Smarter Worklife
Promoting creative networking and cooperation and creating the biggest tech hub in the Nordic region were the goals when the 10-story Tietoevry office building was built in Solna. Three floors of the building are an inviting, zone-based co-working arena that is not only home to 2,000 employees, but is also open to customers, suppliers and students. The building was recently named 2023 Structure of the Year.
As soon as you step into the airy, architecturally acclaimed Arenastaden building in Solna outside of Stockholm, you know this is a place where you’re going to feel at home. High ceilings, incredible lighting, tons of greenery, an endless supply of cozy seating, a coffee bar, and smooth music in the speakers create the exclusive feeling of a luxury hotel.
When two of the Nordic region’s biggest IT companies, Tieto and Evry, merged, they decided to build a massive flagship office.
“We want to bring all our employees together to create synergies,” says Carina Wide, Head of Facilities at Tietoevry, “so our strategy is to only have one office per city.”
The core concept for the design was to focus on sustainability and the needs of the employees.
“We worked entirely from the employees’ perspective and developed the concept based on the individual’s unique needs for the moment or the day.”
The architectural firm Strategisk Arkitektur, which also developed the concept and interiors, designed a 22,000 m² zone-based office building that would serve as a flexible working environment and a harmonious home base for the 2,000 employees.
“Sustainability is a passion for us, so we built in consideration for the environment in every little detail, Wide says.
“For example, the building is BREEAM*-certified and 80% of its furnishings are reused from the five office buildings we have now combined into one.”
The dream project was completed in May 2022. Two skylights, high ceilings and a lot of natural light in combination with Nordic furniture in a harmonious color scale all contribute to the wonderful atmosphere.
“The idea was to create a lot of space for customers and partners,” says Wide, who was responsible for the project during the two-year long construction process. We have long projects, and sometimes we need to be able to work for weeks or months together with our customers. We can do that in our camp space, where you can book conference rooms for a longer period.”
The office allows each individual to govern their work week in an environment that is specially designed for the company’s hybrid working model.
People with families appreciate the freedom of working from home, as it simplifies their work–life balance.
"Many companies have an idea that teams need to sit together, but the individuals in the teams don’t always have the same needs for their workplaces,”Wide says. “The Tietoevry 6C concept is based on the specific needs of the individuals.”
The idea is for the office to be an extension of home, so it has comfy, inviting social areas, rooftop terraces with expansive views and a fantastic “play area” with everything from ping-pong and pool tables to board games and pinball machines, where coworkers can hang out together at any time of the day.
“All employees work freely when, how, and where they want, as long as it is compatible with the commitments we have for our customers.”
The building also has its own yoga studio, café and restaurant—the Kitchen Club, which is run by Coor—and an indoor pool. For those who want a different kind of workout, there is a gym in the nearby Mall of Scandinavia, and for cyclists there is parking for 400 bicycles and a bike workshop they can use. The dedicated parking garage next to the headquarter building will soon be completed. There is even a grand piano in the office for those who want to relax by tickling the ivories.
The office concept is based on Tietoevry’s 6C concept—different zones for Concentration, Collaboration, Communication, ChillOut, Camp and Customer— with cozy lounges and workrooms, as well as appealing coffee stations serving cappuccino and fruit. The communication zone focuses on good acoustics and screens for Teams meetings, while the quiet concentration zones are dedicated to focused individual work. They have genuine flex seating; not even the management group has dedicated spots of their own.
The free seating allows the individuals to choose between cozy corner sofas, the 1,000 ergonomic sit-stand workplaces, high standup desks, Pilates balls to sit on or desk bikes for those who want to exercise as they work, combined with “touchdown places” at standing tables with phone chargers.
“Most of the 220 conference rooms are bookable, but we’ve also been generous with smaller drop-in rooms for focused work,” Wide says.
Many surveys in recent years have also found that those who have families appreciate the freedom to work from home, because it simplifies their work– life balance, while the younger generation, who often live in smaller apartments, want to spend more time at the office and need to be closer to mentors, bosses and coworkers to absorb the company culture.
One stated goal was for the physical and digital environments to interact seamlessly. So the building’s technology is top-notch, and at the same time extremely user-friendly.
“We have solely USB-C ports and you only have to connect your laptop in the conference rooms for the video and sound systems to connect automatically,” Wide says.