O.P.H.D.

Studio Shajay Bhooshan

Tutors Ariadna Lopez, Andy Watts

Team Hao Jiang, Ling Mao, Yutong Xia, Ziyu Song

Large campus headquarters have become a standard practice for big internet companies, as they can contain multiple programmes while, at the same time, facilitating departmental collaboration. The typology of the campus seemingly creates a distinctive cultural and social atmosphere and a good work-life balance, while these large-scale buildings have become a part of the companies’ corporate identity.

However, these large-scale headquarter buildings are not suitable for urban centres; land prices in urban central areas are increasing rapidly, the surrounding built environment is highly complex, and the spatial and temporal aggregation of population increase the pressure in certain areas of the centre, in terms of traffic and accessibility.

At the same time, the extended Covid-19 pandemic sparked a revision of the traditional office space as people now largely work from home via internet technology. How can we rethink the use of internet technology in a way that combines the advantages of working from home with the ones of working at the office in order to create a new efficient working environment?

Instead of the large headquarters, our group proposes an O.P.H.D. (O-PARTICIPATORY HEADQUARTERS DECENTRALISATION) system to decentralise these functions. Via a cyber-physical gaming platform and user participatory design strategy we aim to organise an office space that is integrated into the city and, at the same time, creates a sense of belonging.

In our design, the decentralised headquarters take full advantage of the existing infrastructure of central London, the landscape, and the slow-moving system along the Thames to generate the work life and identity of the company. The cyber-physical gaming platform enhances the participation of the users in the design of the headquarters thus generating a better working experience. By defining and controlling their different positions and relative needs, the users decide the location of the site and the size of the buildings, the design of the working and communal spaces and functions, and the furniture and organisation of their personal space.