Ørsted – hygge vind

07.11.2023 / The new 20th floor of Ørsted in the Varso building is such a place where one can simply feel good. The whole power of experience flows from the human-centric design. Natural light penetrates deeply into the interiors. The colors and ambiance are somewhat reminiscent of a spring day by the sea.

The top floor of the building presents a view of the sky and the successive layers of buildings arrayed like an EKG line outside the window. The interior aesthetics ensure a steady pulse. At the heart of the floor, at the crossroads of the social and meeting zones, there’s a mosaic on the wall featuring a turbine. It’s a windmill composed of thousands of ceramic waste pieces in the colors of the setting sun. It symbolizes Ørsted’s values and energizes the employees and guests present to take action.

* “vind” means wind in Danish.

Challenges and expectations

Ørsted is a global leader in offshore wind energy and one of the most sustainable energy companies in the world. The company faced the challenge of creating a space on the 20th floor of the Varso II building in Warsaw. The main objective was to provide a variety of meeting places for employees and guests. It was also essential to arrange the space to support focused work and for selected IT teams. Ørsted needed a place that would not only meet business needs but would also reflect the company’s values and commitment to ecological issues.

This was another collaboration between Ørsted and Workplace, following a successful project on floors 13-15 in 2020. Here is the link to the project: https://workplace.pl/en/story/orsted. We are a partner who understands and keeps up with the evolving office design standards of Ørsted. Our collaboration also includes complementing existing guidelines and design concepts with new solutions, giving each project a fresh character and incorporating local elements.

Additional goals of Workplace

– Design a space that adheres to Ørsted’s guidelines (from the client’s material titled “Love Your Workplace”).
– Aim to minimize environmental impact by using recycled materials and those with a low carbon footprint.
– Implement elements of biophilic design and neuroscientific principles, aligning them with the “Love Your Workplace” guidelines to create a cohesive and functional space.

During the project execution, Workplace utilized knowledge gained from previous projects, including collaboration with Impronta. Although it was not a direct partnership, the experience gained from other projects allowed for the application of biophilic design solutions and neuroscientific elements.

Result

Users have gained access to the top floor, which is the highest in the building. It provides exceptionally rejuvenating bird’s-eye views of Warsaw. These allow for a breath of fresh air and a chance to gain perspective throughout the day. The new space also stimulates development and creativity, allowing for a sense of connection with the place and the organization. Employees and their guests have also gained a place for themselves, able to adapt to their varying needs throughout a single day, depending on the task at hand. The space offers the possibility to focus, rest, and rejuvenate, participate in brainstorming, or completely hide away in the library for a time of full concentration. All this is enriched by being amongst the clouds – both felt and natural.

The office on the 20th floor has gained a distinctive mosaic reflecting the offshore wind farm. It was made from ceramic waste, giving it a second life. This type of art introduced into the interior instills a sense of pride that the space has been crafted intelligently and aesthetically while perfectly illustrating Ørsted’s business profile.

Poland is one of Ørsted’s strategic markets. The Warsaw office employs over 700 staff members. Together with Polska Grupa Energetyczna (Polish Energy Group), Ørsted is implementing one of the largest projects in the renewable energy sector in Poland. Baltica 2 and Baltica 3 will create the Baltica Offshore Wind Farm with a total capacity of 2.5 GW, which will significantly contribute to the transformation of Polish energy, providing green energy to nearly 4 million households.