Gresham Smith, a top-ranked architecture, engineering and design firm with more than $290 million in annual gross revenue and 26 offices across the United States, is excited to announce that it has completed the design of its new Birmingham, Alabama, office space, and employees have moved into the new space in the Five Points neighborhood.
Gresham Smith has had a presence in Birmingham since 1979. The firm’s new offices now occupy 9,800 square feet on the second floor of 2222 Arlington. The new space, which features a hybrid, free-address/unassigned workstation model, allows employees to work from different locations based on who they’re teaming with, what project they are working on, or simply what surroundings they prefer to work in.
As part of the firm’s design approach, Gresham Smith’s team of workplace designers surveyed employees to better understand how, and in what types of environments, they prefer to work. In addition, the office features a mural that references the iconic Vulcan statue, a revered symbol in Birmingham. The world’s largest cast iron statue, standing at 56 feet tall, depicts Vulcan, the Roman god associated with fire and the forge.
More specifically, the new design features:
- Neighborhoods with “quiet” and “active” zones that enable effective, focused work when needed that allows for engaged teamwork when preferred.
- A variety of individual work spaces beyond a simple desk.
- Collaborative spaces that work for small, midsized and large groups.
- Shared design resource areas.
- A work cafe/hub amenity space.
“This is one of our firm’s first offices that has been designed to support and align with the post-pandemic needs of a hybrid remote/in-office workstyle,” said Rodney Chester, CEO and Board Chair of Gresham Smith. “To design the new space, we pulled from our decades of experience and our latest research on what employees expect from their work environment now that they’ve returned to the office. The result is a vibrant space that features a variety of neighborhoods and environments designed for our employees’ needs, whether they’re collaborating, focused on heads-down work or simply spending time together.”
Gresham Smith specializes in providing architecture, engineering and interior design services for Healthcare, Transportation and Water + Environment clients in the Birmingham area, including UAB Medicine, Encompass Health Corporation, Blue Bell, Alabama Department of Transportation, City of Birmingham Water Works Board, and Jefferson County Department of Environmental Services. Active in civic and community groups, the firm proudly supports numerous local organizations including the United Way of Central Alabama.
