Hyderabad: Amid the pandemic, many companies are showing leadership and strategising the functionality of their spaces by coming up with new ideas that can enable their employees to navigate through the new reality. The focus is now shifting to the mental and physical impact Covid-19 is making on workspaces, observes multinational design consultancy firm Space Matrix.
The Singapore-headquartered company has executed 6 million sq ft of design and build activity across Asia since last July. From Hyderabad studio alone, the company has delivered 5 lakh sq ft of space and the city has been seeing robust activity. Space Matrix is meeting needs of companies across verticals from technology to insurance and telecom to pharmaceuticals & healthcare. The company is also helping co-working space providers to come out with innovative designs.
Priyanka Bhat, director, Business Operations, Space Matrix (Hyderabad), told Telangana Today, “India has several multinationals which have set up their second largest campuses outside of their global headquarters, including cities such as Hyderabad. Wellbeing has become more important amid pandemic accelerating the need to improve overall employee experience. Companies are reassessing their workspaces and employee policies to suit the current scenario. At least 60 per cent of our clients have considered recalibrating their workspaces in the last eight months.”
She added, “Workspaces are a place of collaboration and design elements are focusing on suitable acoustics and creating collaborative zones. And since hybrid workspace models are emerging, it is taken care that those working remotely find their interactions inclusive.”
Positive workspaces
According to the neuroscientific research by IA Interior Architects and Space Matrix, designing positivity into the workplace results in a stress-free environment for employees. Such positive emotions enhance creativity, improve innovative thinking and heighten one’s ability to make better decisions. Both employers and employees are seeing the benefit of working from the office, and flexible work policies are evolving, she added.
The right kind of colour and biophilic designs create a happy space around. Moreover, employees coming back to work would require a healthy amount of control and an environment that follows the guidelines and makes them feel secure and safe. The role of technology is as important as design for a safe environment.
She added, “There is also increased usage of artwork and sustainability elements to create inclusive workspaces. We are also helping clients seeking Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and WELL Building Standard (WELL) certification. Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do as people are aiming to create workspaces that are carbon neutral.”
Creative studios
Space Matrix, with its experiential facility, called [β] Lab, brings together multiple work environments offering clients a real-time experience of possible workspace design solutions and alternatives to figure out the most appropriate solution for their future workplaces. [β]Lab has facilities such as lighting and environment sensors, access control, way-finding and scheduling meeting rooms, with controls available through a user-end app. Other features include biophilic wall, waste segregation, views of the exterior, interior fitness circulation, air quality monitors, and carbon and particle filters.
The company, which specialises in workplace design and build, has today 14 international offices spread across India, Australia, China, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Thailand, and the United States. In India, Space Matrix has offices in six cities including Hyderabad. All these locations have a full-fledged set up providing end-to-end solutions including workplace design, project management and other services integrated through dedicated studios. The company has transitioned to cloud and clients can track the progress and status of the projects.
The company through digitisation ensured that its own project managers, designers and other team members could work remotely and execute projects seamlessly. Space Matrix also has brought out an inhouse wellness programme for its employees to handle mental and physical stress, caused due to the pandemic.
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