10 Missions Media Offices – St. Paul
Shea has designed the new offices of 10 Missions Media located in St. Paul, Minnesota.
St. Paul-based 10 Missions Media is no stranger to great design—it’s incorporated in every publication that the business-media company pumps out. When the group outgrew its space near St. Paul’s Prospect Park, it was time to make a move to the Hamline neighborhood for more open space. This wasn’t just a company move, it was a reinvention of the philosophy that had built the original 10 Missions space, going from having private offices to a more open newsroom environment in an effort to improve team collaboration within and between departments.
Enter: Shea. Design Director Cori Kuechenmeister and her team dove in headfirst to make that happen, crafting a concept emphasizing an open floor plan, workspace flexibility, employee amenities, and strategic zoning to make the work process more collaborative and efficient, giving all areas of the organization access to the publication process. This streamlined, high-energy design is all about open circulation of people and ideas.
Shea created clusters of desks for each department, with “huddle up” areas between for gathering and collaborating, plus conference rooms for more formal meetings. Innovative technology was also incorporated—including monitors throughout the office connected to Chromecast, meaning that any team member can access a bigger screen at any time. To create a well-rounded employee experience, Shea added a large kitchen, gym and yoga studio, and shower area.
Textural elements such as tire-tread wall coverings, a coffee table crafted from an engine and pistons, and chairs covered in newsprint fabric bring visual interest to the creative space and make spending time there a complete sensory experience, while tying in the company’s work with automotive publications. Locality has also been brought into the design—each “zone” in the open floorplan is named for one of St. Paul’s diverse neighborhoods. The finished office provides plenty of creative space for employees to bond and work collaboratively and wall graphics highlight the company’s personal ethos: the “10 Missions” that keep the presses running.
Design: Shea
Photography: Bethany Catharine
