Client projects: BSH

New conference and co-working area in the BSH office in Warsaw

BSH is a leading European manufacturer of home appliances. Employees are the foundation of the success of the company, which cares about providing them with conditions in which they can develop and achieve the best results. As a result of the rearrangement in the Warsaw headquarters of BSH, a large conference, recreation and integration space was created, which also serves as an area with shared desks, preparing the office for hybrid work when employees return. Architect Katarzyna Łysio of Biurometry studio was responsible for its design, and the complex furnishings were provided by Kinnarps.

Conditions for development and cooperation

BSH Sprzęt Gospodarstwa Domowego Sp. z o.o. is part of the international BSH Home Appliances Group. On the Polish market, the company offers Bosch, Siemens and Gaggenau products. BSH has 6 factories in Poland where home appliances are produced – washing machines, dishwashers and clothes dryers, ovens and refrigerators, as well as small household appliances – improving the quality of consumers' everyday life. In addition to manufacturing, BSH also has shared service centres in Poland that serve the company's needs worldwide in areas such as IT, accounting, trade and central purchasing. BSH in Poland is developing a Research and Development Centre and a Digital & E-Commerce Competence Centre.

The company emphasises that the employees are the foundation of its success. Therefore, it creates the organisational culture and conditions in which everyone can develop, feel appreciated and achieve the best results. In accordance with these assumptions, an open and flexible co-working space for employees was created in the company's Warsaw headquarters, combined with a large conference room that can be divided into smaller conference and meeting rooms, as well as a kitchen and a cafeteria. Rearranging the functional layout of this part of the office involved ditching the small rooms and offices to create a flexible space for different types of tasks, preparing the office for employees returning after the pandemic and working in hybrid mode.

New space for new times

The previous functional division of the office prevented a smooth return to work after an extended period of working from home. In addition, there was a lack of an attractive co-working space conducive to employee integration.

Cooperation between all those involved in the project went very smoothly. The customer's specific and well-thought-out guidelines and the factual feedback at every stage facilitated the implementation, which was of great importance in view of the demanding work schedule. Thanks to efficient communication and a well-prepared project, everything was completed on time.

Traditionally, we started by defining the functional layout. Then, on the basis of the prepared model and visualisation, we defined the style of the interior. We finished the project with technical drawings and the selection and configuration of specific elements of furniture and fittings. All the arrangements and amendments lasted less than 2 months, and the furniture order was carried out during the renovation. The cooperation was excellent. – Katarzyna Łysio, an architect from Biurometry studio in Szczecin, describes the course of works.

The biggest challenges – time and functionality

The customer wanted to maintain a high level of functionality of the space both in the open and the divided into rooms option. For this purpose, mobile walls were used, thanks to which the co-working area can be extended with a part of the conference room. The challenge was to match the existing elements; hence non-standard combinations of different finishing materials were used on the walls and floor. However, the biggest challenge of the project was time.

Successful implementation

The customer appreciated the attractive design, professionalism, good communication and the fact that the Kinnarps team listened carefully to the guidelines, thanks to which the project was completed on time and in accordance with functional and aesthetic expectations.

This is the first area of this type in BSH offices. Its creation resulted from the need to provide employees with an attractive place for joint work and integration in the era of home office. One can hold a team meeting here, focus on work, or just have a coffee with co-workers. The change has been well received by users, as evidenced by their positive feedback.

PHOTO: FOTOMOHITO