Certificate of Research Excellence (CORE) is among design industry’s most important research awards.
HGA has received two Certificate of Research Excellence (CORE) recognitions from the Environmental Design Research Association (EDRA), acknowledging the firm’s commitment to improving user experiences in the built environment through evidence-based design.
The CORE research studies, conducted by an interdisciplinary team of designers, research specialists, and clients, include:
Reimagining the Employee Experience in a Manufacturing Plant
This study reimagined a 400,000 square-foot manufacturing plant in Minnesota as a place of wellbeing that strengthens a sense of community and pride for employees.
Through a mixed-method approach, the research team examined how the physical environment, workplace culture, and technology enable employees to do their best work.
Research questions included:
- What is leadership’s perception of the employee experience?
- What is the employee’s perception of their overall experience?
- What problems are significantly impacting employees’ experiences?
- How and where do employees feel motivation and pride in the plant?
- How do employees seek respite and recharge throughout their day?
- How do employees move about the plant?
- How can the design process engage and facilitate employee advocacy?
- What is the best way to foster collaboration among R&D and engineering?
HGA then identified a series of employee experiences to drive a five-year master plan that supports workplace processes and wellbeing.
Award: Certification
HGA Team: Adaheid Mestad, Ashley Macaulay, Mahshid Jalalian, Oshana Reich, Anoosha Baladi.
Client: Marvin®, Warroad, Minnesota
Reimagining the Workplace Environment for a Flexible Work Model
This research study examined HGA’s own employees’ perception of the workplace to plan a renovation of its Minneapolis office. By using its office as a pilot project, the team hoped to develop a data-based design process that they could use with other clients to redesign their workplaces.
The research included an employee survey with several open-ended questions:
- What are lasting effects the COVID-19 pandemic on remote work and workplace strategy (people, places, processes, and technology)?
- What will motivate people to return to the office?
- How will the design of office environment support flexible work preferences, policies, and procedures?
The study formalized an iterative design process to gather insight, develop a prototype, test and update the prototype, and finalize design solutions. HGA’s office redesign is now under construction, proceeding in phases along several floors as employees assume of hybrid workstyle.
Award: Certification
HGA Team: Kara Freihoefer, Sarah Berseth, Paula Storsteen, Renae Rich, Mahshid Jalalian.
Client: HGA, Minneapolis, Minnesota
About CORE
The EDRA Certificate of Research Excellence (CORE) is a professional certification that recognizes exceptional, rigorous, innovative, and impactful practice-based environmental design research studies.
EDRA CORE committee members included Amin Mojtahedi, Ph.D., Design Innovation Manager at HGA; Megan Cackett, Human Factors/UX Researcher at Google; and Danya Hakky, Ph.D., Interior Designer and Design Researcher at Perkins Eastman.
For more information, visit EDRA CORE.