urbanMSP

I was thinking the same thing. I'm not really into anyone messing around with a space that Philip Johnson designed. But if it's a simple and respectful entrance it would be OK.

It was finished in 1973, the same year as Riverside Plaza, which is on the NRHP, so apparently not. I also think it's a good idea.

Surprising as it might seem, but we have already had one tug of war about renovation to the IDS Crystal Court. Back in what I believe was the early 80's Oxford Properties wanted to rearrange the court and move and get rid of a few escalators. Needless to say that went over like a turd in a punch bowl with a majority if the population. They wanted change things to allow for more rentable space I think their angle was. But the city would not approve and there were other obstacles that pretty much made them decide it would cost them more to legally fight it and have people boycotting the building if they tried it.

Not sure if Oxford ever did anything or if Brookfield came in later and did the current reno that spruced up the interior entrance to the IDS elevator banks, replaced the leaking skylights of the court, they added those olive trees, and they added the water feature from the ceiling which Johnson had proposed back when they built it. Think they did a few other things that don't come to mind at the moment. If I got something wrong please correct me as I'm trying to think back 30 years at least.

A correction to my above post. The IDS was renovated in 1997 by Tilka Design when the IDS lost a major tenant. Might have been when the Ameriprise building opened up and Ameriprise moved from IDS into their new tower. So about 20 years after it first opened if got a face lift. With it being about 20 years again, the new owners, the Beacon Group, is looking to give it another shot of Botox to help keep it current and looking great. Doing things to increase their DEED standards for energy savings.

The elevator lobby and elevator alterations were pretty unfortunate. I believe the granite surrounds were added, and they just look plunked on to the travertine walls. They also removed the wire mesh/wire cloth from the interiors of each car (the doors in the lobby still have it).

The entrance on Nicollet doesn't seem all that special, but that's sort of the point, right? Beauty in simplicity.

I think the current one is flat with 4-5 revolving doors. Can't remember if it has a double entry for a thermal break.

It's just the revolving doors and then you're in/out. As for the rest of the entrance, I'm trepidatious about big, structural changes. The one side of the entry is more airy incorporating the IDS "zogs" and it helps that the men's clothing store opened up more of their windows to see inside. Other side is a flat, right angle onto the Mall with opaqued windows from the Kids Gap (I think it was). Plus, that portion is also tucked under the skyway, which makes it a tad morose in conjunction with the opaqued windows.

It's just the revolving doors and then you're in/out. As for the rest of the entrance, I'm trepidatious about big, structural changes. The one side of the entry is more airy incorporating the IDS "zogs" and it helps that the men's clothing store opened up more of their windows to see inside. Other side is a flat, right angle onto the Mall with opaqued windows from the Kids Gap (I think it was). Plus, that portion is also tucked under the skyway, which makes it a tad morose in conjunction with the opaqued windows.

A significant portion of the open area in on the mall side of the doors tend to be blocked off during the winter because of falling ice. Perhaps they have in mind some way of protecting pedestrians from the ice.

Noticed this locked article

A big appetite for co-working space will continue to drive downtown Minneapolis office development, particularly as companies seek to emulate a communal feel for their employees.

Read more: http://finance-commerce.com/2015/09/co- ... z3mUeyWOX2

Perkins+Will said their new office will have 50 non-assigned work spaces with no hierarchical restrictions. Co-work type spaces seem to be the newest trends and it looks to have people moving to the cities.

Perkins+Will said their new office will have 50 non-assigned work spaces with no hierarchical restrictions. Co-work type spaces seem to be the newest trends and it looks to have people moving to the cities.

I must be entering old-fart age, because I just hate this trend and personally want it to reverse a bit. It's really to the point where people are thrown at 7th Grade fold-up lunch tables. I don't expect Mad Men style spacious suites, but I would appreciate some degree of privacy. I suppose I could go the office's Zen Grotto and put a bean bag chair over my head.

Haven't there been studies that it's really not a very good environment for doing work? Where I work, in IT, there keep being rumors that maybe someone is thinking about putting us all in that kind of coworking space and we're all pretty aghast at the idea. Sure, have lots of collaborative space where people can get together and work together, but I think at the end of the day, no matter the job, you need some place to and hide out in and actually get stuff done.

Haven't there been studies that it's really not a very good environment for doing work? Where I work, in IT, there keep being rumors that maybe someone is thinking about putting us all in that kind of coworking space and we're all pretty aghast at the idea. Sure, have lots of collaborative space where people can get together and work together, but I think at the end of the day, no matter the job, you need some place to and hide out in and actually get stuff done.

Two of my coworkers decided to share an office space. They hardly get any work done any more...

-1 to hating open office plans. Doubly so during fantasy football season.

I work in a cube farm. But there is one guy who chats all day long. He does about 50% work of the average. It's frustrating to the rest of us.

If we all were in a cowork space, I see less being accomplished.

I work in a cube farm. But there is one guy who chats all day long. He does about 50% work of the average. It's frustrating to the rest of us.

If we all were in a cowork space, I see less being accomplished.

In a few niche professions, this co-work thing may be beneficial. I see it as a fad that will be over in a few years once productivity number start to show a concrete trend of downward productivity.

Don't get me wrong, I think you should be social at work! No one is asking you to be locked to your desk never saying anything to anyone that isn't work related. That would not be a good work environment.

Another thing about these cowork spaces... Is that I am a neat, organized person. This trait is not shared by all. It would be like college dorms all over again. Roll the dice and hope for a good one. Haha

I do hope it's a trend that never reaches my office space.

Unless the wheels fall off of the economy, we're going to be swinging into an environment where companies are competing hard to get the best employees. If I'm looking at a company, and they tell me I have to "hotel" or "hot-desk" or whatever the term is these days, I'm going to probably look elsewhere. I know this is sold as a trend to encourage synergy and collaboration (blah blah blah), but the dirty secret is that it's a way to save on real estate costs.

Of course, I do not fall into the coveted millennial demographic, so...

Yes, I get the most done when I can work by myself in my office without distractions. I like to close my door for phone calls and generally appreciate my own semi-private space. I'm not sure who these millennials are who want this, but I suspect this trend will be widely seen as a mistake fairly soon.

MNdible, you are correct in one of the biggest reason is to reduce the SF that a company has to rent for office space. The real test will be if the lost productivity costs are more than the real estate savings. I'm still one that think this is for niche groups, and it will fad away in the next few years for general office environments.

http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/b ... enter.html

“With this relocation, we are re-inventing how Lindquist operates internally to make us more productive and responsive,” Lindquist Managing Partner Dennis O’Malley said in a news release. "Specifically, our new space will be more cost effective and easier to reconfigure to meet future change.”

The new offices will let people meet spontaneously, interact, and share ideas, either face-to-face or through technology, the law firm said. The flexible space will also have individual offices for private and uninterrupted thinking and writing.

I can say after working out of my Timbuk2 bag for about a year, having a space that is yours where you can keep your... stuff, is great. There's also a lot of benefit in doing things like setting up my monitors at my desk in a way I like. I imagine there are a lot of jobs where you've got a ton of stuff on the screen at once, and a single laptop screen is limiting. There'd need to be full docking stations setup in every office for that kind of deep uninterrupted work.

I think I'd be curious to read positive accounts of that type of setup from actual employees, maybe it's just a certain kind of person or profession where it works.