Taco John’s International looked to iSPACE Environments for key ingredients to create a brand-forward, innovative regional office in the bustling West End of St. Louis Park, MN.
Taco John’s initial vision included a healthy mix of private offices, open collaboration & work areas, conference spaces, plus a prototype kitchen and product testing area. Through an initial tour at our Eden Prairie showroom, Taco John’s recognized that iSPACE’s collection of integrated solutions could solve many challenges across their work environments, and that the insights and collaborative knack of our team would be vital to the success of the multi-phase project.
GC: Greystone Construction
Design: Little Box Architecture
Amanda Kreller
Aaron Smith | © Smitty’s Workshop
Furniture: Teknion, OFS, SitOnIt, Safco Seating
Architectural: Teknion Optos & TekBooth
Technology: Crestron, Yealink Microsoft Team Rooms, Biamp, Soundmasking
254 linear feet of seamless Teknion Optos glass storefront walls with anthracite framery and custom connecting panels were paired with traditional drywall construction to create sleek conference spaces and private offices. The clear glass and smart use of butt joints help to fill the spaces with light while ensuring acoustic privacy. A mix of pivot and barn door style doors were specified to aid traffic flow in the busy office.
Four freestanding Teknion Tek Booths – also clad in coordinating anthracite – serve as phone booths in the active breakout lounge area. These “privacy on demand” (POD) structures feature a fine-tuned interior with integrated power, work surface, ventilation, and task lighting triggered by motion sensor. The team selected interior facia fabrics that contribute a pop of brand color while enabling sound isolation for those inside and out.
Other Teknion products informed by their showroom tour were also specified for open work areas and private offices. Teknion Expansion Casegoods in wood-grain and white laminates are paired with height adjustable desks throughout the executive and smaller private offices where red tackboards and colorful SitOnIt task and guest seating contribute to Taco John’s signature color palette splashed throughout the space.
Open area workstations are Teknion District Power Spine with height adjustable desks, ample storage configurations, and integrated power and network cabling installed by iSPACE. Woodgrain panels and glass screen partitions provide (51″) seated privacy height. SitOnIt Hexy task seating in red and black again emphasizes the brand.
Front office conference rooms are outfitted with Teknion conference tables customized with back-painted table tops & tech cubbies, coordinating credenzas, and a mix of new (SitOnIt Sona) and re-purposed seating from their previous office. The expansive, three-section training room is extra flexible thanks to the accordion walls and use of portable SitOnIt Parallon flip-top tables and Movi Nester chairs.
Teknion Thesis Hub Tables and colorful Safco stools create a touchdown space for impromptu collaboration. Soft seating and side tables from OFS handsomely adorn the lobby and executive offices
iSPACE Environments workplace technologies are put to smart use throughout the office. Sound masking is stealthily integrated throughout the open work areas to help keep audio conditions conducive for focus.
Microsoft Teams Rooms with flexible connectivity are enabled across the office. The Larger Conference room utilizes Yealink with integrated ceiling speakers and microphones from Biamp along with multiple displays and cameras for versatile, hybrid experiences. Smaller conference rooms use Yealink systems provisioned with table-top mics, speakers and controls matched with wall-mounted displays and video conferencing cameras.
The large training room can be partitioned into one, two or three sections. Projectors, flat screen displays and integrated audio can automatically sense room configuration and adjust zones accordingly. Teknion podiums are wired for device connectivity.
