1800 Sherman Construction Update; Hot-Desking Plans Continue
The 1800 Sherman renovation project is moving ahead after Facilities received the fire alarm permits earlier this morning. Next, Facilities is preparing for fire alarm testing the week of December 2. While we await these tests and final inspection, we cannot open the entire second floor to staff use. From a timing perspective—and this is subject to change pending the results of the alarm tests—we are discussing the possibility of first-floor construction beginning as early as December 5. With that work scheduled for four weeks, we will not be kicking off our hot-desking environment until after the new year.
Despite the permit and construction delays Facilities ran into, preparations have been continuing for our hot-desking environment. Below are some updates since the October Take 5 update.
Second Floor Access—Only quadrant one (the area near conference room 252) of the second floor is approved for occupancy. No one is allowed to access other parts of the second floor, as it remains an active construction zone awaiting permitting and final inspection. Conference room 252 is available for those temporarily assigned to quadrant one. Staff from the first and sixth floors should only visit the second floor for scheduled meetings in this room. Signage has been added to reinforce these restrictions.
Staff Work Group Efforts—Our dedicated staff group has been actively addressing various aspects of our workspace. They have been involved in discussions about lighting preferences—with a focus on balancing overhead lighting and individual desk lighting—options for distributing locker assignments, feedback on totes that will be available to staff to carry items to and from lockers, and the group is providing input on the “Working Together” document that will offer guidelines for a successful hot-desking environment.
Web Cam Update—In response to feedback from the staff, we updated our standard workspace equipment to include web cams. We will ensure all new monitors will come with embedded cameras. This ensures that every office and workspace is equipped with the necessary tools for effective communication and collaboration.
Next Steps
We will continue to send updates and host drop-in calls with directors and managers to walk them through current information, outline the next steps, and address any questions. Always feel free to ask your department head for the latest updates.
Discussions around plans for vacating the sixth and seventh floors of 1800 Sherman continue. A final round of clean-up efforts will be necessary to ensure we are ready to vacate these floors when floors one and two are completed.
We will be back next month with another update. Until then, anyone with questions about the construction efforts or the space planning initiative—feedback is always welcome, too—is encouraged to talk with their manager or email the NUITWorkplaceFeedback@northwestern.edu inbox.