Unwork has assisted The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) to create an office that pushes the boundaries of possibilities utilising the latests technology available in the workplace.

Ross Love, Senior Partner and Managing Director, and Managing Partner for BCG in New York articulated was the idea of a ‘collision coefficient’ – a way of measuring interaction.

This workplace facilitates this interaction through the idea of fluidity – encouraging movement through portable technology that is ‘untethered’ from the desk, ease of vertical circulation through two imposing staircases, pull factors such as great coffee and specialist spaces and the sharing of work space so that people behave in an agile way

As well as cultural change, the approach has shaved 32% off floor space requirements per person delivering a significant cost saving. And the firm has seen a dramatic rise in cross over job acceptances because of the new space.

The App Centric Workplace

10 Hudson Yards on Manhattan's far West Side of New York, BCG has developed it new office around the idea of ‘neighbourhoods’, providing shared spaces for both its consultancy and non-consultancy people (Business Services Team or BST). The environment actively promotes  community and interaction, with a focus on energy and activity-based spaces. 

Technology enables the live of emplyees to be increasingly virtual, which means that forward-thinking orgnisations are reconsidering the role of the office in the 21^st Century. BCG recognise that work is something you do and not a place that you go, workgin alongside Unworkm they have developed new paradigm shift for the workplace – creating a space that is a compelling place to be, beyond a repository for desks and paper.

Based on user feedback and research, there were five key attributes to achieve success: air quality, daylight, good acoustics, great coffee and food. The new office needed to be a platform for BCG in the city, with the two guiding principles being the creation of a desistanation, and an exciting place to be.

Just as Apps and digital ‘platforms’ have changed the way we interact outside the office, a new BCG App was developed to replicate this  experience inside workspace, providing a map-based space reservation system, desk panels with photo frames, news, events, a help section, receipt scanner, and crucially, the ability to find a colleague.

Philip Ross, CEO of Unwork says:

“This collision between people and space is creating an ‘App centric workplace’, in effect creates a physical social network facilitates the ‘bump’ factor that people want – engineering serendipity is a key ingredient in future high performing workplaces.”

BCG staff can enter the building using the Bluetooth enabled HID Global Mobile Access app. Once in, they can use the BCG NY office App to book a space to work based on what they need to do – an activity based approach – or just check in using the iPad mini screen at each workstation. This can then be personalised to, for example, show pictures from a user’s smart phone.

People are able to morph the space – a ‘user defined environment’. Elegance and ease of use were key ingredients. The end result is an environment that is minimalist, ergonomic and utilitarian – but not sterile.

A story of  ‘firsts’

BCG had a vision for a ‘paperless-first’ space, and meeting spaces all have high quality screens to display PowerPoint decks or other content.  The technology, as well as being less visible, is also more integrated, laptops and mobile phones work seamlessly with the IT network. A fully immersive Cisco VC system ensure that so that remote participants feel as though they are in the same space duringvideoconferencing.

The space is  ‘WiFi first’ – in effect a ‘cableless office’ – and the default is that people connect wirelessly for voice and data.

A new arrivel experience for visitors

There is no reception desk and visitors experience a very different sense of arrival.  Instead guests enter a  Multi Purpose Room (MPR) with a touch panel surface using laser phosphor display screen technology as the focal points, settgin the tone for the technology that lays within the office.

The  heart and nerve centre is created here with a large is a large café, informal work and meeting space, with a nearby are a concierge desk (complete with large Microsoft Surface Hub) for client ‘meet and greet’ and a main internal staircase.

This flexible environment can be morphed to allow TED-like events and entertainment along with live streaming and presentation facilities, centered on a transparent OLED screen.

Convertible Space

A key element is flexibility , with spaces that can be adapted for three use  - partner use, ad hoc meeting and video conference.  Elsewhere, huddle rooms and multi-purpose rooms (MPRs) can be used for a variety of scenarios. Conversely, dedicated space for teams working on cases were designed to create a flexible, high tech and secure home. 

Movement

Wellbeing was also high on the agenda. Movement and walking is encouraged , 75% of the desks in the open-space workstations can be raised to allow people to work on their feet.  In addition to a wellness space, dedicated rooms with Lifespan treadmill desks provide a place to walk and work while enjoying the skyline of Manhattan.

Speaking about UnWork’s role, Ross Love, Senior Partner and Managing Director, and Managing Partner for New York, said:

“UnWork really helped us to crystallise our vision, challenging all our assumptions and helping us to consider all avenues and the ‘art of the possible’.  Through a collaborative approach and co-creation with our consulting team, they helped shape solutions and allowed us to innovate and have the confidence to take difficult decisions. Philip and his team made us think and pushed us hard to define the future of work for BCG.”

Philip Ross, founder of UnWork, said:

“The Boston Consulting Group applied a rigour and analysis to both the ideal user and client experience. This is a workplace that creates a detination and provides choice and variery to suit individual preferences.  It changes attitudes and behavoirs through a different approach.”