Denver West Reception Area

Case Study: Keller Williams Denver West

A story of efficiency and growth

At a Glance

Client: Keller Williams Realty Denver West

Location: Golden, Colorado

Client since: 2005

Project goal: Relocate an existing real estate market center to an upgraded building with adequate parking and potential for growth. The new location already had most of the exterior offices in place. The goal was to reconfigure the office suite to attain the client's vision while integrating the parent company’s business model.

Size: 7,600 square feet

Client feedback: Keller Williams Realty Denver West loves the openness of its new market center. Light from exterior windows and the low-height partitions at groups of workstations create an interesting open look and make the space bright and a great place to be.

Growing Pains

An expanding real estate market center asked Office Planning Solutions to design its newly acquired office suite to include work areas for various functions while integrating the Keller Williams brand identity.

The challenge was to plan office space that would increase revenue by making room for more productive agents, yet balance the need for support staff workspace as well as include a technology-rich, highly efficient training facility because agent training is at the heart of what the company offers.

The design team at Office Planning Solutions applied smart space-efficiency principles and a deep understanding of the Keller Williams business model to accommodate Keller Williams Denver West’s needs.

Fitting It All In

Denver West Corner Office

The Office Planning Solutions team recommended creating a professional reception area that would establish a positive first impression and highlight Keller Williams’ brand to increase the company’s potential for recruiting more agents. But there was a lot more the workplace needed to best use the limited amount of space available.

The design retained existing private and shared offices for high-producing sales associates around the perimeter of the space to not only save on constructions costs, but also to take advantage of stunning mountain views. Tall, narrow windows placed next to each solid-core office door would allow natural light to brighten and visually open up the entire space.

The rest of the interior space would be well-lit and uncluttered by strategically placing low-height walls around more than a dozen workstations for newer agents. Two small rooms with doors were tucked in where agents could either hold private conversations or use them like a phone booth for making prospecting calls.

The most challenging aspect of the project was how to create a training space that was big enough for daily agent training sessions and weekly meetings, yet not waste valuable square footage that could house additional agents who worked to increase the business’s bottom line. A glass-walled, 50-person training room was centered in the office space and located next to the town square/café area, which would handle overflow when the training room was packed. The town square could also be used for collaboration between newer agents and more seasoned sales associates. It included a bar-height counter with stools facing into the training room, small work tables with chairs, and lounge seating to easily support various functions throughout the day.

Planned Efficiency, Increased Production

I am most proud of the glass connection between the training room and the town square spaces ... these areas give us ample meeting room with additional space as-needed for overflow, and they double as agent drop-in zones.
Brian Smith
operating principal
Denver West - Glass Connection

The space planning for the Denver West market center was completed quickly, and it focused on the company’s specific needs.

Since construction, the various spaces are proving to interact well and support the needs of agents and administrative staff alike. The training room is centrally located because of its importance to the organization, and its physical placement and design enhance the workflow of the entire office.

“The design feature I am most proud of is the glass connection between the training room and the town square spaces because these areas give us ample meeting room with additional space as-needed for overflow, and they double as agent drop-in zones,” says Brian Smith, Denver West’s operating principal.

The Denver West market center has grown from 94 to 160 producing agents within a year of the office planning project inception. The balance between increasing agent work area and having enough room for support services was achieved so well that the market center returned to Office Planning Solutions to further expand its office space again, from 6,600 to 7,600 square feet overall.

Office Planning Solutions is a Keller Williams Approved Vendor

Keller Williams Approved Vendor Program members are business entities independent from Keller Williams Realty, Inc. Neither Keller Williams Realty, Inc. nor its affiliated companies warrant Office Planning Solutions, their products, or their services.