October/November/December 2019 I 49
BlueSky would be a major improvement project on
all GP-occupied floors and to many common systems
at GP Center. It would significantly improve the work
environment for employees and enhance the company’s
position both as a great place to work and as a top office
building in downtown. More importantly, it would
provide a more effective environment for the company
to grow and create value by enabling greater productivity,
innovation and new ways of working.
Most of GP’s major competitors for talent had
workspaces that were significantly more updated than
theirs. The new GP Center would be designed and equipped
to accommodate the way people are working now
and will work in the future. Employees would be able
to thrive in any setting with minimal productivity loss
from signing in and navigating their new-found digs.
They would also be able to choose the environment
where they would be most productive, thanks to multiple
available workspace options.
A NEW WAY TO WORK
BlueSky began in 2017 and was completed in 2019. The
remodel covered 23 floors and roughly 558,000 square
feet of office space, which seats about 3,100 employees.
In addition, 186,000 square feet of workspace was opened
up for company growth or third-party leases.
Most of the GP-occupied floors had not received
significant improvement investments since the company
opened in 1982. The space was not configured efficiently
or designed for the technology and work habits of today’s
collaborative and mobile workforce. And, the building’s
heating and air conditioning, wiring, lighting, restrooms,
break rooms, furniture and fixtures all needed replacing.
To assist with the remodel, GP created a project team
consisting of a workplace design firm and internal representation
from corporate real estate, human resources,
information technology, facilities management, corporate
communications and public affairs, tax, and representatives
of other groups involved in recent renovations
to other floors. In addition, each business and capability
team had a representative collaborating with the project
team on the specific needs of their group.
A group of employees was also assembled to be an
extension of the project team; all of the chosen workers
were picked specifically because of their ability to
influence others and help drive important changes in
office culture, work habits and etiquette in the new space.
Together, the groups worked on a renovation that
addressed myriad problems within GP Center’s current
workspace. The updated version replaced dated design
and infrastructure with modern office designs and
furniture, and it added new energy-efficient ventilation
and lighting; many of the infrastructure systems were
at the end of their useful lives before the remodel.
Solid walls blocking natural light were removed.
Taking down those walls improved the ventilation around
floors for better heating and air conditioning. Updated
floor layouts brought in multiple types of workstations
and workspaces for greater collaboration and teamwork,
while still providing space for quiet, confidential work
and conversations (Figure 1). By reconfiguring the existing
GP space, leadership could also consolidate its teams on
fewer floors and free up additional space.
FIGURE 1: Redesigned main office space.
New bathrooms and break rooms are now equipped
with innovative new IoT-enabled products, improving
hygiene, wellness, and operational costs. They are cleaner,
fresher and equipped with hands-free dispensing systems
to prevent germs and cross-contamination. Overall con-
sumption of energy, water, consumables, and janitorial
labor is expected to decline with these improvements,
thus reducing operating costs and freeing up those
resources for other uses.