CASE STUDY on Noodle.ai
Cultivating a People-First Workplace Design for Noodle.ai
As quoted by Charles Eames, “Recognizing the need is the primary condition for design.”, Zyeta followed this philosophy to create a workplace for the new office of Noodle.ai, Bengaluru. The primary goal of the project was to design a place that resonates with the occupants as well as give them a dynamic work environment.
The Design Objective
The design brief was transparent and clear; Noodle.ai wanted a space that would narrate the story of their employees and ethos. They wanted a workplace to represent their young, creative, and driven culture. To achieve this, Zyeta collaborated with the emerging Enterprise AI® in coming up with a cutting-edge space based on a new age theme known as the Eudaimonia Machine.
The Eudaimonia Machine Concept
Eudaimonia is a Greek word commonly interpreted as ‘human flourishing in terms of design’. The theme is considerably similar to an open space concept. It follows a linear layout with breakouts that make a smooth transition from one segment to another. There are five levels in the Eudaimonia Machine system.
The Flow of a Eudaimonia Machine Design
01.
Gallery
Displays information and achievements of the organization to inspire the users.
02.
Salon
Comprises of the collaboration areas at work, dedicated to promoting interaction and engagement.
03.
Library
The office corner that stores the organization’s information, records, and other resources.
04.
Office
This section covers the workstations and general meeting rooms, dedicated to peripheral tasks for different projects.
05.
Chamber
Meant for the “deeper” uninterrupted workflow to maintain a secluded section from the mainstream office areas.
The design system starts from the gallery which is a relatively flexible space and then progresses towards the workplace and chambers which are for intensive work and conferences. There are no hallways in the layout, and one must pass through one room in order to get to the next one.
The Gallery and the Reception: The office opens to a gallery which serves as a hall of fame to display the company’s work, awards, and recognition. The office’s reception area has a brick-cladding background with the company branding. The design elements in this area give a warm and welcoming vibe.
The Salon: Following the Eudaimonia concept, the next segment is the salon space that has the lab. The speciality of this area is the use of writable surfaces in the entire lab region. These agile writable surfaces work as digital antidotes to promote liberal thinking and creativity. The company being home to a team of data scientists, design professionals, and technologists, introducing a writable surface lab was a conscious design decision.
Open Cafe Area: The other part of the salon area has an open cafe space. This space is dedicated to socializing and collaborating. In recent times, it has been observed that workplace design is growing liberal with the inclusion of collaborative spaces. An increase in demand for freer work environments that help in establishing employee engagement is the primary reason for such a change in workplace design. Noodle.ai wanted a devoted space where its employees can gather and interact with one another. The open cafeteria is the apt place for such activities.
The Office: The next segment is the workstation area. It can accommodate up to 225 workstations. The design layout here is kept simple and clean. The idea was to provide a commodious space with different types of seating arrangements. The team came up with four variations of workstations, each designed to fulfill different work requirements. There are private workstations, open workstations, ledge type seats, and height-adjustable tables.
The Chamber: The last segment is the meeting room area. This part of the office shifts from the open collaborative segments and is more work focused. As per the Eudaimonia machine theme, the chamber is dedicated to deep work like decision-making conferences and meetings. The section provides the spatial discipline that is not found in the other segments.
In Conclusion
The Noodle.ai office’s design reflects the tech-driven youth culture of its employees. It is crafted with deliberate strategies to bring in a people-first workspace design with the right proportion of natural light along with greenery and workstation variety. For a high performing youth-oriented organization, what matters most is to design a well-functioning workplace that aligns with the daily needs of its vibrant users. For Noodle.ai, Zyeta was able to deliver a purposeful, forward-facing workplace whose design addresses the organization’s spatial realities and dynamic workforce, creating an evolving habitat for success.