When M / I Homes last shaped its home office design, the average cost of a new home was $ 113,150, optical DVD storage was just announced, and Forrest Gump was the Oscar winner for Best Picture. After working for the company at 3 Easton Oval’s headquarters for 25 years, 2020 ushered in a move across the street in a bespoke project that enabled the client to have modern office space that matched their corporate ambitions.
According to Eric Gannon, principal at Gensler, a San Francisco-based architecture firm that is working with M + A Architects of Columbus to design the new five-story building at 4131 Worth Ave. for Georgetown Developers and the three-story building designed by M / I has office space as anchor tenants. Tenfold from Columbus took on the interior branding.
“The goal was to truly associate their brand as one of the country’s leading home builders who values quality and is the same quality for employees and customers who come into the space,” says Gannon.
To convey this commitment to quality, building materials are on display to celebrate the company’s work. Wood is used throughout the office to represent the quality of living in the company’s houses. Brick, steel, concrete, and reconstituted wood were also chosen as building materials in the loft-like space.
The equipment was chosen to foster a sense of community and give employees the opportunity to work in different environments. A large cafe offers a variety of seating positions for eating, working, and gathering. There are four terraces where you can work in the fresh air. Satellite coffee points, phone rooms, focus rooms, and war rooms provide employees with a variety of places to do their jobs and collaborate from their desks. There are also secure suite entrances to customer lockers and state-of-the-art training facilities.
The 56,000 square meter headquarters, which opened in July, also includes a design center where customers can choose materials and fixtures.
Covid-19 hasn’t caused any major design changes to the office, but Gannon says it will benefit from generous spacing and options for both indoor and outdoor use, including a courtyard. Large windows also let in “a lot of natural light,” he says.
“The employee experience was central to the design,” said Robert Schottenstein, chairman, president and CEO of M / I Homes, in a prepared statement. “We have set ourselves the goal of creating a work environment in which our employees feel energized, inspired and excited. And as a national home builder, we also wanted to create spaces that reflect our company’s longstanding commitment to quality and design. I couldn’t be happier with the result; and most of all, our people love the space. “
