Case study
Chipman Design Architecture
36,000 square feet for a firm that designs interiors for a living — with the desks they wanted, not the ones they had settled for.
An architecture firm priced the workstations it actually wanted, found them out of reach, and was ready to compromise. It didn’t have to.
The challenge
Chipman Design Architecture works in retail, hospitality and senior living, for brands most people would recognize. When they relocated their headquarters into 36,000 square feet in Des Plaines, they became their own client — and the workstations had a specific brief.
They needed oversized surfaces that could take architectural drawings laid flat, and they wanted every desk to sit and stand. Then they priced it. Most options for desks that large were beyond their range, and they were prepared to settle for less than what they actually wanted in order to stay on budget.
That is the ordinary shape of this problem. Height adjustment is assumed to be expensive, and the assumption usually holds — at the sizes they needed, it did.
The solution
The way out was not a discount. It was our own line of height-adjustable desk bases, which let us build the oversized surfaces they wanted on a mechanism we control the cost of. Around that we specified a Tayco Cosmo panel system, monitor arms, and storage integrated into the panel run.
From there it was material choices and a streamlined selection process — two levers that produce real savings without anyone noticing what was given up. Chipman ended up with premium finishes and features at a price competitors could not match for basic, non-adjustable desks.
And their employees tested the options and gave feedback before anything was ordered, the same way we do it everywhere. A firm full of designers is a demanding jury; it is also the right one.
We wanted to invest in our employees’ long-term health. Having the option to sit or stand throughout the day has made a huge difference in their energy levels and focus.
Designed on screen, before it was ordered
Architects are the audience most able to read a plan — and the least likely to be pleasantly surprised at install. So the floor was resolved in renderings, in detail, with the firm directing changes as we went.
Panel heights step down toward the glass so daylight reaches the interior of the plate. Wood end panels and a single saturated accent do the work a larger budget usually buys.
The result
A 36,000 square foot headquarters that meets the standards of a firm that designs interiors professionally, with the desks they wanted rather than the desks they had resigned themselves to — inside the budget they set.
The line that matters most to us is not about furniture. “Resourceful, not pushy” is an architecture firm describing how we sell. If we were allowed to choose our own reputation, that would be it.
Applied Ergonomics won our trust by being resourceful, not pushy. They understood what we needed and knew how to get it done within our budget. They’ll be our go-to for future office needs.
Surfaces: oversized, sized to take architectural drawings laid flat
Scope: workstation design, specification and procurement
Client: Chipman Design Architecture — retail, hospitality and senior living
Images on this page are Applied Ergonomics design renderings, produced during the project so the firm could see and direct the floor before anything was ordered.
Specified on this project
Applied Ergonomics Private-label HA bases · Tayco Cosmo
We’re here to help.
We read every inquiry and follow up personally to help move your project forward.
Not sure exactly what you need? Tell us the space and the teams who’ll use it, and we’ll bring the options to you. Specifying is what we do.
Prefer to talk it through? Call 847-679-5148.
Phone: 847-679-5148 Email: info@appliedergonomics.com
Frequently asked