When you have 76 lawyers and 136 support staff using 47,000 square feet over three floors of space, a complete makeover is no small feat. And it’s usually a project that, once finished, you’re happy to put out of your mind forever. But Carina Bittel, Director of Administration for Clark Wilson LLP, in Vancouver, BC, loves to talk about her firm’s recent renovation. “I don’t dare send you a before shot,” she says, “but if I did you would have context for my enthusiasm!”
It wasn’t just aesthetics that prompted the firm to undertake a nine-month overhaul that would see every surface on the three floors transformed. “We hadn’t done a major renovation in many years,” says Bittel. “We looked around the office and realized it didn’t suit us anymore. The business practice had changed. The firm had changed. We wanted to make it fit with the firm we are now. We didn’t want to be pretentious and we didn’t want to be ‘out there’ either. What we came up with is very genuine.”
Defining the brand
The firm’s secret to finding their fit was finding a good designer. “We used Kasian Architecture Interior Design and Planning Ltd.,” Bittel says. “Hiring them was our first good decision. ” When undertaking an office renovation, most design firms will tell the client how important it is to know their brand, not an easy conversation to have with lawyers, who may tend to be slightly cynical.
“There was a lot of design speak,” Bittel admits. “We were rolling our eyes a little bit, but our design firm focused us through the process, despite the skepticism.”
And the process was worth it. “We were surprised by what they’d gathered. I’m not sure we understood how strongly that was going to manifest in our design.”
The redesign turned out to be the most collaborative, inclusive renovation the firm had ever undertaken, with input solicited from all personnel. Focus groups were assembled, consisting of lawyers and staff members from each floor, asking about their challenges, their visions, and their views on the firm’s cultures and values. A survey was circulated to all support staff, seeking their input on workstation requirements, storage and workflows.
“The homework aspect of the project was the most exhaustive,” says Bittel, “but it helped us clearly define what we wanted.”
The construction
Surprisingly, the construction process was not as painful as expected; but it wasn’t painless, either.
“At one point, two whole floors were in swing space, with 20 of us working in a converted deli space.”
They were lucky that the deli was vacant. When the renovation conversations first began, the building had ample room the firm could use as swing space. So when the contractor advised that the renovation would take about a year, the firm was comfortable with the timing. But things changed.
“Unfortunately,” says Bittel, “we learned that the swing space required was only going to be available for nine months and we had to tell the contractor that we didn’t have a year.” Impressively, the contractor not only accommodated this shortened time frame, it did so on budget.
The results
While the first design plans presented were “spectacular” the estimated cost was equally so. So cuts were made. But Bittel believes that in the end — because everyone had the opportunity for input in the process from the start and understood the reasons for any cuts—everyone was satisfied. And everyone got something that they asked for.
Some of the features of the new design include:
- A client centre, which houses the reception area, client meeting spaces, conference rooms and client washrooms,
- A new lounge for impromptu meetings, coffee breaks, internal events and informal client events,
- Collaborative space for litigation teams, including top-end technology for sharing information, lots of surface space, a big screen for teleconferencing and storage for ongoing files,
- New workstations designed for today’s technology, including sit/stand stations for those who requested it, and
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- Improved, energy efficient lighting throughout.
The reaction
According to Bittel, the clients are very impressed with the changes, and they feel comfortable in the new space. So do the staff members, who are not only more comfortable, they’re more productive. “They’re now empowered to do their jobs,” notes Bittel. “We’ve given them the tools to do it with.”
Bittel feels the office redesign will help with recruiting, as well as personnel retention. “Your space reflects who you are. Whether you like it or not, you’re sending a message to all recruits who walk through your office. That we’re a unified environment was a big part of the message we wanted to send. Our old space didn’t foster that. This space does. And it feels genuine.”
