NRI Relocation

The challenge

NRI Relocation had spent thirty years helping corporations move their employees across the country. Their own office had not kept pace — roughly fifteen years in a space that was worn out.

They wanted a headquarters that reflected the quality of their work, their own personalities, and the value they place on their twenty-one employees. Excellent ergonomics for everyone, and a space people would enjoy being in, were the two non-negotiables.

The solution

NRI chose not to engage a separate interior design firm, so Applied Ergonomics did all of the design work — space planning, furniture, finishes, and an art program developed together with the client.

The project came to us through John Pikarsky of JD Partners, NRI’s tenant-rep commercial broker, with whom we have worked for two decades. An afternoon touring showrooms at and near the Merchandise Mart settled the direction: Tayco for the workstations and Krug Artemis for the private offices, two Canadian manufacturers. NRI had owned Krug wood furniture before and knew the quality to expect.

The result

NRI has referred other clients to Applied Ergonomics since the move — the clearest measure of how the project landed.

Our approach

On projects of this kind we work with the client to think through how the interior has to serve them over time. Here that meant:

• Verifying the drawings before designing to them — field measurements first, and the CAD file corrected where it was wrong.
• Designing typicals for workstations and private offices, reviewed and approved before any floor plan was drawn to scale.
• Letting all twenty-one employees evaluate and rate task chairs rather than selecting one for them.
• Coordinating with the general contractor’s electrician so power and data landed where the furniture plan needed them, not where the drawings assumed.
• Staying onsite through construction and installation — resolving questions, verifying product was installed as designed, and dealing with the factories directly.
• Developing the art program with the client, because a space reads as unfinished until there is art on the walls.

Height adjustability, everywhere

Every desk in the office — open plan and private office alike — raises and lowers. The two frames below are the same private office, minutes apart.

The desks came from Applied Ergonomics’ own private-label line, with CPU holders and monitor arms specified alongside them.

The blueprint

We began, as we always do, with field measurements to verify the accuracy of the existing drawings, correcting the CAD file where needed. The team then developed typicals — alternative workstation and private-office designs — for the client to review. Once those were approved, floor plans were drawn to scale with the actual specified products for further review.

For seating we created a menu of options across task, guest, conference, collaborative lounge and lunchroom. Multiple task chairs were brought in for the entire staff to evaluate and rate before the Keilhauer Sguig was selected for every desk — still a favorite of ours today. JSI Sosa was specified for guest chairs, Arcadia Intima for collaboration, David Edward Aurora in the lobby, and Allseating Tuck in the lunchroom.

The finish plan developed in parallel: carpet tile from Shaw and J&J, vinyl plank from Tandus, along with paints, workstation fabrics and laminates, collaborative seating fabrics, and private-office wood stain and seating fabrics.

Installers execute. We retain responsibility.

We were onsite repeatedly during construction — working with the general contractor’s electrician to ensure power and data were placed where the furniture plan required and that walls were set per the documents, and coordinating with the property’s engineering staff on carpet and furniture installation hours.

The general contractor underperformed on this job. We advocated for the client throughout, serving as a communication conduit.

During furniture installation we were onsite periodically to resolve questions, confirm product was installed as designed, and handle communication with the factories and with the client. This is not widespread practice in the industry, and it is one of the things that has set us apart from the beginning. These are not decisions and communications that should be left to a furniture installer.

The art program

We worked with Mary Ellen Drexler of Creative Edge — a long-standing collaborator on art programs — to develop the art with the client, adding color and cohesion and making the space look complete.

Art program: Mary Ellen Drexler, Creative Edge

Broker: John Pikarsky, JD Partners

Project photography: Sam Wengroff

Specified on this project