Groundbreaking ideas are not to be expected at the desk in front of the computer. They are much more likely to come while showering, jogging, cycling, or with friends at the bar. Hip digital companies offer their staff creative spaces that invite playful communication and experimentation. In this spirit, an energy company from northern Germany is getting to work. Their new creative space is intended to reflect the ongoing digitalization process.

Design Challenge

“What does a creative space look like that brings us new thoughts while being versatile and usable?”

The team involved has set themselves a sporty timeframe: at the end of a single workshop day, they want to present two alternative room models. All important functions of the organization are represented in the team, bringing their knowledge, ideas, and perspectives to the project. From a safe distance, the interior designer follows the ideation process to gain inspiration for the implementation. Of course, valuable advice for the room ideas also emerges.

The workshop process is tightly scheduled: Right from the start, participants build prototypes for their individual ideas. Mood boards with inspirations are created and then compared with the needs of all stakeholders. The best ideas flow into integrated sketches, which ultimately provide the basis for the two room models.

Lessons Learned

“The room is too small to be remodeled with the new ideas!”, the participants realize disappointedly. Only to then realize that once again, an oversized conference table is enthroned in its center in the model. “Do we actually need that for new ways of working?” – with this question, the door to exactly this opens. It becomes clear that what is needed above all is an open space that grows with new ideas and projects.