Press kit

Solucom offices receive

a breath of fresh « Air »

15 December 2015

Press contact Katia Brozek – Kabecom agency

+33 (0)1 44 92 02 26

+33 (0)6 22 85 34 69

katia.brozek@kabecom.com

www.kabecom.com

In 2015, Solucom devised a new lay-out concept for its offices; a project baptised "Air".

The objective is threefold: to take a step forward in terms of corporate image, promote

a new type of organisation and create a more pleasant working environment.

This project is perfectly in line with the implementation of Solucom’s new strategic plan,

“Up2020”: to make the firm more agile, more digital and more innovative.

To achieve this, the firm overhauled its office premises in Paris from top to bottom

with open plan areas fitted with window walls to ensure a constant flow of natural sunlight;

a 360° panoramic view of Paris and its surrounding areas; uniform work posts for everyone,

from trainee to Chairman; spaces adapted to suit different work-related situations; more

comfortable and sustainable office premises; innovative equipment for all employees etc.

The Air project is managed by a steering committee comprising General Management, the

Department of Human Resources, the Employee Representative Committee, the Health,

Safety and Working Conditions Committee, the IT-Systems and Communications

departments. Rollout of the concept to all office floors is also ensured by a multi-

disciplinary team. This challenging endeavour requires the implication of top management.

The stakes are high: by revamping its offices Solucom is seeking to create a working

environment that reflects the full extent of the firm's ambitions.

A project involving all members of the firm and one founded upon a usage-based

construction approach. Through a series of creative workshops, employees across the

board were invited to participate in brainstorming sessions to reflect upon their different

every day work situations, as well as on office-space design and the choice of digital

solutions to be put in place.

These brainstorming sessions made it possible to meet the real needs of the firm's

employees, manage office-space volumetrics and equipment, and guarantee a coherent

user path.

Solucom offices receive a breath of fresh "Air"

A collaborative project

"Air perfectly reflects Solucom's ambition expressed in the Up 2020 strategic plan; to be a

more agile, more digital and more innovative firm capable of constantly reinventing itself to stay in

tune with its clients' needs"

Pascal Imbert, Chairman of the Board

The Air project is perfectly in line with the logic of "Test & Learn "; a key

component of Solucom's DNA. In other words, throughout the entire process from

concept-creation to complete rollout of the future office premises, the project team used

an agile approach, prioritising dialogue with employees and remaining open to staff

suggestions so as to better manage the change.

The team was particularly attentive to the feedback received from the first employees

installed in the new offices. What is the objective? To roll out the concept to the other

floors of the firm's offices.

“ Test & Learn ”

The Air concept is a means for

Solucom to promote new ways of

working: a goal which, above all,

requires all of the firm’s teams,

including top management, to

work in close proximity to each

other. Open-plan work areas and

tables seating 4, 6 and up to 10

people foster exchange between

employees whatever their role in

the firm may be. Trainees,

managers, partners… and even

the CEO himself all share the

same work stations.

Promote new ways of working

Enhanced proximity

Contrary to the "no work post”

principle, the Air concept ensures

that every employee has his/her

own physical place within the work

areas. Everything has, however,

been done to encourage staff

mobility between the different

floors. Every floor has its own

"monument" facility: areas such

as the CreaPlace, a room reserved

for creative in-house workshops, to

which clients are invited, and

where exchanges are based on a

"thinking out of the box"

approach.

Thanks to the sound-proofed floors and ceilings,

exchanges between employees are muted so as not to

disturb the calm needed in a working environment.

The IT Bar, an emblematic monument of the firm, places

the IT team at the heart of work spaces.

All of these situations were identified by staff members during the brainstorming

workshops. To meet these needs, a “space menu” was devised to provide office-furniture

and equipment solutions for every situation. Several concrete examples, inspired

directly from the employees' daily work experience, are presented below:

Work areas closer to employees working situations

Project Rooms, equipped with tables

and high chairs, are perfectly adapted

to staff members wishing to facilitate

an editorial board to run and maintain

one of the firm’s blogs.

Hosting a team meeting

Organising a video-conference with a client

Conducting informal reviews with colleagues

Conducting a job interview

Finding a quiet place to work

Making a private call

…

To meet the multiple needs of the firm's employees, the project team examined the

different work-related and time-out situations encountered every day:

Team Buzzer open-plan areas have been

installed at the centre of the office's work zones

for those with commercial offerings ready to be

checked through with consultants.

Traditional, but ultra-modern, conference

rooms capable of hosting 4, 6, and up to16

participants are available for organising

project-team meetings.

Isolated areas are available for

employees seeking a moment of

privacy for personal or professional

reasons.

These include individual areas, such

as My Box which is equipped with a

fixed telephone, and the Quiet Room

which can host up to 18 employees

wishing to work in a quiet library-type

environment.

Every floor also has two relaxation rooms: the Team Café, for lunching and informal work

sessions and the Lounge Café, designed for those seeking a moment to take a pause and

relax.

Another innovative solution is the Bubbles

concept; silent swivel chairs installed at

the centre of the office work areas.

Equipped with PC tablets, these "cocoons"

absorb the sounds generated by the user

while blocking out all exterior sounds.

Every floor has four service centers

equipped with printers, mail, office-supplies,

selective waste sorting bins and all the

services necessary for day-to-day

operations: service areas that embody

Solucom's sustainable commitment.

Meeting

rooms Confidentiality

boxes Work posts Lockers

Informal

meeting place

Monument

"The Air project is designed to promote an innovative working approach within the firm: a more flexible,

comfortable, creative solution that fosters inter-staff exchange. In this way, every employee has a role to play

in this dynamic system"

Fanny Rouhet, Director of Human Resources

200 29 8 1 >300 6

Air facilities >> key figures per floor

A major step forward in terms of corporate image

With the Air project, Solucom is looking to take a new step forward in terms of its

corporate image. The objective of the project is to enhance the image of the firm

towards its stakeholders, notably for:

Solucom has done everything to meet this corporate-image challenge and make the

use of its facilities more comfortable and more environmentally responsible.

Employees, particularly those working on a regular basis in the firm's offices: Air is

designed to strengthen employee loyalty within the company.

Existing and potential clients who are regularly received at the Company's offices for

business meetings and professional events: some such visitors have already expressed

their enthusiasm for the concept. Air capitalises on several assets placed at their

disposal: creativity, culture of innovation and agility.

Candidates invited for job interviews in the firm's offices: the new offices should be

attractive and make the candidate want to join the firm.

The choice of office furniture

was based on a set of

aesthetic, ergonomic and

comfort criteria. All work posts

are equipped with pastel-

coloured, adjustable office

chairs made out of quilted

fabrics. Flat screens are now

mounted on bracing arms which

make it possible for staff to

adjust the position of the screen

at any moment to ensure

greater comfort while viewing.

For example, wall partitions

were taken down to remove

and replace poorly-lit

offices with natural-light

work spaces. In addition,

offices are lit by mast lights

equipped with presence and

natural-light sensors. Light

intensity is automatically

adjusted according to the

amount of day light.

To ensure that all of the firm’s specifications were respected, Solucom called upon the

services of the Majorelle interior-design agency to accompany it throughout the process,

to define the work areas and to select office materials and equipment that were at once

designer standard but also comfortable, sustainable and of high quality. Tetris, the

European “Design and Build” specialist, was entrusted with space planning.

Light is the central feature of the Air concept; the idea being

to let staff members benefit from the glass façade of the

office building by offering them a panoramic view of the

capital and surrounding areas.

The up-beat yet sober elegance of the firm’s office

furnishings is the visual embodiment of the ADN of the

new premises.

An ambitious project inspired by an interior-design agency

Solucom’s sustainable-development commitment

is notably reflected in the waste-sorting measures

initiated by the firm. Individual rubbish baskets have

been replaced by collective disposal units capable of

separating paper, cardboard and organic waste.

Canibal recycling machines have also been

installed in rest areas: these “recreational” machines

sort plastic bottles, paper cups and cans and offer

users the possibility of winning a prize every time they

use the machine…

"Air is a concept at the forefront of trends in the interior design services sector. Everything has been

done to reinvent office-life codes and inspire the trends of tomorrow. And ultimately leading to the

creation of work areas that are basked in sunlight and offer a magnificent view of the capital…“

The Majorelle agency

With regards storage areas, which are most

often regarded for their functional use, Air

puts the emphasis on the aesthetic.

In addition to storage solutions installed near

workstations, such as toolboxes for basic

supplies and folderboxes for filing ongoing files,

every Air floor is equipped with two Locker

Streets installed near platform areas so that

employees can have a secure place to store their

personal affairs.

The IT Bar, located in the

middle of the work areas, is a

perfect example. For employees

needing to recuperate material

from the IT support team, or with

a computer problem or a

question, the IT Bar helps them

save time and be more efficient.

Innovation at the heart of the company

Innovative IT equipment and services

In addition to this key “monument”, the work areas are equipped with the latest IT

equipment: large digital signage wall screens, multi-function printers, large PC monitors,

video-conferencing equipment in conference rooms, etc.

The most recent innovation: to

ensure the most efficient room-

reservation system, all reservable

conference rooms are equipped

with an individual touch-screen

booking system. With these

reservation screens, staff members

can confirm their presence at the

beginning of meetings, as well as

view the availability of, and reserve

rooms.

The Air concept places technological innovation at the heart of the office project. The

deployment of communal equipment and services ensures the continuity of work

and collaborative situations.

Network

Communal equipment Employee equipment

Multifonction printers

Indoor mobile antennas

Wi-Fi antennas Internet access

Room-reservation screens

Servers (global)

Switchs

Digital signage display screens

22’ screens

Wireless Display Meeting rooms screens

Headset and earpieces

Webcams

>100 >100

40 10

Air technologies >> key figures by floor

6

30 40

30 5

30

6 10 Upgrade

to 200M

In addition to IT equipment, digital culture has been a key feature of the project from the

outset: inter-active workshops, approaches such as “Test & Learn”, and continuous

rollout optimisation of the “Air” concept throughout the entire firm, etc.

Change-management has also been digitalised with, for example, the My Air mobile

app designed for employees to help them become more acquainted with their

new working environment: http://www.myair-solucom.fr/

Digitalisation at the core of change management

"The deployment of high-tech equipment and the agile approach used to reinvent the offices in line with Air specifications reflect the key ambition of

the firm: to encourage the culture of innovation…"

Johann Guittet, member of the Air project