From the birth of Batman to the first television, there’s no doubt the workplace has changed since the beginning of Continental Office in 1939. In Columbus, we were cheering for The Columbus Bullies, our pro-football team, as the last interurban trains were pulling out of the city. Since our humble beginnings 80 years ago, we’ve grown significantly, while expanding our business to Pittsburgh and Toledo.

Earlier this year, we announced an exciting multi-year partnership as the Proud Work Environment Partner of the Columbus Blue Jackets. This partnership is highlighted by the CO Lab, a creative collaboration center and modern meeting room created by our team at Continental Office.

If these walls could talk, what would they say? Transforming older buildings and repurposing them into something new, known as adaptive reuse, is the latest buzz-worthy renovation trend that is influencing how we look at design.

Let’s go shopping for your dream workspace. What’s inside? Floor to ceiling glass walls for an open office feel? A chestnut mezzanine where you greet your clients? Let’s ring up your choices and see exactly how your finished space takes form and precisely how much it will cost. The best part—your space is completed faster than it takes to order a chair.

No, this isn’t a pitch for a new HGTV show. It’s prefabricated construction—our not-so-secret superpower that puts traditional construction timelines to shame.

How to Foster Wellness in the Workplace

Employees who are physically active have lower healthcare costs, require less sick leave, and are more productive at work, according to a report prepared by John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. There is no “one size fits all” program, but there are several ways to foster wellness for employees. It starts with a positive company culture, followed by the physical space and environment, and then reinforcing healthy habits and lifestyles.

We talk a lot about the importance of the associate experience. It's important to create a positive one. That's why the associate experience is our #1 priority here at Continental Office. It affects all generations, but, in speaking with Gen Z specifically, they have some concerns. In fact, they have expressed a bit of apprehension that their future work environment won't reflect their own ethics and values. But why? A major source of this uneasiness is some believe there will be differences in ethics and morals across generations. See what our own interns, including myself,  from The Ohio State University have to say. 

Who is Gen Z? Are they really that different than other generations in the workplace? Do we need to plan differently and consider what their expectations will be as they continue to enter the full-time workforce? The answer is undoubtedly yes! It’s an exciting time, because for the first time in modern history, five generations now coexist in the workplace. In fact, by next year, Gen Z will account for 20% of the workforce. We spoke with our Gen Z interns from The Ohio State University to get their take on entering the workforce and how they think about space. 

If these walls could talk, what would they say? The process of taking existing structures and turning them into modern facilities is the hottest trend in development right now. It's called adaptive reuse and it's changing the way we create meaningful spaces. Over the past ten years in the US alone, there's been more than 40,000 adaptive reuse projects.

Designing a new or remodeled office can be kind of a rollercoaster. First, there’s that long, stuttering climb toward a firm decision to take action. Then suddenly you’re on top in the sunlight, surveying the glowing possibilities spread before you like candles on a birthday cake.

Nature; we can see it, touch it, smell it and hear it. We are surrounded by it everywhere we go. Yet, we often don’t see it being a necessity within our work environment. Most commonly, a planting strategy is simply not incorporated within the design budget from the early project stages on. However, this paradigm is shifting because the impact of planting is significant. A large contribution to this is the increase of overall well-being of employees and the reduction of absenteeism in the workplace, which, conservatively speaking, often reaches more than 30% ⁽¹⁾ after the introduction of planting according to research.