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MOVING TO A SMART FUTURE AT CUSHMAN & WAKEFIELD’S SINGAPORE OFFICE Ever wondered what you get when you mix sustainability and smart technology? You get the office of the future, as employees at Cushman & Wakefield’s new office space are experiencing first-hand. Opened in March 2022, the new CapitaSpring building, located in Singapore’s central business district, reflects the group’s long-term commitment to Singapore and its growing importance as a global gateway city. The office space is equipped with amenities that cater to both its employees and clients in a post-pandemic world. Join Anshul Jain, Managing Director, India & SE Asia, as he speaks to Arina Sofiah about the design journey, from how the group collected data to understand employees’ needs for the new space, to his own personal favourite spot in the office. Walk us through the conceptualisation of this space what was your vision for it, and how involved were your employees in this process? Our new premises at CapitaSpring is designed to reflect the office of the future, with an emphasis on sustainability, smart technology applications, and diversity, equity & inclusion (DE&I). It also gives us the opportunity to embrace a new way of working and showcase the future of the workplace as a ‘living brochure’ to our clients and prospects. Our employees were at the centre of the design and fit-out of the new office. Our workplace strategy teams and consultants analysed various employee needs through our bespoke ‘Experience per SF™ (XSF)’ and pulse surveys, time utilisation studies, employee focus groups, and business roundtable sessions. We also looked at best practices from different corners of the world, as well as companies that are pioneering innovation. With this insight, we created a strong design concept that is inspired by hospitality. The space leverages technology, with features such as a desk booking system. What other tech-driven features can employees look forward to?
10 Human Resources Online April-June 2022
We have partnered with IndoorFinders to develop a desk booking system that allows our employees to work in close proximity with their team members, which then fosters team bonding and better collaboration efforts. In this new activity-based hybrid working environment, the system also helps ensure that employees who return to the office will have a conducive space that caters to their working styles. The new office is also equipped with a range of amenities, collaboration spaces, and multi-functional rooms that are powered by smart technologies to meet the different needs of employees, empowering them to work with increased flexibility and productivity. One of the design goals was to embrace sustainability. What was the most pressing priority to address this? Sustainability has been a key priority for us when designing the office and our goal is to achieve the Building and Construction (BCA)’s Green Mark accreditation. Throughout the design and fit-out phase, we emphasised resource conservation to drive energy efficiencies and wellbeing elements. Our CapitaSpring office is also highly flexible, allowing for various configurations depending on work demands. For example, a large conference room can be converted into multiple small meeting rooms to ensure that we can cater to both large size client events as well as small employee
