Warren Distribution is a family-owned company with deep roots in its Omaha-based community that span more than 100 years. After spending decades in an undersized office, the company made the decision to transition their headquarters to a newly-revitalized historical building in the heart of downtown Omaha.
Warren Distribution wanted to celebrate the company’s culture and history while also attracting the next generation of top talent. The design team needed to integrate more than 100 employees with unique work styles into a creative and productive environment that honors the company’s character and historic identity.
The new 41,000 SF office celebrates the diversity of its employees, product lines, and business model by offering a variety of flexible work spaces that enable employees to choose where and how they work. Individual departments are organized with customized work stations and a series of collaboration areas to foster cross-departmental interaction. A diverse range of work spaces throughout the office moves beyond traditional office space to proactively address the needs of current and future employees and business demands.
As the new office was housed within an historical building listed on the National Register of Historic Places, all new elements had to be distinctly separate from the historic fabric of the original building. Any modifications to the existing space were highlighted in unique ways to celebrate the history of the building, the values of the company and its growth over the past century.
Each detail was executed with appreciation for its specifically-designed purpose. The result is an impressive office space that honors the history of the company, its community, and will serve as a creative, collaborative home base for years to come.
In order to provide a unified identity within the office, the design team utilized a consistent material palette of otherwise ordinary materials in unique ways. A combination of veneer plywood, steel, glass, and upholstery round out a material palette inspired by the company’s blue-collar culture and its roots within the automotive and agriculture industries. With the new office’s location within an historical building, the designers ensured that all new building elements were distinct and separate from the historic fabric of the original building. Any modifications were highlighted in unique ways and act as a form of branding. The new design celebrates both the history of the building as well as the history and growth of the company over the past century.
