An Atlanta office promotes employee well-being

For its new Atlanta office, New Relic, a California-based technology company that develops cloud-based software, wanted to keep employee health and wellness at the fore. It also wanted the workspace design to bolster productivity as well as employee engagement and retention.

To achieve these objectives, NELSON Worldwide incorporated numerous wellness-centered design elements. A wide variety of flex zones includes communal spaces, private phone booths for heads-down work, and an acoustic room. All the spaces have fully adjustable lights, giving employees control over their lighting. And rather than forcing employees to stay at their desks, the space encourages movement with flexible workstations—giving employees autonomy over how they get their work done.

Communal Kitchen — An important communal space in the office is the kitchen.

To further support a wellness-oriented culture, the office also features sit-to-stand desks, a mother’s room, a massage room, and spa-like showers for employees. These elements aim to meet the evolving demands of different work styles and address the environment’s impact on employee experience.

Shower ROom — Spa like showers give employees a sense of comfortability in the office.

The design draws on the company’s San Francisco roots while also nodding to its Atlanta environs. Clean architectural lines, mixed metal tones, and warm woods reflect Atlanta’s past, while the color palette draws from the surrounding lush landscapes, local flora, and geology. With a biophilic palette, NELSON tried to strike a balance between architecture and nature. NELSON also used eco-friendly and sustainable materials, in keeping with New Relic’s company values.

Overall office — The overall office allows employees to work in their own space, as well as collaborate.

Since its start in 2008, New Relic has established offices worldwide, including Arizona and Oregon. The new Atlanta office “will become a space that enhances recruitment initiatives, solidifies talent retention, fosters ideas, and harnesses the power of creative thought,” NELSON said in a statement.

Owner: New Relic

Design architect and architect of record: NELSON Worldwide

MEP engineer: Barrett, Woodyard & Associates

General contractor/construction manager: CA South/Jennie Rusciano

The proportion of the U.S. workforce working remotely has dropped considerably since the start of the Covid 19 pandemic, but office vacancy rates continue to rise. Fewer than 26% of households have someone who worked remotely at least one day a week, down sharply from 39% in early 2021, according to the latest Census Bureau Household Pulse Surveys.

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