Allegro is Europe’s largest e-commerce platform and a resounding success. The company is growing at extraordinary speed – in 2021 alone, Allegro had more than 1,500 new hires. The year 2021 was also marked by dynamic and impressive growth plans and investments in new offices: in Warsaw, Kraków, and Poznań. In Poznań, the move from the Pixel office building to the Nowy Rynek complex was the biggest logistics project in the history of the company’s offices. Allegro’s lease of 24,700 sqm is also the second largest lease on the Polish market and the largest transaction in the history of the Poznań market.

Allegro is known for its outstanding care for its employees and their work comfort. Once again, the company did not fall short. Out of concern for the comfort and safety of its employees in Poznań, Allegro opted for a spacious office that meets the needs of its fast-growing team. The company is committed to fostering a very comfortable working environment, so one of the major objectives was to design ergonomic and flexible workstations adapted to the hybrid work model for a team of 2,700 people. Allegro has therefore fitted its new office with electric adjustable sit-to-stand “stand-up” desks, with height adjustable to suit the individual employee’s needs. To improve acoustics in the work areas, acoustic panels have been installed between the workstations as well as in lamps and shades, thus reducing noise and reverberation inside the office. Moreover, high-end IT/AV systems configured in meeting rooms allow for merging office work with remote work. On the other hand, acoustic quiet work booths feature intelligent lighting and efficient ventilation systems.

The interior office design, its usability and arrangement of the company’s departments over such a vast area, spread over ten floors, were not that simple. Eventually, however, with the designers of The Design Group, Allegro has crafted a space for its largest HQ that not only welcomes people back to the office, but is also conducive to further growth, creativity and team bonding.

Due to the customary hybrid work model and the pandemic time of working at home, Allegro’s HQ space has been designed to accommodate the blend of environment and workplace setting, whilst breaking the default conventional office feel. For this very reason, every employee will find a great work space for themselves. Allegro has delivered very high standards of functionality aligned with the tenets of the hybrid work model. Spaces for quiet work in comfy chairs, meeting rooms with bar stools for groups of people, but also amphitheaters, a conference center with a few halls, a massive terrace, canteens or unbelievably green jungle rooms – these are only a few of the rooms for the employees of the Poznań office. Yet, there is more to it. Allegro has also catered for the children of its employees. On the second floor, in cooperation with The Design Group studio, they have co-designed a fabulous fairy-tale preschool for the little ones, with many design elements consistent with the office part.

Allegro’s office interiors blend a homelike, friendly vibe with a sleek, cutting-edge style that matches the flair and style of Building D of the Nowy Rynek complex. However, there are more to relate, as the new office space has been designed with an eye to the elements accentuating its venue. Part of the original facade of Building D are vertical stripes glistening with shades of green and rusty pink, captured for the interiors to take. The wooden tiers that mimic the building’s facade are found on virtually every floor of Allegro’s office. In contrast, the building’s hallmark round, donut-like open plaza within the structure sparked yet another idea.

“We agreed to incorporate this round shape into the interior design of Allegro’s Poznań office. It bridges the outer world with the inner world. For this reason, there are, for example, round white boards, lighting, ornamental acoustic elements and glazing in the interiors. There are many references to organic shapes and curves, and, in our opinion, this lends lightness and brings an unforced naturalness to the office interiors,” says Karolina Kózka, chief architect of the design team of The Design Group, in charge of the concept of Allegro’s Poznań office interiors.

The said jungle room is an unusual-to-the-office place for individual work or casual social meetings, existing surrounded by plenty of greenery, contributing to a peculiar microclimate. The space model was originally worked out during the first phase of The Design Group / Allegro collaboration on the interior design of the Warsaw office. The Poznań every-floor jungle rooms, unlike those in Warsaw (that are somewhat darker and further away from the other office zones), remind of an enchanted garden. They have been designed upon consultation with greenery specialists; they assisted in finding the right variety of original and rare-to-the-office plants according to, for example, the amount of sunlight or indoor humidity levels.

“The Poznań ‘jungle rooms’ are one of the many tools provided by Allegro’s headquarters. These areas are literally the living fabric of the office. There are an abundance of plants that are seldom found in office interiors. In these spaces, we have also intentionally arranged desks, armchairs and bar stools, so that staff can both relax and work in peace and quiet, surrounded by mind-soothing greenery,” explains architect Karolina Kózka, The Design Group.

Allegro’s focus on task performance is just as important as making sure employees are well rested, a key factor in keeping their work productive. Those that are tired of gazing into the computer screen or in need of a getaway from the routine, are welcome to enjoy some time outdoors and the terrace (an extension of the large kitchen on the 10th floor) with its lush greenery and purpose-designed spaces for both leisure and team meetings, calls, or individual work. The terrace design is consistent with the rest of the office area – it’s homely, snug and green, and the round motif pervades in many a place, either as rounded seats or as organic wooden tier shapes. Yet, the true wow effect comes from the breathtaking view of the complete panorama of the capital of Wielkopolska. The staff can also marvel at it in rocking chairs from the kitchen area adjacent to the terrace. Its layout is bright, complete with contrasting details and warm accents of veneer cladding. The sophisticated style is conveyed by countertops resembling white marble and woodwork finished with upright slats. The individual space sections are separated by plant pots and book and magazine shelves.

"The design of Allegro’s Poznań office was made with a view to sustainable development. The supporting solutions were considered already at the stage of the drafting of the office concept, e.g., by using recycled or kilometer-zero materials. A power-optimized lighting system has also been installed and a waste segregation system support has been designed. Moreover, Nowy Rynek Building D, handpicked by Allegro, has been awarded this year’s WELL Health-Safety Rating, meaning, for example, that it meets the criteria to guarantee a safe return to the office, and promotes the well-being and health of its users." – says architect Konrad Krusiewicz, founder of The Design Group.

Allegro’s headquarters is an office with all the things that today’s employees need – a great location, a space designed by actual designers paying attention to every minute detail, ergonomic and flexible workstations, and many other great spaces and solutions. We have built not only a dream work space, but also a perfect space for building rapport, for integration and mutual support, which contributes to the safety and comfort of its users.