Modern Offices – Contract Workplaces

Connect users to the home and job of their dreams – Navent Argentina

Navent is a leading company in Latin America founded in Argentina specialized in online classifieds for more than 20 years. The company –which has been growing exponentially since its inception and is now present in 8 countries in the region– is focused on helping people in the search for employment and real estate.

Navent’s new offices in the city of Buenos Aires are located on the 25th floor of a modern tower in the Nuñez neighborhood – a district with a great commercial development – which has panoramic views of the Río de la Plata and the rest of the city.

In order to give the brand a new and unique identity, the new offices of the company had to meet the objective of bringing together its two main locations in the same workspace, each with different cultures and work dynamics.

The challenge of uniting both worlds began with a consultancy job of Workplace Strategy to understand the present activity in both places, unify requirements and establish common criteria.

The conceptual design that was proposed from Contract Workplaces consisted of representing the company’s mission and vision: connecting users with the home and job of their dreams. Thus, “connecting” became both the primary and essential objective of the daily work experience and the starting point for endowing the company with a unique identity.

The project was developed on a 2,500 sqm floor plan from four points of interest, or milestones, that connect the different work groups that are located in the interstitial space. These “connectors” not only allow employees to meet to encourage interaction; they also encourage the agile method of work.

For the operational area, an open-plan design was chosen with the workstations distributed near the perimeter to take advantage of natural light and views to the outside. The oblique arrangement of the desks gives an element of surprise to the layout while transmitting dynamism to the space.

Both the private offices and the formal meeting rooms were located at one end of the floor while the Phone Booths, Meetings and the meeting rooms for few people were arranged in relation to the connectors for public use. In this way, collaborators can go from a spontaneous chat in the stands, for example, to a more private environment in the wide variety of Meetings offered by the project.

The cafeteria, located near the reception, has an extensive bar that articulates the table area with an area that has lounge chairs, suitable both for relaxing and for working in a more relaxed environment.

Regarding the materiality of the project, a wide color palette was used seeking to represent and give identity to each of the brands that make up the Navent company. For this, we worked with different tonal ranges, textures and patterns that, in addition, gave the space a playful and scenographic character.

Graphics and branding had a privileged place in the development of these offices, becoming a leading element in many of their spaces.

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Area: 2500 sqm

Work period: 100 days

Project: Turnkey

Year: 2021

Industry: Technological

Project Manager: Romina Chalcovich

Designer: Javier Pihn

The company’s DNA as a unifying concept – Colbún Chile

Colbún S.A. is a Chilean company dedicated to the generation of electric power with more than 35 years of presence in the country and 25 plants installed. As part of the renovation project of its central offices located in the Las Condes district, Metropolitan Region, the company undertook the intervention and remodeling of its 9 floors together with Contract Workplaces in a four-stage plan.

When analyzing the set of the existing plants, we found that they had a common pattern: the workspaces were disincorporated. There were no common areas and of collective use, which made it difficult for the collaborators to meet.

When approaching the new project developed in 6,000 m² and distributed in 9 floors, the five aspects that reflected the DNA of the company were taken into account: integrity, innovation, excellence, collaboration and passion.

The conceptual design revolved around the generation of a common language that could unify the entire project. To this end, three alternatives were created that apply to each floor according to the requirements and character of each one: “Customer Focus”, “Team Focus” and “Collaborative Focus”.

Stage 1 focused on the “Collaborative Focus” on floors 14 and 20, where the work teams were located. The general match was based on the unification of the plant through the implementation of a layout in Open Space with the closed offices located on the perimeter, but with a fluid visual connection throughout the entire floor.

In the center of the plant, the collaborative areas (Brainstorming, Informal Meetings and Meeting Box spaces) were located together with the operational area, so that different instances of interaction between collaborators could be generated, be they formal or informal. In order to reinforce the integration of the team, the same type of furniture was defined for all members of the campus. The Work Coffee was also located in the central area, underpinning the intention of strengthening ties and meeting opportunities for teams.

Regarding the materiality of the project, a palette of colors and textures with its own character and identity was defined. The use of natural elements such as the texture of the wood together with the presence of a profuse vegetation in all areas, generated a warm and welcoming atmosphere that increased the sense of belonging of the collaborators. The choice of neutral tones in the carpet and the equipment reinforced this idea.

The search for a common imprint and language for the entire project, added to the need for greater integration of the teams, resulted in a wide, interconnected, collaborative and functional workspace. In this way, the new Colbún offices reflect an image consistent with the company’s identity.

Area: 1.436 sqm (floors 14° – 20°)

Term of the work: 485 days

Location: Las Condes – Santiago

Design: Contract Workplaces

Type: Turnkey Project

Year: 2020

Country: Chile

Activity: Energy & Mining

Architect Manager: Consuelo Larrea

Conceptual Architect: Celina Barranco

Development Architect: Jorge O’Ryan

Furniture: Giuliani / Cerantola / Contatto

Graphic Design: Camilo González

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

10th Anniversary of Contract Workplaces Uruguay

In 1996 Contract Workplaces was founded in Argentina, with the spirit of becoming the only company specialized in the design and construction of workspaces in the region. In 2011, and as part of its regional expansion plan, it expanded its operations to Uruguay, settling in the country’s capital. Today the company has two of its own offices in Montevideo: one in Tower 4 of the World Trade Center and the other in the WTC Free Zone.

Paradoxically for a company in this field, the beginnings of the operation were in the garage of an office building! “Our initial growth was so fast that we had to incorporate new collaborators and, between the uncertainty of all kick-offs and the immediate lack of space, we got that place and a few pieces of furniture on loan. After a while, we were able to rent an office in the same building, get out of the ground, and design and build our first office,” says architect Daniel Flom, founding partner and Executive Director of Contract Workplaces Uruguay.

A glance of his work in Uruguay

The first two commissions in Uruguay were for leading multinational companies in their fields: agribusiness and coworking. Those first successful projects were followed by many more. “From our beginnings, one of our main differentials has been to fulfill the commitments assumed with our clients: works on time, on budget and with the agreed quality. This allowed us to quickly generate close ties with the organizations we work with, who recommend us and request our services again”, adds Rafael Flom, economist and also founding partner and Director of the company.

The wide coverage of services and specialization in the latest trends in workspaces were the pillars that led Contract Workplaces to position itself as leaders in corporate architecture in Latin America, and Uruguay is no exception. “Other keys to success are undoubtedly the determination of a high-performance team, the trust of our customers and that of our suppliers. Architecture and construction in general, but work at Contract Workplaces in particular, are strongly teamwork. Achievements and failures are always shared, ”adds architect Flom.

Today, it has 10 years of experience in the country and more than 200 works carried out for various industries that exceed 60,000 square meters designed and built, positively impacting the work experience of more than 10,000 people. Some of the projects executed in recent years were for clients such as WPP, Mercado Libre, Oracle, Fucac, Starcenter, Deloitte, World Trade Center, Bayer, Mapfre, Pfizer, among others.

A look into the future of work

We are in the midst of a huge transformation in the way we work. The COVID-19 pandemic has not only accelerated trends that were emerging but would have taken years to reach mass adoption; people’s vision of the future has also changed. So what is the future of the office in the new post-pandemic normal?

Many analysts believe that the world of work will change, but that, in essence, it will not be that different from how it was before the pandemic; human beings are social beings, we need contact and social interaction. In this sense, the office can – and must – become a positive experience and a desirable destination for workers. The work environment will strengthen its role as a management tool to create culture, generate a sense of belonging and purpose. It will be the necessary framework for innovation, serendipity, learning and the creation of bonds of trust between the members of an organization.

Traditionally, the office was thought of as a place to group people behind a desk within a fixed schedule, where experiences used to happen without much planning or control but as a result of everyday activities. Today, by contrast, the economy and technology have transformed workers into a workforce of mobile consumers, so the workplace experience is becoming a vitally important issue that deserves to be designed and managed with much detail. All elements of the environment (physical, virtual and social) are carefully articulated to inspire and engage employees. Each interaction is painstakingly designed to create deep emotional connections.

Also, models such as ABW (activity-based work) acquire greater value due to their flexibility and great adaptability to the needs of a world that will continue to change more and more rapidly. This will allow the offices to function as hubs for face-to-face collaboration while sustaining digital cooperation. Technology will play a central role in blurring the boundaries between the physical and virtual world and in preserving corporate culture.

“Faced with this new reality, the commitment of Contract Workplaces – more than ever – is to accompany clients in the process of conceiving and defining their new work models, probably hybrids, and the activities that will be supported there,” says Daniel Flom.

Contract Workplaces affirms its local positioning and is committed to continuing to create innovative work experiences that promote the development of companies and their collaborators, enhancing their talent.