A WORKPLACE DESIGN INFORMED BY THE PRINCIPLES OF OPENNESS, FLEXIBILITY, MOBILITY & WELL-BEING

NHQ advised Dow Agrosciences on how their relocation to a new workspace in the Cambridge Capital Park could both increase flexibility and enhance productivity. The Capital Park provides ‘intelligent spaces for intelligent companies to survive’ – a collection of glass and steel buildings set in 42 acres of parkland.

Understanding how value could be created by interactions between people and teams in a knowledge-driven environment was key to a successful workplace design blueprint. The premise of the design journey was that ‘jobs involve a range of tasks which a single desk cannot accommodate’.

OUR CHALLENGE

Dow Agrosciences employs 9,000 people worldwide developing sustainable chemical and biotechnology solutions to improve land productivity to feed a growing population. Their commitment to ‘connecting chemistry with innovation to solve challenges’ had to be reflected in their workplace design blueprint – enabling the organisation to unlock opportunities through increasing connectivity and unlocking talent across the organisation.

THE NHQ DIFFERENCE

The workplace design brief was informed by the Dow ‘2020 Workplace Principles’ of openness, flexibility, mobility and well-being and is tribute to the architecture of the Science Park. The clean lines of the buildings were reflected internally and enhanced with warmer natural materials to give strength and definition to the corporate brand. Installation of a White Noise System enabled optimal control of sound throughout the entire space and breakout zones were strategically located to enable the company to think and innovate away from the concentration spaces.

Dow is honoured to have achieved Top Employer Institute 2017 Certification as it recognises the tremendous effort and commitment teams at Dow demonstrate in creating workspaces that foster innovation, collaboration and wellbeing.