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Ogilvy's Homey New S'pore HQ
Straits Times Indonesia | May 08, 2011

Small meeting areas dot the perimeter of each floor at Ogilvy & Mather Small meeting areas dot the perimeter of each floor at Ogilvy & Mather's three-level Singapore office. It also houses a 300-seat amphitheater, which is used for bigger meetings and office parties. (ST Photo)
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Singapore. A 300-seat amphitheater is not something you would expect in an office but it forms the heart of the new Singapore premises of Ogilvy & Mather, one of the world's largest marketing communications companies.

The firm, which has a staff of about 600, outgrew its old location at the Ogilvy Centre in Robinson Road.

In January, it moved into a new 60,000 sq ft office spread over three levels of 71 Robinson Road, an office building.

The new look was designed by local award-winning architecture firm Woha.

The amphitheater, affectionately called the Arena, is used by the agency for large "town hall" meetings, movie screenings and parties. There is a large empty space in the center and a series of steps flanking two sides of the Arena.

Staff can either sit on the steps or on specially constructed seats which can be pushed to the side.

Visitors will notice there are no dead-ends on all floors.

Running along the perimeter of each floor is a loop of continuous space where there are numerous small meeting areas. These make ideal places for staff to get together to share ideas and keep them in the "loop," as it were.

"One of the requirements from staff was more areas for group discussions, hence the creation of the meeting areas along the loop," says group communications manager Long Li Yann.

Workstations are inside the loop but there are also small private cubicles around the office if a worker needs privacy.

But the office is not just about work. Care has been given to ensure the premises enable a balance with personal life, too.

On each floor are what the firm calls "apartments" - hang-out areas resembling a dining and living room, complete with welcoming sofas and televisions.

Plants grow in boxes on one wall, adding greenery to the office and giving a homely touch.

"Some of my colleagues have commented that these areas look better than their homes," says Long.

The office also has three nursing rooms, where breastfeeding mothers can express milk, and shower areas. For those who cycle to work, there are also specially designated bicycle- parking areas and lockers.

The company declined to disclose how much was spent on the new office but it has been money well-spent.

Singapore office group chairman Stephen Mangham says: "Our space is designed to be open, to encourage interaction among staff so that ideas and information can flow freely.

"In a creative agency, good ideas need to have the environment to connect, fuse and combine."

Reprinted courtesy of Straits Times Indonesia. To subscribe to Straits Times Indonesia and/or the Jakarta Globe call 2553 5055.