Group Services

The activities of the Property Management department include everything required to select, design and set up offices for Finmeccanica's official presence in other countries. Finmeccanica Group Services (FGS) provides a turnkey service, dealing with the whole process which starts with the search for suitable premises and continues through to the actual opening of the new office.
All the activities, such as drawing up the architectural project, designing the layout, choosing the materials and supervising the works, are carried out directly by FGS.
 
General principles
 
Offices in other countries are required not only for operational reasons but also to boost the image of Finmeccanica around the world. They serve as common operational areas and are available for all the companies in the Group to carry out their official representation as well as commercial and marketing activities.

Setting up offices abroad is in line with Finmeccanica's overall policy of creating a stronger Group identity by concentrating the offices of companies already present in a given area into a single headquarters. This is useful to maintain communications and cultural contacts between developing sectors in the Finmeccanica Group, creating synergies that encourage access to new markets by companies that, as yet, do not have their own offices in such areas.

Recent projects include the opening of the new Finmeccanica office in Washington DC (October 2006). This is the largest foreign office ever set up by Finmeccanica and is a clear sign of the interest that the whole Group has in the US market.

The Washington office forms part of a much larger long-term programme. After the completion of offices in Kuala Lumpur (2004), Brussels (2004), London (2005) and Moscow (2006), others will be opened in early 2007 in areas of the international market which most interest Finmeccanica, such as New Delhi and Singapore. The two latter projects are the outcome of a new approach used by FGS to complete its foreign offices. Thanks to collaboration between the various departments involved, it was possible to start up and complete both offices quickly, by means of online tenders supported by on-site supervision in order to establish all the contractual details.

FGS's next objective is to set up new Finmeccanica offices in Abu Dhabi and Ankara.
 
Architectural approach

Each project is designed to meet the following objectives:
 
- to create a common denominator in order to unify the various premises by using similar materials and technologies
- to project an image of modernity and innovation
- to give each office distinctive features


For this reason, one of the priorities in choosing premises is that they should be "airy and bright". For example, all our offices abroad are characterised by large internal spaces and extensive views over the surroundings.
To make sure the various areas are well lit, we use glass partition walls that are semi-opaque (to ensure a degree of privacy for those working there).

Metal fittings in aluminium and steel are widely used for their clean and bright look not only in the structure for the matt walls but also for the cladding and finishing. Special care is taken over the flooring in particular areas (e.g. the entrance lobby).

The coco-fibre flooring normally used for working areas and meeting rooms helps to create a warm atmosphere and to unify the spaces. The same continuity effect is achieved in other areas by using polished lava tiles which combine solidity and elegance.
Each office is characterised by a design concept which reflects not only specific local conditions but also the architectural context. For example, the "Serpentine" feature in the London office is a system of self-standing glass partition walls laid out in a curved pattern to create a number of separate spaces. This makes it possible to set up workstations for people using the office temporarily.

In the same way, the architectural space of the Moscow office is characterised by the "oval core" of the centrally located meeting room, and by the high degree of flexibility provided by a system of sliding glass panels.
 
Layout and equipment
 
The standardised layout of the premises provides functional and operational efficiency not only for the resident staff but also for personnel from Group companies who need a "solid" point of reference when travelling. With this in mind, the offices are equipped with all the facilities required for dealing with customers and commercial partners.

As a general rule, each office has two or more meeting rooms of different sizes:

- small rooms (up to 6 people)
- medium rooms (up to 10 people)
- large rooms (up to 14 people or more)
 
At least one meeting room (usually medium-sized) is equipped with:

- videoconference and video projection facilities
- audio conference equipment
- Internet access via cable and Wi-Fi connections
- anti-intrusion systems linked to the Finmeccanica head office in Rome
- workstations for personnel who are visiting
 
"New Washington office: "The Scramble"
 
A particular visual effect is achieved in the Washington office, characterised by a large space on two levels with a spiral staircase in steel and glass constructed around a model of Leonardo da Vinci's prototype flying machine. The lightness of the architectural effect is set off by scale models of aircraft produced by the Group, which serve to highlight the continuity of Italy's flying tradition.

The name given to the whole architectural complex, "The Scramble", is associated with the order given to fighter pilots for immediate takeoff when there is a threat to the national air space. The meaning of the word - to move quickly, to climb hurriedly, to struggle to get something - is reflected in the upward movement of the spiral staircase, and metaphorically evokes the Finmeccanica Group's strategy of international expansion.
 
Photogallery Finmeccanica offices abroad