When Siemens Energy decided it was time to enter a new chapter in their long-standing history in the region, they approached SAY Studio to create a stunning new workplace that represented their core values, as well as their vision for the future. Siemens Energy's new offices distributed across a campus consisting of five buildings in the Sustainability District in Expo City supports their mission to drive the transition to more sustainable, reliable, and affordable energy systems in the Middle East and around the world.
Siemens Energy is a global force in power generation and transmission, renewable energy, and more. For their Dubai office, Siemens Energy wanted to provide a connected, immersive brand experience. In the hybrid work world, the makeup of office space is constantly changing. At SAY Studio, we believe that no one size fits all; finding the right balance of workspaces can help drive productivity, happiness and those serendipitous interactions that lead to great ideas.
"As designers, we think about how to best move people through space in ways where you actually see and interact with others. We've found that people come back to the office to be around other people." says Laila Al-Yousuf, Design Director at SAY Studio. “Siemens Energy’s #BetterTogether Office Playbook sees offices as a key destination to interact, cross-collaborate, innovate and build relationships by transforming offices, where possible, to combine areas for concentration with more collaborative & social spaces to boost productivity, efficiency and creativity.”
What’s New?
· #BetterTogether The principles of Siemens Energy’s #BetterTogether Office Playbook are an integral part of their new workplace. Their offices remain the key destination to interact, cross collaborate, innovate and build relationships. We supported this by planning the offices, where possible, to combine areas for concentration with more collaborative & social spaces to boost productivity, efficiency and creativity.
· From Playbook to Playground the #BetterTogether framework informed the zoning of the space. Space planning is taking on more importance as companies rethink their office space for new hybrid work. The space is divided into teamwork & collaboration, communication, individual work & concentration and social & relaxation spaces.
· Sustainability as a Key Objective Siemens Energy has a vision to lead the “Energy Transition” to more renewable energy sources. The project is under application for LEED® Gold, with measures such as low flow water usage fittings, smart energy monitoring, careful selection of products, usage of innovative materials all being incorporated into the design.
· All Together Now Distributed across five buildings, creating connectivity was a key driver to ensure that there was a holistic feel to the campus. Carefully planned, shared amenity spaces, like the café and learning centre, were placed in the central building connected by bridges in order to draw staff from different departments together.
· Energy Made Manifest Led by the core philosophy of “we energize society”, the interiors were inspired by different energy forms from kinetic, to light, gravitational to thermal energy. As with Siemens Energy, the design of the office is energy end to end.
· Your Work, Your Choice Space planning for each building accommodates various shared space elements for different types of tasks. The space elements range from individual workstations to agile collaboration rooms, focus booths, formal and casual space, work cafés and lounges. This allows employees to freely choose shared work settings that best suit their needs.
· Wall of Inclusion Siemens Energy believes in a more inclusive world. They believe that when people feel confident to talk openly about their perspective, they will unleash the full power of their people across Siemens Energy. In their new offices, their Wall of Inclusion features artwork by local artists that are students of the Dubai Center for Special Needs, showcasing the longstanding partnership between the two organizations.
"Innovation is not just about incorporation of technology. It is about how technology can be embedded to deliver solutions that change how staff work while maximizing efficiencies." says Matthew Sexton, Managing Director. "We believe that the new Siemens Energy office design embraces the concepts of the offices of the future incorporating advanced technology and new ways of working."
“The design team really studied the core values of Siemens Energy and found unique and exciting ways to represent multiple facets of the business within the design”, says David Armstrong, Director at CBRE Middle East. “The design actually spoke to the heritage of the business whilst representing their innovative future ambitions. The result was a beautiful concept that really hit the mark.”
“Our brief to the SAY Studio team was clear - we wanted an office that represented energy end to end, was designed sustainably and would get staff excited about returning to the office. They asked us a lot of questions in an involved briefing process and delivered a concept that we love. The design pushes boundaries, but still absolutely feels like our brand and culture”, says Ameen Imtiaz, Head of Real Estate
Siemens Energy’s new campus in the Sustainability Pavilions in Expo City is an exciting next step for one of the region’s leading energy firms. The office represents the future of offices, a bright and inviting high tech space that reflects the company’s culture of energizing society, with the ambition of creating a future working environment that becomes an exceptional destination workplace through the use of technology, and a staff community to unite and connect.
