Working from home is flying solo. Office is mission control.

Over the summer, we continued to work on the transition of our office. The design is an adaptation of the office, but it is also embedded in a broader vision of hybrid working. We started with an inventory of space needs per team and a nalysis of best practices around flexible working. we discussed the design in three scenarios in feedback sessions with our team, and with the feedback we adjusted our design.

Whether it is designing or constructional elaboration, in basic terms our work can be divided into:

brainstorm together
Working out the brainstorm independently
feedback/meeting

We incorporated this into the layout of the office:

a work cafe in the front with movable benches and tables: here we can brainstorm, make presentations, consult and collaborate.
two meeting rooms for 5 and 10 people
two call boxes suitable for a morning of team deliberations
4 zones with acoustic partitions for more privacy per team

In that way, home is fine for working solo: but the office is Mission Control, where we direct, reflect and deliberate together.

Workplace design: balance between fixed and flexible

Based on feedback, a hybrid model was chosen: fixed workstations for each project team, supplemented by some flex spaces. The premise is that we are not going to go to full flexiplaces. We would like to offer employees the space to work at home, because some work lends itself well to that. But at the same time, we want to provide the right base in the office to work together. Full flexibility turned out not to be desirable – both in terms of team dynamics and hardware (different screen settings). Every quarter the layout is evaluated, leaving room for optimization.

The new layout: 4 teams, 3 zones with more privacy, a work-café in the front.

Other principles are:

3/5 of the hall we will continue to use, 2/5 will be closed with a transparent wall for another tenant
More compact desks for more space
No large office garden, but division into smaller teams with more privacy
Good call cells and clear zoning
Adequate space for team consultation
Everyone moves places to encourage ownership

Phased implementation with room for progressive understanding

Our project also adopted an approach centered on pilots and rounds of feedback. Not a final plan, but an evolving design that moves with the needs of the team. Leadership plays a key role here: by leading by example with the leadership team in the use of the new work environment, we test and evaluate with them.

Implementation is phased; we work with a “Construction Ready Design.” Only after demolition and procurement is the plan finalized. After assembly of the furniture, we determine exactly whether the position of partitions fits our intended use. This is an approach that offers flexibility and leaves room for adjustment during construction.

Circularity and reuse

We can reuse a significant part of our existing office furniture. The walls of the old conference rooms have been dismantled and we are using them to build the new ones. All acoustic panels and ceilings have also been dismantled for reuse.

Disassembly of walls and ceilings.

Disassembly of the old team meeting rooms

The division of the office with a partition wall

Initial evaluation

The first evaluation after the installation of the partition wall is that the intended purpose is immediately noticed: we are close to each other, which is nice: on the quiet days it is no longer a large but empty office. This also makes mutual communication easier, but, now that acoustic partitions are not yet in place, it is restless on busy days. That shows the need for the acoustic partitions. “The proof of the pudding is in the eating.