DESIGNWORKS 2020

BCBS of NC Customer Experience Center

Raleigh, NC

IA Interior Architects Raleigh

Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina’s customer experience center center provides best-in-class service for members at a community-oriented storefront. In this space, BCBSNC supports members with sales, customer service, and access to health screenings, hosts events, and provides free-to-use, reservable conference rooms to the community. Previously a mattress store, this center transformed the existing space from a typical retail layout to an immersive brand experience. Visible from the outside, interchangeable environmental graphics along the perimeter window line are suspended from the open ceiling above. Inside, visitors are greeted in a flexible great room. Drawing inspiration from the building vernacular of North Carolina, the comfortable atmosphere evokes a strong sense of place. Rustic brick, blackened steel, bright blue exposed ceilings (inspired by the mud dauber porches of the South), pressed tin, and white wainscoting offer a blend of old and new that speaks to the layered history of North Carolina. The great room is used for a variety of needs and community events. All furniture is easily reconfigurable; integrated technology supports the space in various layouts. As an example result, members can learn about wearables at the technology bar while a community meeting takes place in the large conference room. Small and large offices accommodate private customer service meetings. Meanwhile, a nurse’s station allows BCBSNC to offer proactive healthcare services. BCBSNC and the design team saw beyond the immediate need of a modern retail space to one that is accessible to the individual member while enabling active community engagement.