Adaptive reuse is in the name. It is the idea of taking a building that is vacant, outdated, or even just underutilized, and adapting it for a new purpose. But like most things, the theory and practice are separated by a few degrees of difficulty.

The laundry list of pros surrounding adaptive reuse is long – historic preservation, sustainability, increased access for densely populated neighborhoods, just to name a few. But there are two big speed bumps standing in the way of adaptive reuse becoming an architectural cure-all – cost and something we’ll call “technical difficulties.”

Adaptive reuse comes with a unique set of challenges which can range from ensuring that the building is up to code for its adapted use, to arranging space for new uses in an existing environment that was not initially created with those in mind. It is the multi-disciplinary team of architects, experience designers, and technical experts at WSA that makes it possible to take these adapted environments from concept to ribbon-cutting.

A Bright Idea

Located in Columbus’ Historic Italian Village District, Edison Event Center is a new venue in BTTS Holdings’ event space portfolio. With the intention to diversify the types of venues available to clients, the BTTS team wanted to celebrate this history-steeped early 1900s warehouse. By pairing the building’s existing historic materials with luxe, contemporary finishes, WSA transformed this vacant, crumbling warehouse into an airy, versatile venue that seamlessly accommodates up to 175 guests.

The warehouse was the former site of Columbus Electrical Works. After our technical team completed early code-compliance analysis, our architects and designers set out to transform the space. With the events industry rocked by the onset of the pandemic, our design team needed to quickly adapt the spacious layout to host smaller gatherings within the double-height ballroom.

Tracks attached to the underside of existing trusses allow floor-length drapery to span the width of the ballroom, dividing the space into thirds. These flexible fabric walls allow clients to tailor the ballroom to their event, sequestering excess square footage and dampening acoustics for more intimate events without detracting from the historic charm of the ballroom. Large scale environmental graphics were carefully crafted to blend into the building’s rustic charm and provide engaging social media moments for guests. To soften the industrial brick and poured concrete, a moss wall installation greets guests upon entry and wraps into the ballroom. An expansive exterior courtyard with trimmed greenery and ample seating offers an additional space to reserve, either individually or for a cocktail hour between ceremony and reception. This industrial warehouse with elegant finishes strikes the perfect balance to host a variety events and themes for BTTS Holdings’ private and corporate clients.

See the transformation of the Edison Event Center here

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Infusing Human Resource expertise, Organizational Behavior and Brand Marketing into the practice of Architecture to create spaces for how people work today – and tomorrow.

Your success depends on environments that work. But since the pandemic we are finding that what has worked is not necessarily what will work – now or in the future. Enter WSA’s talentArc process.

Since the beginning of the COVID pandemic, it’s not only been where people work that’s changed – it’s been how. Workplace culture is different than it was in 2020. On top of that, as we see more people returning to offices and adopting hybrid styles of work, the amenities which enable productivity and foster the pursuit of employee passions are also changing. To make matters more interesting, we know that the workplace of 2022 no longer looks like that of 2019. But it might not look like that of 2025 either. So how do we create spaces that will work today, and tomorrow?

TalentArc

In our last post, we talked a little bit about how our multi-disciplinary team of experience designers bring a new approach to workplace design — talentArc. TalentArc is HR-infused architecture. It’s a process by which our architects and designers partner with client teams to learn about their organizational structure and culture.

By adding the criteria that results from partnership with client HR teams, we better understand the challenges they face. As we understand the behavior of organizations and the people who work within them, we can better plan for intentional collaboration and connection. And by embracing brand marketing and company culture – the X factor which makes a place special – we are able to bring that to life through the environment.

The talentArc process is all about creating a better understanding of what drives our partners’ organizational success and developing specific strategies to create impactful spaces. For us, talentArc stands as a testament to our belief that architecture and design is about more than form and function – it’s about people.

A Process in Practice

Ohio Mutual Insurance Group (OMIG) has been located in Bucyrus, Ohio since 1909. They moved to their current facility in 1969 and had not had major renovations since.

Through our renovation, we created an efficient workplace that enhances Ohio Mutual’s efforts to attract and retain top talent by providing modern amenities and a collaborative work environment. The entire campus has been reconfigured to maximize space efficiency and reinforce the Ohio Mutual brand.

When OMIG set out to create a modern, branded evironment that maximizes efficiency to eliminate the need to invenst in additional real estate, we had the chance document the TalentArc process in practice.

This began by observing and recording how the existing space was utilized. After analyzing the data, we discovered that Ohio Mutual employees spent less than half of their work hours at their designated desks. Instead, employees gravitated towards collaborative meetings and group work. With this knowledge, the design team crafted a master plan that would allow Ohio Mutual to adopt new workstyles and abandon traditional assigned seating. The renovated building features a variety of workstations that support large group meetings, brainstorming, and casual collaboration, while reserving individual focus space on an as-needed basis. The design team also introduced modern amenities such as a café and fitness center to promote wellness and attract young professionals.

The Ohio Mutual headquarters was infused with a clean aesthetic and branded messaging that aligns with the organization’s culture and beliefs, reinforcing a sense of purpose for individuals and the greater institution.

By carving out room for growth within the existing building, Ohio Mutual Insurance saved a significant amount of cash flow that would have been devoted to property expansions. Employees have expressed greater job satisfaction and improvements in company culture, because the space better supports the way they work.

A Workplace Crafted

On episode two of our podcast, WORKPLACE CRAFTED, members of the WSA team who worked on the OMIG project are joined by Ohio Mutual’s Chief Administrative Officer, Marcella Smith. In our conversation, we dive deeper into this specific implementation of the TalentArc process.

“Early on, in addition to getting to know the physical space, your team again wanted to dig deep into our guiding principals, and what is the culture like at Ohio Mutual Insurance Group, and the associates that work there, where are they coming in from? The majority live in the Bucyrus area, so it’s a real sense of family. You picked up on that very early on, and that found its way into the design.” – Marcella Smith, Chief Administrative Officer, Ohio Mutual Insurance Group

The talentArc process creates more engaging spaces for employees and a stronger bottom line for their organization. Listen to our podcast to hear about how sthe talentArc process gets put into practice.

If your walls could talk, what would they say about your company’s culture? About your values? About your brand? How do they impact your team? Do they enhance productivity or hinder it? Do they facilitate better ways of working? Or are they merely overhead on your balance sheet?

The workplace has been permanently disrupted. Today’s employees demand that work feel less like work and more like a place to pursue passions. A place that facilitates diversity, equity and inclusion for everybody and every body. A sustainable place that aligns your values with those of your employees. Because attracting and retaining the best talent is the single greatest challenge facing businesses today.

Motivating your employees requires the design of experiences that prioritize collaboration, co-creation and teamwork over solitary confinement in a cubicle and work that could just as easily be completed from home. Experiences powered by technology that more effectively blend remote and in-person teamwork.

WSA is your Partner in Productivity. We’re workplace experts who create spaces that attract and retain employees. For more than a half century we’ve partnered with leading businesses across the Midwest and beyond to create innovative workspaces that increase growth and profitability by strengthening employee engagement. Flexible spaces that anticipate change and drive greater efficiency and productivity.

Our multi-disciplinary team of experience designers take a new approach to office design: Created for how people work today – and tomorrow, TalentArc transcends mere aesthetics, infusing Human Resource expertise, Organizational Behavior and Brand Marketing into the practice of Architecture. While we’re proud of our awardwinning designs, it’s your enhanced performance that is the measure our success.

Your success depends upon Environments that Work. Environments that maximize both human potential and happiness AND your business’s top and bottom-line success. Because in today’s marketplace, you can’t achieve one without the other.