Gresham Smith has realized the design of the Schneider Electric offices, an energy and automation digital solutions company, located in Nashville, Tennessee.

When Schneider Electric sought to create world class facilities in Nashville, Boston, Calgary and Dallas through a variety of consolidations, they called on Gresham Smith. Our goal was to create alignment between business, culture and workplace that provides an experience. Through our design, Schneider has been able to build more productive, collaborative and inspired workplaces that have led to increased employee engagement and retention.

Tethered No More!
Located in Franklin, Tennessee, Schneider Electric’s Nashville hub represents the largest deployment of their “Workplace of the Future” strategy. Our activity-based design solutions and guidance effectively supported their change in office culture from assigned seating to 80% of their workforce moving to a free-address environment. This mostly free-address system allows staff to work from anywhere inside or outside of the building that best supports their productivity without being unnecessarily tethered to a specific location.

The consolidation of Schneider Electric’s Middle Tennessee office locations into the Nashville hub has reduced their real estate by 45%, significantly increased employee engagement, and maintained their high retention rate. The flexible work arrangements and mobility tools deployed as part of the workplace strategy have also enabled Schneider Electric to move successfully to a remote workforce in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, and will aid in the company’s phased re-entry back into the workplace.

Hub-bout It!
The Nashville hub’s communicating stairs connect the centralized hubs on each floor encouraging activity, and allowing employees to move freely and easily throughout the space. The hubs have become popular destination zones in which employees from different departments can mix and mingle, creating new synergies, and connecting colleagues who may have never run into each other in the previous workplace.

Open, Bright & Collaborative
The Middle Tennessee project is a fit-out of 150,000 square feet of the Two Franklin Park office building in Cool Springs. Encompassing six floors, the new headquarters includes an innovation hub that showcases Schneider’s leading-edge technology, some of which is incorporated into the design.

The new HQ also houses research and development, a data center, training facilities, formal and informal meeting spaces, multipurpose work cafes, and a range of workstations that offer employees the flexibility to work in an environment that best suits their individual workstyles. Open, bright and collaborative, Schneider Electric’s Nashville hub highlight’s the company’s eco-structure and brand while revitalizing their office environment.

Keeping Those Views
The 27th floor offered the unique opportunity of window walls on all four facades, providing stunning vistas of the Boston area. One of the main design drivers was to maintain the views in all directions—a challenge given Schneider Electric’s use of technology. While maintaining an abundance of natural light, our design successfully integrates the required power, data, screens and cords without sacrificing the existing panoramas.

An Inspired Place to Work
We incorporated modern design principles and amenities into the Boston City hub that not only help create a more inclusive workspace, but also support flexibility, innovation and an enhanced digital experience. The end result is an energizing workplace that inspires both creativity and productivity.

Fun, Unique & Innovative
Serving as a strong design partner, Gresham Smith is proud to provide Schneider Electric with workplace design solutions that support the organization’s employees and distinctive corporate culture. By understanding who they are and what they do, our fun, unique and innovative spaces help this global energy management leader in their mission to harness the power of the “Internet of Things” to achieve greater levels of efficiency, sustainability and energy savings.

Design: Gresham Smith
Photography: Brian Robbins

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