Meet Hanisha Rudhraraju, a student at Drexel University and her winning submission in the Wellbeing category & Greatest Impact Award. Thanks to our partner Tango, Hanisha has been awarded a generous scholarship. As the Greatest Impact Award Student Winner, she will take a VIP trip to present at IFMA’s World Workplace in Nashville, September 26-30. Check out her full submission below.
- Student at Drexel University, Master’s in Interior Architecture & Design
- Anticipated graduation date: June 2023
- Instagram handle: @hanii_hive
We recently connected with Hanisha to see if she would change anything about her project since she submitted.
“I would not change anything about my initial concept. But looking back at the project, I realized designing private offices for department heads to provide privacy might have created a level of hierarchy. So, if given a chance to change one thing about my project, I would like to find a better way to do so.”
Check out the slideshow and summary of Hanisha’s submission below:
This is an academic project of designing a commercial office for an imaginary entrepreneurial startup. The Company I designed for is Nurdle. A Startup company that Upcycles Non-Recyclable Plastic into Handcrafted Fashion Accessories. All products of Nurdle are Handmade by Artisans, which makes their every product unique. Nurdle strives to empower artisans by working directly with them and ensuring supply chains are more resilient, growth is more inclusive, and the makers of these unique products are treated & paid more fairly.
This office space is to be designed on the 10th floor of 3675 Market Street Building. The image the company wants to portray to the public is, a Sustainable, Innovative & Collaborative brand that strives for the quality of both their products and people who make them.
The office space being designed is where the Product innovation, Marketing, and Finance teams work, while the product manufacturing takes place outside the office in artisan communities.
The first main goal of the design is to create workplace that encourages employees to come to office, as it is a company that runs on collaborative work. Many of the benefits of working from home – greater flexibility and access to privacy in particular – will need to be reflected in the future workplace. (U.S Workspace survey, Gensler, 2021). So, it is important to incorporate the comfort and privacy of a home into the workplace while also supporting collaborative work. This was achieved by creating breakout pods through out the office to relax and rejuvenate, comfortable and varied workplace configurations to choose from rather than a designated work desk, private & accessible pods to provide privacy.
“Humans are full body sensors” which makes us “experience and react to space in many ways subtle and obvious, consciously and unconsciously” and “can have a substantial long-term effect on both our mental and physical health, as well as how happy and productive we are at work.” (Work Design Magazine – Multisensory Design, 2017), which is achieved by providing choice and control over the workspace, Positive distractions through Biophilic design, creating an inside outside environment that feels like stepping out of the office into the nature, opposed to that of being confined in a glass box. Zoning the office spaces to reduce noise pollution from busy street; Private, Quiet & Calming spaces, while also being open & creating moments for social interaction.
It is also important to create an Inclusive Environment for everyone to feel, connected & comfortable. Strategies like Wider doorways & Corridors, Adjustable tables, Lower light switches, Ergonomic seating, ADA compliant designs, etc. were implemented to achieve it.
Lastly, “Great workspace supports more than just work” (5 Trends driving the New Post Pandemic workplace, Gensler, 2021). So, creating an inclusive, comfortable & stress-free environment that supports the overall wellbeing of the employees, that they look forward to comeback to was the main goal of the design.
Here’s what our jurors had to say about her submission:
“How could you not love a project named Nurdle? With the new generations entering the workplace, their interest in sustainability and environmental issues translates into a demand for workplaces that are designed with more consciousness and accountability.”
A special thank you to Tango, our 2022 Scholarship Sponsor! Learn more about Tango:
A leading provider of cloud-based real estate and facilities management solutions, Tango provides the best workplace management and employee engagement solutions to address the unique requirements of hybrid work. Most organizations are focused on planning, building and managing the operations of their real estate locations and the assets within them. Tango merges those key “Place” factors with the equally important “People” side of real estate, ensuring employees are engaged and productive at the workplace. Tango’s multi-tenant SaaS and mobile solution is utilized in over 130 countries by companies ranging from small enterprises to large global brands with more than 40,000 locations.
