More space for creativity and exchange

Those who are familiar with Format D know that we have been living a free seating policy in the office for seven years now. Thus, different forms of collaboration are created in our offices every day. Our VW bus "Karl" as a mobile office on wheels serves as the "outdoor extension" of this concept.

In recent years (despite - or perhaps because of - the pandemic), the need for close and efficient collaboration within the team and with our customers around our digital products has evolved. "Efficient" - that means: in times of home office flexible in terms of space and location, as well as individually tailored to the project team, the situation, and personal needs.

But how do we express our corporate culture in the new office?

The answer was quickly clear to us: We let our team help to shape it. We ask our colleagues about individual needs and personal wishes. And also bring the advantages that exist in the home office into the physical office.

The scope and creativity of the responses surprised us. In addition to retreats and focus rooms, our colleagues wanted opportunities for sports, to relax (keyword: hammock) and space for inspiration. They asked for spaces away from the classic work environment, towards "like going to a café to work". Light-filled spaces with plants were suggested, as well as cozy, dark corners. And, of course, a variety of flexible meeting and conference rooms for different numbers of people, including virtual connectivity. And here we are already at the next topic: tools for digital and hybrid working.

Agile, effective (and hybrid) collaboration

In the end, every room today needs the additional option of organizing a meeting that brings people together both on-site and virtually. They should not only be able to talk to each other (no telephone spider, please!), but also collaborate digitally. All of our rooms for collaboration and meetings therefore differ in size and are equipped with a mobile digital whiteboard with an integrated video conferencing solution.

In times of a corona wave, where only single or a few people are supposed to sit in one room, workshops can thus sometimes be spread over several rooms and additionally people from home can join in. Of course, this change ultimately means the need for collaborative remote tools that allow editing from different locations. We have described some of our tools for this in the article "remote creative".

And if the Jungle Room isn't enough for you, or if the premises don't offer enough fresh air, you can still jump into our VW bus as usual and dive into the "real" green.

Conclusion

"Physical" offices are by no means a thing of the past. Rather, companies need to adapt to the new way of working between digital and real collaboration. With the expansion of our office in Sendling, we continue to realize our new rebranding as a digital studio. New concept spaces for different needs and situations as well as for hybrid working thus turn our office into an agile feel-good place for teamwork.