House of Communication, versione italiana

Serviceplan, Milan

Milan
Location

150
Employees

2022 - 2024
Project period

approx. 3,000 m²
Floor space (GFA)

On November 27, 2024, Serviceplan Group Italy celebrated the inauguration of its new office space in Via Roncaglia in Milan. The new headquarters embodies the modern working paradigm of the House of Communication (HoC), which has already been successfully introduced in many of the more than 30 HoCs worldwide. The agency group focuses on an integrated way of thinking and working that takes into account different disciplines, cultures and talents. As a result, all communication disciplines are now united under one roof at the HoC in Milan: creation and content, media and data, technology, strategy and brand partnerships. With the tailor-made working environment concept developed by combine.

TheHoC-tailor-made for Milan

combine accompanied the “new HoC Milan” project from its inception: from the property selection and rental process to the workplace strategy and change management with the appropriate project management through to the move-in.

We were commissioned to develop future-oriented working environments for the HoC Milan. A working environment concept that enables socializing, collaboration and concentrated solo work, promotes creativity and well-being and at the same time incorporates the site-specific corporate culture and working methods. However, a new location first had to be found for the new working environments.

The initial spark: a new location for the HoC in Milan

Against the backdrop of an expiring lease and the planned growth of the Milan location, the initial focus was on finding new office space. The CREM department of the Serviceplan headquarters in Munich supported Milan in the search process and brought the experts from combine on board.

combine took on the role of client representative and project management and ensured that a building would be found that met the requirements of Serviceplan Group Italy and was able to implement activity-oriented and interdisciplinary work in the best possible way.

After a thorough evaluation, location and potential analysis, the best location for the HoC Milan was found from a long and shortlist of prestigious real estate agencies: The new building is centrally located in Via Roncaglia. Serviceplan is renting four floors. Three floors are used by the four in-house agencies, while the ninth floor with its roof terrace and impressive view over Milan can be used by all employees.

The special thing about the development history of HoC Milan: combine Workplace Strategy and Change Management were already involved in the process of finding the new rental space at the start of the project. In a multi-stage series of workshops with the Milan management, the strategic objectives and guidelines for the future location were defined together with the real estate strategists and examined from all perspectives:

Real estate management & strategy and
from the cultural and user perspective

The idea of the House of Communication is not only architectural, but also cultural. We want to create a continuous dialogue between different skills and specializations, with a space that encourages hybrid working, the contamination of ideas and the creation of integrated projects. This approach reflects our vision: interdisciplinarity as a driver of innovation for our clients

Giovanni Ghelardi, CEO and Partner of Serviceplan Group Italia, on the occasion of the inauguration 

Creating strong identification through user participation in the development process.

combine accompanied Serviceplan Milan until the move-in at the beginning of September 2024, as a user representative and companion as well as in tailor-made project management alongside the
project management.

As at the other HoC locations, combine provided intensive support to the responsible managers and agency representatives in initiating and sustainably implementing the changes to the “new way of working” in the company. A change strategy and roadmap for the entire planning period was developed in close cooperation with the future users. In the workshops, both the space concept was (co-)developed and the rules and rituals of the working environment concept in the HoC were (co-)developed.

This participatory approach not only achieved a better result for the working environment concept, but also strengthened the networking of the various Serviceplan agencies and implemented a working environment that enjoys the greatest possible acceptance and best possible use.