The Client

New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance Company began in 1913, founded by factory owners who wanted to purchase insurance from a reliable, local, safety-oriented carrier. Today, New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance Group remains the most financially strong insurance carrier in the state of New Jersey.

With its focus on growth, NJM announced its new $48 million, 146,000 square-foot Hammon-ton, NJ, facility. In addition to insurance offices, the building includes a branch of NJM Bank. The new building has an environmentally friendly focus including the engineering of retention basins for maximum return of water to the aquifers and the implementation of modern lighting design techniques throughout the building to reduce electrical loads.

The new facility will house 175 employees with a maximum occupancy of 330 employees on a daily basis. It will be their main campus in Southern NJ. It opened its doors on December 20, 2010, after eighteen months of construc-tion.

The Goal

With a short timeline to approach the interior design of the office environment, NJM decided to partner with DS&D directly on the layout of the architectural walls that were to be show-cased throughout the new building. DS&D assisted in the specification and selection of a series of available Steelcase architectural wall solutions for NJM. The new building was intended to be a representation of NJM’s finan-cial strength and sustainability policies come to life. Along with the environmentally friendly approach to the building’s design, NJM elected to select a manufacturer who equally shared their social responsibility to the environment.

Steelcase moveable and architectural walls captured that focus with their C2C certification. With the task to present both aesthetically attractive and practical wall solutions for the building, DS&D would have to approach each section of the new building separately. Within the expansive 146,000 square-foot building, many different gathering places were envisioned; some that would require more privacy than others.

The Challenge

Along the perimeter of the main workstation space, open collaborative areas allow employ-ees to meet and collaborate without the constraints of their individual workstations.

Project Summary

LocationHammonton, NJ

Project ScopeApprox. 1,800 linear ft.

ManufacturerSteelcase, Coalesse

ProductSteelcase Privacy WallSteelcase Media:scapeCoalesse Bix

Class with Stylish Glass: New Facility Takes on the Contemporary

www.dancker.com

pictured above: Steelcase Privacy Wall GS with Marsh Glass and Coalesse Bix

pictured above: Steelcase Privacy Wall Glass Selections with marsh specialty glass

www.dancker.com

In addition to these areas, private offices, conference rooms and training rooms were stationed along the perimeter adjacent to collaborative workspaces.

The final application of architectural walls were to be designed and installed in the NJM Bank branch office. The branch office was positioned just inside the main lobby facing Route 54. The placement of the branch office was not only a symbol of NJM’s financial strength and diversi-fication, but also functioned as a cornerstone for the building’s appeal to its employees and customers. Therefore, the layout and selection of architectural walls that were to be featured in this specific area had to demonstrate and capture NJM’s vision and create a lasting impression for those who conducted business at the branch.

An additional demand called for collaborative space to be incorporated inside the branch office, mainly in one of the two private offices designed for branch officers.

As the design commenced, it was determined that NJM and DS&D would have to collaborate on furnishing approximately 1,800 linear feet of architectural walls throughout these sections.

The SolutionThe first challenge to incorporate a collabora-tive space within the NJM branch office was accomplished by installing a Steelcase media:scape. Media:scape provided NJM with a twenty-first century approach to present, meet and collaborate on various projects by creating a space for employees to view the same material in a comfortable, convenient setting.

Media:scape is a fully integrated furniture and technology setting, and can host other technol-gies to create larger, more comprehensive, collaborative environments.

With regard to the private offices, training rooms and conference rooms, NJM eventually selected an array of Steelcase Privacy Wall including Bendheim ribbon specialty glass fronts. The corridors and main hallways featured Steelcase Privacy Wall GS with an anonized aluminum frame and marsh glass.

The private offices closer to the branch office featured a wood veneer frame with ribbon glass. The bank area was outfitted with a wood veneer frame with 3Form Bear Grass Light, a pressed glass front that featured strains of embedded bear grass. The diverse lineup of Steelcase architectural walls created work-space personalities that accentuated the functional purpose NJM envisioned.

The ResultWhen installation was completed on-time and on-budget, the final walk-through of the office successfully told the story of the design and application of architectural walls for NJM. The client was especially satisified with the success of the design and installation of the architectural walls on both floors.

The spectacular look and feel of the NJM branch office captured the warmth a bank’s appearance was meant to convey. The inclusion of various architectural walls through-out the building diversified the ambience of the workspace and successfully conveyed profes-sionalism while maintaining privacy. Overall, the functional aspect of privacy walls held true, as their placement created a seamless flow of space management throught the NJM facility.

pictured above: Steelcase media:scape

pictured above: Steelcase wood veneer walls with 3Form Bear Grass Light (left), Steelcase Privacy Wall with wood veneer and ribbon glass (right)