Next-Gen, Now

Dell EMC Next-Generation Offices
Various Locations, Nationwide
The success of a business can most often be measured by the strength of its relationships. At SMMA, longstanding clients have formed the bedrock for the future growth of our firm. Dell EMC is one such client.

Dell EMC, a leader in cloud computing, data storage, and IT solutions, commissioned SMMA to help solve a facilities challenge at its New York City sales office. Located at Two Penn Plaza, atop Pennsylvania Station, and home to a highly mobile workforce, the space was no longer able to meet the demands of its staff. Large cubicles and private offices no longer related to the way the company viewed itself, and more importantly, the space could no longer accommodate the requisite seating for its employees. 

Dell EMC sought to transform the space into a fresh environment—one that that improved flexibility, productivity, collaboration, and performance. The SMMA design team reimagined the interior layout, incorporating new furniture systems and more collaboration spaces. These renovations, coupled with protocols that converted 75% of the available seats to “flex space”—wherein, on average, each seat accommodates two employees—resulted in a 34% increase in the office’s headcount capacity. 
 

Collaboration Breeds Engagement

Our design took into consideration Dell EMC's traveling sales team, which requires a remote site to camp for less than a day at a time— nowhere more so than in the New York office. Under the “Next-Generation Office” (NGO) moniker, and using the Penn Plaza office as a testing ground, SMMA collaborated with Dell EMC to launch a new space paradigm, emphasizing collaboration over hierarchy and allowing for the accommodation of visiting sales staff. Downsized partitions between cubicles, and increased natural light, as well as “huddle” and “team” rooms—smaller, more efficient versions of the traditional conference room— encourage collaboration and allow the space to accommodate Dell EMC’s forward-thinking, mobile, and tech-savvy workforce.

Plug and Play

Benching stations throughout the space allow visiting staff to plug in and work with ease, and a coffee bar strategically located at the space’s crossroads is an opportunity for staff to mix and collaborate. The finished result: Improvements in the capacity, quality, and appeal of Dell EMC’s flagship sales office. As an added bonus, the efficiency gains allowed the company to avoid absorbing more expensive Manhattan real estate. 

Plug and play benching station

The New York City NGO is now more capable of accommodating workforce demand; is better suited to supporting the needs of the company’s forward-looking mobile, tech-savvy workforce; and allows Dell EMC to more effectively leverage its global strategy.