IRVINE, CA—Different degrees of open space in anoffice environment are acceptable to differentfirms, and it's the design team's job to determine the which degreematches the clients' needs best, Heidi Hendy,founding principal of H. Hendy Associates, tellsGlobeSt.com. But a uniting force behind all degrees of open-spacework environments is the need for engagement among staffmembers.

As GlobeSt.com reported in May, the locally based interiorarchitecture firm has completed the construction of MonsterEnergy's new headquarters building at 1010Railroad St. in Corona, CA. The firm designed theworkspace to bring the energy-drink manufacturer'sextreme-sports-focused “unleash the beast” brand to life, and theproject began with Hendy studying and fully grasping the firm'sculture before the design process began.

“The design firms need to establish the client's culturalthreshold before putting them in any environment,” Hendy says. “I'mvery passionate about the thread between what we do for a livingand what we do for our clients. We need to spend more timeunderstanding the needs of our clients, their culture and theirleadership style.”