PENN1 Lessons Learned
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Defining objectives

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To accomplish our goal of transforming PENN1 into a smart building for hybrid work, we first established five key objectives. Let’s look at those objectives in more detail.

  • Make it hybrid

    Support hybrid work to attract and retain talent.

    This involved reducing the overall amount of space needed to meet the workforce capacity, while also improving the utilization of the space with collaboration technology. Designing the space for hybrid work meant having to provide a best-in-class and seamless work experience regardless of the workers’ activity or location in the space.

  • Promote wellness

    Build health and wellness into the design.

    Pre-COVID, few companies put much thought into health and wellness, but the pandemic underscored the value of personal well-being, safety, and keeping workers healthy. A Webex study found that 92% of workers have safety concerns regarding returning to the office. Our objective was to build the space in a way that would maximize daylight; keep temperature, air quality, and fresh air at optimum settings; and provide a safe environment for workers.

  • Embrace sustainability

    Ensuring the real estate portfolio supports corporate sustainability goals.

    We have a stated company goal to reach net zero across scope 1 and 2 emissions across our value chain by 2040. The PENN1 office spaces required a design that would support, if not accelerate our journey to this goal.

  • Digitize real estate

    Use data to optimize the real estate portfolio.

    We measured environmental factors (e.g. temperature, air quality) occupancy, space behavior, real estate utilization, energy, and user experience. Ideally, the buildings would be fully programmable for improved comfort, health, wellness, and efficiency. Also, subsystems would need to be connected via the network, so data could be aggregated and shared to optimize comfort and usage. The ultimate vision is to make the network the 4th utility, along with water, electric, and gas, where it would be ubiquitously available when required.

  • Be the vision

    Showcase Cisco as a leader in smart building technology, along with our partners.

    We have led many technologies through market transitions, and our goal was to do the same with hybrid work. If designed correctly, PENN1 would illustrate a visionary platform at the intersection of technology, furniture, architecture, building design, health, wellness, and sustainability.