When Aetna needed a new workplace for its in-house marketing and communications team in Wellesley, Massachusetts, they envisioned a welcoming, rejuvenating space as amenity rich and culturally delightful as any office in downtown Boston. Newly merged with CVS, the health company wanted to inspire its creative team with a refreshing work environment while empowering individuals with the functionality of contemporary workplace design.
Designers at Elkus Manfredi Architects were tasked with creating a space that embodied the client’s vision: Healthy. Happy. Home. Core objectives for the new 80,000-sf office included:
•Providing staff with a diverse range of work environments
•Supporting physical and mental health and wellness
•Creating a distinctive design capable of inspiring its creative workforce and attracting top talent.
Implementing a “resi-mercial” design approach, designers created a spacious, light-filled environment that integrates a variety of workplaces into a residential aesthetic. Each setting is designed with staff wellness in mind. Expansive glass walls in the conference rooms and individual office areas introduce natural light into the interior. Sit-to-stand desks and ergonomically-designed seating areas in pocket living rooms are arranged into distinct neighborhoods that are defined by a harmonious color palette of energizing greens, subtle pinks, and blues—colors inspired by the colors in the health company’s branding.
Airy and bright, the new workplace completed in November 2018 is a place where staff feel supported and energized. In spaces designed for tasks ranging from focused to collaborative, and surrounded by verdant views, staff can truly feel healthy, happy, and at home.
Last year more than 40 countries took part in the WIN Awards with strong showings from Europe, the Americas and Asia-Pacific. And we saw some truly outstanding interior designs, take a look at the winners from last year here.