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| Nexuses of Communication and Interaction |
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| Advances in information and communications technology (ICT), diversification of work styles, transition to a knowledge-driven economy... These and other interrelated factors contribute to ever greater dispersion and mobility in the workforce. And yet, the importance of direct interaction is also gaining more recognition. How are businesses to integrate these seemingly opposing trends? Can offices be designed to balance the tendency to work apart with the need to come together? The answers promise to provide hints for planning next-generation knowledge communities. |
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| A Workplace to Fit Every Mood |
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| Insurance giant Interpolis, one of the Netherlands' main insurance companies, recently redesigned its headquarters to accommodate a switch to teleworking. At the core of the new design is a revolutionary space called Tivoli. Employees can now select not only their desks, but their entire work environments. Tivoli offers them seven "clubhouses" to choose from, each with a unique theme and proposed by a different designer. When they get to work, they just pick the one that best fits their mood that day.
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| Interpolis/
Tilburg, The Netherlands |
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| A Media Giant Stands to a New Challenge |
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| The offices of the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) were previously scattered among old buildings all over London. They contributed to a poor workplace environment, one that even occasionally required people to travel as much as 40 minutes to get across London just for a meeting. The BBC is in the midst of a number of reform initiatives that its very existence depends on, and the workplace is no exception. The new Media Centre headquarters, built under a new property strategy, has an open-office format designed to draw people together. |
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| BBC/
London, UK |
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| Getting Away from the Stress of Work |
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| Talented people are key resources for a consulting company. Accenture relocated from the suburbs of Munich to an upmarket shopping district in the city center to attract the best people. The new office, which combines the company's global standards with a distinctly German style of comfort, is a stress-free home base for consultants. |
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| Accenture/
Munich, Germany |
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| Office Transparency to Stimulate Communication |
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| J. Walter Thompson (JWT) is the worldÕs fourth largest advertising agency, with headquarters in New York and offices in 150 cities in 86 countries. The London office recently moved into the upscale Knightsbridge shopping area- which gave JWT an opportunity to implement design concepts based on openness and transparency to spur cross-pollination and sharing of knowledge among employees. |
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| J. Walter Thompson/
London, UK |
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| Allen & Overy recently completed a new office in 2003 located strategically close to clients in Canary Wharf. An entire floor is given over to offering clients an array of high-level services, while legal work itself is performed on separate floors to guarantee confidentiality. With its light, airy, and above all sophisticated interior and pursuit of comfort for both clients and staff, this workplace delves into brand-new possibilities for law offices. |
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| Allen & Overy/ London, UK |
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Many enterprises today place import on the ideas and knowledge born of chance encounters and open communication among their employees. An issue for them is how to encourage cross pollination among the many people working in their huge offices. At global pharmaceuticals major GlaxoSmithKline, a
common space modeled on a downtown street serves as a catalyst of exchange for the 3,000 employees of the company's home office. |
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| GlaxoSmithKline/
London, UK |
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| Editrice Abitare Segesta publishes Abitare, one of Italy's leading architecture and design magazines. The company's colorful, highly designed offices are the gathering point for the array of freelancers- photographers, writers, designersÑinvolved in its magazines. A comfortable environment for permanent and outside staff alike, the offices also serve as the core of Via Ventura, a redevelopment district intended to attract creative talent. |
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| Abitare/ Milan, Italy |
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