An Architect’s Best Partner for Pushing the Boundaries of Office Design

The wide-format graphics business is seeing extraordinary technological advancements, particularly for print service providers (PSPs) who work with interior design and décor surfaces, as was highlighted in Wide-format Impressions’ recent article, “Opportunities in Surface Decorating.” Now, we take a closer look at how partnering with global architectural firms can help wide-format printers revolutionize office building design.
More than ever, post-pandemic companies seek to draw employees back to a physical office space. Considering how comfortable employees have become with remote work, that’s no easy task.

However, Chicago area-based ER2 Image Group and its Applied Surfaces division have seized the opportunity and are finding that the timing couldn’t be better.

How so? In some ways, there’s no going back to the office — at least the traditional office as it’s been previously defined.

People can’t merely see the office as a place to do work anymore. They have to see it as a place they can’t live without — one that energizes individuals, inspires teams, creates happiness, is designed for collaboration, and provides a genuine sense of belonging.

From the moment production started in August 2021, Applied Surfaces didn’t miss a beat, creating an environment that hundreds of employees for the world’s largest business networking platform can love coming to. | Credit: ER2 Image Group

Experimentation and Testing Defeat “Impossible” Office Design Challenges

More architects and designers are seeking a partner equally willing to test and experiment on new, distinctively different building materials to shift how people view office environments going forward radically. All of them being sustainable elements that reduce each client’s environmental footprint.

Yes, we’re talking about a serious raising of the bar on office design builds.

“A lot of architectural design firms that we deal with are looking to us to help spec certain materials, certain applications, and certain build methods,” says Jason Dillas, Managing Partner, Applied Surfaces. “In some cases, we do a ton of product development work.”

Whereas some are bound to view building materials as “impossible” to print on, the teams at ER2 and Applied Surfaces have had the experience to execute on some challenges. From two entire buildings housing the Omaha office of LinkedIn to the 450,000 sqft headquarters of Uber Freight with its regional headquarters for Uber Eats and Uber Rides. In the latter’s case, nothing came easy — but it did present ER2 with a new opportunity to prove itself to its architectural and design partners all over again.

The UBER Freight space truly tells the story of how Applied Surfaces group, a division of ER2 Image Group, worked with a global architecture firm and the client to create a space filled with groundbreaking interior design and environmental graphics. | Credit: ER2 Image Group

Architects and Designers Need the Ultimate Resourcefulness and Adaptability

COVID lockdowns and continuing supply chain issues have taught printers how we must be more resourceful than ever when faced with unforeseen difficulties. When we can successfully do so, we will position ourselves very well to architects and design firms throughout their high-profile office design projects.

Case in point: During a headquarters design project for Uber Freight, ER2 Image Group and Applied Surfaces battled COVID lockdowns that would cut the project’s timeline in half. If that weren’t enough, the project featured a variety of very uncommon, specified materials that appeared near impossible to obtain due to massive supply chain problems.

Even when those materials were received, there was yet another challenge of aligning the modern office design from a global architecture firm, Gensler, with a building over 100 years old, the Old Post Office in Chicago.

Instead of asking “what else could go wrong,” the teams of ER2 and Applied Surfaces worked hand-in-hand with the general contractor on the build, pushing production through to reach an incredible outcome: A breakthrough in new office design that Uber’s CEO would call its “most awesome office.”

Omaha office of LinkedIn | Credit: ER2 Image Group

Protection for the Architect and Designer’s Reputation

It’s no secret that those in architectural and design space value quality above all else, just as you do. After all, their reputation is on the line with every job.

“The key for wide-service print service providers like us at ER2 is to convey to architects and designers that we’re the best insurance for their reputation,” says Gary Schellerer, Jr., Vice President and Partner, ER2 Image Group. “That goes far beyond just having superior equipment. You have to illustrate how your talent and experience will consistently result in the living embodiment of what they envisioned — and maybe even more amazing than that.”

By showcasing your ability to embrace experimentation with new materials, engage in product development and pivot to another solution without sacrificing high standards, you can go a long way toward elevating your team’s profile for office design projects — whether it’s a global headquarters, regional office, local business, or on the other side of the world.

Uber Freight headquarters with its regional headquarters for Uber Eats and Uber Rides | Credit: ER2 Image Group