#UX/UI DESIGN #UX RESEARCH #ARCHITECTURE #MULTIMEDIA #BRANDING
THRIVE ENVISION CAMPUS
Defining 21st century startup headquarters
Thrive Envision Campus is an innovative 21st century concept for a work and live environment focused around 15 online+offline corporate headquarters.
The planning and programming of the site is especially designed to provide each company ideal environment for corporate development while ensuring its residents and visitors an unforgettable wellness, entertainment, and hospitality experience in a resort environment.
The special feature of the Envision Campus is the integration of international and local artists into the companies´ and campus' culture. This encourages the collaboration between tech and art industry which is necessary for the synthesis of new ideas that the 21st century needs.
Role and Process
In this project I worked with a team of architects on the architectural programming of the headquarters imagining a 21st century office and placing spaces that would create a campus environment that launches truly successful brands. I was also content creator, preparing the presentation, designing graphs and texts to be delivered to the client, and managing the project communications between graphic designer, translator, architects and the executive team.
The process started with brainstorming sessions that defined the areas of research. In this project, my field of research was focused on resorts and creative hubs around the world, leading enterprises' headquarters and their programming, employee happiness, and the needs of generation Z.
Based on the research, I helped to define the necessary spaces needed for an immersive programming, and worked with architects on the placement of these spaces, and their spacial requirements.
Finally, I was responsible for developing and producing a video that would showcas the future potential of the Envision Campus. The story was told from the future's perspective as if looking back ato the importance of the development in elevating Cambodia's culture, science and tech scene.
The Challenges
Looking for the magic ingredients of brand success.
CITISPIRE as a company applies a mix of research - and philosophy-based approach to its design concepts.
Thus, the research process involved simultaneusly natural conditions of thrive and brand marketing success factors.
The results had many overlaps in terms of identity, timing, socio-economic condition, nutrients, and space - these factor determine the much of the success likelihood for plants and brands..
Our team sourced its inspirations from growth phenomena in nature and gardening, as a manipulated growth process with a purpose to bring out the best potential in each seed.
We explored the idea of companion planting and applied it to the following conditions.
How to make a development accommodate the needs of today and future?
As the local developers expect the Envision Campus bring a lot of international attention to the area and significant increase in tourism, the Headquarters buildings needed to be easily adaptable for a change to become luxurious hotels within the next 15 years.
For that, every design decision needed to be carefully thought, considering both future uses and required a research in hospitality planning, beyond architecture. As hospitality is equally defined by service, cultivating a high quality service culture at the area through the Envision Campus culture, became one of our main points of focus and influenced a lot the planning of the development.
Notable solutions
ENVISION SPACES - Areas where the functions of next standing spaces merge into one and form a mixed area between these two rooms: library + coffeeshop, garden + office, atria + art gallery.
ARTISTS NEST - Plants need solar power to thrive, an office need creative energy to fill people with excitement, and inspiration. Every headquarters at the Envision Campus features an artist residency where visiting local and international artists will work on their personal creative projects as well as help the brand to build its creative identity and consult on a regular basis;
SEMI-PRIVATE SPACES - Just as every plant needs to be noticed and appreciated, every brand needs to be exposed to the potential audience and opportunities. As the campus features plenty of public space by the headquarters, the headquarters features stage-like welcome-terraces where brands can lead their promotional events in their property but reach the audience on the street.
IMMERSIVE STREET ART - As creative ideas are often synthesized from what we see, notice and experience around us, it is extremely important for people to be exposed to new inspiring ideas on a daily basis. Thanks to the new technologies, the growing NFT economy, bringing creative works from all around the world to a space is becoming easier and easier thanks to digital display solutions and more. The street art solutions at Envision campus include art pods, digital library parks, art playgrounds, interactive objects, sculptures, and much more.
HEADQUARTERS AS A CREATIVE PLAYGROUND - As the brands who allocate to the Envision Campus are at different stages of brand development, the buildings are designed to grow with the brands.
As the expressions of each brands' identity will be developed with the help of the visiting artists, the headquarters buildings will have plenty of open space suitable for exhibitions of different kinds.
Lessons to take
Working with an international team
The design of Envision Campus was a work of an extended team including company´s executives, architects, urban designers, translators and graphic designers based mainly in the US and China.
As one of my roles was to co-ordinate the materials and communications between the graphic designer, our team, and translators, I learned the importance of open communication and discussion to ensure that all the parties are up-to-date with the latest progress.
With tight deadlines it is extremely important that each team member could focus fully on their tasks and navigating within a digital office environment would be stress - free and comfortable.
Enhancing branding skills
As a result of a weeks - long research on branding, start-up cultures and their histories, I gained a lot of knowledge about building up a strong value-based brand identity.
Understanding Cambodian Culture and its position in Asian innovation market
As the development will be built in Southeast Asia, it demanded in-depth knowledge of the socio-economic situation in that location. Building a start-up campus in a development country is much different than in any of the 1st world countries and needs a smart strategy. When building up an international culture it is crucial to give local people a chance to grow instead of limiting them to serving. Not less important is to bring the local culture and talent into the international environment to make more people aware of it and making space for its further development.