When Fleet Bank realized that there was a need to institute new corporate office standards, its officers requested Whited Planning + Design to assist them in the project. The bank decided that it would be beneficial for fewer than 5% of their employees to occupy private offices rather than the 30+% of employees who previously had them. The elimination of offices with doors meant that we had to provide small meeting spaces that would still allow employees an opportunity to hold confidential conversations. We successfully increased the number of small meeting rooms for internal staff and directly off the elevators also provided ample conference rooms for client meetings. We eliminated the perimeter offices and thereby exposed the exterior windows. Employees were then able to enjoy their new access to the sunlight that had been blocked by the walls of private offices. Although in their bright new spaces some employees’ work areas were reduced from 250 square feet to 64 square feet, many were amazed at how much more efficient they were in their new space. Only one month after occupying his new space, one vice president confided to me, “I cannot believe how much more work I accomplish in my workstation than I did in my private office.” His comment certainly does illustrate the incredible adaptability of people. In addition to making the employees more comfortable and more productive, we created the monetory benefit of lowering real estate costs by accommodating approximately 20% more employees in the space.