Andersen is one of the global ‘Big Five’ business consultants, with over 85,000 employees in 84 countries. Their success is built on the ability to ‘think differently’, to take a bold, original approach to solving problems and creating value.
This certainly describes their approach to an internal challenge: the refurbishment of two of their key London sites. For this project, Andersen opted for a furniture system that at the time had not yet been launched or costed and was still in its infancy of design: Herman Miller’s Array. Why would Andersen gamble on a prototype for such a high-speed, high-profile project, that would mean going ‘from model to move-in in 6 months’?
A new strategy
The search for a furniture solution was just part of a major reassessment of how to bring the company’s facility management into line with changing business strategies. Keith Lawson, Design Advisor to Andersen’s UK facility group, and David Gill, head of the UK property group, took a close look at how to best use the space needed by the 4,000 employees based in the capital.
To achieve their goals, they called on design consultants ORMS and BDG McColl to work with the in-house design team on major developments to Andersen’s ‘campus’ of offices in central London. The main building, Arundel Great Court, was redesigned to include a restaurant, reception, walkways and a new building within its courtyard. In addition, some staff would be relocated from several offices to a nearby site, Bush House.
A new solution
Meanwhile Lawson was looking for furniture for the Courtyard and Bush House. He wanted a solution that could meet their technical needs with flair, a product with style as well as substance. He found it at Herman Miller’s London showroom: a spine-wall prototype that was not for sale, but that immediately captured his imagination. The opportunity to work alongside Herman Miller to shape the product’s development added to the appeal.
Array’s spine wall was ideal for Bush House, which provides just 40-60mm space under the floor. It makes it easy for staff arriving with a laptop, phone charger, printer and fax on their mobile trolleys to simply plug in and get down to work.
Input from the Andersen team led to adaptation of the spine wall to suit Bush House’s low ceilings, by reducing its length for a lighter feel. Flat screens and accessories could ‘float’ from the spine’s service rail to free up desk space.
Docking free-standing desks alongside the spine wall offered infinite flexibility and the product was tailored to create call centre workstations. To make the most of the limited space, desk fronts were slightly curved, encouraging the user to favour a left or right hand side and sit offset back-to-back.
High on the list of priorities was speed: Andersen had just six months before staff would be moving in to Bush House and the Courtyard from other facilities. ‘We certainly couldn’t afford any surprises’, says Elaine Stewart, part of the Herman Miller team who managed the project. Development was rapid, with input on a series of mock ups from both BDG McColl and ORMS, as well the Andersen in-house design team and user groups. Herman Miller was also supported by local dealers Faithdean, who played a key role in the project management and installation.
A successful conclusion
‘Against all the odds, it’s gone very well,’ concludes Keith Lawson, noting that all his criteria were met, despite ‘racing against the clock’. He believes that the project compares favourably with others he has been involved with using tried and tested products.
The collective approach between Herman Miller, Faithdean, Andersen and its design consultants was the key to developing a successful product within the tight timescale – what Lawson calls ‘the right people in the right place at the right time’.
