A Peek Inside TomTom’s New Belgrade Office

Michal
Technology
4 years ago

Car navigation company TomTom recently hired workplace design firm Peldon Rose to design their new office in Belgrade, Serbia.

“The central wing of the new workspace incorporates the historic transport network within Belgrade, whilst referencing TomTom’s own focus on location technology. Head of SME Design at Peldon Rose, Steph di Losa explains “A play on TomTom’s industry with maps, location and direction led us down the path of Belgrade’s transport infrastructure – focusing on trams. This gave us the idea of creating a TomTom tram meeting room as the focal point to the central wing using the corporate colours”.

The office in Belgrade was influenced by the brutalist architecture of the city, Steph di Losa added: “With the use of exposed brick and structural elements alongside street art murals and rustic timber, we were able to emulate the essence of the city within the office. These elements were then brought together with the TomTom branding, to ensure it fits the other offices around the world.”

Peldon Rose’s workplace consultancy approach helped support TomTom’s transition to an activity-based workspace, providing their employees with smart and agile ways of working. Peldon Rose designers also spent time with the TomTom team to really get under the skin of the business and to ensure the new office space would be truly tailored to the way the team works.

A move to an activity-based workplace also meant that many spaces were able to be multi-functional. Head of SME Design at Peldon Rose Steph di Losa elaborates: “My favourite aspect of the project is the central wing of the building with the tea point, breakout and waiting area. This space is the heart of the office, a multi-purpose space with a variety of furniture pieces and joinery to create a multitude of spaces for independent and collaborative work as well as for socialising”

Sustainability also played a key role, with the design incorporating LEED accreditation to the fit out. The finished result includes elements such as using high water efficient bathrooms and tapware, as well as materials that have a high percentage of recycled content throughout. This has created a space filled with curated design pieces that also is incredibly eco-efficient.

Mara Mann, Project Lead at TomTom added: “Working with Peldon Rose is fun, and the designers make you feel at ease with showcasing their innovative creative ideas. Within TomTom, implementing sustainable solutions are important, so naturally, when we had the opportunity to go for LEED certification, as project lead, I knew we could rely on Peldon Rose to complete the task.

It was not only vital to implement the design, but also creating vibrant agile working spaces. Due to the long working relationship we have built, we knew Peldon Rose are reliable to translate all the important elements into a working design and bring fantastic end results to the table. My favourite part of the project is the central part of the floor, which is a multipurpose lively area combined with collaborative and social working spaces.”