Client projects: Fujitsu

TRANSFORMING HUB LOCATIONS

Fujitsu’s property strategy centres on creating a number of collaborative and socially engaging hub locations across Northern and Western Europe that utilise a set of standardised concepts and products to support the brand and culture of the organisation.

Fujitsu’s London Hub has been recently transformed in line with these workplace standards to align the Baker Street location with its sister hubs in Helsinki, Stockholm and Munich. These hub locations are providing spaces that enable collaboration and replace traditional workstations with a landscape that supports a variety of ways of working. Fujitsu’s aim is to ensure all colleagues have the opportunity to use spaces that support their individual requirements, are desirable, attractive and promote connection with the company.

The Baker Street transformation has been delivered and implemented during the height of the COVID 19 pandemic which has allowed Fujitsu to prioritise and plan the implementation of their property strategy for the next 18- 24 months. These circumstances have allowed their Properties Projects team to deliver the project with speed and certainty, without the challenges of working with a fully occupied building. It has created a space that is safe, secure and ready for colleagues to return to, orientated around the key elements of their strategy: Destination, Wellbeing and Technology.

Fujitsu see their hub locations, specifically Baker Street, as locations that enable colleagues to come together to collaborate rather than to focus on solitary working. The environment offers a choice of work settings and this freedom of where to work is important to Fujitsu and will inevitably be a determinant of its success. In fact, the location has reduced from 270 workstations to 120 and incorporates more informal space, quite zones and improved accessibility and technology.

At 4000sq metres, the site holds such significance being a capital city location, with all hubs becoming centres of excellence for Fujitsu, from both a commercial and workplace perspective as Olly Dickinson, Head of Workplace Standards at Fujitsu, points out:

“In line with our property strategy we are delighted to have transformed this hub location into an environment that will support and encourage everyone to reach their best potential every single day. We see Kinnarps as a partner and not a provider, a partnership built upon previous projects and a clear understanding of the goals that Fujitsu have as a business worldwide.”

Considered Approach & Inclusive Design

This project was based upon a considered approach and Kinnarps’ Scandinavian heritage and ethos, along with a dedicated Kinnarps team working closely with Fujitsu and their other partners has enabled this successful pairing to excel. Kinnarps products are designed with inclusivity at the forefront and this design ethos enabled us to work closely with Fujitsu to provide workplace settings that promoted this. Kinnarps and Fujitsu are aligned in the belief of creating settings that encourage people to fulfil their potential. Designing inclusive and accessible spaces which can be navigated and used effectively by all users is key to the success of such spaces and this was complemented by Fujitsu’s workplace strategy.

Both Kinnarps and Fujitsu’s environmental responsibilities were aligned via Kinnarps’ production, delivery and installation approach. For example, the use of blankets instead of plastic packaging works in harmony with Fujitsu’s ongoing reduction of single use plastic. In fact, at Kinnarps we save 270kg of packaging per blue truck that leaves our factory through our blanket method and 96% of our raw wood materials are certified. There are many other comparisons across our companies values that support the partnership between Kinnarps and Fujitsu which allows us to work together to provide Fujitsu with the service and products that help them build a better future for their employees.