11:38 16 October 2024
Dream Space Warsaw: A New Era of Flexibility & Collaboration
What can employees expect in the new office in Warsaw?
Magdalena Domagała (Real Estate and Project Manager of Dream Space Warsaw): More than 7,000 m2 of usable space is waiting for us. The new office will be a 9-story building with three floors dedicated to us. We will also have access to a patio and a new Gravity Point with over 1,000 m2 of space. It will be a place to gather and collaborate. It addition to rooms for our daily work, we will have access to wellbeing rooms, fun rooms or even silent and chill-out spaces. All of this reflecting our ING office style.
Will the new office change anything in the way people work?
Mariusz Sosna (ad interim Head of ING Hubs Poland):
Not necessarily, because we have been operating with a flex approach for some time. Our intention at ING Hubs Poland is to bring the teams together as we continue working in a hybrid mode, in a flex office model. We need to pay more attention to simple things like booking a desk or leaving it empty. Just like you’d do at any rented coworking space in the city. The time of “owning” the same desk, every day for years, is gone. Flex office is here to stay.
Back in the middle of the pandemic, our Real Estate team had been working on the Dream Space Katowice project. They gained a lot of experience and feedback from our employees, and did a great job incorporating all that knowledge, while designing the Dream Space Warsaw. To be very honest, when opening the new office in Katowice, in 2021, we were experimenting with new spaces, and a flex mode setup. It takes time to get used, to learn a new set of habits, but we did it. We all understood that, and we see how we have all changed during these past four years.
Above all, we need to come together – to celebrate, build new relationships, share, learn and have some fun. I am truly happy the new office will create this opportunity.
How is the flex approach reflected in the way you have designed the office?
Magdalena Domagała: We have designed plenty of areas to suit different needs. Places where teams can sit together with comfortable furniture, spend time in silence – focusing, collaborate around a big table, sit at a desk in an open space or training room. And of course we provide great coffee or tea in well-equipped kitchens. These are a must. Different spaces are for different needs, all equipped with top shelf devices.
With a flex office we bring people together in a different way. The number of workstations in the new office will not cover 100% of the employees, because that model is history. We offer them all the necessary spaces and devices they can make use of and enjoy while working.
Our office projects are called Dream Spaces – both in Katowice and in Warsaw. We truly believe this is what we are creating for all our employees.
Sustainability is part of ING’s strategy, how is it reflected in your new office in Warsaw?
Mariusz Sosna: Both the building and the space occupied by our company will be equipped with a range of environmentally friendly solutions. We ensure accessibility for people with different needs and take care of the well-being of people at the same time. Together with the building developer, we are working towards obtaining independent certificates confirming these features.
It is a big deal for ING Hubs Poland—we take sustainable development (ESG) seriously. Our office design enables responsible use of resources and reducing the carbon footprint, which has a beneficial impact on the health and well-being of our employees. Access to daylight, air filters, non–toxic certified finishing materials, plants in the office, all of it and more are planned for spring 2025.
How is the social aspect of community building being worked out in Warsaw? From what we know in Katowice the office is open for meetups, meetings with students or business partners.
Magdalena Domagała: The ground floor will serve as our spacious gather place for both work and free time. We call it the Gravity Point. This will be the same design as Dream Space Katowice. We will have some conference rooms, a space to relax and even pieces of art. Overall, it will be a very large conference space open to all kinds of visitors. We truly hope our new office will be a go-to place for local communities.
The entire building has been designed for flexible work. With almost 30 conference rooms, together with a huge auditorium, we will be able to work both independently and in groups. Some of the rooms will have movable walls so we will be able to arrange the spaces to meet our needs.
The Dream Space Warsaw is located at the junction of Pańska and Miedziana streets. A prestigious area, very convenient for commuting. It is also a historical place in Warsaw. Do you plan to reflect this in your new office?
Mariusz Sosna: Dom Słowa Polskiego (House of the Polish Word)-–because this is what you are referring to—was here for over 70 years. And yes, we want to respect the history of this special place by incorporating elements related to “words” in the design and even in the choice of fabrics and materials. But we also want to use this occasion to talk about the power of language itself, the culture, the impact of the way we communicate. At ING Hubs Poland we use English for our official communication, and for most of us it is not a mother tongue. Therefore, the idea of broadening our horizons through language itself seems to be an interesting narrative.
Magdalena Domagała
Manager, head of Real Estate Management at ING Hubs Poland
Magdalena is in charge of real estate projects that facilitate collaboration; transforming the workplace, she leverages modern technology and fosters simplicity and accessibility of adopted solutions. She has a master’s degree in English literature (US), a graduate of managerial studies and real estate valuation (WSB), business negotiations (Franklin University), and ESG in construction (Warsaw University of Technology); she is also a figure skating coach and judge, winter sports activities enthusiast and practitioner, and pragmatic at heart.
Mariusz Sosna
ad interim Head of ING Hubs Poland and Cluster Lead of Business Support Cluster
Mariusz is a seasoned manager, currently serving as the ad interim Head of ING Hubs Poland, while also acting as Director overseeing a workforce of over 450 people across diverse IT and support teams. Actively engaged in IT projects, he focuses on launching new services, team building, and organizational development to drive growth and innovation. In his daily work, he puts people and their development first, as they are the foundation of ING’s success. Since 2020, he’s actively mentored and supported other managers both in Poland and abroad, sharing his knowledge and business experience.
