PENN1 Lessons Learned
Back to top
Back to overview

Reinvent the workspaces

PENN1 was designed as a hybrid-work-optimized workplace, and that is evident by the design of the workspaces. By taking an employee-first approach, we identified four primary reasons employees use group spaces:

  1. Team building
  2. Brainstorming/ideation
  3. Sharing information
  4. Collaboration
Infographic

These assumptions led to our creating meeting spaces that were designed and built for these different needs. Here are the primary workspaces employees can choose from.

  • Photo

    Hot desks for individual work

    • When people need to get individual work done, they can go to a hot desk.
    • We reimagined hot desking to be seamless: Instead of having to use a phone (or other means) to log in, the process is handled by a QR code on a Cisco Desk Hub.
    • The system automatically logs the user in and reserves the space until they’re logged out.
  • Photo

    Quiet and huddle rooms for individual meetings

    • 1–2 person rooms for video meetings
    • Designed for short meetings
    • Outfitted with a wide array of Cisco endpoints, tables, and chairs, depending on need. For example, rooms designed for 3+ people have a device with a wide field of view, whereas, for 1–2 people, a more focused angle is sufficient.
  • Photo

    Small collaboration rooms

    • Small collaboration rooms support 4–6 people.
    • All rooms are video enabled.
  • Photo

    Medium collaboration rooms

    • Intended for meetings of 6–10 people
    • Multiple configurations, with and without digital white boards
    • All rooms are video enabled.
  • Photo

    Large briefing rooms

    • Large briefing rooms support up to 18 people.
    • Furniture design ensures that all in-room participants can be seen on video.
  • Photo

    Innovation suite

    • This semi-open space is one of the most popular at PENN1.
    • There are limited power outlets available, encouraging people to work together with less multi-tasking.
  • Photo

    Training rooms

    • Data showed that very large training rooms were never fully utilized.
    • We installed two training rooms which could accommodate 25 people, along with support for remote participants.
  • Photo

    Open area

    • A “Grand Central Lounge” for coffee, and a place to eat and hang out
    • Video whiteboards are present for ad-hoc collaboration.
    • Tables and seating areas are equipped with power and USB connections.

Control Point

At PENN1, we are using our own Cisco Spaces Smart Workspace product as the “control point” of the office. Large displays located throughout PENN1 run the Cisco Spaces software, showing the entire office with each room shaded red (occupied), yellow (soon to be occupied, but currently open), or green (open). Via these displays, users can get detailed information on each room, such as capacity and environmental data, including temperature, CO2 level, air quality, and humidity. Through the interface, users can tap on a room to reserve it, then walk over to it without worrying about someone else taking it.

Infographic