A project that reflects the firm’s ambition in terms of agility, digital and innovation

1. Press kit
Solucom
offices receive
a breath of
fresh « Air »
15 December 2015
Press contact
Katia Brozek – Kabecom agency
+33 (0)1 44 92 02 26
+33 (0)6 22 85 34 69
katia.brozek@kabecom.com
www.kabecom.com

2. In 2015, Solucom devised a new lay-out concept for its offices; a project baptised "Air".
The objective is threefold: to take a step forward in terms of corporate image, promote
a new type of organisation and create a more pleasant working environment.
This project is perfectly in line with the implementation of Solucom’s new strategic plan,
“Up2020”: to make the firm more agile, more digital and more innovative.
To achieve this, the firm overhauled its office premises in Paris from top to bottom
with open plan areas fitted with window walls to ensure a constant flow of natural sunlight;
a 360° panoramic view of Paris and its surrounding areas; uniform work posts for everyone,
from trainee to Chairman; spaces adapted to suit different work-related situations; more
comfortable and sustainable office premises; innovative equipment for all employees etc.
The Air project is managed by a steering committee comprising General Management, the
Department of Human Resources, the Employee Representative Committee, the Health,
Safety and Working Conditions Committee, the IT-Systems and Communications
departments. Rollout of the concept to all office floors is also ensured by a multi-
disciplinary team. This challenging endeavour requires the implication of top management.
The stakes are high: by revamping its offices Solucom is seeking to create a working
environment that reflects the full extent of the firm's ambitions.
A project involving all members of the firm and one founded upon a usage-based
construction approach. Through a series of creative workshops, employees across the
board were invited to participate in brainstorming sessions to reflect upon their different
every day work situations, as well as on office-space design and the choice of digital
solutions to be put in place.
These brainstorming sessions made it possible to meet the real needs of the firm's
employees, manage office-space volumetrics and equipment, and guarantee a coherent
user path.
Solucom offices receive a breath of fresh "Air"
A collaborative project

3. "Air perfectly reflects Solucom's ambition
expressed in the Up 2020 strategic plan; to be a
more agile, more digital and more innovative firm
capable of constantly reinventing itself to stay in
tune with its clients' needs"
Pascal Imbert, Chairman of the Board
The Air project is perfectly in line with the logic of "Test & Learn "; a key
component of Solucom's DNA. In other words, throughout the entire process from
concept-creation to complete rollout of the future office premises, the project team used
an agile approach, prioritising dialogue with employees and remaining open to staff
suggestions so as to better manage the change.
The team was particularly attentive to the feedback received from the first employees
installed in the new offices. What is the objective? To roll out the concept to the other
floors of the firm's offices.
“ Test & Learn ”

4. The Air concept is a means for
Solucom to promote new ways of
working: a goal which, above all,
requires all of the firm’s teams,
including top management, to
work in close proximity to each
other. Open-plan work areas and
tables seating 4, 6 and up to 10
people foster exchange between
employees whatever their role in
the firm may be. Trainees,
managers, partners… and even
the CEO himself all share the
same work stations.
Promote new ways of working
Enhanced proximity
Contrary to the "no work post”
principle, the Air concept ensures
that every employee has his/her
own physical place within the work
areas. Everything has, however,
been done to encourage staff
mobility between the different
floors. Every floor has its own
"monument" facility: areas such
as the CreaPlace, a room reserved
for creative in-house workshops, to
which clients are invited, and
where exchanges are based on a
"thinking out of the box"
approach.
Thanks to the sound-proofed floors and ceilings,
exchanges between employees are muted so as not to
disturb the calm needed in a working environment.
The IT Bar, an emblematic monument of the firm, places
the IT team at the heart of work spaces.

5. All of these situations were identified by staff members during the brainstorming
workshops. To meet these needs, a “space menu” was devised to provide office-furniture
and equipment solutions for every situation. Several concrete examples, inspired
directly from the employees' daily work experience, are presented below:
Work areas closer to
employees working situations
Project Rooms, equipped with tables
and high chairs, are perfectly adapted
to staff members wishing to facilitate
an editorial board to run and maintain
one of the firm’s blogs.
Hosting a team meeting
Organising a video-conference with a client
Conducting informal reviews with colleagues
Conducting a job interview
Finding a quiet place to work
Making a private call
…
To meet the multiple needs of the firm's employees, the project team examined the
different work-related and time-out situations encountered every day:
Team Buzzer open-plan areas have been
installed at the centre of the office's work zones
for those with commercial offerings ready to be
checked through with consultants.
Traditional, but ultra-modern, conference
rooms capable of hosting 4, 6, and up to16
participants are available for organising
project-team meetings.

6. Isolated areas are available for
employees seeking a moment of
privacy for personal or professional
reasons.
These include individual areas, such
as My Box which is equipped with a
fixed telephone, and the Quiet Room
which can host up to 18 employees
wishing to work in a quiet library-type
environment.
Every floor also has two relaxation rooms: the Team Café, for lunching and informal work
sessions and the Lounge Café, designed for those seeking a moment to take a pause and
relax.
Another innovative solution is the Bubbles
concept; silent swivel chairs installed at
the centre of the office work areas.
Equipped with PC tablets, these "cocoons"
absorb the sounds generated by the user
while blocking out all exterior sounds.

7. Every floor has four service centers
equipped with printers, mail, office-supplies,
selective waste sorting bins and all the
services necessary for day-to-day
operations: service areas that embody
Solucom's sustainable commitment.
Meeting
rooms
Confidentiality
boxes
Work posts Lockers
Informal
meeting
place
Monument
"The Air project is designed to promote an innovative
working approach within the firm: a more flexible,
comfortable, creative solution that fosters inter-staff
exchange. In this way, every employee has a role to play
in this dynamic system"
Fanny Rouhet, Director of Human Resources
200 29 8 1>3006
Air facilities >> key figures per floor

8. A major step forward in terms of corporate image
With the Air project, Solucom is looking to take a new step forward in terms of its
corporate image. The objective of the project is to enhance the image of the firm
towards its stakeholders, notably for:
Solucom has done everything to meet this corporate-image challenge and make the
use of its facilities more comfortable and more environmentally responsible.
Employees, particularly those working on a regular basis in the firm's offices: Air is
designed to strengthen employee loyalty within the company.
Existing and potential clients who are regularly received at the Company's offices for
business meetings and professional events: some such visitors have already expressed
their enthusiasm for the concept. Air capitalises on several assets placed at their
disposal: creativity, culture of innovation and agility.
Candidates invited for job interviews in the firm's offices: the new offices should be
attractive and make the candidate want to join the firm.

9. The choice of office furniture
was based on a set of
aesthetic, ergonomic and
comfort criteria. All work posts
are equipped with pastel-
coloured, adjustable office
chairs made out of quilted
fabrics. Flat screens are now
mounted on bracing arms which
make it possible for staff to
adjust the position of the screen
at any moment to ensure
greater comfort while viewing.
For example, wall partitions
were taken down to remove
and replace poorly-lit
offices with natural-light
work spaces. In addition,
offices are lit by mast lights
equipped with presence and
natural-light sensors. Light
intensity is automatically
adjusted according to the
amount of day light.
To ensure that all of the firm’s specifications were respected, Solucom called upon the
services of the Majorelle interior-design agency to accompany it throughout the process,
to define the work areas and to select office materials and equipment that were at once
designer standard but also comfortable, sustainable and of high quality. Tetris, the
European “Design and Build” specialist, was entrusted with space planning.
Light is the central feature of the Air concept; the idea being
to let staff members benefit from the glass façade of the
office building by offering them a panoramic view of the
capital and surrounding areas.
The up-beat yet sober elegance of the firm’s office
furnishings is the visual embodiment of the ADN of the
new premises.
An ambitious project inspired by an interior-design agency

10. Solucom’s sustainable-development commitment
is notably reflected in the waste-sorting measures
initiated by the firm. Individual rubbish baskets have
been replaced by collective disposal units capable of
separating paper, cardboard and organic waste.
Canibal recycling machines have also been
installed in rest areas: these “recreational” machines
sort plastic bottles, paper cups and cans and offer
users the possibility of winning a prize every time they
use the machine…
"Air is a concept at the forefront of trends in the
interior design services sector. Everything has been
done to reinvent office-life codes and inspire the
trends of tomorrow. And ultimately leading to the
creation of work areas that are basked in sunlight and
offer a magnificent view of the capital…“
The Majorelle agency
With regards storage areas, which are most
often regarded for their functional use, Air
puts the emphasis on the aesthetic.
In addition to storage solutions installed near
workstations, such as toolboxes for basic
supplies and folderboxes for filing ongoing files,
every Air floor is equipped with two Locker
Streets installed near platform areas so that
employees can have a secure place to store their
personal affairs.

11. The IT Bar, located in the
middle of the work areas, is a
perfect example. For employees
needing to recuperate material
from the IT support team, or with
a computer problem or a
question, the IT Bar helps them
save time and be more efficient.
Innovation at the heart of the company
Innovative IT equipment and services
In addition to this key “monument”, the work areas are equipped with the latest IT
equipment: large digital signage wall screens, multi-function printers, large PC monitors,
video-conferencing equipment in conference rooms, etc.
The most recent innovation: to
ensure the most efficient room-
reservation system, all reservable
conference rooms are equipped
with an individual touch-screen
booking system. With these
reservation screens, staff members
can confirm their presence at the
beginning of meetings, as well as
view the availability of, and reserve
rooms.
The Air concept places technological innovation at the heart of the office project. The
deployment of communal equipment and services ensures the continuity of work
and collaborative situations.

12. Network
Communal equipment Employee equipment
Multifonction
printers
Indoor mobile
antennas
Wi-Fi antennas Internet access
Room-reservation
screens
Servers
(global)
Switchs
Digital signage
display screens
22’ screens
Wireless DisplayMeeting rooms
screens
Headset and
earpieces
Webcams
>100 >100
40 10
Air technologies >> key figures by floor
6
3040
30
5
30
610
Upgrade
to 200M

13. In addition to IT equipment, digital culture has been a key feature of the project from the
outset: inter-active workshops, approaches such as “Test & Learn”, and continuous
rollout optimisation of the “Air” concept throughout the entire firm, etc.
Change-management has also been digitalised with, for example, the My Air mobile
app designed for employees to help them become more acquainted with their
new working environment: http://www.myair-solucom.fr/
Digitalisation at the core of change management
"The deployment of high-tech equipment and the
agile approach used to reinvent the offices in line
with Air specifications reflect the key ambition of
the firm: to encourage the culture of innovation…"
Johann Guittet, member of the Air project