Vaisala Work Environment Development

Hybrid work concept drives ways of working and spatial design

The cooperation between Vaisala and Rune & Berg on the development of work environments dates back to 2018. However, the cooperation was taken to a whole new level when the COVID-19 pandemic revolutionised the working culture and places of working, shifting the focus to working in multiple locations. This transformation was particularly important for Vaisala, as its business is founded on creating new innovations and encountering people across team and location boundaries. We helped the Vaisala management to specify the most important policies for hybrid work regarding working methods, the role of the office, types of premises and use of space. The hybrid concept served as the basis for designing the offices in Vantaa and Keilaranta, and it has also been used internationally.

Developing an attractive campus together

Since the 1930s, Vaisala has grown from an invention of one man into a global listed company with over 2,000 employees. Its headquarters are the Vantaanlaakso campus, with thousands of square metres of office and production space and a wide range of different experts, from sales to R&D specialists. The aim of our work was to promote a culture where people and ideas can move easily and where the office has a clear role to play as part of multi-location work. “We have defined the types of spaces that support future work, promoted the development of the work culture and supported various levels of the organisation during the change,” says Sini Ala-Nikula, Design Strategist for the client. “Reinforcing the so-called campus approach has become particularly important. Vaisala has exceptionally large premises that can be developed together,” adds Jenny Soldan, Design Strategist.

Rune & Berg Desigin suunnittelema Vaisalan Keilarannan toimisto

In addition to the Vantaa campus, the Keilaranta office has been designed on the basis of the hybrid concept and the working methods and types of spaces outlined in it.

The commonly agreed design drivers guide the cooperation:

The attractive campus has a clear role, and it offers relevant services to employees
The physical work environment corresponds to the new ways of working
The organisation has moved from private work rooms to shared use of spaces

Rune & Berg Design was responsible for designing the concrete spatial changes in Vantaa and Keilaniemi and acted as a partner in defining the space types and working practices for hybrid work and implementing the change. “The development of Vaisala’s work environments is based on strong top management support and insight, as well as the needs of supervisors and teams. Vaisala’s Future of Work working group and property management, IT and communications experts have also participated in the cooperation. Together with them, we have also developed communications that support the change and defined technological solutions for different spaces to support hybrid work,” says Sini.

Vaisala’s work rooms, i.e. flow spaces, are in shared use for everyone.

Versatile collaboration spaces are an essential part of fluent work at the office.

The heart of the Keilaranta office is the working cafe where Vaisala’s employees gather to eat lunch, take breaks and hold joint events.

Keilaranta office verifies the change

In addition to the Vantaa campus, the Keilaranta office, which was completed in late 2022, has been designed on the basis of the hybrid concept and the working methods and types of spaces outlined in it. The approximately 1,000-square-metre office on the fifth floor offers areas for both focused work and social encounters. The sea views overlooking the Keilalahti bay and local services make the work day experience even better. “Vaisala wants to offer the best possible environment for work. The Keilaranta office adds variety and scope to the network of office locations that Vaisala’s employees and partners can use,” Sini describes.

Sentio Insight measurement was carried out before and after making spatial changes in both Vantaa and Keilaranta, and it showed that the functionality of the premises has improved by up to 20 per cent as a result of the changes. “The measurement includes straightforward matters, such as the functionality of the furniture, but also emotions and softer aspects related to the working environment. The development of the working environment requires this kind of measurements in order to indicate the direction of development,” concludes Jorma Lammila, Development Director at Vaisala.