Campus & community, Campus news

Campus invited to tour the offices of the future on Thursday

By Public Affairs

Rare are the times when a UC Berkeley employee walks in to a suite of administrative offices and is moved to say, “I love what you’ve done with this space.” But, that may be changing, if recent developments in the office of campus CFO Erin Gore take hold across the university.

New offices in University Hall

A modernized space in University Hall.

Last year Gore’s boss, Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance John Wilton, set as a priority better collaboration within and among units in his organization. One result is a new workspace in Gore’s office that incorporates a modern, open floor plan designed to change how people and departments communicate and collaborate.

The modernization is ready to be shown off, and the campus community is invited to tour some of the newly reorganized areas during an Open House from 2 to 5 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 25. Work spaces on the ground, first and sixth floors of University Hall and on the ground floor of Warren Hall will be open. Light refreshments will be served.

As visitors will see, the project has improved space utilization on all four floors across both buildings. Human Resources was able to move from leased space to the first floor of University Hall, saving the campus millions of dollars. Work groups formerly housed in private offices now share open-plan suites and joint common spaces such as conference rooms, mail and copier facilities. According to Gore and Wilton, people working in the remodeled areas report that better access to colleagues has made communication and collaboration easier, strengthening decision-making and problem-solving.