18
/ BUILDING DIALOGUE / SEPTEMBER 2016
by
Kimberly MacArthur Graham
M
ention a turnkey sublease, and “unique” and “brand-
ed” are not typically the first descriptors that come
to mind. Efficient? Yes. Cost-effective? Sure. But in
this issue’s End User column, the team responsible for
Sunrun’s fresh new Denver space demonstrates that with
a strategic approach, a lot of creativity and flexibility – and
a bit of psychology – you really can have it all.
The Experts:
Cullen McGuire,
Project Executive – Rand Construction
Shawn Murphy,
Senior Director of Real Estate – Sunrun
Richard Smith,
Principal – IA Interior Architects
Megan Walsh, LEED AP BD+C,
Principal – Catalyst Planning
Group
QUESTION: How was Sunrun able to uniquely brand a
turnkey sublease with a tenant improvement project in a
previous company’s built environment?
Shawn Murphy:
Our initial explora-
tion was, “As Sunrun, how do we really
work?” From there, it naturally fell into
place and became more of a “refresh.”
Through new paint, modified furnish-
ings, carpet and branding – the space went
from prescribed to personalized.
Richard Smith:
To make the space unique
for Sunrun, we reimagined it and re-
moved all of the previous client’s
branding, including the red carpet tiles,
wall color and seat cushions, which re-
flected the previous occupant’s logo color.
We put in blue to represent Sunrun’s logo
and brand.
Megan Walsh:
There is a new norm for in-
creased headcount and density. Was there
a disparity between that and what the
existing space offered?
SM:
We inherited the space and its nu-
ances, good, bad or indifferent. It’s the
nature of the industry, too – as a renew-
able utility, we’re a little scrappier now –
but we see continued long-term growth.
MW:
A more typical solution for moving
employees into an existing space might
have been benching as a workplace solu-
tion. Why did you take on a more traditional workstation
environment instead?
SM:
Everywhere else, we’re benching with approximately
30 square feet for each employee to sit or stand. However,
the cost to implement that would have tripled versus us-
ing the existing system already in place at the sublease.
Plus, the HVAC and MEP systems couldn’t have handled
the density, so we were constrained by that engineering
metric, as well.
MW:
“Refresh” really is a good way to describe this, as a lot
of the project was not actually construction per se. Many
nonconstruction work streams were given minor updates
or simply reused, like repurposing the existing Herman
Miller components of the workstations, but making them
more trend-forward by incorporating glass panels and
lighter materials.
RS:
There was a lot of reuse, which ties into Sunrun’s en-
vironmental approach. Given their renewable energy busi-
ness platform, sustainability was a grounding point for the
project.
SM:
Yes, it’s definitely part of our business model as well
as our core culture.
QUESTION: What were some of the priorities in Sunrun's
sublease project and how were those implemented into the
overall project?
MW:
You’ve said that Sunrun’s shared values informed
the finished space. How so?
SM:
Well, the project’s extensive reuse of materials re-
flects our environmental values – but we applied other
corporate values, too, like adaptability and being inventive.
Plus, we have a lot of millennial workers and they are
accustomed to amenities such as phone rooms, huddle
zones and community areas. We created both social zones
and collaboration areas. It’s great because now I see groups
simply rolling their chairs together and meeting.
As added pressure, this was our first rollout and pilot
project. While this project was going on, Sunrun had 20
concurrent builds either happening or planned across the
U.S. This sublease helped us define the standards for the
others. We were forced to ask ourselves tough questions
about how we worked and what our work environment
should be. These questions, and the resultant answers, in-
formed our new environment.
MW:
Given that this was a phased occupancy, we essen-
tially had an occupied renovation project on our hands.
How did this impact the construction work from a general
contractor’s perspective given that you had three teams to
report to – the landlord, the sublease entity and Sunrun
themselves ?
Cullen McGuire:
We were working in
an occupied, finished space 100 percent
of the project’s duration, plus the open
stairs were an added coordination point.
Since it was already a finished space,
Sunrun started moving in on Day 1. You
have to be very clear about the true exist-
ing conditions and have a very clear scope
of work. You also have to ensure safety first
and deliver a clear phasing plan to accom-
modate those working within the space, while still com-
plying with building rules and regulations. It takes a lot of
careful planning and tight communication.
MW:
I watched this project take shape and appreciated
your consultative approach. In a lot of ways, construction
was the easy part. By layering and sequencing the project
schedule, you outsmarted the existing conditions from a
cost and schedule perspective.
CM:
Developing a comprehensive price for a complete
build-out is easy in comparison, but we estimate that by
working around what was here, we saved about 80 percent
of the construction cost.
MW:
As a sublease, you clearly want to modify only what
End Users
Shawn Murphy
Richard Smith
Cullen McGuire
Megan Walsh
