Otorohanga District Council needed to refurbish the interiors of its buildings. The idea was to transform old-styled individual block office rooms into an open, vibrant workspace that fosters collaboration.
This undertaking presented an opportunity for a complete furniture fitout within a finite budget.
The Challenge
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Start from scratch: One key challenge was envisioning the open office layout and placing the furniture to complement each space's needs.
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Change way of working: Introduce ergonomic, flexible, and movable furniture to encourage collaboration and accommodate events and gatherings when required.
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Make the new office's ambience comfortable and approachable, especially the customer service area for the visitors.
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Set up a temporary customer service area while the renovation was in progress.
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Critical timeline: Deliver the project on a strict timeline and during active working hours without creating any major disruptions.
Otorohanga District Council furniture fitout gallery
The Solution
Following the Council's specific requirements on design and colour, OfficeMax’s Sales Specialist : Interiors, Kendra McKinnon, presented the 3D floor plan drawings with furniture options for creating a functional open office layout. The 3D renders gave the client a better outlook on how and where the proposed furniture items would be laid out on the two floors.
"The 3D floor plans served as a helpful tool as it was crucial to present the proposed furniture setup to different stakeholders and team members involved in the project."
Sandra Sesto-Dekic,
Customer Experience Manager, Otorohanga District Council
Kendra also helped set up a temporary customer service area, a significant challenge anticipated by the Council at the start of the project. The Council needed to ensure minimal disruption to public services during the renovation project.
"OfficeMax organised a well-synchronised delivery and installation of all the furniture set up in different sections of the two floors and ensured little to no disruptions for our staff."
Sandra Sesto-Dekic,
Customer Experience Manager, Otorohanga District Council
The Council accepted the proposal with a few modifications, and a variety of furniture was finalised:
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Soft seating, chairs, cable basket for soft wiring and sit-stand electric desks for the three open-plan office spaces.
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Lounge sofas, coffee tables, and ottomans for the breakout spaces.
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Switch flip tables and chairs for the four meeting rooms for staff and external contractors.
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Leaners and barstools for the staff collaboration spaces.
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Soundproof privacy pod and open meeting booth for staff to be used as quiet rooms.
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Cubbies for storage, soft seating, and tables for the customer-facing area.
"It was delightful working with Kendra on this project. From day one, she did her due diligence, effortlessly collaborated with the architects, understood our vision for a modern open office plan, suggested and delivered the best fitout for the space, identified avenues for innovation, helped us set up a temporary customer service space, and accomplished the project on the set deadline."
Sandra Sesto-Dekic,
Customer Experience Manager, Otorohanga District Council
Otorohanga District Council furniture fitout gallery
The Results
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Delivered the Council's vision of creating a multifunctional, cohesive open-plan office space with comfortable and vibrant fitouts.
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A variety of light and multipurpose furniture was installed that can be moved around easily and stored neatly to make room for team activities and events.
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Completed the fitout setup for the two-floored building, including soft wiring for their laptops, computer screens, and other electronic devices.
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Created a fully functional temporary customer service area to ensure the least disruption for the public visiting the Council during the refurbishment project.
"The prospect of moving to an open-plan office was met with trepidation by some staff, but the end result has been embraced as an attractive, positive and productive working environment.
Our community partners, stakeholders, and customers now see our offices as a welcoming place and reflective of the culture and heritage of our beautiful district. Our project partners Unispace and OfficeMax delivered value within a constrained budget, and ‘our place’ is something we’re very proud of."
Ross McNeil,
Chief, Otorohanga District Council
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