Buildings matter: An inspirational work place

"We trade in ideas," says Dave Florin, president of the Hiebing Group.

In Hiebing's business, creativity can't wait. Success hinges on how their work space gently leads people with different skills, experience, and styles to find the next great idea.

Hiebing, a national marketing firm, occupies the three-level Christian Science Church two blocks west of the Capitol. The eclectic mix of this 1929 building's Roman columns, Deco light fixtures, vivid colors and funky pipe organ screen stimulate thinking and curiosity everyday.

Talent pool

"We absolutely must find and keep the brightest people, and our commitment to Madison has paid off," says Florin. The best way to keep great people is to help them do great work; the space is a standout recruitment tool. The location is quintessential Madison, centrally located and near the Capitol, the university and State Street.

Fluidity and collaboration

The informal, so called "third spaces" are made both accessible and private through the careful placement along sight lines between offices and corridors. These nontraditional spaces are the secret to sparking nontraditional ideas.

The semi-open work pods and the strategically placed breakout spaces and kitchenettes are where ideas are born, to be funneled through technology into finished products. For some unknown reason a tucked-away elevator vestibule is a particularly creative place.

Atmospherics

Light and sound are also essential to healthy productivity. Technical, color-correct work requires one kind of light, creative collaboration another, and professional client presentations yet another.

The high, frosted windows of the church nave provide a certain feel, augmented or corrected with high-tech ambient and task lighting.

The tall, thick walls provide a pleasant sound profile. Team creativity takes on an energetic, but not disruptive buzz. Partition height is a matter of serious debate; too many loud voices in one place can drown out an emerging idea. The entire space is a gallery of Hiebing's work, cues to fresh ideas for all clients.

Fine-tuning

The space is always a work in process. Hiebing is now in the second phase of a renovation to client and shared spaces, correcting some leftover workflow problems and bringing back the warmth of the 1929 design. The third phase will adapt the garden level into expansion space. Working together on their shared space builds staff excitement, acceptance and momentum.

Payoff

The huge doors of the first-floor conference room, set in the semicircular vestibule, open to Wisconsin Avenue. People love the story of how the 80-year-old building has evolved from church to state-of-the-art office.

Many clients come from drab, beige corporate offices and love the stimulation and change of environment.

Even local clients prefer to travel to Hiebing's offices: Bringing clients back is, of course, everyone's goal.

Derrick Van Mell is principal of Van Mell Associates, management consultants specializing in strategic facility decisions. Steve Steinhoff is executive director of the Neighborhood Design Center, helping communities become great places.