Barone Design Group Completes Shell’s Business Operation Center in the Philippines
Barone Design Group, a solutions-driven architecture and interiors firm, announced today the completion of the Shell Shared Services Asia-BV business operations center in Makati City, Philippines. The 35,200 square foot facility was designed to support key internal business and customer service functions and will accommodate 288 workspaces. The facility is located on two floors in the RCBC Plaza, the largest and most modern office development in the Philippines.
(PRWEB) January 14, 2005 -- Barone Design Group, a solutions-driven
architecture and interiors firm, announced today the completion of the Shell
Shared Services Asia-BV business operations center in Makati City, Philippines.
The 35,200 square foot facility was designed to support key internal business
and customer service functions and will accommodate 288 workspaces. The facility
is located on two floors in the RCBC Plaza, the largest and most modern office
development in the Philippines.
Central to the project was creating a
highly efficient floor plan based on Shell’s European workplace strategy in
concert with regional Asian furniture and materials. Due to cultural influences,
these environments tend to be more open with less physical work space than U.S.
environments. The project also incorporated numerous green building materials, a
rarely employed strategy in the region. Green elements included the use of
carpet incorporating the U.S. Green Seal Standard for content and low-emitting
materials, energy efficient lighting, and furniture components that were
manufactured to be recycled. The unique space and floor plan design was
developed as a template for other potential floors within the RCBC
Building.
“This was the first project in the Philippines to be designed
and constructed by our Houston Real Estate group. The project possessed many
challenges, including establishing a process that met key deadlines, locating
and engaging a qualified local design/build contractor and selecting the
appropriate furniture vendor,” stated Alan Pringle – Real Estate Advisor with
Shell Real Estate Services. “We have worked on similar projects in North and
Latin America with Barone Design Group and engaged their expertise to help us
develop new work environments that support new business initiatives. We are very
pleased with the results to date and believe all of our objectives were met,”
continued Pringle.
Many elements of the project, including furniture and
fixtures, were imported from regional suppliers in China, Korea and Japan.
Custom modular walls were constructed locally to serve as vertical electrical
and communications cableways and incorporated bamboo stalks molded in
eco-friendly resin panels. The use of red and yellow accent colors, which are
predominant in the Asian culture, and also indirectly tied to Shell’s corporate
branding image, were used to create a high-energy environment. Barone Design
Group provided design-build bridge services and fully managed all elements of
the project. The firm guides clients from inception to completion, managing
every stage of the process to address both corporate and facilities needs.
Shell’s business operations center was officially completed and occupied in the
fall of 2004.
“We were very excited to bring the Philippines’ center
together. This was a cornerstone project for our firm, and it enabled us to
combine a number of our skill-sets,” stated Dean Barone, president, Barone
Design Group. “It was a unique challenge to harmonize the cross-cultural
elements in the project and to work together with the Houston and
Philippine-based organizations to bring Shell’s vision to
fruition.”
About Barone Design Group
Barone Design Group is a
solutions-driven architecture and interiors firm with over two decades of
experience creating corporate workplace environments and highly technical,
industrial, R &D and manufacturing facilities for leading companies
worldwide. With the ability to manage large scale corporate and facilities
projects, both nationally and internationally, the firm partners with its
corporate clients to find solutions that address long-term business needs. With
an experienced team of design experts, the firm merges efficiency, style and
utility to
address the client’s workspace objectives.
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Source: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/1/prweb196912.htm