Better's Office, Slovenia

Designed by Kragelj Workplace + Design, Better d.o.o. is a Ljubljana-based tech provider which works with over 500 hospitals and more than 150 clients across 16 countries, and it stores more than 30 million unique patients’ electronic health records. The company is recognized as an innovator and thought leader in several key markets and the worldwide leader in open EHR-based products. Better’s success and 12 percent a year growth, made a speedy move to new premises essential. But this wasn’t just about an ability to accommodate the expected growth of the business.

As with the Better business model, it was essential to create something that applies to everybody but which also addresses the specific needs of each person as an individual. This was a practical as well as ethical concern. Better aimed to create a work environment that made the company an attractive employer for the young people who, as it is well known, are crucial to fostering its innovation and expansion. As a major component of the project, in-depth organizational and utilization studies were done at the outset to support the design that satisfied the needs of the time while being adaptable enough to change as the company did.

This dual, in-built agility not only allowed the firm to introduce a more collaborative work culture from day one but also anticipate its growth and development over time. One of the specific challenges posed by the building chosen by Better as a new home was to maximize lines of communication over the seven stories and two basements of the 3,000 sq. m. space.

It was essential that any specific floor of the building did not become a self-contained unit or be dedicated to one particular department. So, each floor offers different types of facilities, amenities, and workspaces, nudging people to move around the building, generating moments of serendipity. By creating both formal and informal flows of information in this way, the building fosters a cohesive company culture and sense of belonging, whatever an individual’s job function or work preferences.

Each floor incorporates a breakout space for informal chats over a coffee, but each employs its own color palette to aid wayfinding and offer a sense of place. The larger communal space on the ground floor incorporates a restaurant and more meeting space.