Confidential Client Offices – Minneapolis
Gensler redesigned the workplace for a confidential client in downtown Minneapolis, emphasizing a vibrant space with warm wood paneling, colorful collaboration zones, varied seating options, natural light, and amenities for employee well-being.
Striving to revitalize their workplace culture post-pandemic, this confidential client made the bold decision to relocate from their suburban campus to The Dayton’s Project in vibrant downtown Minneapolis. Their new space provides an opportunity to entice employees back to the office by offering an unparalleled, amenity-rich destination surrounded by an ecosystem of businesses and residential opportunities in the surrounding neighborhood.
The entrance to the workplace is wrapped in warm wood paneling, creating a welcoming portal into the reception area where lounge seating and a large-scale graphic of the city greets guests. Beyond the sophisticated entry, the vivid saturation of color signals high traffic, collaboration zones, beginning in the cafe. Geometric forms and nature-inspired motifs are incorporated as subtle branding elements, offering dynamic visuals and facilitating intuitive wayfinding.
Broken into neighborhoods, the office has a variety of seating options to accommodate divergent work needs and hybrid schedules. Free address desks, collaborative table seating, booths, and privacy pods offer staff choices of how and where to work, while the building’s event space, fitness center, and rooftop deck present after-hours spaces for social and physical wellness.
The design prioritizes natural light, a necessity during the long winters, leaving the window line and city views open to all while sharing the sunlight with internal spaces through glass walls. An exposed ceiling enhances the space and extends light, celebrating the historic structure and creating a more contemporary workplace environment. Acoustic treatments, soft seating, and natural materials promote wellbeing and mitigate noise in the vast space. In-office amenities include all-gender restrooms, lockers, a mother’s room, and a serenity room, emphasizing the focus on staff comfort and wellbeing.
The Confidential Client’s workplace benefits from its location in The Dayton’s Project, a mixed-use hub of office and retail space renovated by Gensler in 2020. The historic building has been a central piece of Minnesota’s history and Minneapolis’ central business district for generations. With five skyway connections and proximity to Nicollet Mall, the reimagining of the 120-plus-year-old former department store transformed the building, preserving its original architecture and beauty while optimizing its layout for today’s needs and expectations.
Design: Gensler
Design Team: Deanne Erpelding, Courtney Albracht, Shannon Crenshaw
General Contractor: Gardner Builders
Photography: Gillian Fry, (c) Gensler
