## Inspiring the Next Generation: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Innovative Workplace Design
When Mary Moen from Tangram Studio and Ivan Blanco from Shubin Donaldson opened the doors to a cutting-edge consulting firm's headquarters in downtown LA, they weren't just giving a tour—they were providing a masterclass in adaptive workplace design.
The tour was part of SCALE, the American Society of Interior Designers' National Student Summit, held February 23-26. For the attending design students, this wasn't just another office visit. It was an opportunity to see firsthand how thoughtful design can transform the modern workplace.
## Designing for the Modern Nomadic Workforce
Perched on the 51st and 52nd floors of City National Plaza, this international consulting firm's penthouse headquarters presents a fascinating design challenge. With consultants spending most of their time at client sites and only regrouping weekly at headquarters, the space typically operates at just 25% occupancy.
Shubin Donaldson recognized this unique work pattern and reimagined the interior accordingly. Rather than fighting against the nomadic nature of the workforce, they embraced it through a "hoteling" model that gives employees complete freedom to choose their workspace each day.
## Custom Solutions for Flexible Work
The collaboration between Shubin Donaldson and Tangram Studio resulted in 210 thoughtfully designed workstations:
- **130 traditional workstations** for focused, individual work - **70-80 alternative "touchdown" spaces** for quick tasks and collaboration
Tangram Studio took Shubin Donaldson's vision and engineered each piece of custom furniture to support this flexible approach. The result? A workspace that adapts to its users rather than forcing them to adapt to rigid layouts.
## Beyond the Desk: Creating Community Spaces
The design extends far beyond workstations. Tangram Studio also sourced and curated furniture for the hanging garden, sky lounge, and café—spaces designed to accommodate everything from casual lunches to impromptu meetings to simple relaxation.
These areas recognize that modern work isn't confined to a desk. They provide the variety of environments that today's professionals need to be productive, creative, and connected.
## Real-World Learning for Future Designers
For the student attendees, this tour offered invaluable insights into how successful commercial design projects come together. They witnessed how two firms collaborated to solve complex workplace challenges, saw custom furniture solutions in action, and experienced how thoughtful design can support diverse work styles.
"This innovative space was presented as an instructional tool to inspire the students' design careers," explains the educational value behind opening these doors to emerging professionals.
## Key Takeaways for Design Professionals
This project demonstrates several important principles for today's commercial design landscape:
**Understand your users' actual work patterns**, not just their job descriptions. This consulting firm's nomadic workforce required a completely different approach than a traditional office environment.
**Embrace flexibility over rigidity**. The hoteling model and variety of workspace types allow the space to function efficiently even with fluctuating occupancy.
**Design for the full spectrum of work activities**. From focused individual work to casual collaboration, the space accommodates the diverse ways modern professionals need to work.
**Collaboration creates better outcomes**. The partnership between Shubin Donaldson's design vision and Tangram Studio's fabrication expertise resulted in custom solutions that off-the-shelf furniture couldn't provide.
By sharing this project with the next generation of designers, both firms demonstrated their commitment to advancing the profession and inspiring innovative thinking about workplace design. For students beginning their careers, seeing this level of thoughtful, user-centered design in action provides a powerful example of what's possible when form truly follows function.
