The Albatros Media publishing house relocated last year to the Mayhouse, a new office scheme in Prague 4. Cushman & Wakefield selected the location for the Albatros Media premises so as to best answer the new expectations of the company designed the layout in line with the latest trends and the results of a thorough analysis of its employees’ needs and its corporate culture, and prepared the architectural design. Thanks to the cooperation at all stages of the change process, the real estate consultancy became so close to Albatros Media that it truly tailored the offices to the client’s preferences. This is confirmed by the employees’ satisfaction – they could not be happier with their new working environment.
Stay in the old premises, or go for new ones?
In the beginning, Albatros Media was considering whether it should renegotiate the lease agreement for its current location or move into a new one. The Tenant Representation Services team at Cushman & Wakefield thoroughly analysed the options, including a comprehensive refurbishment of the existing space, which eventually did not prove feasible.
Considering the company’s needs was also influenced by the pandemic and a transition to working from home on a massive scale, which proved good in Albatros Media. The selection of the new premises had, therefore, to take into consideration the new needs of both the business and the employees.
Kateřina Rýznerová, Associate Director, Tenant Representation Services, Office Agency, Cushman & Wakefield: “It was not about just relocating from an old site to a new one. We had to consider the change thoroughly so that it would benefit the company. We analysed its needs, designed a strategy and applied it, choosing a modern building that satisfies all the requirements, and we negotiated excellent lease terms.”
Out of the 15 initial options weighed, the final choice fell on the Mayhouse, near the Pražského povstání metro station – staying close to the Metro C line was one of the employees’ wishes. One advantage was that it was a newly completed project that would allow Albatros Media to adapt the layout as it deemed fit.
Tailor-made premises
Finding the best layout of the premises for the company, the most efficient way for it to work and the most employee-friendly environment, was the next task for Cushman & Wakefield consultants. From the very moment, relocation was contemplated, the discussion involved workplace advisory experts, who carried out an analysis to obtain a detailed insight into the firm and its culture, functioning, and new expectations. Then they proposed several alternatives of optimum layouts in several buildings initially considered.
Lukáš Novotný, Workplace Strategy Lead, Cushman & Wakefield: “We held many conversations with the members of various teams and positions across the company to find out the differences in how the individual teams work and the conditions that are conducive to their work. To that end, we used ambassadors who were actively involved in planning the layout, offered comments on the architectural design and communicated the suggested workplace strategy back to their teams.”
The ambassadors played an indispensable role in promoting the concept of a shared workspace, which is usually not initially embraced. Under the current circumstances, however, it is a suitable solution for companies and allows employees greater flexibility in deciding on where, when and to what extent they want to work.
Libuše Kocanová, Operating and HR Director, Albatros Media: “The arrival of the pandemic showed us that things can be done differently and the world will never be the same as it was before Covid. Homeworking has become an integral part of our corporate culture, and we will continue using a combination of in-office work and remote work except for the positions whose job descriptions make it impossible.”
The sharing of workplaces has allowed for reducing the space the company leases – the current floor area of about 2,000 square metres is approximately two-thirds of the size of the former offices. Unlike in the past, there is more space for teams to meet, which is crucial for creative work, and for both formal and informal discussions.
Good living environment
The Mayhouse does not offer just working space to its users. They can also spend time in other ways: there is a pleasant café, and a terrace with a unique view of Prague can host events. A fully-equipped fitness studio is available for both individual activities and group lessons and there is also a bicycle room with amenities. A children’s corner was also set up in the relaxation zone at the employees’ request.
The above are some of the reasons why the employees are happy in the new premises. Their feedback to Albatros Media regarding the new space has been overwhelmingly positive. The layout that takes the individual teams’ needs into account and the versatility of the space for different types of work is befitting, and the modern and fresh design both delights and inspires. Among other items, the architects incorporated the company’s arrow logo in the design, using it as a design component for many fixtures and fittings throughout.
Marie Vlčková, Associate Director, Head of Design, Cushman & Wakefield: “The book theme permeates the entire space – simply put, everybody at Albatros Media lives books. They have formidable collections of books, so we designed the relaxation zone as an open library. The offices are designed as a shared open space, with the individual teams visually separated by various elements and meeting rooms. Original murals by collaborating illustrators adorn the meeting rooms, adding an original and inspiring element that underscores the company’s business as well as the employees’ hobbies.”
Happy with the process and the result
Judging by the reactions of both employees and visitors to the publishing house’s new premises, the entire concept has been highly successful. Albatros Media appreciates its partnership with Cushman & Wakefield for its quality and professionalism combined with open-mindedness and understanding.
Zdenka Bellingerová, Office Manager, Albatros Media: “Scouting for premises, negotiating with the landlords, creating the space plans, devising the architectural concept and managing the project – all of this was done with an excellent approach and respect for our preferences. We constantly kept in touch, everything worked great, and we managed to complete the entire process from selecting the new premises to adapting them to relocating into them as planned in terms of time and money and without any complications, thanks to highly professional collaboration and a warm and friendly approach.”
All in one
One of the reasons why the relocation to new premises was successful and why everyone involved is happy with the result is the comprehensive cooperation with a single consultancy during all stages of the project. From the initial decision on whether to relocate at all to choose the best space to an in-depth analysis of the needs to drafting the workplace strategy to preparing the architectural design and to project management in making it a reality, Cushman & Wakefield coordinated and dealt with everything. As a result, the individual experts in all teams and fields were on the same wavelength and aware of what the company needed, they shared the various parts of the project work and consulted each other on them, and built on the same initial idea.
Radka Novak, International Partner, Head of the Office Agency Team, Cushman & Wakefield: “A comprehensive approach to projects is the key to success. A thorough understanding of how a company operates and what it needs, listening to the preferences of its employees in various positions and an enduring relationship with the client – are all that enables us to create an environment in which the company will thrive and its employees will be happy to work.”
