Philly’s Smartest Office

Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL), the international real estate services and investment management firm, wasn’t worried about having “too many cooks in the kitchen” when it partnered with four different companies to design the space that would become its new Philadelphia office. Scott Kelly, principal at Re:Vision Architecture, the project architect, says things might have been chaotic, but what resulted was more of a ballet, and the award-winning team’s hard work and sustainable oversight put the office on the Greenbuild 2013 Green Building Tour.

“When we were [selecting a team], we knew we wanted a firm that was a leader in sustainable design,” says Olivia Freeland, a senior associate at JLL, “but we also wanted someone who would challenge us and push us out of our comfort zone.”

In Posse was hired for its consulting and engineering design services because it specializes in net-zero-energy and “deep green” projects; Boston-based Lam Partners is known for its energy-efficient lighting design; and Lutron is a leading manufacturer of advanced lighting controls. The thread uniting the companies is a clear commitment to sustainability, and when it came time to relocating JLL’s Philadelphia office, it wasn’t a matter of whether or not green design would be used, but to what extent.

The Highest Standards

The team was tasked with designing an office that promoted collaboration in the workplace, and innovation was key. “One of the first themes to emerge from our conversations with JLL was that they wanted to express the vitality of their company not through excess, but rather through innovation,” says Drew Lavine of Re:Vision.

For JLL, innovation meant designing to the highest green standards possible and, according to JLL’s Philadelphia market director Michael McCurdy, “leveraging the collective expertise within the firm of workplace strategy, tenant and landlord representation, project management and construction in a partnership with global facilities to create a collaborative, efficient, sustainable and fun environment that would endure the dynamic changes we anticipate within the next decade.”

From the outset, sustainable design and LEED certification were part of the puzzle. “LEED was discussed early on,” Kelly says, “and we’re expected to receive Platinum certification. But the bigger picture was about conserving as much energy as possible. LEED gave us the framework for the dialogue though it wasn’t the one driving force behind the space.” In July 2013, that expectation was fulfilled; the project received LEED CI Platinum certification with 85 points. (At press time this was the highest score in the state of Pennsylvania for a LEED CI project.)

What’s Next?

JLL’s former office had a bank of conference rooms separate from the open seating work area. “One of the biggest challenges we often encounter in workplace design is helping clients transition from private office cultures to an open office culture,” Lavine says. “JLL’s former office had an open layout, so we didn’t face this cultural shift, but we did have to confront what is next—what is beyond the open-office best practices already in place?” The result is a variety of collaboration-ready spaces: informal seating arrangements, microcollaboration rooms for a handful of people, a large technology-focused conference room, and a multifunctional café space.

The 10,500-square-foot space was chosen because of how well daylighting could be controlled with smart architecture. The building had few structural columns, enabling a layout that would optimize natural light. The lighting design itself would actually become one of JLL’s most impressive features, which is where In Posse’s Shannon Kaplan and Lam Partners’ Matt Latchford came in. The pair was responsible for the implementation and design using Lutron’s Quantum system, one of the most advanced digital lighting systems on the market.

Smarter Lighting

The Quantum system enables JLL to monitor usage in real time, and it’s interactive. A user can monitor energy use, receive updates, and even reprogram the system. Strategically placed vacancy and occupancy sensors allow employees working during different time schedules to have appropriate lighting without turning on all the lights in the office. Further energy savings were achieved with gadgets such as workspace smart plugs that will turn off anything plugged in when not in use.

“We were balancing ambitious energy savings goals with functional space requirements and innovative design,” Latchford says. “A majority of energy-efficient lighting designs simply give people less light. We started with the notion that we would essentially put the light where it was needed and let the interstitial areas fall off. We collaborated with Re:Vision to integrate the lighting as much as possible, working light fixtures into architectural details.”

The end design is sleek and casually cool, so gorgeous and cutting edge that JLL’s Philadelphia office now doubles as a local Lutron showcase project. Freeland is particularly fond of the wireless light switches, which are affixed to the office’s glass walls with double-sided tape.

“We’ve received overwhelmingly positive feedback from employees and visitors alike,” Freeland says. “The Philadelphia office embodies what Jones Lang LaSalle stands for as a company, and it’s a workspace we can be proud of.”