How Office Design Dictates Behavior

Changing a company’s space can define its current culture as well as help it to achieve its corporate goals, H. Hendy Associates principal Jennifer Walton tells GlobeSt.com. The firm was recently selected to design Kawasaki Motors Corp. USA’s new 200,000-square-foot North American headquarters in Foothill Ranch, CA, to mark the company’s 50th anniversary in the US. H. Hendy will create a branded-office experience that will help Kawasaki increase team-member engagement in a workspace that will be anchored by a two-story atrium with skylights that will serve as a gathering space for team members and clients. Additional lifestyle amenities will include a large eating area with food-service options, a fitness center, table tennis and a yoga studio as well as a Kawasaki museum to showcase vintage branded products and company memorabilia. We spoke exclusively with Walton about the project and the challenges and opportunities of creating a branded-office experience.