A corporate headquarters move mid-pandemic sparked the question: What does the new workplace look like?

Designing a new global corporate headquarters at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic challenged the team to anticipate what a return to the workplace would look like. With no roadmap to turn to, Ebbrell and TraceLink worked strategically on the programming phase to develop the right mix of work, support and amenity spaces, while creating a framework for remote employees and departmental cohorts. The design was based on a modular planning approach, where the floor plan was broken into “pods", and variations on a palette of space types were repeated across one-and-a-half floors that Ebbrell connected through a new central monumental stair.

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• Implemented biophilic design through a green living wall, monumental planter and plants throughout the space
• Designed a new central monumental stair to create a sense of connectivity between the two floors and to allow for staff to circulate vertically within the TraceLink space
• Employed a software-based desk reservation system to allow for 100% free address desking and support a flexible, hybrid return-to-work model.
• Created five modular “pods” which each contain a kitchen, huddle rooms, phone booths and open collaborations zone that are nestled throughout the open workstation areas.

Check out a video tour of the space here