ONE WORKPLACE L. FERRARI Milpitas, California, USA ONE WORKPLACE L. FERRARI originated as a bookstore in San Jose in 1925. Grown to include stationery and office supplies, it became one of the largest firms in Silicon Valley in the 1990’s, dealing office furniture mainly by Steelcase. Yet thinking that staying put as a furniture dealer could not maintain its growth in a fast changing business environment, the company decided to carry out a large scale restructuring, with goals to realign themselves as a solution provider and to expand as a global corporation. An old warehouse building was divided into two areas. 30,000 ft2 of it had a floor added and was converted to an office space of 55,000 ft2. The remainder of the building was kept as a warehouse space. Individual workspace is defined by a furniture system independently supported by poles and beams. Its user can adjust to open or close the space with a curtain, and relocation is effortless. The system was chosen to accommodate the flexible team structures. Each team space has a free address space in the center, used frequently for team sessions. Most furniture is on castors, for immediate reconfigurations and relocations to take place with the organizational or team restructuring. Anywhere in the office, a whiteboard hangs from the beam, ready for on-the-spot meeting at any time and place. CEO and other executives' cubicles are located in the center of the first floor, an area with high traffic, allowing more opportunities of communication between executives and employees. All furniture, workstyle and values of the employees rigorously demonstrate the services and ideas the company offers. The office itself is a living catalog and a real-time simulation. ONE WORKPLACE L. FERRARI           Location: Milpitas, California, USA     Move-In Date: 1998.9     Floor Area: 149,000 ft2     Workforce: 300     Building Design: N/A     Interior Design: Gensler     Interview Date: 2000.6