Pop-up shops are all the rage in some metropolitan areas, but having a pop-up law firm is quite another thing. However, a DC architecture practice, Gensler have created “the law firm of the future” as an exhibit at the Association of Legal Administrators annual conference and expo in Toronto this week, showing fesatures including open floor plan, standard offices and more “touchdown” spaces as communal areas.
The large corner office for partners is abandoned in the new-look pop-up and Genslers intend providing guided tours of the pop-up space explaining each component and why it works in a law firm setting.
The Washington Post reports: “We emphasize the point that there is no one-size-fits-all solution,” said Steve Martin, a principal at Gensler in the District. “It’s taking these components and assembling them in a way that reflects who they are as a firm and provides flexibility so they can adapt and change over time.”
The project is the first of its kind for the design and architecture firm, and is a culmination of two years of work done by about 40 Gensler employees in Washington. It was financed by internal grants from Gensler’s board of directors, which funds research projects proposed by Gensler employees. Gensler partnered with furniture companies Herman Miller and Steelcase, which are providing the desks and chairs, and Microsoft and Thompson Reuters, which are providing the technology equipment for the exhibit.
Gensler has been working with many law firms to incorporate more modern, efficient design into their office space. In the Washington region, Gensler has worked with McDermott Will & Emery; Dickstein Shapiro; Hogan Lovells; Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox; Troutman Sanders; Chadbourne & Parke; Fried Frank; Clifford Chance; and Seward & Kissel to design their new or existing office space.