Temporary workspaces at Galenica

Karin Hilzinger and Angela Haas from Creaholic helped organise the move and advised the Galenica team on work culture and organisation. Galenica’s goal for when it moves back into the renovated Turm in a few years is that its collaboration style is also different. To make this possible, the change needs to be shaped, managed and driven. The move should be a transformative adventure for employees and the aim was that the swing space becomes a place for people to meet and work across departments, disciplines and topics.

Various players were involved in making the swing space a success. The architecture was designed and executed by "h+r Architekten" and the interior design was done by "HMS Architekten" . They placed a special focus on maximum sustainability and circular economy. Much of the material was brought to the swing space from the original office, and everything new was purchased with the condition that it could later be reused. This is sustainability in action, without sacrificing user needs.

The centrepiece of the swing space is a former warehouse with a surface area of 2000 square metres and ceilings that are nine metres high. Four two-storey cubes were placed in this large room, with the upper-level cubes being connected by a bridge. The room-in-room architecture gives the space an urban feel, which is what it is called "Le Quartier". The swing space also includes the office space on the first and second floors of the Turm. These were incorporated into the design, too.

To make it easier for employees to find their way around in the nested space of Le Quartier, we divided the large area into zones and assigned each zone a distinct shade from the Galenica colour spectrum. The ground floor is made up of three zones: "Esplanade", "Park" and "Business District". The mezzanine floors have two zones: "Seefeld" and "Schanze". The 1st and 2nd floor of the tower was combined into one zone.

To ptimise orientation in the room, we moved from the large to the small. At the entrance, visitors and employees will find a large floor plan with corresponding zones and colours. Then there is signage that uses arrows and names to guide people. The large zone names and main walls are prominently designed, giving each zone a unique character.