Cochlear
Denver, CO
160,000 SF
Interiors, landscape architecture, XGD, acoustics, lighting
The welcoming entry sequence directs practitioners to lab and training areas to the right, visitors and recipients to the experience center on the left, and employees to secure and social spaces straight ahead. Easy access enclosed huddle rooms allow for quick meetings or interviews to take place outside of the secure employee zone.
The heart of Cochlear is the technical expertise that informs their cutting-edge implants. Placing the surgical training lab and related research spaces including sound booths with a view into the board room underscores the critical connection between Cochlear’s business and operational functions, and their innovations through research and development. When confidential trainings or experiments are occurring in the lab, the flip of a switch turns the transparent glass opaque.
Work Modalities is an evidence-based system that marries function and feeling to support the whole employee and their choices. It is supported by both findings from dozens of published academic research studies, and by the people who work in offices designed with these principles. At Cochlear, a transformative program focuses on the modes of collaboration and learning modes, as well as indoor environmental quality upgrades. The new headquarters includes:
Cochlear’s amenities revolve around shared experiences, as well as grace and the opportunity for mental restoration. The expansive Café and microcafes on every floor anchor the convivial side of the amenity program. The fitness center offers group classes as well as individual equipment. On upper floors, coveted perimeter space with spectacular mountain views – which would typically be reserved for private executive offices – is ceded to “screen free” relaxation platforms where employees curl up in cozy rocking chairs and experience the stress-reduction benefits of biophilic screening.
The Cochlear Café offers options to fuel every employee’s workday. Linger over a hot breakfast or lunch from the full servery backed by a commercial kitchen. Grab a snack from “quick eats” options, or a pick-me-up from the barista-staffed café stand. Bonding over a meal with VIP guests? Settle into the board-room style private dining room, looking out over the bustle of the cafe and the landscaped courtyard that beckons through a series of garage doors.
The curves of Cochlear’s signature nautilus are echoed in lighting and glass graphics, and are contrasted by repetitive linear screens. A thoughtful textile program features sound deadening felts and nubby, touchable softness, while not sacrificing cleanability and durability. A recipient-created art program adds personal meaning to the lasting impact of Cochlear’s mission. Warm natural-finish wood and an abundance of plant life complete the inviting aesthetic: “better than home.”
This is Cochlear’s first location to incorporate new brand guidelines. Our XGD team helped translate those guidelines into physical space by considering color theory, scale, repetition vs novelty, and transparency vs opacity. Full-size mockups of key elements helped the client to understand the impact that small details can have on employee experience, such as tuning the translucence of supergraphic window film to achieve the perfect levels of privacy in enclosed collaboration and focus rooms.
While change is constant, understanding its drivers and preparing the people who will be impacted increases the likelihood of it positively sticking. Our team dove into this project by listening to learn. Visioning sessions uncovered design opportunities to support Cochlear’s desired future culture: open, flexible, high-tech, and innovative. Emotionally, connection to recipients and the sense of empowerment that comes with hearing were critical. Functionally, swapping silos and hierarchy for transparency and collaboration was vital. This candid feedback informed the program, as well as the design parti and eventual execution.
As Cochlear transitioned to their new headquarters, we led a comprehensive change management program geared toward retention. Communication across multiple channels supported employees through change stages of Desire, Knowledge, Ability, and Reinforcement, and ensures that everyone gets the most out of their new workplace.
We use a collaborative approach to understand a local community and then curate a project vision that aligns client goals and the brand personality of a hotel within that local environment. It’s storytelling through design to deliver a unique experience for every client and their guests.
