More space for creativity and exchange

Anyone familiar with Format D will know that we have had a free choice of seating in the office for seven years now. Every day, different forms of collaboration come about in our offices. Our VW bus 'Karl' as a mobile office on wheels serves as an ‘outdoor extension’ of our concept.

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

Even after a virtual 'New Work' conference in Berlin, we were certain that offices will continue to exist in the future as a place for dialogue, interaction and creativity. They remain an important place for expressing our corporate culture and contribute greatly to our identification as a team with shared experiences and the resulting drive.

The answer quickly became clear to us: we let our team help shape the company. We ask about individual needs and personal wishes. And we also bring the advantages of working from home into the office.

The scope and creativity of the responses surprised us. In addition to places to retreat and focus rooms, our colleagues wanted opportunities for sport, to unwind (keyword: hammock) and space for inspiration. They wanted a space that moved away from the classic working environment and towards ‘as if I were going to a café to work’. Light-flooded rooms with plants were suggested, as well as cosy, dark corners. And, of course, a variety of flexible meeting and conference rooms for different numbers of people, including virtual connectivity. And this brings us to the next topic: tools for digital and hybrid working.

Ultimately, every room today also needs the option of organising 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 collaboration and meeting rooms therefore differ in size and are equipped with a mobile digital whiteboard with an integrated video conferencing solution.

In times of the coronavirus pandemic, when only one or a few people need to sit in a room, workshops can be spread across several rooms and additional people can join in from home. Of course, this change ultimately also means the need for collaborative remote tools that allow work to be carried out from different locations.

And if the Jungle Room isn't enough or the premises don't offer enough fresh air, you can still jump into our VW bus as usual and immerse yourself in the ‘real’ countryside.

‘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 physical collaboration. With the expansion of our office in Sendling, we are continuing to realise our new rebranding as a digital studio. New concept spaces for different needs and situations as well as for hybrid working make our office an agile feel-good place for teamwork.