NTT Research and NTT Global Sourcing Unveil New Hybrid Workspace in Sunnyvale at Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

  • Official Opening of the NTT OneVision Center on Sept. 17

NTT Research, Inc., a division of NTT , officially unveiled its brand new hybrid-remote smart workspace in Sunnyvale, Calif. Named the NTT OneVision Center, it is one of the first office buildings in Silicon Valley built for a post-pandemic vision of the workplace, with collaboration-focused spaces, state-of-the-art health monitoring capabilities, and new layouts. The building, currently accessible only to a limited number of employees, is now fully open. This decision was made in accordance with Santa Clara County official standards for reopening businesses across the region in light of ongoing COVID-19 guidelines.

@NTTResearch officially unveiled its brand new hybrid-remote smart workspace in Sunnyvale, CA. The NTT OneVision Center is one of the first office buildings in Silicon Valley built for a post-pandemic vision of the workplace. #UpgradeReality #TechForGood

NTT Global Sourcing, a wholly owned company within NTT Inc., has diligently worked with local partners to bring the vision for this approximately 35,100 sq. ft. space to life. The building features an open space design with circulation routes as pathways for employees to move and connect easily between shared and individual working spaces. There are multiple casual and collaborative spaces, working pods, and offices for research staff; and the lobby and cafeteria areas will display living walls to help purify the air. The design, created by CBRE Design Hub Spain architects, supports a hybrid-remote working environment where a subset of company individuals can commute to work in a physical space, while others continue to work remotely.

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The building is on track to become carbon negative with energy returned to the local municipality of Sunnyvale. NTT Research are the landlords with room for up to 10 group companies who will eventually share the space. The company is also in the process of working towards LEED certification. The official ribbon-cutting ceremony will be performed by NTT Research President and CEO, Kazuhiro Gomi, and the Mayor of Sunnyvale, Larry Klein. The Deputy Consul General of Japan in San Francisco, Keiichi Higuchi, and Sunnyvale Chamber of Commerce CEO, Dawn Maher, will also attend.

“Our mission is to Upgrade Reality in game-changing ways that improve lives and brighten our global future,” said NTT Research President and CEO, Kazuhiro Gomi. “In the spirit of that mission, our goal with this new location is to create shared working space that redefines how we work. We have created an environment that fosters collaboration between our world-class researchers and NTT family companies while also harnessing the talent and great minds already working in the Silicon Valley area. I am honored to unveil this new smart and sustainable building that will help us promote positive change for humankind.”

Sunnyvale Mayor Larry Klein extended a warm welcome to NTT. “This is a great day for NTT and for Sunnyvale; I commend them for opening during these trying times,” he said. “We are excited to welcome NTT to our business community and look forward to their future growth and success.”

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As COVID-19 remains an ongoing concern, there are protocols in place to ensure the health and safety of employees, tenants and visitors accessing the building. This includes a wearable band that monitors and tracks the constant temperature of individuals working or visiting the space, and data is automatically shared with the local healthcare system and all in accordance with HIPAA guidelines. It will notify the wearer by text message if there are any changes in temperature that might indicate the need for a telehealth consultation as a precaution. NTT Research will not gather any data related to the health monitoring of individuals using the space.

Additionally, all individuals entering the building will be required to wear masks over their nose, mouth and chin according to Santa Clara County’s strict standards, and social-distancing floor markers are installed. As the building is designed around a shared open-plan concept, employees will access individual lockers for personal belongings in a university campus-style approach with shared and individual working pods sanitized at the end of each working day.

“We moved to a fully remote work model a while ago, and this new building defines a future of work that is more flexible, digital, and purposeful for our employees,” said NTT Research VP of HR, Rae-Ellen Hamilton. “It’s also designed around our upgrading-reality ethos as a global company.”

Today (Friday, Sept. 17), an outdoor and socially distanced appreciation ceremony for local officials and partners involved in the construction will commence at 4:30pm (PT) and will include speeches from NTT executives followed by a ribbon-cutting ceremony and tours of the OneVision Center. Post-event cocktails will be served in the parking lot and all attendees will be required to wear face masks, complete temperature checks, and pre-register to share vaccination status. Representatives from 42 of the partners involved in the building’s design and construction are expected to attend the event.

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