The workplace is changing: from ambitious start-ups to well-established corporations, offices are evolving from traditional enclosed layouts to support a more “open” culture. Loyola Marymount University (LMU) understood this shift and sought to adapt their workplace while accommodating the growth of two of the University’s most vital administrative departments—University Advancement, which coordinates the school’s fundraising efforts, and Marketing & Communications, home of LMU’s award-winning university magazine.

The plan is organized as a campus within a building. Circulation paths organize and link larger communal spaces and also act as buffers between the perimeter glass windows and workspaces, providing all employees with equal access to light and views. The two departments share a central conference room, meeting rooms, and pantry spaces. Groupings of open workstations are divided and supported by enclosed spaces that house private phone rooms, technical spaces, and private offices for employees working on sensitive information. The plan works as a whole to provide a variety of spaces and functions unique to the two departments.

The use of exposed concrete flooring and exposed building systems is complemented by the warm tones of the workstations’ oak surrounds and the ancillary furniture textiles. Photographs from the Marketing & Communications department are featured throughout the space, depicting the many departments, sports, and activities that make up the LMU campus.

The overall open office layout concept is designed to be replicated throughout other various administrative departments in LMU’s University Hall—a building which was formerly the headquarters for the Hughes Aircraft Company, and originally designed by SOM.