i-BP ARMOR France

i-BP -Informatique Banque Populaire - a subsidiary of the Banques Populaires and Groupe BPCE, is responsible for the IT development of 11 regional Banques Populaires’ information systems. i-BP operates on 6 locations in France: Paris, Saint-Quentin en Yvelines, Toulouse, Nantes, Lille and Dijon..

Location

Nantes, France

Design Firm

Topos Architecture

Dealer Partner

ART Réalisation

Resources

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“The building is not just about stone, it’s the heart of the company. It must reflect our agile and collaborative ways of working”.

Serge Matry

Head of Banque Populaire Information Systems

The new offices

The new offices of Informatique Banques Populaires (i-BP) in the Naonys building in Saint-Herblain are the fourth stage of the reorganization of all i-BP sites in France. The overall project covers 1,800 occupants (internal and external service providers) across 6 locations (nearly 65,000 sq.m). After Toulouse, Paris and Saint-Quentin en Yvelines, the Direction for Transformation has now deployed its new collaborative and agile workspace concept, called MultiSpace, in the 12,000 sq.m. building.

The Project

Goodbye to private offices, and welcome to human-sized open spaces, where the Activity Based Working model offers everyone the choice of their working environment. Groups of “ambassadors” have been working for a year and a half with Hugues Joncquel, Director at the Transformation Department, to develop new design concepts and define an identity for each space. At Saint-Herblain, each floor has its theme - Seaside, Architecture, Cinema, etc. - using specific colours, photos and decorative elements. The “ legibility “ of the spaces are presented through easy-tounderstand configurations, where the usages of the space are clear.

The acoustic comfort is key

850 workstations accommodate the site’s 700 employees as well as i-BP’s external collaborators. The workspaces are structured in “project apartments” for 10 to 12 people, using movable partitions to avoid employees feeling lost on a large surface.

The acoustics have been treated as a whole, with ceiling, wall and floor coverings. The smart use of partitions, furniture and materials significantly contributes to improving the spaces both aesthetically and acoustically. Particular attention is given to the ergonomics of the workstations and equipment.

Except for the external temporary staff working in Flex Office, all i-BP employees have an assigned workstation and personal storage, allowing them to concentrate on their tasks.

“The Epure range meets the needs of functionality and simplicity “

The spaces are structured on a large floor plan that enables communication and information sharing. The workstations are located on the edge of the building, near the large bay windows. In the center are a variety of spaces where employees can meet, retreat or informally exchange ideas throughout the day, depending on their preferences, in an environment that promotes collaboration.

“The Epure range meets the needs of functionality and simplicity “

Haworth’s Epure desks and pedestals, durable, ergonomic and functional, were selected to create modular and flexible spaces: Epure can be assembled without tools and its legs shareable for easy reconfiguration. Small Be_Hold cupboards, with finishes matching the desks and tables, are dedicated to department storage and separate the workstations from the corridors.

Daylight and colors contribute to well-being.

The spaces benefit from a beautiful natural light that can flow throughout, to enhance the feeling of transparency between the individual workstations and the collaborative spaces. Office screens and Drift freestanding partitions ensure visual privacy while adding a touch of vibrant, energizing color.

Here, the significance of natural light for the well-being of employees and the impact of color on the atmosphere and behaviors make perfect sense.

Promote collaboration and ideas sharing.

While telephone booths and other small alcoves allow for private conversations, many collaborative spaces are available on three floors: meeting rooms, creativity rooms, Agora, lounge rooms, etc. Each offer comfortable furniture for the activity carried out there.

“One of the major challenges of the project is to invite employees to use all the offered new spaces. We have been communicating a lot to foster greater mobility throughout the building,” says Hugues Joncquel.

“Understanding the occupation rate of the bookable spaces is the next challenge for developing and improving the layout of our facilities,” continues Mr Joncquel.

Not just a workplace, but a destination.

Community and informal spaces punctuate the work and collaborative spaces throughout the Naonys building. The Cafeteria in the center of the Village, the “Tisanières” on each floor, or the Work Café are some of the places that add to the quality of the work environment. “Everyone should feel good in these new settings, and the details often make a project a success,” ends Hugues Joncquel.