February 28, 2006 Vol. 1 Issue 5

Royal Caribbean delivers its world-renowned hospitality, this time to its employees.

When you hear the name Royal Caribbean Cruises, you think about the “excitement” as the ship leaves the dock. It’s the knowledge that hospitality, exotic destinations, fresh air and sunshine all await you.

While Royal Caribbean’s most recent vessel will never leave land, the very same excitement builds as it delivers its legendary hospitality to employees with its new Customer Service Center.

December 29, 2005 marked the day that the first of the Royal Caribbean employees began their “voyage”.

Employees immediately believe that they are in for a new kind of experience on the very first approach to the new facility. Whether an employee’s eye is caught by the 62 foot mast entrance, porthole windows and a wave-style roof or the expansiveness of the 162,000 square foot service center, they will learn that there are even more surprises on the inside.

Much like cruises are designed around the customer, “this building is employee-oriented and by creating spaces away from workstations, we enhance their experience.” explains Russ Bogue, Director of Facilities Management for Royal Caribbean. And he has delivered just that, breakout areas, team spaces and outdoor patios give his employees a small getaway from their desks. This building also has a mezzanine level with offices, dining area, and a fitness center. Every detail from the Thunderbird Café’s totems, hallway displays of Royal Caribbean’s ships and the world map in its lobby emits the Royal Caribbean brand.

So… what did it take to create this vessel?

At the end of every job, Workstage recognizes all the hard work that went into this project – from the design team to the construction team. The individuals involved span across many different disciplines, languages, and beliefs but all came together with one goal in mind - creating an inspiring workplace for the people of Royal Caribbean and reducing the impact of this building on the environment.

This project didn’t come without challenges. Along with the tight schedule and over 50 inches of rain, the team and subcontractors had to follow the strict guidelines of LEED Certification - ideas, processes and procedures that many had aspired to but never had been measured by.

Workstage brought on Tara Hanby to supervise the LEED initiative. Hanby, a recent graduate of the University of Oregon with a Masters degree in Architecture and self-proclaimed “ Oregon tree-hugger” was involved in the day-to-day activities of every material used and installed on the site, waste management issues and indoor air quality practices.

“I had subcontractors rushing into my office with a product in-hand wanting me to check the VOC level” Hanby explains, who even admitted to a bit of dumpster-diving. “We had a great group of subcontractors that took LEED very seriously.” And serious was right; the project was designed for LEED Silver Certification but upon the USGBC’s initial review it is still in contention for LEED Gold. Official certification is expected by April, where it will join the distinguished group of 24 buildings in Oregon with LEED certification.

Tara Hanby

Interesting facts about this project:
331 days
50 different trades
Over 900 tons of steel
The 62' mast entrance is comprised of over 13 tons of steel
95% of waste diverted from landfill
Poised to receive LEED Silver Certification, in contention for Gold