New Zealand Commercial Design Trends Series NZ Commercial Design Trends Vol. 30/12 | Page 88

Project
Procter & Gamble Innovation Centre

Location:
Singapore

Interior design:
Orbit Design Studio

WELL CONNECTED
Collaboration, connectivity and an acknowledgement of its Asian context sum up
the interior design strategy for Procter & Gamble’s Singapore Innovation Centre

Business success today relies heavily on
encouraging innovation and having the flexibility
to implement changes quickly. And a major factor
in achieving those outcomes is the workplace
environment.
When Procter & Gamble decided to build an
innovation centre in Singapore, the goal was to
come up with a radical design that reflected the
company’s innovative spirit.
The company says the new building needed to
address the challenge of a tropical climate and be
sympathetic to Singapore’s cultural heritage, but in
a contemporary way.
“While this is a highly sophisticated building from
a technological point of view, we also wanted to
create an inspiring and stimulating work environment

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to help drive creativity and innovation.”
The 32,000m2 facility is Phase 4 in the Biopolis
biomedical research hub, masterplanned by architect Zaha Hadid. It is Singapore’s largest private
research centre, and is the first P&G centre to be
built in a tropical and urban environment.
One of the results of that is the intelligent facade
design which uses clear glazing and louvres to give
maximum access to daylight while controlling glare
and heat.
While P&G’s own architecture team worked with
IDC Architects on the building itself, Orbit Design
was commissioned to design the interiors and integrate corporate graphics and branding.
Orbit design director Simon Drogemuller says
this involved providing a host of functions – from

Previous pages, below and
right:The arrival process at the
Procter & Gamble Singapore
Innovation Centre sets the
stage for design principles
used throughout the interiors –
transparency, connection and
reflecting Asian culture. The
impressive staircase cantilevers
above the reception area and
provides the main circulation
path through the atrium.