City of London, UK
Zurich required their London Headquarters project to set a new benchmark in their working practices and culture change by adopting an agile working model
Project Details
Collective Team
In close collaboration with their Global Head of Dynamic Working, we implemented Time Utilisation Studies and Pre-Occupancy Surveys to better understand their then current space utilisation.
Based upon survey results Zurich’s ‘Model Workplace’ for EMEA was modified to accommodate local functional and cultural requirements.
The 77,000sqft agile workplace provides 518 unassigned desks for 680 staff plus a mix of other unassigned work-settings designed to provide variety and choice in how staff work, collaborate and socialise.
Key to the overall success of the project was the provision of staff amenities grouped around an internal communication staircase that connects three floors. These amenities include a new business lounge where underwriters and external brokers can meet or indeed any staff can work, relax and collaborate as desired.
The incidence of serendipitous encounters and positive collaboration has increased significantly as a direct result of this provision.
Aukett Swanke was a key member of the Change Communications team ensuring that staff understanding and adoption of the new workplace was successful.
The project is seen by Zurich as a new benchmark and our colleagues in Frankfurt have since assisted Zurich with a 3,000 person colocation project that adopted their own, local variation of the same model.
