design is
a study
Design Firm: PDM International
Project Name/Client: Halliburton
Project Location: Singapore
Products: Stiletto Tile, Attitude Tile, Paparazzi Tile, Fault Lines Tile, Embrace Tile
What is Design?
It is about aesthetic, color coordination or styling and evolves around the understanding of the client’s nature of business, anticipating and satisfying needs and aspiration. Design studies the sociological context of human behavioral and interaction activities in a workplace.
Using modern design principles to create a new perspective of environment that harmonizes with functionality, in order to meet the pre-determined objectives of scope, cost, time, and quality expectations of its stakeholders.
How is Design best illustrated through the project?
The clients aim was to enhance communication, interaction and providing an environmental friendly office. An extra wide central corridor was created, dissecting the main office floor, with narrower sub-passageways extending across the floor, providing access to the workspace. The design symbolizes “Main Street” and tributaries mirroring a town planning approach to interconnectivity. Similarly areas are defined for private space, informal meeting space, shared amenities and public space, serving the needs for different levels of work function and activities.
A communication staircase viewing deck overlooks the reception and main lobby, further enhancing the feel of interaction between the spaces. The individual office glass frontages allow natural light into the space and provide a visual link between the work areas.
Biggest Design Challenge?
The biggest design challenge is to set a new corporate benchmark for what is the client’s flagship Asia Pacific region Technology and Manufacturing Center for the eastern hemisphere.
This requires the detailed review of the existing workplace setting and condition against desirable objectives. The gap analysis requires an in-depth understanding of the business function, process and operation activities. Interviews were conducted with many project sponsors and stakeholders to understand their strategic, tactical and process concern of their workplace. The idea is to integrate the diverse workgroup and depict an environment that will allow the client to attract the best talent and retain the highly trained workforce.
What made it Innovative or Unique?
The flagship office has the capabilities of demonstrating the client business expertise and product supremacy to its potential investors, within the dynamic Epic and Vision room which equipped with advance multi- media technologies. Tour routes were also conceptualized in the design development stage to showcase its product, people & technologies to potential investors as well as educational tour groups. The office interior used materials included sandstone, granite, metal and color changing lights in short intervals which reflects the client’s business and working environment, subtly reinforcing the understanding of their work activities in through art and design.
The creation of a history wall and corporate graphic images along the tour route fortify its brand identity and historical presence. The visual communication draws awareness of the culture, philosophy, beliefs, and strong sense of pride across the organization.
How did Design make a difference?
The newly created facility was extremely well received by both existing and new employees alike. The careful choice of materials with sustainability products and colors adds vibrancy and dynamism to the environment and demonstrates what the future looks like to the project sponsors in the home country, in line with the key aims of reinforcing a global ethos and that of a forward thinking organization.
With the era of a knowledge based economy, the new office promotes inter-departmental and individual collaboration. Informal meeting areas at strategic location promote staff interaction, brainstorming, exchange of knowledge and information. The new work environment advocates the client philosophy of talent attraction and retention; a creative workplace for talent to develop!
