The Shaw Create Centre in Cartersville, Georgia, has been recognized with top honors in the Workplace category of the annual Innovation by Design awards from Fast Company magazine.
The 67,000-square-foot open office facility, which houses Shaw Industries' Patcraft and Shaw Contract brand and design teams, was built in 2018 and won the top design honor last month from among 4,300 entries in the 8th annual Fast Company competition.
The building was designed by the global architectural firm Gensler in Atlanta to be environmentally efficient while offering a living representation of the the Shaw brands' mission, people and values. The Shaw Create Centre offers a range of workspaces, from an open seating plan, to common areas used for impromptu team engagement and a variety of breakout rooms.
John Cantrell, co-studio director for workplaces and projects at Gensler Atlanta, said the Shaw Create Center promotes connectivity, collaboration, productivity and movement.
"The Create Centre showcases the unique balance between culture and outcomes that drive today's fast-paced need for innovating and iterating products; blurring the lines between studio, laboratory and showroom," Cantrell said. "Our design team worked closely with Patcraft and Shaw Contract to build a space that nourishes the design conversation, provides inspiration, and encourages collaboration, resulting in a space that employees are excited to work at."
The LEED Silver certified facility includes a solar facade for energy and glare reductions.
Brenda Knowles, vice president of marketing at the Shaw commercial division, said the Create Center offers space "where our customer obsession comes to life.
"Similar to the approach we take in developing our flooring products, this space is where form and function, beauty and performance come together," Knowles said.
Shaw Industries Group Inc. is a Dalton, Georgia-based subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway which offers a diverse portfolio of carpet, hardwood, tile & stone, and laminate flooring products, synthetic turf and other specialty items for residential and commercial markets worldwide via its Anderson, Patcraft, Philadelphia Commercial, Shaw Contract, Shaw Floors, Shaw Hospitality, Shaw Sports Turf, Southwest Greens, Tuftex, and USFloors brands.