New Ways of Working Network

[img_assist|nid=2151|title=Sunlit Sanctuary, designer: Studios Architecture, Washington, D.C.|desc=|link=node|align=center|width=200|height=122]The Wall Street Journal asked four design firms to come up with innovative plans for a 15-foot by 15-foot space for a hypothetical midlevel executive. They were challenged to create offices that could inspire ideas and increase productivity.

The firms:

• Gensler, San Francisco, California: "The Five-Star Hotel" sends a message that its occupant wants her employees to be "more collaborative and less siloed," says Mark Morton, a design principal. Gensler assumed the exec would be out of the office 65% of the time, so they designed it to be used as a conference room the rest of the time.