INTERNATIONAL MEDIA GROUP
Years of preparation lie behind the scenes before a new chapter in film history is opened. In order to provide a suitable framework for the collaboration of those involved, a globally active media company based in the USA has decided in favour of a new workplace concept. An expiring tenancy agreement was the impetus to part with a property in need of renovation in the east of Munich and move into the elegant NOVE office ensemble instead. The architect and designer Antonio Citterio modelled his design on an Italian palazzo, linking the individual buildings with squares and bridges, integrating high-quality materials and his own furniture designs. And so the task was to create a place within the existing parameters in which the company could express its own identity. The solution: a zoned, open-plan workplace concept. With a walk of fame that commemorates the company's successes and public favourites.

WORK & MEET
Restrained basic workspaces in the open-plan area with 400 permanently assigned workstations form the backbone of the new office. Daylight and a generous arrangement of furniture create a pleasant atmosphere. Conceivably different sized and small meeting rooms with variable equipment provide the perfect setting for meetings of all kinds. Inviting retreats are available for concentrated work. In the spacious conference area, high-quality media technology facilitates hybrid collaboration with partners at other locations and enables sophisticated screenings. Informal dialogue is encouraged by four inviting kitchenettes and multifunctional carpentry furniture. The centrepiece of the new office world, however, is a spacious Meet & Eat area, where catering is offered at certain times, but where individual breaks or internal events are possible at any time thanks to the flexible equipment and seating.

SPECIAL FEATURES
To bring films to the big screen, a 95 square metre cinema room for 40 people was created in close consultation with American experts. A section of the building with no through traffic from employees or the public is reserved for ensuring privacy for sensitive business discussions and confidentiality for C-level management, without jeopardising the open space concept. The so-called channel rooms are characterised by increased requirements for technical and acoustic measures for sound recordings and recordings. Additional break-out areas were created on a bridge in the atrium with the Garden Lounges - thus closing the circle to the architecture.

CULTURE IN CHANGE
With the decision to dispense with individual offices across all hierarchical levels in future, the management set a strong top-down signal. As part of the transformation process, user groups from all areas of the company were involved in the design of the new office, for example by participating in the vision workshop. During the design phase, a mock-up was built to test the open-plan office concept. The evaluation of user feedback led to minor modifications, which were subsequently incorporated into the further workplace design and the interior design. The opening began with guided tours through the new rooms and was then duly celebrated. A success that can also be attributed to the company's willingness to change, in which the project goals and progress were communicated at regular intervals so that the understanding of the business necessity and the resulting new opportunities were recognised and supported. The company's headquarters, which is now much more representative again, is just one of a total of four jointly realised projects based on the overarching design guidelines developed by our teams in Munich and Milan. Next stop: Zurich