Facility Management and Maintenance

The office’s evolution based on the user experience – UTA Colombia

Universal Travel Assistance is a company that has been offering comprehensive assistance services to travelers for more than 40 years, with service centers around the world. As part of the Zurich Insurance Group, it has a staff of more than 3,000 employees distributed in 21 countries.

The project for the company’s new offices in the city of Bogotá was developed on a 254 m² plant, within a business complex made up of class A office towers occupied by large multinational firms, excellent access roads and a wide range of complementary services.

In keeping with the vision of the company – to be the best travel insurance and assistance provider in the world in terms of service and customer recognition – the project concept was conceived from the point of view of user experience with a evolution to an office with a modern sense, that promotes suitability and service based on trust, the avant-garde mindset and security so important in that point of connection and possibilities between people and the world. This concept is already materialized from the access, where the client has his first contact with the company in a wide welcome area, with perspective and friendly.

The layout design is organized around a central circulation axis that distributes the different project requirements on both sides. The boardroom and Coffee Point, serving both employees and customers, were strategically located to function independently without the need to traverse the operational area.

For their part, the jobs were organized in Open Plan and have a collaborative work area to favor worker interaction and informal meetings. The closed spaces for the Meeting and Management Room were located on one of the perimeters of the plant and have glazed fronts to favor natural lighting, also allowing natural lighting to enter the open plan, along with an adequate acoustic treatment that helps to maintain privacy and concentration.

The image of the project as a whole appeals to a sober, timeless and elegant style. Different resources, textures and tones were combined to generate the necessary emphasis in each of the spaces. While wood helps to materialize the dividing wall of the cafeteria in a simple and effective way without interrupting the contribution of light to the Reception, the ceilings with the exposed facilities and the exposed concrete slab in the operating area contributes to define functional areas.

Within the chosen color palette, corporate blue stands out, intended to highlight the brand image but without saturating it. The furniture, modern and with simple lines, accompanies and complements the choice together with a lighting design that punctually highlights the circulations and helps to delimit the spaces.

Area: 254 sqm

Term of the work: 191 days

Location: Bogota

Project Manager: Carolina Espitia

Designers: Sergio Franco, Laura Alvarado

Type: Turnkey Project

Year: 2020

Country: Colombia

Activity: Other Industries & Services

Design: Contract Workplaces

The integration as a premise – Sigdo Koppers Chile

The Chilean company Sigdo Koppers was looking for a change to its offices –distributed on 9 floors of 580 sqm each in the same building– in order to adapt to the new times, improve its image and consolidate its position as a market leader. With these premises in mind, Contract Workplaces faced the project’s challenge, which consisted in generating collaborative spaces (that did not exist until the moment), minimizing private offices and setting an open-plan layout to favor the visibility and interaction of collaborators.

The process began with a Workplace Strategy consultancy in which a deep analysis of the organization was carried out to understand its DNA, the use of space and the expectations regarding change. Through this process, it was necessary to detect the relationships between the different areas and the best location for managers and their teams. Strategies to improve the integration of all sectors were also investigated by approaching the areas that worked more closely and that at the moment, were separated into different floors. It should be noted that the first stage of the habilitation only contemplated the intervention of floors 1, 6 and 7.

The dining area was located on the first floor. This plant had a large wooded garden that was in disuse, so its value was enhanced by creating a terrace that is integrated as an outdoor workspace.

The sixth floor, organized in an open plan, was destined to the engineering area. Here, bench-type workstations with a larger surface area were arranged so that collaborators could have more space to locate several monitors and comfortably display plans and documentation. On the other hand, the seventh floor kept the private offices and the boardroom, so only a small intervention was made to update the spaces and their proportions.

Given the dimensions of the floors, the design contemplates the location of all workstations and meeting areas on the perimeter to make the most of natural lighting. The glass enclosures of the private offices and meeting rooms collaborate to create a diaphanous and transparent atmosphere.

Regarding the image of the offices, the key concepts that guided the design process – display, connect and transmit – were materialized in noble elements such as stone, copper, concrete, iron and wood, matching with a sober color palette with some vibrant touches. And to reinforce this image, details that refer to the mission and trajectory of the company were also included, such as the crane hanging from the ceiling of the collaborative area.

The project also had technological support. Room reservation systems were implemented at the entrance to each meeting area, and also videoconferencing equipment and interactive flip-type screens, to generate information that could then be sent to users via Wi-Fi.

Finally, in order to facilitate the cultural change that this transformation meant, a Change Management process that engaged the entire organization was put into practice. This resource was sought to accompany each and every one of the collaborators in the change process, managing their expectations and helping them to integrate the new workspace into the new work dynamics.

Area: 4165 sqm

Term of the work: 450 days

Location: Las Condes, Santiago de Chile

Type: Turnkey Project

Year: 2020

Country: Chile

Activity: Energy & Mining

Project Manager: Nora Sepulveda

Designer: David Oyarzo

Design: Contract Workplaces

An inclusive and homely experience in the work environment

In recent years, the workspace has undergone major transformations and it is no coincidence that technology companies are at the forefront of new trends.

The promoted model by these companies –based on the design of agile spaces, capable of stimulating collaboration and creativity– was also replicated with very good results in companies of other sectors and today it is almost a standard.

Following this same line, we approached the project of one of themost important technology firms in the world in the city of Quito. The design was developed on a 435 sqm plant located in the EkoPark complex, a well-known international corporate center in the region.

The project was conceptualized from an activity-based approach (Activity Based Working) and part of a layout that includes multiple environments and typologies in order to support the variety of tasks and work dynamics that are developed during the day. Instead of forcing people to work in a single environment, anchored to their desk, this model allows each one to choose the most suitable place to carry out their task. In this way, people can be more productive and can collaborate better both inside and outside the office.

The design was structured around a core that contains service areas and allows a better circulation, while dividing the plant into two large sectors: Client Space and Employee Space.

The Client Space was dedicated to customer care and training. It has its own lobby and reception, a Coffee Point, an informal meeting room, two formal meeting rooms and a multipurpose room that can also be used for trainings.

The Employee Space, for its part, was destined for the exclusive use of employees. Given that the company had a strong culture of flexible work even before the pandemic (50% of its payroll works remotely and alternately), the layout was organized in an Open Space scheme where views and natural light are privileged. There, ten unassigned workstations, a lounge for nine people and eight other alternative positions were installed. It also has a kitchenette, Phone Boots, Meeting Boxes and the Copy Point.

The acoustics of the Phone Boots and the meeting and training rooms were carefully planned with special partitions and acoustic panels which, at the same time, work as decorative elements.

All these spaces were designed to allow a suitable development of the activities carried out by people, collaborators and clients, regardless of their characteristics and personal conditions. The easy access to the office was very important for the company. Strategies with inclusive criteria were implemented, such as Braille signage, bathrooms and circulations suitable for people with reduced capacities, automatic taps, variable table heights and automated doors.

In order to create a warm, welcoming and homely image, a soft tones palette was chosen, beyond the use of corporate colors. For this, we worked with different ranges of orange and blue. Decorative elements such as textiles, plants and accessories were also incorporated. They all contributed to generate a “homely” effect capable of combining the brand’s avant-garde stamp with the close and familiar spirit that lives in its work teams.

Area: 430 sqm

Term of the work: 75 days

Location: Quito

Type: Turnkey Project

Year: 2020

Country: Ecuador

Activity: Technology Industry

Designer in charge: Mario Molina

Design: Contract Workplaces

Chubb Offices – Quito

Contract Workplaces designed the offices for insurance company, Chubb, located in Quito, Ecuador.

The client wanted to encourage spontaneous communication among collaborators and teamwork. It also focused on highlighting the colors and corporate image of the company.

The most characteristic features of the design are the principle of transparency and open communication, open work spaces, collaborative areas and uniform access to natural light. Both public and private spaces are connected through well-marked and defined circulation.

Special attention was paid to the environmental quality of the work spaces, eliminating barriers and closed offices. Great importance is also given to the external environment and contact with nature. A terrace was incorporated as a work area with furniture and golf. Technologically, we look for an important link with the environment for mechanical systems of air renewal and lighting control.

SOURCE: Office Snapshots