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Updated needs and shifting expectations in the modern workplace are putting increasing pressure on how offices are planned and scheduled across the industry. Organizations are seeking greater flexibility without disrupting daily operations, forcing project teams to rethink how spaces are delivered and how environments evolve. The long-standing assumption that employees would occupy assigned seats every day of the week has given way to a far more fluid pattern of workplace use. According to Gable, “The traditional model assumed everyone would be in the office five days a week, using assigned desks and scheduled conference rooms. Today’s reality shows Tuesday utilization peaks at 52% while Friday drops to just 28%—a pattern that demands completely different planning approaches”. These shifts require workplaces that can respond quickly to changing occupancy patterns, team structures, and collaboration needs.

Integrated architectural solutions are increasingly being used to address these pressures. However, the effectiveness of these systems depends not only on the products themselves but on how they are delivered, coordinated, and installed within the broader construction process. Without the right delivery model, even flexible architectural systems can introduce delays, confusion between trades, or unnecessary complexity during installation. A lack of coordination can result in misaligned layouts as well as delayed installs, and avoidable RFIs that could have been addressed earlier in the project timeline. When these issues surface later in the process, they often require more costly changes and must be resolved within tighter, less flexible schedules.

Henricksen’s Architectural Solutions Group (ASG) was established to help reduce this friction by bringing a more coordinated and construction-focused approach to workplace architectural elements. The team works to create a process that feels organized, predictable, and supportive for clients navigating increasingly complex workplace projects. This includes engaging in early planning conversations with all project stakeholders, participating in coordination meetings with architects and contractors, and aligning architectural systems with both new and existing furniture layouts. The group also works to account for MEP requirements and installation sequencing well before construction begins, helping identify and resolve potential issues early in the process.

According to Brian Homiak, Managing Director of Architectural Solutions at Henricksen: “We may operate under a furniture organization, but we are not furniture-minded. We are construction-minded”. By approaching architectural systems through the lens of construction coordination rather than product procurement, the group helps align furniture, architectural elements, and installation sequencing in a way that supports the overall project schedule.

This approach is particularly important in the major markets where Henricksen operates. Chicago and the broader Midwest remain a core region for the firm, where projects frequently combine integrated architectural solutions alongside furniture installations. Many of these projects occur within union labor environments and involve close coordination with large general contractor partners, making early planning essential to keep schedules on track and avoid costly RFIs. In New York, projects often take place within tighter floorplates and under strict landlord approvals, while compressed construction schedules require careful coordination with architects and contractors to ensure architectural systems such as demountable walls and integrated technology solutions can be delivered without slowing project timelines. Washington, DC, showcases another set of priorities, particularly for government, legal, and consulting clients, where privacy, acoustics, and flexibility are critical. In these environments, modular meeting spaces and integrated architectural systems allow organizations to adapt their spaces as teams grow, shift, or respond to evolving security needs.

Today, many existing office environments are revealing gaps in how they were originally designed. Large open-office layouts were often implemented without sufficient focus space, creating the need for more adaptable architectural solutions that balance collaboration with privacy and acoustic performance. Post-COVID workplace expectations have added another layer of complexity, particularly around technology integration. Meeting rooms must now support hybrid participation, clear acoustics, and seamless digital connectivity, transforming them into highly functional collaboration hubs rather than simple conference spaces.

Despite ongoing shifts in workplace attendance patterns, companies continue to invest in their physical environments. The focus of that investment, however, is changing. Rather than maximizing density, many companies are prioritizing amenities and interior environments that encourage employees to return to the office. Collaborative spaces, innovation zones, and areas designed for connection are receiving greater attention, while traditional head-down workspaces are often assumed to take place at home. As a result, workplace design is increasingly centered on creating environments that support collaboration, creativity, and shared experiences while remaining adaptable enough to evolve alongside the company.

The Role of Architectural Solutions in Modern Project Delivery

Shifting workplace patterns have also changed how organizations approach office space and the scale of their real estate commitments. According to insights from CBRE, “Due to structurally lower occupancy rates, large companies have scaled down their office use since 2020. As a result, the take-up volume of large office spaces (>1,500 sq m) has dropped from an average of 71.5% to 66.4%.” As companies reassess how much space they truly need, the focus has moved toward environments that are adaptable, performance-driven, and capable of evolving alongside changing workforce dynamics. Integrated architectural solutions allow organizations to reconfigure their spaces without the disruption of traditional construction.

Delivering these solutions successfully requires coordination that extends beyond product selection. Henricksen’s Architectural Solutions Group supports projects through a range of services, including 3D visualization, detailed installation drawings, project management, and coordination with certified union and non-union installation partners. This integrated approach helps align design intent with real-world construction requirements, ensuring that architectural systems function as intended once they are installed within the broader workplace environment.

The most effective time to engage the ASG team is early in the planning and test-fit phases, when project stakeholders are making key decisions around layout and integration. Bringing the team in before construction documents are finalized allows for better alignment across systems, helping identify potential conflicts early and reducing the need for costly adjustments later in the process.

Traditional delivery models often treat design and construction as separate, linear phases, with each stakeholder operating within a distinct scope. This fragmented process can lead to misaligned goals, a steady stream of RFIs, and delays as teams work to resolve issues that could have been addressed earlier through coordination. By the time these issues surface, project teams are often forced into reactive problem-solving, leading to tighter schedules, increased project costs, and compromises to the original design intent.

Henricksen’s approach centers on engaging earlier and coordinating across disciplines to reduce those risks. “Our job is to mitigate risk on everything,” says Homiak. “Rather than responding to a completed design, ASG advocates for the end user during planning, ensuring corridors, panel systems, and room configurations support long-term functionality.” By participating in early planning conversations, the team can help align spatial layouts, architectural systems, and operational needs before construction begins.

This early coordination extends across internal teams as well. Business development, design support, and project management collaborate from the beginning of each opportunity, allowing ASG to enter general contractor conversations proactively rather than reactively. These cross-functional teams provide layered oversight from specification through installation, ensuring continuity across each stage of the project.

The value of this approach becomes even clearer across our multi-market initiatives. During Baker Tilly’s national rollout, the Henricksen team managed several large projects simultaneously across different locations, providing the client with a more consistent experience from market to market. By maintaining centralized coordination while adapting to local project conditions, the team helped ensure that each office location reflected the same overall standards for quality, performance, and functionality.

Early Partnership: Avoiding Risk and Increasing Flexibility

Early coordination between project teams plays a critical role in reducing risk and maintaining flexibility throughout the process. Henricksen’s approach allows project managers to collaborate closely with contractors early in the timeline to identify opportunities for schedule compression or overlapping tasks. This can involve coordinating power and data locations with wall placement, aligning furniture layouts with room configurations, or identifying opportunities for parallel workstreams that allow installation to begin sooner. By aligning sequencing and responsibilities in advance, the team can help prevent delays and return valuable time to the customer.

Many of these workplace environments incorporate Allsteel’s architectural wall systems, which allow organizations to introduce enclosed offices, meeting rooms, and focus areas without relying on permanent construction. Henricksen is the largest dealer of Allsteel’s Beyond, Aspect, and Dimension wall solutions, offering a range of framed, frameless, and solid wall solutions that support both architectural and freestanding applications. These systems rely on a simplified kit-of-parts approach that allows components to be reconfigured over time, helping organizations adapt their environments without extensive renovation. This approach also reduces disruption and can lower long-term costs by minimizing the need for demolition, reconstruction, and repeated coordination across trades.

Today’s workplaces require spaces that support focus, collaboration, and privacy without compromise. Dimension addresses this need by eliminating the traditional tradeoff between acoustic privacy and visual connection. As a new glass office-front system, it solves a core challenge of glass walls by balancing both performance and transparency. Dimension delivers proven acoustic performance, refined aesthetics, and thoughtful engineering across a range of projects, reinforcing that value should never come at the expense of what matters most. At Henricksen, Allsteel’s Dimension is installed in the Milwaukee and DC offices and continues to gain traction across markets.

According to Homiak, “Early engagement with Allsteel via the ASG team means that we’re able to plan space together, working closely with customers and architects to discuss how the space will work day one, day 30, and day 365”. Looking beyond immediate installation needs allows teams to consider how a space may evolve.

An example of this approach can be seen in Henricksen’s work with Tishman Speyer, where the team partnered with Allsteel to develop a modular power solution that supported flexible coworking layouts while speeding up deployment. The system allowed every panel to plug into one another, creating a kit-of-parts solution where doors and panels could be interchanged as needs evolved. Carpet, MEP coordination, and electrical planning were designed from the outset to support reconfiguration without disruption, ensuring the space could adapt over time without requiring significant reconstruction.

The partnership between Henricksen and Allsteel also creates a more seamless experience for clients navigating complex workplace projects. Bob Batley, Director of Architectural Products at COFCO, a Henricksen Company, describes the collaboration as intentionally unified: “Clients don’t even see this, which is what I think is the best part of it. Where does Henricksen’s work stop, and Allsteel’s work begin? We really come to the client as a unified solution. The sum is better than the parts.”

Continuous communication between ASG and Allsteel’s customer service, project management, and procurement teams helps support this unified approach. By providing visibility into upcoming orders and project timelines, the teams are able to begin pre-engineering efforts and material procurement earlier in the process. This level of coordination helps accelerate project schedules while reducing the risk of delays caused by supply chain uncertainty or late-stage design adjustments.

This coordinated approach was also demonstrated during Henricksen’s work on Siemens’ Halifax location. The project was delivered on schedule and within budget through close coordination with Allsteel and a proactive, integrated project strategy. The team navigated a number of complexities, including new leadership, shifting tariffs, cross-border logistics, a remote location roughly ten hours from the nearest certified installer, and transactions across dual currencies. Live design sessions allowed stakeholders to review functional layouts and renderings remotely, while coordination between certified installers and the project manager ensured every detail, from delivery through installation, remained aligned and executed smoothly.

Delivery at Scale Without Losing the Human Element

As workplace expectations continue to evolve, with 66% of workers seeing the office primarily as a place for collaboration, according to Density, organizations increasingly require architectural solutions that can scale without sacrificing human touch. ASG demonstrates this capability, having deployed on over 400 projects per year while staying engaged with clients post-installation. Clients have a direct point of contact for ongoing support, enabling them to request reconfigurations, service, or guidance as their needs change—without restarting the process from scratch. From service calls and warranty questions to reconfigurations, upgrades, and refreshes, ASG ensures that spaces can grow and shift as an organization does. When tenants need rapid modifications, walls can be removed or reconfigured overnight, with ASG managing storage, reinstallations, and on-demand services seamlessly.

A key differentiator is the ASG’s emphasis on local expertise. By providing consistent support across markets, the team allows clients to work with professionals who understand the project site, construction partners, and what success looks like for each project. As Bob Batley explains, “We have a local touch and a national support. We hire people who know the market, the site, and the trusted networks. When clients need that extra ‘oomph,’ we can leverage the full team to get it done. Whether it’s pulling in designers or project managers from across the company, we can deploy resources quickly and effectively.” This combination of local knowledge and national resources ensures that client needs are met efficiently while maintaining high standards for quality and service.

This can be seen in Henricksen’s work with Arkema. For this project, the team improved the client experience by improving scheduling, communication, and logistics compared to a major competitor. Because the client wanted a space that matched the high standards of their global headquarters in Paris, the ASG team phased the project, walked through construction early, and created mock-ups with final finishes so stakeholders could see, touch, and experience the space. This method minimized revisions and ensured alignment across all teams.

Similarly, for Wilson Elser and a confidential professional services client, ASG created program-wide pricing and documentation to simplify procurement and maintain standards across multiple sites.

What Clients Gain From a Strong Architectural Solutions Partner

Partnering with a knowledgeable architectural solutions provider delivers clear benefits for every stakeholder, from architects and designers to general contractors and end-users. For architects and designers, ASG offers a deep respect for the design vision and expertise in translating that vision into reality. Teams receive clear detailing and coordination at critical project intersections, along with guidance on acoustics, accessibility, and constructibility.

While this approach is often associated with large, complex projects, the same principles apply across a wide spectrum, from single-floor renovations to multi-market rollouts. By serving as a bridge between creative vision and practical implementation, Henricksen’s Architectural Solutions Group becomes a trusted partner rather than just a vendor, capable of delivering scalable solutions that adapt to each project’s unique scope and complexity.

General contractors also benefit from working with the ASG. Predictable sequencing, fewer RFIs, and reduced surprises keep projects on track and on schedule. Coordinated collaboration with certified installers ensures that construction moves smoothly, giving contractors confidence that the ASG will not be the weak link in the construction chain. This reliability allows contractors to focus on the broader scope of work, knowing that the architectural solutions component is managed with precision and professionalism.

End-users, too, see tangible advantages. Spaces are delivered quickly, designed for adaptability, and supported over time by a partner committed to standing behind the work. With flexibility planned from the outset, walls, rooms, and configurations can evolve as organizational needs change, without major disruption. Education is embedded throughout the process: we do not simply deliver a product, but explain why performance decisions matter and how they impact long-term usability.

Batley’s analogy captures the ethos of the ASG approach: “I view my job as a Sherpa… We take the risk, and we get you there and back safely. This is a service-based organization—clients over projects. We aren’t trying to sell extra linear feet of walls; we focus on delivering safe, reliable outcomes for the client.” By prioritizing service, reliability, and long-term performance, ASG ensures that every project delivers value to all stakeholders while keeping the human element at the center of the process.

What Sets Henricksen’s Architectural Solutions Group Apart

Workplace design continues to play a decisive role in attracting and retaining talent, with 55% of surveyed employees agreeing with the statement, “my company’s office design and amenities had a positive impact on my decision to accept my job offer” (Density). Our ASG stands out by unifying a set of capabilities that are often delivered separately: integrated team models, deep architectural product expertise, trusted manufacturer partnerships, and national scale paired with a local accountability presence.

At the heart of our approach is the belief that good environments support good work. Clients value predictability, flexibility, and long-term support, all of which are embedded in the team’s process. By understanding contractor language, architectural detailing, performance metrics, and technical sequencing, the ASG can move fluidly between stakeholders, ensuring that projects run smoothly from design through installation. Future planning is integrated into every project, with modular environments designed to evolve alongside organizational needs, minimizing disruption and supporting long-term success.

Consistency and continuity define our client relationships. As Batley notes, “We focus on replicating success across projects, ensuring that the first experience a client has sets a standard for every subsequent engagement. It’s about continuity, predictability, and delivering value over time.” These relationships underscore a philosophy that Henricksen is less about one-off projects and more about being a partner as workplaces evolve.

Looking ahead, Henricksen will continue to refine our approach, leveraging lessons learned across markets to deliver spaces that balance innovation, functionality, and human-centered design. By combining technical expertise, strategic foresight, and an unwavering focus on client experience, our Architectural Solutions Group ensures that every project delivers lasting value while maintaining the personal touch that sets it apart.