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Winds of change that blew through Keva’s operating environment spurred the company to implement workplace changes in early 2017. The organisation recognised the need to change its work culture and understood that space is one of the best tools for change. The company wanted to make the concrete change to concentrate all its functions in a shared office on Unioninkatu in Helsinki rather than have offices in three different locations. Through collaboration, this aimed to achieve benefits and cost savings. The company also wanted to increase social interaction and improve the organisation’s ability to modernise. Another goal was to increase job satisfaction and thereby improve Keva’s employer image.
Keva chose Workspace as its partner through qualitative tendering. The selection criteria placed emphasis on the versatile management of participatory methods and team expertise with corresponding extensive and long-term projects where design and operational modernisation are combined in a close-knit entity.
In the early stages of the project, Workspace facilitated a story of change that was created for the project to act as the backbone for the design and work to support operational change. A service design approach and methods were heavily drawn upon when creating the story. The story was used to answer the questions 1) why is change unavoidable? 2) what happens if we don’t change, and 3) what does the Keva of the future look like? A wide range of Keva staff from various personnel groups and the organisation’s management participated in creating the story. The story flowed and developed along the journey of change in collaboration with different actors, and its visualisations were partly utilised in the look of the space.
Right from the start, it was clear that there would be a transition from traditional office rooms to a more modern activity-based workplace. It was a major change, and not just because making the space more effective also meant a review of working methods. Collaboration with different personnel groups was necessary to achieve a successful result. More than 60 different events were organised for the staff, with various themes from brainstorming to the deployment of new working methods.
An activity-based model, in which different spaces support various work phases and tasks, was designed for the Unioninkatu premises. In addition, visually different moods were sought for the spaces.
Work stations were placed on each of the five floors. Each floor features a floor café that gathers everyone together, along with nearby project and conference areas. The primary idea behind the design of the work spaces was to support different kinds of work and social interaction. The look of the space focused on comfort, which was created in the spaces through the use of colour and various graphic design elements. The graphics convey the Keva story fluently as part of the look of the space.
In addition to the work areas, Workspace also designed two conference centres on two different floors, along with various workshop and training areas. The conference areas on the top floor boast fantastic views over the city centre, and the company wanted to incorporate this into the overall experience in the conference rooms. Workshop and training areas meanwhile can be easily adapted to meet the needs of events of different sizes and natures. The space solutions and furnishing were designed to be as adaptable and low-maintenance as possible.
The company wished to open up the street-level spaces to passers-by and thereby bring Keva closer to people. An extremely versatile event area that opens out onto the street, and houses a café run by Fazer, was placed in the lobby and can be used for a wide range of purposes. Modifications to freshen up the overall look of the space were also carried out in the lobby between the previous spaces with the aim of making the representative lobby align with the visual appearance of the rest of the building. The company wished to convey that it is easily approachable and customer-oriented to everyone as soon as they enter the premises. The lobby’s appearance was modernised with furniture changes and with a cloud chandelier to create an atmosphere.
The staff restaurant was given a makeover and equipped to better serve its growing number of diners in a more versatile way. It is now possible to have a relaxing lunch under the real tree located in the centre of the atrium space. The space is also excellent for free-format working or as an arena for various events.
Crucial factors for the success of the change included the management’s unwavering commitment to the project, excellent project management from all project participants, and an understanding that space alone does not create change and people must also be allowed to participate in creating new operating methods.
Watch a video of the new space here
For more information, please contact: Project manager, interior architect, Nina Kallén
