Individual Acoustic Sheltered Booths for the Workplace Spacestor Aeonica

Innovative, Hong Kong-based, technology corporate, Lenovo recently moved their headquarters in the UK to Farnborough. A location inspired with an aerodynamic theme overlooks the Farnborough airport, affording stunning views to workers as well as being reflected in the architectural details in the building, as orchestrated originally by Sir Norman Foster.

Having previously worked with the company, Lenovo felt assured to work with Area as design and construction partners delivering the project. The stimulus behind the project was Lenovo’s reconsideration of their organizational pre-COVID practices, which in assessment now had to cater to entirely new employee demands and needs. It was with the aim of creating an energetic workplace and a beating heart for the corporate, a space optimized for user productivity and innovation, that the global firm worked closely with Area to find a successful and highly aligned solution.

Over a floorplate of 19,800 sq ft the workplace is situated in the Farnborough Business Park and because of its two distinct wings, presented a design challenge for Area to ensure avoidance of dysfunctionality between team based in the separate wings. This was expertly resolved by the strategic positioning of amenities and refreshment points, as well as functional fittings such as the printing area, to strongly encourage collaboration, impromptu catch ups and synergy across teams.

With the growing importance of local community and organizational interconnection in the workplace industry, Area’s research and attention into the authentic history of the location and the local community enhance the story of the space and ensured employees could develop an emotion understanding and tie to the local area and social setting.

The project achieved SKA Gold and BREEAM Excellence certification ensuring that the project helped Lenovo deliver on their organisational sustainability goals. Prioritization of investment in durability and the championing of reuse, remanufacturing and recycling ensured that less energy and materials were used during the workplace delivery stage.

In an ode for the subtle but tangible, Area expertly integrated their client’s brand identity throughout the space through a considered color palette, using brighter color accents synonymous with the Lenovo brand, paired with softer greys, blues and pinks to encourage gentle transitions into spaces. Enlightening design features such as Lenovo’s alpha pattern in the acoustic barriers realise the effect that a space should have – to be a physical manifestation of Lenovo’s brand and evoke an appreciation for the quiet sophistication the workplace exudes.

Spacestor worked closely with Area to provide semi enclosed working space created from one of their newest and most innovative products, Aeonica. The configuration features deep blue double depth arches which support Lenovo employees with acoustically sheltered workstations for focused work without being completely separated from the buzz. The choice in Aeonica ensures future reconfiguration, as pieces are joined with a quick release joining system allowing the product to be moved when space needs change and reconfigured rather than being thrown away.

The collaboration between Spacestor, Area and Lenovo in the curation and creation of the Farnborough workplace location was characterized by a commitment to sustainability, contextual and local consideration, brand integration, and a focus on promoting connectivity and collaboration in the workspace.