Project Overview
We worked with one of the most trusted Thai banks to develop a Learning Academy that would help to create a more educated, engaged, adaptive and innovative workforce. By taking a multi-disciplinary, human-centred approach to environmental design we developed an integrated employee experience solution that considers user needs, expresses the brand and aligns with strategic business outcomes.
Project Commissioner
Project Creator
Team
Australia Spatial Design
Robbie Robertson
Karen Spear
Bindi Mira-Bateman
Patrick Moloney
Emily White
Eloise Dalla-Costa
Martin Lopez
Thailand Local client expertise
Chris Suradejvibul
Nisha Chaisilwattana
SEA SME Experts
Nishith Mohanty
Leila Chow
Project Brief
The predictability of the future and the concept of a career have been shaken to their core. With the high rate of change and innovation in the current market, business are no longer able to design for the future, but instead must design for the unknown. At the same time, employees are now enjoying the prospect of sixty year careers while the half-life for learned skills continues to become shorter. In the past, employees undertook training to gain skills for a career. Now, the career itself is a journey of learning.
To best position themselves around the unknowns of the future and the changing nature of learning, a leading Thai bank sought to create a unique learning environment to facilitate innovative thinking and market leadership across the business, operations and clients. The bank recognises that the future of financial services will be disrupted and seeks to be at the forefront of these changes by fundamentally transforming its employees and challenging their future readiness.
Project Need
Through stakeholder interviews and user engagement workshop sessions we developed guiding principles for the learning experience and identified outcomes per zone. The outcome is a strategic concept design over 3000m2 that captures the transformational, aspirational and forward thinking nature of the bank and its care for the future of its employees. A spatial strategy report and concept design including 3D renders, floor plans and look & feel provided a detailed spatial brief ready for design development.
The new learning academy will allow the business to foster a consistent culture of innovation and learning to ensure they are always at the front of the technology and disruption curve.
Design Challenge
Through developing a formal concept based on alchemy, chemistry and molecular structures we were able to respond to not only the banks needs but the vision and experience for the space.
For the bank it allowed the learning academy to embody its innovative beginnings, infuse the gold from the brand in its base form, describe the metamorphism into the digital economy, and capture the aspirational nature of SCB goals.
As a design typology it was able to be manipulated and hacked to create permutations and combinations that evoke a sense of challenge and excellence in achievement, support divergent thinking through experimentation, demonstrate limitless potential, and represent care through detailed process and delivery.
Sustainability
Knowing sustainability was not a key priority for the project, the design team took a conscious approach to consider sustainability and functionality hand in hand. This approach ensured a positive environmental agenda was woven into the design by ensuring key design elements were an irreplaceable feature as well as inherently green accredited. One such example was the use of Bolon across nearly all 3000sqm of the space. Bolon is made entirely in Sweden with a state of the art recycling plant to reduce waste and offcuts from the production process. All recycled materials are used in the floor backings of future products. Without compromising on durability and quality Bolon carpets are phthalates free and are instead softened with a safe, proven and tested alternative. Other examples included the feature furniture pieces not only being locally available but GECA certified.
Interior Design - International Commercial
Open to all international projects this award celebrates innovative and creative building interiors, with consideration given to space creation and planning, furnishings, finishes, aesthetic presentation and functionality. Consideration also given to space allocation, traffic flow, building services, lighting, fixtures, flooring, colours, furnishings and surface finishes.
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