Turnkey Supplier to Telia’s Groundbreaking Headquarters
Responsible, future-proof solutions and flexibility. These are the key words for Telia’s new headquarters in Oslo, Norway, which is setting new standards for integrating social responsibility and environmental considerations into a modern workplace.
The ambition for the 20,000-square-meter headquarters, situated in Oslo’s new Økern district, was to bring together under one roof Telia’s 1,700 employees from multiple locations around the city.
The interior design concept for the new headquarters was developed by Norwegian architecture firm IARK, while HOLMRIS B8 served as Telia’s one point of contact and advisor, as well as supplier of all furniture and fittings.
HOLMRIS B8’s turnkey solution had three primary elements:
- We served as Telia’s consultant and project manager throughout the process to achieve the telecoms giant’s ambitious sustainability goals.
- We consulted on and supplied all furniture, customized designs and rugs.
- And we provided a number of services in connection with relocation and interior decorating.
Everything Put to Use
In decorating their new headquarters, Telia defined a series of sustainability goals.
One of which was that the company’s existing furnishings should not be thrown away. Instead, as much furniture as possible should be reused in the new headquarters, and the remainder should be donated or sold to others.
Live Johansen, Head of Office and FM, Telia Norway, and project manager for Telia’s relocation to the new headquarters:
“At Telia, the environment and sustainability are high on the agenda. This meant there were very strict requirements for choice of furniture and materials when it came to furnishing our new offices. Telia chose to partner with HOLMRIS B8 because they could offer the best overall solution in relation to sustainability and circular economy. HOLMRIS B8 proved not only that they could supply and install new furniture, they also had a plan for how the furniture from our old offices could be reused, sold, donated or disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner. Recycling is important to Telia and together with HOLMRIS B8, we achieved our goal of recycling at least 40 percent.”
HOLMRIS B8’s responsibilities therefore included registering Telia’s existing office furniture and equipment. The aim was to determine which furniture could be reused in the new offices, which could be upcycled and given new purpose, which qualified for our take-back program and which could be donated to other organizations.
As an example of upcycling, HOLMRIS B8 headed up a large-scale project in which Telia employees’ old purple workwear was collected, granulated and transformed into new surfaces on desks and shelves.
Around 40 % of all furniture from Telia’s old offices has been reused in the new headquarters – thanks, in part, to HOLMRIS B8’s furniture care and maintenance team, which provided repairs and cleaning.
Furthermore, HOLMRIS B8 provided Telia with crucial advice on choice of new products from a wide range of furniture brands, with a focus on sustainability.
Flexible Surroundings
In addition to its focus on a sustainable workplace, Telia wanted to create flexible surroundings for employees. Only around half of the area in the new building is dedicated to traditional desk spaces.
The remaining areas are furnished as flex areas and meeting rooms where employees can concentrate, hold video conferences or conduct a quick brainstorming session.
For this purpose, HOLMRIS B8 supplied all the customized furnishings, including lounge furniture, plant containers, tables, benches, room dividers, canteen solutions and AV solutions, as well as acoustic wall treatments and loose floor rugs.
One Contact for Telia
A new headquarters is about more than just finding the right furnishings. As Telia’s one point of contact, HOLMRIS B8 also provided additional services, ensuring that the new headquarters were ready for use from day one, including
- Site management and project management of the relocation process.
- Everything relating to packing and moving existing furniture and fittings from the old offices to the new headquarters.
- Supply and assembly of new furniture.
- Installation of all wiring and cabling, ensuring that height-adjustable desks worked, lamps turned on, and everything looked nice from day one.
Telia moved into their new headquarters in September 2021.
