Ideas has created a comprehensive interior design concept for Avensia’s five offices. The concept supports the workplace of the future where flexible areas are allowed to take up a lot of floor space, contributing a great deal socially and work-wise.
Ideas has created an office concept for Avensia, the Nordic region’s leading experts in modern commerce and e-commerce. Avensia has more than 350 employees worldwide, and has Swedish offices in Lund, Malmö, Helsingborg, Gothenburg, Karlstad, Stockholm and Umeå. The background to the project was a need identified by Avensia for a change in the office environment that involved reviewing the size of offices, their functions and designs. Also, 80 per cent of Avensia employees wanted full flexible working, something they had become accustomed to during the pandemic. The project steering committee assumed that tomorrow’s workplace would be flexible and connected, and that as working life changed, so too must the workplace.
“Creating a work environment that supports the company’s development is a change process, and being an advisor in it was a natural choice for me,” says Patrik Haglund, Studio Manager and manager of the project at Ideas.
For us, people and their needs are at the centre. It would have been utterly wrong not to treat them as the most essential component in the office change process.
Åsa Afshari, Chief People Officer at Avensia.
The concept is based on open working environments and a social hub with a lounge, coffee bar, kitchenette and touch-down areas, as well as collab pods for focus and collaboration. The collab pods are intended for undisturbed work and collaboration. As well as meeting rooms in various sizes, there is a room designed for activities and training that can also be used for meetings and workshops. Calming beige and grey theme colours, natural features and light wood are contrasted by the furniture, drapes and details in accent colours.
End customer: Avensia
Business operation: Digital commerce solutions
Architect: Ideas Interior Architects
Completed: 2023-2024
Location: Lund (HQ), Malmö, Helsingborg, Gothenburg and Stockholm
Floor space: 325-1200 kvm
Savo 360 and Savo Soul with mesh back were chosen for the offices. Savo 360 is used in temporary workplaces and in the biggest meeting room at each office. With their background music, touch-down areas have become popular places for sitting, working, and holding discussions. Employees describe the atmosphere there as resembling working in a café or airport lounge.
“Savo 360 has become a favourite, and employees often borrow the chairs for another desk space, as they appreciate the convenience of sitting comfortably in varying postures without a lot of settings,” says Patrik Haglund.
Savo Soul with mesh back, 4D armrests and extra soft seat was chosen for the collab pods. The pods are also used for long phone calls and digital meetings, and as such they are intended to relieve the pressure on the larger meeting rooms, thus enabling a drastic reduction in the number of the latter.
“I chose Savo Soul because I appreciate the comfort, and the mesh back creates a lighter impression than a solid fabric back. The chair is much appreciated by participants in extended digital meetings and also programmers, who often sit and work in pairs at Avensia,” explains Patrik.
Ideas worked conceptually to define the updated functions at the office and how they should relate to each other. This allowed the optimisation of available space by merging different functions and creating a social arena for collaboration. Social areas occupy about 30 per cent of the floor space, and are aimed at promoting commitment and pride. Avensia has been able to reduce its floor space by 25-30 per cent, but still have room for additional employees. The concept has been implemented in Lund, Malmö, Helsingborg and Gothenburg, and will shortly be implemented in Stockholm.
You get the feeling you’ve stepped directly into someone’s living room; there’s a sense of peace as soon as you step inside. Working at Avensia does not mean sitting at a desk for eight hours every day.
Peter Öxgård, Office Manager and Director of Development at Avensia, Gothenburg.
Interior design and photography: IDEAS Interior Architects.