RSP and Cisco go back a long way. When we began conceptualising the latest building for Cisco’s sprawling campus at Bengaluru, we knew we had to re-invent a few things. We got started by getting in culture, health and sport experiences right in the middle of the workspace.
STATISTICS
Client : Cisco India
Location : Bangalore
Site area : 14.50 Acres
Total built up area : 0.6 Million Sq.ft.
Scope of Services : Interior Design
Pockets of energy boosters within a corporate office
Defining the campus, are the Creativity Zones, unique spaces that allow employees to choose a setting of their choice for work. At B18, one could immerse herself into a garden, a toy yard, an F1 arena or a couple of factories, thereby breaking the mundane routine. These zones are often teeming with people having quick collaborative meetings.
“Our physical is not forcing people to do something that they don’t want to, it is actually modeled after the way our occupants are behaving, and how they are doing their work. The key to that is to have a tremendous selection of space types to accommodate a diverse span of functions, set of cultures and ultimately generations in the workplace.”
– Dave Wagner, VP of Global Workplace Resources, Cisco
Design Direction
The Happiness Quotient
The design intent takes forward the larger direction to create a completely self-sustained campus that presents to its staff a space for personal work and recreation, as well as welcomes their families into its realm for social activities and occasions. Not unsurprisingly, this campus is pleasantly witness to a high happiness quotient.
Giving people options
A little help in breaking the daily routine comes from various quarters in the Cisco campus. Eight Creativity Zones, themed meticulously to mirror cultural, sport, green and industrial references not only provide the occasional selfie opportunity, but also catalyze fresh thinking into brainstorming sessions held here. The key, we realised is to give employees a lot of options of spaces to work from.
Flexible working options
While there are those who spend endless hours on campus, involved with varied activities, there are others who spend more time traveling. It is said that at any point, only 75% of the total staff is on campus. A flexible collaborative space that allows and conditions their staff to work from different spaces and under different scenarios ends up not only providing for them, but also saving on precious real estate. Everyone, from members of the senior leadership to interns, researchers to marketers to engineers, they all choose where and how they work.
Designing the lighting
The lighting scheme became an important aspect for creating variegated ambiences in these spaces. Well entrenched in the thematic setting of each, some zones such as the Factory Workshop hang industrial looking steel pendants from a ceiling truss to cast pools of light over gaming tables, while the Galaxy Lounge plays with a vibrant range of concealed coloured light to give an ethereal feel.
Celebrating culture
Taking inspiration from the nearby craft hub of Channapatna, The Channapatna Toy Yard is peppered with giant ‘toys’ bought from the source itself. The vivid colours come alive in a bright wash of light from ceiling recessed downlights that accentuate the lacquered forms, while creating a lively and playful mood.
Catalyzing collaboration
The high degree of delight that employees experienced in this project is accompanied by meaningful conversations that take place each day in this office, fostering collaboration.