Earlier this year, Creative got to work on their most unconventional and non-traditional workplace installation project. Alongside our manufacturing partner Steelcase, we had the honor of working with the USO to supply furniture aboard the USS George Washington (CVN-73) aircraft carrier. Led by the Steelcase Salutes team, our team helped to deliver and install On the QT acoustical pods from Orangebox aboard the aircraft carrier while docked in Norfolk, Virginia.
This project stems from a service wide effort from the U.S. Navy to improve sailors’ quality of life in response to the increase in suicides across the fleet. This year, the Navy deployed a new initiative to reframe the Navy culture around mental health and provide proper tools and resources. A part of this initiative is the restructuring of ship environments across the fleet to improve living conditions.
Remodeled by the USO and the Navy, the USO center has new features and designs to improve wellbeing and provide a comfortable space for sailors. The Washington’s new rest and recreation den is outfitted with flat-screen televisions, gaming consoles, and couches for comfort.
Unique to the space is the On the QT phone booth pods. These soundproof pods are quiet spaces where sailors can make private phone and video calls to their families back home. Furthermore, the booths are already booked days in advance since the opening of the center. With the positive success and feedback on the installation of the phone booths aboard the USS George Washington, the USO and Steelcase are working together to install phone booths in every aircraft carrier in the U.S. Navy fleet.
About Creative
Established in 1995, Creative is the region’s premier workplace interiors and technology provider, serving clients in the corporate, education, healthcare, and government sectors. Creative’s mission is to advance the way people live, learn and work. It achieves this by combining deep insights into human behavior with leading technology, furniture, and architectural products to create inspiring, uplifting, and beautiful spaces. Creative is the area’s authorized Steelcase dealership.
About Steelcase Salutes
Established in 2021, Steelcase Salutes is an employee-led business inclusion group at Steelcase – a team of veterans and allies who work to support and advocate for a veteran-friendly environment at Steelcase. The Steelcase Salutes team’s mission is to create an inclusive veteran ecosystem across the company and the communities they serve. They accomplish this mission in various ways, from organization-wide events to individual outreach.