“We did a test of the various columns and decided to paint them all white. Basically, the problem is that many of the columns have been patched and spackled over the years. So the “real brick” isn’t really real brick - it’s a hodge podge. I agree that natural is better but this building really WAS a factory and the distressed nature of the interior is not a set-designer’s idea of distressed - it’s the real deal…. More surprises to come, no doubt…”

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/25/realestate/25scap.html

The space mock up looks nice but I wonder if there are storage considerations. As an Executive Assistant, I am required to keep files, supplies, and client products. From the looks of the mock up, I don’t really see any space around those tiny desks. I also see pretty little laptops but many employees have desktop computers. Will there be any storage options? Will you be upgrading computers? What happens to all the personal fax machines and printers? I also assume that all the extraneous furniture we have now will not be living in our new space (i.e., office couches). Will you be trashing, selling, donating, or recycling the excess?

I truly believe we can make this venture a success but I wish there was more communication regarding upcoming changes.

Thank you truly for the reminders. Although I am not nearly as accomplished (someday, hopefully!) - I too, have worked in both Open & Closed spaces. The Energy is definitely much more available & takes on a new life in Open spaces. Team work takes on new meaning. (Yes! Way too much will be known about your co-workers - but that’s not always bad….just sometimes…) It is something that “we need”. Here’s to hoping that the Test will work, we’ll all work together on making it work and we will be reinvented. Good Luck to Us!

Steve is right!

1. People find heirarchy no matter what: in title, in where you sit, in how much turf you have. I do believe it’s all irrelevant. What matters is how much work you do and how well you do it.

2. New ways of working only work IF 1. the technology actually works and 2. people are committed to making it work. The people who figure out how to make it work succeed. Those who resist fall behind - BUT you have to have something that works in practice, not theory. The new building is a test - we need technology that works and people who are willing to do what it takes to make it work.

3. Nobody remembers the BBDO gun controversy. Everybody remembers the success of Apple - both at Chiat and at BBDO. And then Ogilvy and IBM and a ton of other successes. Big ideas that serve clients - that’s what matters.

I cannot wait to move

Carla

The Chiat/Day Virtual Office was a flop - as Steve Hayden never ceases to remind me. But like a lot of good ideas, it was implemented before the technology was ready for the idea. That happened in the early 90s - before Wi-Fi, when cellphones were big a cumbersome and didn’t come with email or web-enabled (come to think of it, there was no web to speak of.) Now, you see people working in Starbucks or any airport lounge and nobody thinks twice about it. Today’s technology is better, cheaper, lighter, smaller and more reliable. Unlike Chiat’s experiment - you WILL have an assigned place. But there will be more group spaces and collaboration environments than we currently have in WW Plaza. Gensler, our world-class architectural firm, actually has studied a variety of office environments across many different industries and has found that open work environments significantly increase collaboration and socialization - skills we will need in the years ahead. Thanks for commenting.

Chris