Telenor Fornebu in Oslo
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Human work environments
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The Norwegian telecommunications company, Telenor, means being open and dynamic. The Telenor Fornebu premises are situated on the grounds of the former Oslo airport at Oslo fjord. Their offices are predominated by transparency and communication. And the employees themselves are more than content. Telenors office buildings cover an area of 138,000 m² and are therefore the biggest of its kind in Norway. “I was very keen on constructing a flexible building which can be adapted to the needs of the business as well as employees at any time and without major changes”, says Peter Pran, an architect of Norwegian and American origin. He is senior designer at NBBJ, one of the world’s biggest architects offices, and works in Seattle and New York. The work places and areas have been created in cooperation with architects from the Norwegian HUS as well as PKA in order to “keep the people’s dignity, support the personal development and guarantee human relationships.”
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The Telenor office of the future does without fixed work spaces and working in cubicles. “We did not only intend to save money and space but also to motivate our employees to interact, exchange information faster, enable decisions inside and outside of the teams, achieve more flexibility as well as mobility,” says Jon Fredrik Baksaas. The Telenor CEO himself works in either one of the 200 work areas, in one of the 220 conference rooms, cafeterias or the atrium. Common status symbols are no longer part of the easy going and highly communicative office atmosphere. Personal belongings of employees are left in a caddy.
The open, communicative and interactive work environment, inspired by the principles of New ways of Work, puts all 7,000 employees, who were working in approximately 40 Oslo offices before moving, under one roof and reflects Pran’s architecture. Flexibility, mobility, transparency, openness, intense communication and decision making, a balance between business and staff interests, as well as cost reduction best describe the holistic idea.
The structure of both parts of the building complex give the impression of waves and symbolize the steady flow of information at Telenor. The Plaza, which was constructed out of 92 steles by the French Daniel Buren, offer a view over the fjord and a dynamic experience. Some parts of the building give the strong impression of being on an ocean liner which is put to sea.
The employees seem to like the open office spaces as much as the integrated gym, newsstands and using the numerous cafeterias for meetings. This small town within the company contributes to well-being as well as continuous creativity and faster, more effective decision making.
Reduced space
Each floor in the office buildings contains 30 work places and covers 400 m². The perimeter of previously 38 m² was reduced to 21.4 m² which resulted in a cost reduction of 20% amounting in total building costs of 600 million euros. The entire office building forms an open environment, only the conference, copier and laundry facilities are situated in the entrance area. Solid walls furthermore ensure concentrated working.
The furniture is adapted to the different needs at each work place and was developed by B8, a Danish furniture manufacturer, in cooperation with Komplot Design. The product line comprises four types of tables and desks which can either be combined or used separately. Therefore, employees use either one long table or four combined short tables in order to communicate effectively. Most of the time, however, Telenor staff use lecterns for working with their wireless laptop computers and mobile phones. “If you need some time and silence for a change or need to find a quiet room for a meeting, you can use one of the library rooms“, explains John Willy Bakke who is responsible for research and development at Telenor.
Be content with the work environment
First survey results revealed that 76 % of the employees, who took part in intensive training and pilot schemes for introducing the New Ways of Working before moving, are very content with the work environment. 90 % approve the user friendly IT solution, which allows also wireless internet access. 43 % prefer to change their work place within the building at a regular basis. 48 % are able to receive information faster. The employee cooperation was enhanced and rose by 47 %. 34 % feel that communication with managers has also improved. Furthermore, the overall rate of sick leave decreased.
The company management itself is very keen on linking nature, arts and design. Apart from Daniel Buren, the American Jenny Holzer created a text-based piece of art which extends along the gutters of one building at a length of 215 meters. A larger than life-sized sculpture by the Swedish artist, Maria Misenberger, is situated in one cafeteria and overlooks the omnipresent fjord.
By Martina Schütz
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Mensch & Büro 1/2005 1/2005 |
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Telenor erected Norway’s biggest office building complex on the grounds of the former Oslo airport at the Oslo Fjord. Photograph by: Tim Griffith
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Telenor focuses on human cooperation.
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| The open and spacious offices within the communication zones. |
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