Sisal HQ's design reflects and amplifies the company's founding values: responsibility, people, innovation

The new Sisal headquarters, designed by COIMA Image, were born from the study of the most innovative design models and the analysis of the values of the brand. The design reflects and amplifies the company's founding values: responsibility, people, innovation. The New Office The new SISAL Headquarters is situated in the historic neighbourhood of Isola in Milano and consists of 10.000 sqm of brand-new office space spanning 10 floors aboveground and 3 floors underground. The company, with its 750 Milano-based staff, has opted to introduce a 2 day/week remote working policy, thus dedicating a larger portion of the available workspace to create an ecosystem of physical and virtual places that foster sharing, learning, connections, and innovation. Activity Based Workspaces With various departments located each on their level and having diverse individual/teamwork needs, no one floor is the same. Each floorplan of the new Sisal headquarters is designed according to the “Activity Based Working” logics, offering a plurality of spaces that can be booked and used according to the activity carried out during the day. Shifting away from the previously static work models, the client adopted a desk sharing ratio of 1:1.5 and introduced desk sharing and ‘clean desk’ policies. Across all the building there are over 400 more traditional workstations, around 80 of which are height-adjustable to allow for ergonomic solo work or impromptu meetings. With acoustic comfort as one of the highest priorities, each workstation is equipped with high performance sound-absorbing screens and open areas are furnished with suspended acoustic panels. Moquette was the main choice for flooring, helping both with noise reduction as well as containing air-born allergens to improve indoor air quality. For dynamic work, each floor offers at least one collaborative workstation cluster allowing for teams to easily stay and work together - in total, the staff have almost 90 collaborative workstations at their disposal. If in need of privacy, teams and individuals can meet and work in a whole variety of large, medium, and small meeting rooms and phonebooths, each equipped with videoconference facilities and acoustically soundproofed with custom sound-absorbing panelling. To foster interaction and encourage the sharing of ideas between various departments, larger teams can now collaborate and brainstorm in a variety of huddle rooms, each one characterised by a unique theme – urban street graffiti, New York lounge, art gallery room, beach boardwalk and garden space. For large workshops or town hall meetings, there are 2 dedicated reconfigurable project rooms that can host up to 3 different teams at the same time. On each floor there is always a break room offering drinks, quick snacks, and impressive views towards the heart of the Porta Nuova district nearby. Wellness and Sustainability Following the core brand values, the new Sisal offices have been built with extreme attention to the wellbeing of its staff: from lighting and high acoustic comfort, to natural materials and controlled production cycles, to adoption of biophilic strategies. At the heart of the project is the creation of a “green lung” that vertically crosses the building and offers employees not only a contact with nature at the centre of each floor, but also contributes to cleaning the air in a natural way. Depending on space available, the “green lungs” comes in small, medium, or large sizes, creating almost 300 sqm of green areas across 10 office floors. Moreover, both on the ground and top floors one can enjoy expansive green walls consisting of hundreds of plants and encapsulating the strong company commitment to sustainable practices. The new headquarters were designed to the highest standards of construction and fit-out practices, allowing it to obtain both the LEED INTERIOR Gold certification, as well as WELL Commercial Interior Bronze certification - a first of its kind in Italy. Interior Design To truly encapsulate the contemporary spirit of the office, the interiors opt of a balanced mix of the energy of the brand and the day-to-day experience of its staff. By adopting a warm and calming autumnal colour palette, all the furnishings and interior finishes create a welcoming atmosphere that makes one feel truly ‘at home.’ Yet, never losing sight of the energy and playfulness of the SISAL brand, throughout the building one finds various characteristic colourful elements such as the orange frame of each ‘green lung’ or the branded graphics that liven up the open workspaces. Each cluster of closed meeting spaces is easily spotted by their colourful volumes and unique coloured moquette island. Many elements of the project were designed ad hoc to truly capture the character of the brand – from the dynamic sinusoid-shaped reception desk to the unique frames of the ‘green lungs’ and the central green ‘hippodrome’ space on the top floor. Communal spaces: gym, work café and museum In line with most contemporary practices, the basement of the building has been transformed into a 200 sqm gym with adjacent changing rooms, offering staff ways of interchanging work and leisure and thus contributing towards healthy lifestyles. The 300 sqm top floor is entirely dedicated to the work-café. The space is open to all employees all throughout the day and offers around 100 seats for lunch/coffee breaks as well as informal work within a relaxed and bright space filled with plants. The Work-café is surrounded by a large terrace with a 360-degree views of the city and the mountains, and an enticing glimpse of the Porta Nuova skyline. Finally, on each floor of the building one can find areas dedicated to the history of the company thus creating a continuous museum journey that allows employees and visitors to experience the most significant moments of the company.