THE PROJECT Safeway Inc. is one of the largest food and drug retailers in North America. As of 2011, the company operated 1,681 stores in the United States and Western Canada. A company with an evolving culture and a strong commitment to sustainable policies and practices, Safeway transformed its Canyon Way facility to create a brighter, healthier and more collaborative work environment. Through thoughtful design choices aligned with its environmentally responsible agenda, the 143,000-square-foot-project achieved LEED Silver certification.
Although Safeway maintained its employee space allocation standards, the project team decided to lower panel heights and add glass walls that would create an open, spacious feeling and permit access to natural light and views. Safeway also moved private offices and most conference rooms away from the perimeter of the building and into the core, thereby allowing daylight to flood into the building and maximizing views for those seated in the open workspace.
Safeway was also transitioning to a wireless office designed to promote more fluid, frequent and spontaneous employee interaction. Thus, the new plan provided additional space for conference areas, training rooms, a new “healthful eating” café and a multi-purpose e-café on each floor for socializing, working and collaborating.Support services, such as a printers and copiers, are centrally located to conserve energy and encourage interaction.
THE RESPONSE The Safeway team sought to develop a true partnership with a furniture company recognized for its outstanding record of environmental and corporate responsibility. Safeway felt that Teknion excelled in its environmental commitment, service, value and the breadth of product required to create diverse spaces for the company’s new workplace.
A total Teknion solution was selected to create open work areas, private offices and demountable walls to enclose offices and meeting rooms. Teknion products specified included the Optos® full-height seamless wall system, Leverage® systems furniture for the open plan area, Transit® systems furniture for private offices and Modular Cabinets for the café and e-cafés. Thanks to Teknion’s integrated product portfolio and coordinated finishes, it was possible to create a unified look across the entire office landscape. The Safeway team was very impressed with the quality, fit and finish of Teknion products, as well as the refinement of detail and the green attributes of the products.
The completed Safeway facility now comprises a variety of inspiring places where co-workers can share ideas while encouraging others to drop by and contribute to the creative process. As a model of sustainable building practices, the facility has also attracted the attention of the design community, prompting presentations by Safeway, together with the USGBC (United States Green Building Council) and the IIDA (International Interior Design Association) to discuss and promote corporate social responsibility.