Designing an Award-Winning Shared Workspace: Arcc Spaces One Marina Boulevard

What makes a winning workspace design? It is not in the number of awards received, nor is it in the recognition received from industry peers. For Arcc Spaces, the true measure of success rests with the satisfaction of its end-users.

With every new project that comes their way, the Arcc Spaces product and experience team begins by envisioning how members and their businesses can leverage the workspace—from form to function, and beauty to usability.

The team, led by Chief Executive Officer Justin Chen, places great importance on conceptualising each space based on human-centric design principles, as manifested in their Singapore flagship centre at One Marina Boulevard.

When Arcc Spaces Senior Interior Architect Sharon Lumanog first encountered the 19,000 sq ft space with a panoramic Marina Bay view, she said the team unanimously agreed to put the prized feature for everyone’s use, “we wanted to democratise it so everyone can enjoy the best view in the house.”

Through concerted efforts with design agency The Afternaut Group, the Arcc team defined new innovations in the One Marina Boulevard centre with the company’s hospitality-led and design-driven values in mind.

Fresh concepts were introduced for the spaces including the reception area, collaboration hub, meeting rooms, as well as in the common areas.

In the reception area, a smaller front desk is used instead of a long counter to make it more welcoming for arriving members and guests.

To add a comfort factor, the waiting area was also made to feel more like a living room.

The Drawing Room, a lounge designed for members to meet, collaborate, host functions, and to work collectively with their team and guests. The space is supported by a suite of hospitality features including an in-house coffee barista and a wine cabinet for after-hour events.

While it is designed for meetings, the Atlas library is not a regular meeting room. In place of traditional boardroom settings, the space employs an informal seating arrangement to encourage fluid conversations. It is equipped with an interactive whiteboard for unbridled discussions to promote learning and collaboration opportunities. Additionally, the area is connected to a formal conference room, doubling as a breakout space during intermissions.

Designed with wellbeing in mind, the recharge zone features adjustable desks and ergonomic chairs to maximise comfort and efficiency, which comes especially handy for deep working. There is also the Orion, a multi-functional room equipped with a massage chair for those who need a quiet space for a quick break—a feature that became a quick favourite amongst members at the centre.

The idea for more dynamic spaces in the One Marina Boulevard centre was spurred by the pandemic. Sharon said, “We anticipated the need for social places as people put Covid-19 behind them. We do see plenty of interactions now as each space is being fully utilised for different styles of working.”

The result of One Marina Boulevard was not by chance. Arcc Spaces Head of Hospitality Maria Nakamura said the team arrived at this concept after two decades of learning and space design experience.

“Over the years, people have changed the way they work. Fortunately, we can move with the changes by being steadfast with our human-centric design principles. We continue building spaces upon the roots of hospitality with two key focus elements—a welcoming environment and the anticipation of our clients’ needs.”

Whilst the project began two years ago, the completion of the One Marina Boulevard was heavily disrupted when the pandemic hit. However, the team’s perseverance proved fruitful. Today, the centre enjoys a high occupancy rate and satisfaction level from its members.

This year, the centre was also named a winner of the Singapore Good Design Mark 2022 Awards in the Interior Design category.

Clinching this title is significant for the team as it is a testament to the excellence of their design and quality. But more than that, the team felt the award was an important reminder to keep their eyes on the real prize—winning the hearts of users.

About Arcc Spaces

Arcc Spaces is a shared workspace brand with a network of hospitality and design-led spaces in Asia’s gateway cities – Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Shanghai, Beijing, and Hong Kong. We bring the world’s businesses together – Arcc Spaces works with a community of changemakers and doers to drive innovation, learning, collaboration, and opportunities. Arcc Spaces is a part of Arcc Holdings, a transformative real estate and hospitality group that develops and operates concepts to create “Places that people love”. For more information, please visit www.arccspaces.com.