PENN1 Lessons Learned
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Review achievements and lessons learned

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  • Space

    • Our first talent and collaboration center purpose-built for the hybrid work era.
    • 59,000 square feet redesigned
    • From 150 assigned desks to supporting 300 individual seats
    • Significant real estate compression—twice as many people seated in half the space. The 6th floor has been vacated, and we only uses a single floor.
    • “Never feels crowded,” even when at capacity
    • Elasticity is easily supported, as a different number of people can show up on a day-by-day basis.

  • Technology

    • 100% PoE connected. This includes lighting, automated shades, and mechanical controls.
    • Occupancy measurement was powered by a combination of Meraki cameras, Wi-Fi access points, and Cisco Room Kits and Desk Hubs.
    • Continuous tracking of energy and sustainability data to optimize sustainability
    • 92 video collaboration areas across multiple sizes of space
    • Low voltage desks—USB powered for devices, lighting, and height adjustment

  • Outcomes

    • A net reduction in CapEx of 5% and another $250,000 in cost avoided by using PoE
    • LEED Silver Certification for Sustainability
    • WELL Health-Safety building certification
    • 5,000 data points for continuous building management and optimization

The PENN1 retrofit has been an amazing success. The seamless interaction and integration of lighting, shades, HVAC, and sensors has been key. While Cisco provides the foundational elements, it is our partnership with our smart building partners that makes it all work.”

Bob Cicero
Americas Smart Building Leader
Cisco

Challenges

While the result was a dynamic, energizing workspace that delivers on the promise of being a destination for workers that augments their work-from-home capabilities, the project wasn’t without its challenges.

Virtual design process

No one could have anticipated the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the most significant challenges was designing and planning the entire project virtually, including floor plans, blueprints, and even a 3D walk-through. The success of PENN1 is a testament to the seamlessness of collaborating virtually.

Construction delays

The pandemic caused significant delays in construction and disruptions in the building supply chain. The upside: No one was in the office during construction, so we didn’t have to move people out.

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Lessons learned (Expect the unexpected)

There were several unexpected issues that led to some lessons learned, including:

  • Some inspectors are not familiar with current technologies. Many building inspectors have not been exposed to things like PoE and how it can be used. Companies planning to use the technology in a similar way should not assume inspectors will be familiar with emerging technology and should be prepared to educate them.
  • Furniture selection required non-standard selections. One of the problems with traditional rectangular tables in video rooms is that people sitting straight look across the table and not at the camera. At PENN1, trapezoid-shaped tables were used, so all participants can be seen on camera and can look at each other.
  • A new method of reporting problems was needed. As users discovered problems, it wasn’t clear whether to report the issue to IT, facilities, or another department. We built trouble-reporting Webex Boards, so the problem wouldn’t linger for the next users. The system has “one-touch” reporting, where problems and types are reported to everyone that needs to be aware.
  • Make things easy. Workers will always choose the simplest solution, so making things easy will drive adoption. For example, we improved the traditional, complex hotdesking process by allowing users to place their mobile phone on a charger, which acts as the log-in mechanism.
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