't the first client whose plans have made the designers and contractors put everything on hold and we won't be the last.

We recently received word that the building sale did go through and we're waiting to hear from the new owner's broker to get lease negotiations started again.

We still hope to proceed with the construction in the new building and move later this year. We look forward to continuing with our planned space that we fell in love with, improving our employee workspace and commitment to a more sustainable environment.

Getting Caught “Green-Handed”

On December 12, 2007, the NCIDQ staff toured the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) headquarters in downtown Washington, DC to observe a true “green” office space. Linda Sorrento, USGBC’s Director of Education & Research Partnerships, led the staff on an educational visit of the space, explaining the LEED certification system and how it was implemented in USGBC’s office design. 

Hearing Linda’s presentation and seeing the space up close seemed to bring the concept of our new office design to life, leading to feelings of excitement and anticipation among the staff. The tour gave us ideas on how we can contribute to the “greening” of our new space. 

The USGBC space boasted wonderful lighting through numerous expansive windows, and similar to our new office plans, the space featured lowered workspaces to enhance lighting and window views for all employees. The staff was impressed with the ability to see out the windows from almost every space in the office. We loved the natural light flooding into the open workstations, but realized that this concept also resulted in a greater noise and distraction potential. We realized a conversation volume adjustment will be required in the       new space. 

The use of recycled content in the furniture and structures was a stand-out concept among the staff, and the individual commitment by each staff member to ensure a sustainable workplace, like the use of personal towels and dishware to reduce waste, inspired all of us. We hope to emulate some of their ideas, especially with regard to the little things we can do to make a difference. We want to appoint a “Green Team” of staff members who could educate the rest of us on recycling protocols and strategies.

Design Development Concept

On October 16, 2007, NCIDQ met with Perkins + Will for a Design Development presentation.  Working from the approved schematic space plan, Perkins + Will shared the concept development in 2-D and 3-D sketches. 

Perkins + Will presented photographic displays of each office area, highlighting the windows, doors and chairs chosen for our space. Perkins + Will selected glass walls throughout the offices and conference rooms, creating a warmer and more inviting environment. The workstations will have lowered walls to enhance the amount of light transferred throughout the workspace, and the pantry will be an open space for more room and light. 

 

 

                        (Courtesy of (left to right):Perkins & Will, Haworth and LTL Architects)

In celebration of design throughout the years, modern and antique chairs will adorn the new space, from a beautiful antique 1765 Robert Adam Chair in the reception area to the modern Panton Chair, designed by Verner Panton in 1960.

(Courtesy of Perkins & Will)

By celebrating this tradition of education and collaboration, the Perkins + Will design recognizes innovators of the past and their role in the creation of today’s most groundbreaking designs. NCIDQ’s new space will reflect their role in the design community by being both educational and inspirational. By populating the space with references to iconic designs of the past, present and future, the space will pay subtle tribute to the rich history of the interior design profession. Combined with sustainably responsible design practices the space will become an environment that showcases the spirit of innovative design. 

While the profession of interior design as we know it is still relatively young, the tradition of interior design dates back several centuries. For generations, craftsmen and artisans passed down the knowledge of carpentry and textiles, trades that were the forerunners of modern interior design. This tradition of mentorship and the sharing of knowledge from one generation to the next speaks to the heart of NCIDQ’s mission and the IDEP program.

 

 

LEED CI Kick-Off Meeting

On September 25, 2007, representatives from the NCIDQ project team, Perkins +Will, Davis Construction and Integral Engineering gathered in a roundtable discussion to determine what level of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification would be achievable for the new space. The LEED Green Building Rating System™ promotes global implementation of sustainable green practices through the creation and execution of universally accepted criteria. It is critical to the success of a LEED project that all consultants start collaborating   early in the process. This helps to ensure that no points are lost due to lack of coordination between trades.

The group went through the LEED checklist point by point to determine which credits were possible to earn. The checklist is comprised of five environmental categories:

•  Sustainable Sites

•  Water Efficiency

•  Energy and Atmosphere

•  Materials and Resources

•  Indoor Environmental Quality 

Each category is assigned a number of credits that can be awarded. Each possible credit was assessed by the team and placed into one of three classifications: obtainable, possible and unobtainable. Discussion revolved around the Innovation in Design Credits and strategies for meeting them. Some of the possibilities included donating of existing furniture and designing of ergonomically correct workstations for our future space. After completing the checklist, the points were tallied and the team decided that Silver Level Certification  (33-38 credits out of a total 69 possible LEED credits) would be the project’s goal moving forward. 

Before the meeting was adjourned, each point was assigned to a team member along with the responsibility to follow the progress of that credit through documentation and final receipt of certification. Assigning a responsible party to each credit is another step to ensure that no points are lost during the design and documentation. 

With this step complete and the goal for Silver Certification under the LEED CI rating system established, the project was registered with the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) in early October.

Schematic Design

On September 10th 2007, Perkins + Will came to our offices to give our relocation team a schematic presentation detailing their preliminary vision for the new office space.  The presentation included schematic level space plans, 2-D and 3-D conceptual diagrams and photos which let the staff grasp the creative vision from Perkins + Will.

Perkins + Will reviewed with our team the new building through photos and plans. We then saw a bubble diagram demonstrating the proposed organizational concept for the interior and traffic flow.  The bubble diagram also represented areas with maximum daylight and views for employees.                           

An axonometric drawing of the open and closed spaces detailed the ratio of solid walls to glass, which helped us further visualize the design. Based on earlier feedback, Perkins + Will placed our employees in the front of the building to maximize daylight levels in the workspace. Communal built spaces were clustered together at the opposite end of the building allowing for greater flexibility with minimal hard walls.

Perkins + Will showed us concept photos providing further direction in the areas of lighting, furniture, materials and division of space.  We learned how finish materials can be made from various materials such as recycled rubber tires, glass chips and even sunflower seeds. Three finish palettes were also shown, all of which included the use of sustainable materials.  The pallets varied in feel, texture, contrast and color.  Overall, our team agreed with the ideas from Perkins + Will and signed off on the concept after making minor revisions and having our staff vote on a color scheme.

Selecting a New Building

Following a thorough review of the available options for locating our office in downtown Washington, DC, we selected a new building – 1602 L St, NW – for our home. This building was completed in June 2007 and designed by WDG Architecture. The building is owned by Morgan Stanley and was built to be a “boutique” property that would accommodate small to medium-sized companies that wanted an entire floor, but were not large enough to take an entire 20,000- or 30,000-square-foot space that might typically be found in a DC office building.

Our new building will offer us an unparalleled set of benefits among which are the following:

• Three sides of glass with generous setbacks that provide employees broad vistas and natural light in their workplaces through its vast window line

• Virtually column-free space with finished nine-foot ceiling heights on all floors

• The comfort of working in a newly constructed building with fully modern systems and equipment

• Proximity to Subway stations and bus lines as well as excellent restaurants and hotels and

• A prestigious site locate in the heart of DC's Central Buisiness District.

NCIDQ is leasing the fourth floor in this nine-story building. Our floor, like all of the floors in the building, is 6,000 square feet. We are designing the office to accommodate expected growth over the 10-year lease term. Initially we won’t need all of the space, so we are looking for possible sub-tenants to take up a few work stations in the early years.

Visioning

The NCIDQ Board of Directors spent a portion of their April meeting in a visioning session led by Director Carol Jones. The Board addressed such questions as: “Do we want to be cutting edge?”, “What is the brand we want to showcase?” and “What do we want to say with our office design?”

The outcome from that session included the following statements: “NCIDQ should promote visioning – something that is going to stimulate people to think about good design.” “The office needs to convey a sense of warmth and welcome, and it needs to facilitate teamwork and open communication.”

After we selected them as our design firm, Perkins + Will led the staff through a visioning session as well and the staff came to the same conclusions as the Board. When the staff was asked to describe NCIDQ’s work style, culture and image, many of staff used the same phrases: professional, welcoming, organized, collaborative.

Programming

While we were in the process of selecting a design firm, Sarah Nelles, the current chair of the Examination Multiple-Choice Committee and former NCIDQ delegate from British Columbia, developed a program for our space. Sarah’s firm, Kasian Architecture, Interior Design and Planning, Ltd. donated her time to the project. Carol Jones, a partner with Kasian, led the board in the visioning sessions. We are grateful to both Sarah and Carol for their contribution to this project.

The headquarters for the National Council of Interior Design Qualification no longer meets the needs of the organization, its staff, committees and future growth. As part of the strategic plan for NCIDQ, a programming summary has been prepared to assist realtors in sourcing office space for our future home. The following outlines the high level functional space requirements.

Requirements were gathered through face-to-face interviews with the Executive Director, Jeff Kenney and the then-President of NCIDQ, Barbara Pallat in autumn 2006. Further telephone interviews with the Executive Director and the Deputy Director, Kathleen Butler, concluded late in 2006. A review of existing drawings plus anecdotal experiences from individuals involved in committee work also contributed to the understanding of the requirements for this facility.

1. NCIDQ is growing at a rate of one employee every two years. To that end, expansion in both walled office and workstations should be provided.

2. The security of applicants’ data, examinations, etc. has driven the need for a secure server/network closet. In addition, expansion in the number of applicants and future possibilities of online processing reinforce the need for security of information management systems at this site.                                    

3. Conference and meeting room facilities (quantities and sizes) need to reflect the needs of the Board of Directors and committees. As a result, a significant increase in meeting room sizes and functionalities are needed. The design firm selected should validate this with the leadership at NCIDQ.         

        Board and committee members need to have access to both             voice and data technology while at NCIDQ headquarters.

4. Principles of functional-based planning where an individual’s job requirements and workspace size, rather than job status drive spatial requirements and configurations.

5. Increased collaboration among staff, committee and Board members have been taken into account in the space allocations.

The need for a gross area of approximately 5,130 sq. feet has been identified. This includes the useable areas and circulation within the demised space as well as a building gross up factor (approximately 19% based on info provided by professionals in the area), to house the current and future requirements (up to five years, based on data provided by NCIDQ).

Selecting A Design Firm

Given the nature of the organization and stakeholders, one of the most important decisions for NCIDQ was the selection of a design firm to create our new space. We wanted to work with a pure interior design firm but learned very soon that we needed to adjust our thinking. In late 2006 and early 2007, the NCIDQ Board reviewed the way in which commercial space is designed in the Washington, DC area. Local designers provided a valuable look into the local practice environment and we learned almost all commercial interiors work in the DC metro area is designed by integrated firms consisting of interior designers, architects and other building professionals.

Because NCIDQ is a standard-setting organization, we had to be sure that the firm hired was appropriately licensed to do work in the District of Columbia. An additional requirement was that all interior designers working on our project be NCIDQ Certificate holders.

We sent our request for proposals to about three dozen design firms in the metro area, and received 12 proposals to evaluate. A task force made up of several members of our Board of Directors and our Executive Director narrowed down the proposals to three for interviews.

Jeff Kenney, our Executive Director, interviewed the three firms and Larry Brown, Jr., our Project Coordinator, assisted by taking notes. All firms interviewed were well qualified and each brought strengths to the table. But Perkins + Will brought something else: an IDEP participant who could use the experience as part of her diversified training program. "It was clear to me right then that Perkins + Will understood what we are about," says Jeff. "When we sat down to compare each firm and the proposals, Perkins + Will stood out."

Jeff recommended that the Board hire Perkins + Will for our new office space design project, and in April, the Board voted unanimously to award the contract to them.

Our Environmental Commitment

As a leader in the interior design profession, we want to show our commitment to sustainable design. In the last three years, we have implemented recycling in the office and purchased more products with recycled content. Our new space is a perfect opportunity to continue our environmental evolution.

The Board recently voted to work toward the highest level of LEED certification possible for our new office space. The location of our new space will factor into the level of certification we can achieve. Such issues as existing HVAC systems and windows can affect the number of points a project can receive in the LEED certification system.

As part of our learning process, Executive Director Jeff Kenney met with Linda Sorrento from USGBC to learn more about the LEED for Commercial Interiors application process. She provided a checklist to use when looking at potential office space.

After we told our brokers from Summit Commercial Real Estate about our desire to find space that could achieve LEED certification, the brokers became intrigued about sustainable design. Both NCIDQ and Summit have joined USGBC as members.