{"id":65347,"date":"2021-03-05T17:17:34","date_gmt":"2021-03-05T17:17:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/eu-en\/?p=65347"},"modified":"2023-02-06T16:17:12","modified_gmt":"2023-02-06T16:17:12","slug":"chicagos-the-john-buck-company-adapts-new-hq-amid-pandemic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/eu-en\/research\/articles\/topics\/case-studies\/chicagos-the-john-buck-company-adapts-new-hq-amid-pandemic\/","title":{"rendered":"Chicago\u2019s The John Buck Company Adapts New HQ Amid Pandemic"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cEverybody loves it. The cultural change from the old space to here has made everybody happier in every sense of the word.\u201d<\/p>Donna WrightThe John Buck Company (JBC) Project Manager<\/span><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n

Commercial and residential real estate services firm powerhouse, JBC, just started to settle into their beautiful new home in downtown Chicago when the pandemic forced mandatory shutdowns. The disruption changed everything from where they worked, how they worked and what they were working on. Through it all, JBC kept business moving forward \u2014 managing to leverage their new space to remain flexible, support employees working from home and immediately begin planning to welcome people back who wanted to return to the office.<\/p>\n

MOVING FORWARD<\/h3>\n

Pre-pandemic and before creating their new workplace, JBC moved their teams from building to building to stay in touch with commercial and residential real estate redevelopment projects they were working on in the Chicago area. But, when they took on the 151 N. Franklin project, they decided it was time to finally put down permanent roots and create a space that represented their company and culture.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe end result of the project turned out exactly as we had hoped and planned for. The partnership was very successful and our employees are very happy.\u201d<\/p>John BuckBC Chairman & CEO<\/span><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n

JBC\u2019s prior location \u201cwas almost too big,\u201d said Lance Yeary, IIDA, the associate principal from Lamar Johnson Collaborative (LJC), who led the design of the interior. People could go for a long time without seeing each other. Yet, they lacked privacy in an inefficient open concept. Client conference rooms felt too exposed near the front of the space with employees frequently walking by to get to their desks in the back. And while people had large workstations, they were inefficiently organized and became cluttered \u2014 desk risers took up space on top of each worksurface because employees wanted the option to stand but only had stationary desks.<\/p>\n

\"john
A digital 180-degree pivot panel acts as a fulcrum between conference and work lounge. It can be closed to greet guests or pivot open to allow for a more open concept feel for day-to-day interaction or large gatherings. (Courtesy: Steve Hall \u24d2 Hall + Merrick Photographers)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

PERMANENT ROOTS<\/h3>\n

When they had the opportunity to design a new home, JBC wanted to create an intuitive environment for their people, partners and clients. They wanted to foster connections by integrating social office spaces<\/a> and collaborative work spaces<\/a>. They wanted individuals to feel taken care of with desks that considered their comfort, privacy and productivity. And they wanted an inspiring and welcoming environment that mixed hosting clients in a space that balanced client-focused hospitality and a real-life workplace at the same time.<\/p>\n

People\u2019s needs<\/a> for a sense of community and belonging, the ability to get things done, as well as a desire for privacy and comfort have all only accelerated during the pandemic. JBC\u2019s new workplace helped them navigate a challenging year.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe space is flexible enough that it encourages people who are not in the same department to interact and boost that sense of connection. And the variety of spaces gives people more choices when it comes to where they want to work,\u201d says Yeary.<\/p>\n

\n
\"John
Steelcase SILQ<\/a> chairs and Uhuru table add artistry and performance to JBC meeting spaces. SILQ keeps things simple for visitors because the chair naturally responds to whomever takes a seat. With only one adjustment, height, it\u2019s streamlined aesthetic fits in perfectly in JBC\u2019s new home.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"John
By adding more collaborative areas to their new space, JBC gave people more choice and control over where they get their work done. (Photos courtesy: Steve Hall \u24d2 Hall + Merrick Photographers)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

PRIVACY, PRODUCTIVITY + COMFORT<\/h3>\n

Finding the right workstations to support people\u2019s expectations was key. JBC needed something that afforded people a sense of privacy, allowed for quick shifts between individual and team work, and would create a modern, light and airy feel that would impress employees and clients alike. When teams from JBC and LJC saw the Mackinac<\/a> desking system at NeoCon 2018, they knew they had found what they were looking for. Mackinac\u2019s height-adjustable cantilever design supports collaboration and focus in a compact footprint and small details like a very quiet motor make a difference.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe architectural quality of it\u2019s design and the rich development of materials struck me. Mackinac\u2019s framing system creates a sense of ownership. It\u2019s both form and function.\u201d<\/p>Lance Yeary, IIDALJC associate principal<\/span><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\"\"

\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
MORE WAYS TO FOCUS<\/span><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tOpen image tooltip<\/b><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

MORE WAYS TO FOCUS<\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Mackinac\u2019s height-adjustable, cantilever worksurface allowed JBC to ditch cumbersome desk risers and gave people more usable space while providing the entire office with a more open, streamlined feel. (Courtesy: Steve Hall \u24d2 Hall + Merrick Photographers)<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
MORE WAYS TO FOCUS<\/span><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tOpen image tooltip<\/b><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

MORE WAYS TO FOCUS<\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Mackinac creates microzones that easily support the transition between working alone to working with others. (Courtesy: Steve Hall \u24d2 Hall + Merrick Photographers)<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n

MANAGING DISRUPTION<\/h3>\n

JBC\u2019s new space has allowed the company to stay flexible and adapt as the pandemic has stretched out longer than expected. In March 2020, they shut down completely for two weeks following Chicago guidelines. But almost immediately started to plan for a return to the office. While the company moved quickly to equip team members to work from home successfully, they also knew that some things just can\u2019t be replicated by virtual meetings.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t replace walking to someone\u2019s office to brainstorm, or grabbing somebody for a quick conversation. We spend so much time with people at work and social interactions are not the same working from home.\u201d<\/p>Jeanne LazarJBC CFO<\/span><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n

Teams started by taking care of the essentials with a focus on safety. Signs in the kitchen directed people to use disposable, biodegradable plates and silverware. Barrier tape was placed on shared tools like copy machines, microwaves and coffee makers making them easier to clean.<\/p>\n

JBC added shrouds and privacy panels to Mackinac \u2014 making sure they matched the aesthetic of the space while providing additional safety and privacy. By July, those were in place and JBC was ready to welcome employees back. They knew it was important to give people a safe place to come work if they wanted or needed to be in the office.<\/p>\n

\"work
Mackinac\u2019s flexibility allowed JBC to add shrouds and privacy panels during the pandemic to create additional division between individuals. (Photo courtesy: JBC)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cSome people struggle at home. We\u2019ve seen people taking calls in closets to find privacy or dealing with unreliable technology. I draw energy from others, so there\u2019s a benefit to being physically here.\u201d<\/p>Charles WagenerPresident, Buck Management Group<\/span><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n

A GRADUAL RETURN<\/h3>\n

JBC has seen more people voluntarily begin to return following the first of the year. The company has staggered staffing times in the office to reduce density, creating a blue and a yellow group that rotate week by week. They encourage the use of the kitchen and conference room areas to provide more places for people to work distanced from one another. They\u2019ve instituted additional cleaning protocols focused on high-touch surfaces and high-traffic areas.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs we invite people back, safety is priority one and a close second is encouraging engagement in the office environment. We executed a solution to add division to the space that was elegant and in keeping with the beauty of the overall office,\u201d says Donna Wright, JBC project manager.<\/p>\n

\n

EXPLORE MACKINAC<\/h3>\n

Make Mackinac your own with our interactive visualization tool.<\/p>\n

Learn More<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Chicago commercial and residential real estate services firm, The John Buck Company, managed to stay flexible while retaining the vibe they love in their new space.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20507,"featured_media":65349,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"topic":[15354,15590,2753],"class_list":["post-65347","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","industry-workplace","topic-case-studies","topic-design","topic-privacy"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe John Buck Company Explores Flexible Office Design | Steelcase<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The pandemic taught Chicago\u2019s The John Buck Company to be more flexible with how they used - and didn\u2019t use - their new office space.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/eu-en\/research\/articles\/topics\/case-studies\/chicagos-the-john-buck-company-adapts-new-hq-amid-pandemic\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The John Buck Company Explores Flexible Office Design | Steelcase\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The pandemic taught Chicago\u2019s The John Buck Company to be more flexible with how they used - and didn\u2019t use - their new office space.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/eu-en\/research\/articles\/topics\/case-studies\/chicagos-the-john-buck-company-adapts-new-hq-amid-pandemic\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Steelcase\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Steelcase.Unitedkingdom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-03-05T17:17:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-02-06T16:17:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/steelcase-res.cloudinary.com\/image\/upload\/c_fill,dpr_auto,q_70,h_600,w_1200\/v1614802621\/www.steelcase.com\/2021\/03\/03\/21-0154727.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Monyka Cavazos\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@steelcaseuk\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@steelcaseuk\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Monyka Cavazos\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The John Buck Company Explores Flexible Office Design | Steelcase","description":"The pandemic taught Chicago\u2019s The John Buck Company to be more flexible with how they used - and didn\u2019t use - their new office space.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/eu-en\/research\/articles\/topics\/case-studies\/chicagos-the-john-buck-company-adapts-new-hq-amid-pandemic\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"The John Buck Company Explores Flexible Office Design | Steelcase","og_description":"The pandemic taught Chicago\u2019s The John Buck Company to be more flexible with how they used - and didn\u2019t use - their new office space.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/eu-en\/research\/articles\/topics\/case-studies\/chicagos-the-john-buck-company-adapts-new-hq-amid-pandemic\/","og_site_name":"Steelcase","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Steelcase.Unitedkingdom","article_published_time":"2021-03-05T17:17:34+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-02-06T16:17:12+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":600,"url":"https:\/\/steelcase-res.cloudinary.com\/image\/upload\/c_fill,dpr_auto,q_70,h_600,w_1200\/v1614802621\/www.steelcase.com\/2021\/03\/03\/21-0154727.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Monyka Cavazos","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@steelcaseuk","twitter_site":"@steelcaseuk","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Monyka Cavazos","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/eu-en\/research\/articles\/topics\/case-studies\/chicagos-the-john-buck-company-adapts-new-hq-amid-pandemic\/","url":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/eu-en\/research\/articles\/topics\/case-studies\/chicagos-the-john-buck-company-adapts-new-hq-amid-pandemic\/","name":"The John Buck Company Explores Flexible Office Design | Steelcase","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/eu-en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/eu-en\/research\/articles\/topics\/case-studies\/chicagos-the-john-buck-company-adapts-new-hq-amid-pandemic\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/eu-en\/research\/articles\/topics\/case-studies\/chicagos-the-john-buck-company-adapts-new-hq-amid-pandemic\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/steelcase-res.cloudinary.com\/image\/upload\/v1614802621\/www.steelcase.com\/2021\/03\/03\/21-0154727.jpg","datePublished":"2021-03-05T17:17:34+00:00","dateModified":"2023-02-06T16:17:12+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/eu-en\/#\/schema\/person\/0950e5242d6b2dd5081bf20a6be731d4"},"description":"The pandemic taught Chicago\u2019s The John Buck Company to be more flexible with how they used - and didn\u2019t use - their new office space.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/eu-en\/research\/articles\/topics\/case-studies\/chicagos-the-john-buck-company-adapts-new-hq-amid-pandemic\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/eu-en\/research\/articles\/topics\/case-studies\/chicagos-the-john-buck-company-adapts-new-hq-amid-pandemic\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/eu-en\/research\/articles\/topics\/case-studies\/chicagos-the-john-buck-company-adapts-new-hq-amid-pandemic\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/steelcase-res.cloudinary.com\/image\/upload\/v1614802621\/www.steelcase.com\/2021\/03\/03\/21-0154727.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/steelcase-res.cloudinary.com\/image\/upload\/v1614802621\/www.steelcase.com\/2021\/03\/03\/21-0154727.jpg","width":2048,"height":1152,"caption":"work space with Think chairs"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/eu-en\/research\/articles\/topics\/case-studies\/chicagos-the-john-buck-company-adapts-new-hq-amid-pandemic\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/eu-en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Chicago\u2019s The John Buck Company Adapts New HQ Amid Pandemic"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/eu-en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/eu-en\/","name":"Steelcase","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/eu-en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/eu-en\/#\/schema\/person\/0950e5242d6b2dd5081bf20a6be731d4","name":"Monyka Cavazos","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/eu-en\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2bb8a98f9ab515262434f4d2b6d65cf6?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2bb8a98f9ab515262434f4d2b6d65cf6?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Monyka Cavazos"},"url":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/eu-en\/research\/articles\/author\/mcavazossteelcase-com\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/eu-en\/restapi\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65347"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/eu-en\/restapi\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/eu-en\/restapi\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/eu-en\/restapi\/wp\/v2\/users\/20507"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/eu-en\/restapi\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=65347"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/eu-en\/restapi\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65347\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":123032,"href":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/eu-en\/restapi\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65347\/revisions\/123032"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/eu-en\/restapi\/wp\/v2\/media\/65349"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/eu-en\/restapi\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=65347"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/eu-en\/restapi\/wp\/v2\/topic?post=65347"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}