The Arena Grand Theater gets a new life with this renovation to house Nationwide's Innovation space, The CoOperative.
The custom designed innovation pods were designed to be flexible to accommodate a variety of work styles. A fun fact, a total of 1,304 bolts were used to make up the pods.
With the challenge of the high volume spaces left over from the theaters, a total of 685 yards of acoustic paneling products were integrated into the spaces to balance out noise levels for a more appropriate functioning workplace environment.
To foster the creative work that takes place in this innovation space it was important to provide integrated places for workers to share ideas. 7,300 square feet of white board space is incorporated into the built environment.
What was once a state of the art theater tucked into the Arena District, is now home to The CoOperative, the innovation center for Nationwide Insurance. The theater was carefully re-purposed to keep the main circulation and amenity space elements in tact to help support a smart design program for the conversion into this new workplace. Office ‘neighborhoods’ are positioned off of the town hall gathering space, which was once the hub for the theater concessions. At the lower mezzanine level, a research lab has been created with a variety of research rooms to provide different vignettes for user experience observations. One of the theaters used for private party rentals was kept intact and functions today as a cinema style conference room where teams can pitch new ideas. The upper mezzanine level is dedicated to learning and training. The high volume of space from the theaters create a unique layering of views into the office neighborhoods where creative ideas are visible at all times. Natural light has been brought in through new window openings and skylights to help illuminate the neighborhoods, which were once spaces for movie viewing.
Abstract trees act as an illuminated landmark to welcome guests into the space.
What was once the ticket sales booth is now an inviting spot to greet guests as well as support informal meetings.
What is now the Town Hall space, provides centralized access to each of the office neighborhoods. Large massing of walls that once separated the theaters now act as a blank canvas for projecting large group presentations.
Open views from mezzanines above and the town hall space provide sightlines into the neighborhoods along with alternate spaces for work and play.
What was once a dark exit corridor is now opened up to provide access to both mezzanine levels along with showcasing the unique layering of views within the high volume space.
Custom designed team Pods are flexible to provide privacy or an open setting to showcase work. A variety of furniture configurations are available to each team to be able to adjust their work space as desired. Photography Credit: Kate Horgan
The Arena Grand Theater gets a new life with this renovation to house Nationwide's Innovation space, The CoOperative.
The 94-year-old Dispatch Building is arguably one of the most iconic structures in Downtown Columbus. Our team helped to transform the former daily newspaper headquarters — and recent addition to the Historic Register of Places — into a modern work space without losing its historic integrity.
When the Ohio Chamber of Commerce approached our team to design their new offices, they were in a unique spot. The Chamber owned their current office building, but were entertaining the idea of a move into the newly renovated, historic Dispatch Building. They loved its proximity to the Statehouse across the street, but weren’t sure if the space could fit all their needs.
About The Author
Molly Bryant - Interior Design
Molly is a NCIDQ certified interior designer here at the Columbus Architectural Studio. As an interior designer, Molly has a passion for creating spaces that solve problems and improve the overall environment to better support the end user. Molly values continuing education through design research. With a focus on creative and collaborative office environments in her graduate studies, she continues to apply this knowledge as a resource in workplace projects. No matter the size of the project, Molly gives her full attention to each client and is a firm believer that design is in the details. In addition to corporate office projects, Molly has design experience in hospitality, multi-family, and retail environments.