‘‘ WDM helped us create an environment where our people can do their best work. Since the redesign, we’ve seen more collaboration and openness in the way people relate to one another.’’
Tom.B
A happy Client
THE CHALLENGE
Design a new Coworking Space in the Heart of Dubai that imbues openness and enthusiasm.
THE OUTCOME
An entirely new headquarters and a reimagining of the company’s existing building, both focused on helping team members collaborate.
For this Project we broke down all the elements of the space, including everything from flexible wall configurations to nature-inspired fabric choices that brought the outside in.
At the core of our decision-making was the intersection of environment and behavior:
- How could a certain configuration of desks help new ideas to bubble up?
- How might the transparency of the boardroom walls encourage executives to make more collaborative decisions?
Traditional Korean business culture places a strong emphasis on hierarchy, but in WDM we think that teams worked better when they arranged seating areas in ways that decentralized the boss.
Coworkers had felt isolated from those in other business units, so the designers created room for impromptu gatherings outside common meeting spaces.
Everything from functional needs, like toothbrush storage, to features that encouraged cross-pollination of ideas, like a set of shelves where departments could share examples of their work with other units, was taken into account.
On this Project we wanted to Re-use materials and spaces, to bring in a sense of ethical design, All wall papers and wood finishes comes from sustainable suppliers and have Low Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC).
Also, nature comes into the interior with the vertical garden on the entrance.
To improve the indoor air quality, it’s important that the air in a room can regularly circulate and remain fresh.
The Vertical Garden act as natural air filter.
We designed a space that have teams sharing amenities like conference rooms, call booths, and support service stations, and we also left room for spontaneous interactions and conversations away from the desk like the Mezzanine net.
The Coffee Shop enriches the design and create new opportunities like learning and development that brings diverse employee groups together, and we all know how a good coffee can save a long meeting.
