The project is a pilot to test and showcase HSBC’s OpenWork workplace principles in Singapore.

A business group comprising of several teams with diverse workstyles was chosen to be the users and advocates of the new workplace. Along with the Strategy and Change Management team, we engaged the business group through workshops in which we discussed user workstyles, site opportunities, work setting variations, sharing ratios and planning considerations.

User endorsement of the planning and design was critical for the success of the pilot—the business group moved in with a high sense of ownership of the project and successfully adopted appropriate behaviours for sharing space in a new way of working.

We used the analogy of the Singapore River to signify HSBC’s early presence in Singapore trading. A mural of the river spans across a long wall that functions as a relief and a collaborative whiteboard, whilst rooms that look like shipping containers stand as landmarks. ‘Gunny sack’ fabric that recalls early river trading activities perform as acoustic material in the open workfloor and meeting rooms.