Abbott Laboratories
Pharmaceutical
Completion December 2019
1400sqm.
Turnkey - Design | Build | Project Mgmt.
Refreshed Interiors
Internal Developers (ID) was tasked to design and build an A-Grade corporate workspace for a long-standing Broll Property Group Transaction Management client, Abbott Laboratories. Within the constraints of a refurbishment budget, teams from Broll and ID developed a comprehensive stay-and-go business case for this American multi-national medical devices and health care leader.
Abbott Laboratories was looking to improve and refresh its office space, no longer requiring a large industrial component. Subsequently, the company relocated its South African head office from Kempton Park to the Woodmead Office Park in Midrand, Johannesburg.
ID approached the interior design intending to recreate an ambience associated with “pristine” healthcare; presenting a crisp interior space with an abundance of natural light.
Sustainability and Employee Wellbeing
Abbott Laboratories considers its employees and environmental sustainability in the highest regard. ID, therefore, repurposed existing elements in the interior space to transform a dark, rustic interior to a light, breathable space.
Flexibility and choice were integral to the design solution and so prompted the incorporation of a variety of activity-based workspaces where staff and clients are able to work, relax, collaborate, and focus, either in teams or alone. The workspace includes:
Ergonomic sit-stand desks for each employee, improving activity levels and productivity; and
Low desk screens to allow privacy and advance a ‘clean desk' policy and open plan neatness.
Collaboration
Natural plants and biophilic elements were successfully incorporated throughout the space, to boost staff morale who spend most of their time within the building. The new workspace also includes a kids’ playroom and a designated mother’s room. A family-style harvest table is centrally positioned in the breakaway canteen to encourage collaboration and communication amongst colleagues. Finally, an adjoining wellness room offers a calm space for meditation and focused reading.
Implementation and Execution
ID considered the minimal business needs interruption of the client and planned for eight weeks of total construction, spanned over the South African December builders’ holiday shutdown period. The project was successfully delivered five weeks ahead of schedule, including a full turnkey solution from inception through to handover, overseeing every item of design, construction, and project-, cost- and procurement management.
Multi-functional Spaces
Global medical devices leader Abbott Laboratories tasked ID to design and build its new South African head office. ID successfully delivered a high-end interior within the constraints of a refurbishment budget.
Employee wellness and environmental sustainability were central to the ID design solution, which directly aligned with Abbott’s core values. The conceptual approach was to enhance the ‘crispness’ associated with the healthcare industry. Every space is a multi-functional space where people can work, relax, collaborate, and focus; either in teams or alone.
