After many years in an office designed for another era, the Hafer team decided it was time to transform our workspace. We had a gray, outdated—but functional—office.
But we wanted wow.
We wanted the fun and creativity we bring to our clients’ designs every day. We wanted the efficiency and ease of technology, the inspiration of our brand and identity, and the workstations of our dreams.
And we think we nailed it.
We’re incredibly proud of our team for creating a space that truly meets our needs. Today, we have room to grow as new faces join Hafer. We have flexible workstations and ‘phone booths’ that make collaboration and communication easy in this post-pandemic world of video calls. And most of all, we walk into an office that inspires us every morning.
Take a tour of the new office space here.
The Design
Designing for ourselves was a unique opportunity to put into practice everything we preach about the modern workspace. Today’s offices aren’t one-size-fits-all—they support focus, foster collaboration, and build culture. To achieve this while accommodating our firm’s growth, our design team had to get creative.
We started with inclusive programming meetings with our team, gathering their input. Only from there were we able to start designing.
“The team made multiple floor plan and workstation iterations to present to everyone,” said Rebecca Brady, Associate and Interior Designer. “We came in with a plan—showing different options to find a direction the team agreed on. Everyone was receptive and excited to be part of the process.”
Of course, designers designing for themselves can dream big. Eric Rang, Principal and Architect, joined the design team and helped ensure we used our budget wisely. “While all the ideas were great, it was important to focus investment where we’d see the most impact,” said Rang. “We built a 3D model so we could visualize and feel confident in our decisions.”
The final floor plan gives every Hafer team member access to natural light, balances privacy with open collaboration, and makes the most of our footprint across the 8th and 9th floors. Previously, we had only two large meeting rooms. Now, our office includes:
• 6 Hotels for private calls or focused work,
• 3 Hubs for small team meetings, and
• The Highrise, The Headquarters, and The Heritage—larger conference rooms for team and client meetings.
Not only that but our break room, The Hotspot, now doubles as a meeting space, and the Hafer Hangout—complete with custom Scrabble and checkers boards and a ping pong table—adds a playful, culture-building touch. During lunch, you’ll often find some of the team in a heated ping pong match.
In the spirit of collaboration, we wanted even more space to gather. Our team often finds themselves in impromptu meetings, debating the materials selection for a project or discussing the newest design trends. That’s why the office design incorporates space for fostering those quick chats or even design charettes with pin-up space and large whiteboards that double as storage.
Sometimes, the whiteboards are used to take team polls, with the most recent asking which Batman movie was better.
As you move through the office, you’re surrounded by our Hafer values and brand, reinforcing who we are and how we work. And if you noticed, each meeting room starts with the letter “H,” and its name reflects its size and function. Our custom Hafer graphics on the walls remind and empower us to follow the Hafer way.
One of the most significant upgrades is our individual workstations. Ergonomics topped our wish list, with height-adjustable desks being the most requested feature. “We still talk about how worthwhile that investment was,” said Brady. “Each desk is customized for comfort—mine’s two inches shorter than standard, and Anthony’s is five inches higher. Everyone’s setup works perfectly for them.”
While drafting tables have long been a thing of the past, our workstations are large enough to spread out full drawing sets, hold multiple monitors and include ample storage for both work and personal items—even a cubby for coats. Team members quickly made the spaces their own.
Positive Outcomes
One of our biggest takeaways from the process was empathy for our clients.
“We worked through the construction—it was a phased approach with plenty of dust and noise,” said Jack Faber, Principal and Designer. “For some of our younger employees, it was their first time experiencing this side of the process. It gave us all a deeper understanding of what our clients go through, and that empathy will make our future designs even better.”
Overall, the motivation and inspiration sparked from this renovation has been seen in our work and the excitement you can see as you walk through the office.
Hafer President Jeff Justice agrees, “We are inspired. This project has fostered renewed excitement in our work and motivates us to continuous improvement.”
A special thank you to the team that helped make this happen:
• Eric Rang, AIA
• Rebecca Brady, NCIDQ
• Jason Southwell, NCIDQ, IIDA
• Jill Rawley
• Jack Faber, AIA
• Jennifer Kissel, AIA
Interested in discovering how our team approaches corporate design? Take a look at our portfolio or contact Jack Faber at jfaber@haferdesign.com to start the conversation.