As organisations worldwide rethink how and where work happens, the shift towards more flexible, experience-driven workplaces has become a defining trend in corporate real estate. Research reveals that offices are being actively redesigned to support hybrid work and enhance employee experience.
Employees are more likely to return to the office when environments offer meaningful opportunities for collaboration, focus, and connection. According to Microsoft’s Work Trend Index, 85% of business leaders say hybrid work has fundamentally changed how they think about productivity and workplace design.
It is within this global context that BASF’s South African team relocated to new offices in Waterfall, Midrand, reimagining its environment to align with contemporary hybrid practices and international corporate standards. Appointed to deliver the design and build of the new 1 000 m2 office, Trend Group translated this strategic shift into a contemporary, adaptable environment that supports collaboration, focus, and employee wellbeing.
As one of the world’s leading chemical companies, BASF continues to align its workplaces with a consistent global approach to flexibility, sustainability, and employee experience. The project was developed in accordance with BASF’s global workplace guidelines and corporate design criteria, ensuring consistency with the company’s international Real Estate and Facility Management standards.
Concept and Brand Integration
Developed by Trend Group, the design draws directly from BASF’s core values of being creative, open, responsible, and entrepreneurial, expressed through the company’s distinct brand colours and embedded spatially throughout the workplace. The approach reflects BASF’s international brand expression, ensuring consistency across its global portfolio while responding to the specific needs of its local team.
At reception, the visual identity is articulated with clarity and control, establishing a confident first impression. Blue anchors the environment, while accents of green, yellow, and red introduce rhythm and vitality, subtly defining different zones. These vibrant tones are balanced by a neutral foundation and natural materials, creating an atmosphere that feels energised yet grounded—expressive of BASF’s global identity while remaining human in scale.
Spatial Planning and Hybrid Working
The layout reflects a shift toward activity-based hybrid working, aligning with broader global trends in workplace design. Open-plan workstations are balanced with enclosed meeting rooms, acoustic call pods, touchdown areas, and social spaces to support a range of work modes.
Structured around a formal zoning model, the workplace offers distinct settings for focused and collaborative work. Workstations are non-dedicated, enabling a flexible hot-desking environment supported by plug-and-play infrastructure. The canteen operates as a social hub, with varied seating arrangements that encourage informal interaction and connection.
Adjacency planning reinforces this hierarchy. Silent and focus areas are positioned away from lively zones, with storage areas, circulation corridors and phone booths acting as buffers between high- and low-noise environments. Collaboration areas are located along circulation paths to encourage interaction without disrupting deep-focus workstations, while coffee and breakaway spaces are separated from concentrated desk clusters. Workstations were also positioned to maximise natural daylight while limiting exposure to high-traffic disruption.
Materiality and Detail
Material selection plays a defining role in the workspace, supporting both performance and visual cohesion. A porcelain slab is used consistently across joinery surfaces, creating a unifying thread that links different areas and reinforces a sense of continuity.
Dark-stained oak veneer introduces warmth, while acoustic finishes and fabric elements soften the palette. Ceiling treatments across open-plan areas enhance both performance and visual rhythm. Custom-designed elements are integrated throughout, reinforcing the bespoke character of the project while aligning with BASF’s global design language.
Furniture, Technology and Adaptability
Furniture was specified and delivered by Design Colab, with a focus on ergonomics, durability, and long-term flexibility. The workspace includes Design Colab’s locally designed and manufactured height-adjustable workstation, The Motion, supporting individual comfort within the non-dedicated desk environment.
Modular boardroom tables accommodate both formal meetings and larger town hall sessions, allowing the space to scale as required. Adaptability extends across the workplace, with informal breakaway spaces and hot-desking zones configured to support varied work modes. Digital room-booking systems and plug-and-play infrastructure enable seamless mobility throughout the office.
Acoustic interventions, including call pods and ceiling treatments, further enhance comfort and concentration, creating a technology-enabled environment that supports both individual preference and collective performance, aligned with global expectations for high-performing hybrid workplaces.
Sustainability and Performance
Sustainability strategies align with BASF’s global environmental commitments, with material selection and supplier partnerships supporting durability, responsible sourcing and long-term performance. Locally sourced materials and partners were integrated to deliver these objectives in a regionally responsive way.
Flooring was specified from manufacturers with strong environmental credentials, including Belgotex carpets and low-VOC luxury vinyl tiles to support healthier indoor air quality in high-traffic areas. Joinery materials were sourced from responsibly managed timber suppliers such as PG Bison, reinforcing a commitment to sustainable forestry practices, while porcelain and stone finishes were selected for their longevity and resistance to wear. Recycled PET acoustic panels further enhance both environmental performance and occupant comfort.
Biophilic elements were incorporated throughout the office, with planting integrated across work zones to introduce softness and connection to nature. Décor elements sourced from local artisans reinforce regional identity while contributing to a broader sustainability narrative. Together, these strategies support a workplace that balances environmental responsibility with wellness and everyday functionality.
Workplace Experience
Through a considered design process, Trend Group supported BASF’s transition into a workplace aligned with its global standards, translating international design principles into a locally responsive, high-performance environment.
The completed space fosters greater interaction across departments, breaking down silos and encouraging faster decision-making. “Across global markets, workplaces are increasingly expected to offer more than just a place to work,” says Candice Buker, Designer at Trend Group.
“By aligning global design principles with local context, the BASF office creates an environment that supports flexibility, collaboration and a more meaningful employee experience,” concludes Buker. The result is a fresh, energising workplace that reflects BASF’s global identity while supporting the evolving needs of its South African team.
