The Sound Of Nature, Inside WorXlab

Meha Mathur Jan 09, 2024

Craving to be amid nature but can’t leave office space in a heavily built environment? The worXlab Live Office at the Electric Works Company of Panasonic Corporation showcases how elements of nature can be brought to your workstation. Opened in December 2020, this ‘live office’ demonstrates the use of technology in catering to varying needs of employees. Panasonic’s Electrical Works Company is a leading name in lighting equipment and wiring fixtures & equipment, and its products are sold in 109 countries.

Each individual has unique work styles and his or her idea of ideal physical work environment also differs. Some wish to work in quiet, some want livelier atmosphere, and some wish sunlight to pervade the workspace. Meeting so many diverse likes is a challenge but worXlab shows how it is possible.

In Japanese, Kukan means space. And worXlab emphasises right usage of space and wellbeing in workplaces. It takes into consideration the fact that work occupies most of the waking time of individuals and that the design and functionality of workspace impacts people’s health. The following 10 elements are given due importance in the worXlab: air, water, sound, light, thermal comfort, materials, nourishment, movement, community and mind.

This is an open office model and refrains from cabins or cubicles. Interaction between colleagues is given great importance.

As you enter the office, you can check the seat availability on a screen to avoid crowded spaces. The monitor, besides showing the crowd density in a given zone, also displays information on temperature, humidity, CO2 levels to help you decide where you want to sit.

You can also check on the screen seat availability in a zone depending upon your choice – do you wish to work in the café zone where gentle music would be playing, or the focus zone where you can work quietly, or in the nature zone.

The layout is flexible and the three zones – the sound and light conditions - can be altered depending on requirements. The layout of workstations can also be altered without any hammer work on the walls. Position of switches can be changed by sliding them along the workstation.

Ventilation is the perhaps the biggest hallmark of worXlab in the post-covid world. Through innovation in ventilation, downflow of air for droplet dispersal and humidity control & sterilisation, the office space becomes conducive for long hours of productive work. This is achieved through as many as 200 sensor devices to get information on temperature, humidity, movement of employees, and even facial expression, and based on these indicators the right ventilation condition is provided.

Nature is the ultimate healer and soothes one’s nerves, and a dedicated room screening river water gently flowing down and touching drooping tree branches helps relax employees amid the hustle of office life. For that matter, the ceiling of the passage leading up to the room shows you varying hues of sky -clear blue, pink clouds at the sunset, the thunder during the rains and so on, to connect you to nature.

For work that demands absolute silence, like recording, there are isolated booths with all technical support. An innovation of great relevance in the post-covid world is the downflow of air that reduces germs in the air.

Corporates globally are taking keen interest in the model and there have been a large number of corporate visits (180 groups had visited the office in a short span of time), indicating the importance that proper ventilation and infection controls. Panasonic has got the ‘WELL Health-Safety Rating for its worXlab in the Panasonic Tokyo Shiodome Building, Tokyo, in March 2021, and the WELL v2 Gold certification for its Kadoma City office in Osaka Prefecture for these innovations.