Dedicated to creating the engineer of the future, the new SAP Academy for Engineering will host its third international cohort of engineers in-person in 2023.
Designed by HGA, the new SAP Academy for Engineering (the Engineering Academy) is a linchpin learning facility for SAP that provides enhanced capabilities for the professional development of its engineers. Located on SAP’s San Ramon, California campus at 3001 Bishop Drive, the Academy brings together talented cohorts from its offices across the globe for intensive, six-month training programs designed to develop innovators, visionaries and thought leaders that can bring new insights to the rest of the organization.
The 56,488-square-foot learning facility consists of juxtaposed coding caves, creative capsules and learning pods, supported by amenities that are purposefully positioned to introduce maximum natural light into the space. There are several versatile spaces for engineers to learn, find inspiration and be creative, and the open floor plan capitalizes on the site’s high ceilings and large windows to convey an authentic learning environment that is vibrant and modest at the same time.
Key spaces within the SAP Engineering Academy include:
- A high-tech VR “Pop X” Room
- A Creativity Room complete with a touch-screen table
- A central auditorium, “The Arena”
- A spacious café area and coffee lounge
- A museum that puts successful innovation on display
- Neighborhoods of flexible project rooms for teamwork
- Coding caves for personal, more private desking space
- An Academy Pledge Wall, where graduates take an engineer’s pledge to reinforce their role in promoting the Academy’s values across their professional community
“SAP’s relentless commitment to advancing the culture of engineering inspired our design of the Academy for Engineering,” said Lisa Macaluso, principal and national interior design business development leader at HGA and the project’s lead. “Consequently, our design encourages and celebrates lifelong learning, equipping SAP’s engineers with an exceptional environment that will undoubtedly help propel their experience by introducing alternative ways of thinking and unlocking creativity and new possibilities.”
A Ripple Effect
HGA’s overarching design concept for the Academy was centered around the importance of generating a “ripple effect.” This notion came from SAP’s desire for each cohort of engineers to come to the new Academy to not only develop further expertise and learn innovative ways of thinking, but to impart this enhanced knowledge to their fellow colleagues in their own work settings. “Be The Ripple” is the underlying message of the Academy, and every aspect of the design amplifies it. From the circular lights to the central auditorium, the subconscious message comes through: you are the ripple, you are the change agent, and your success is SAP’s collective success. In the case of The Arena, this hub-like area connects the collaborative spaces beyond in a ripple-like effect that layers in different modes of creativity to achieve an energetic makers’ space where inspiration can be found around every corner.
Prior to developing the design for the new Academy, the HGA team worked closely with the firm’s Design Insight Group (DIG), to better understand how SAP’s engineering workforce would be functioning within the space, with a big focus on programming and how the ripple-effect theme would best support the various usage needs of the space as a result. DIG’s early processes focused on both user experience and evidence-based outcomes to uncover any unexpected insights and translate learnings into informed design solutions for how they would use the space.
“Our Academy for Engineering was created for the next generation of engineers—humanist engineers who are rooted in their disciplinary and domain expertise but apply an aesthetic lens that helps provide the broader context necessary for shaping the world in both practical and meaningful ways,” said V.R. Ferose, Senior Vice President and Head of SAP Academy for Engineering. “HGA’s thoughtful and research-backed design of the Academy has set us up for success, as the entire design team truly understood what was required of the space and the elements that would best support our engineers in their pursuit of deeper learning as well as inspire the ingenuity that leads to innovation.”
HGA, along with consulting partner Purple, also infused SAP’s history and core values of craftsmanship, curiosity, courage, compassion, and community into the Academy’s design. Every inch of the space reflects these values—whether it’s the café with its locally sourced tiles and lakeside view, or within the subtle touches like showcasing SAP’s earliest code on the walls. The Academy seeks to celebrate SAP’s engineering pride and put the company’s profound history on display, sparking curiosity and fostering a sense of belonging. With its collection of rare books by Nobel Laureates, the museum reminds employees of SAP’s purpose and values. The central circular Arena reinforces the values of curiosity and community by placing the speaker at eye level with the audience, reminiscent of storytelling by the campfire.
Beyond the beautiful design of the space, what truly sets the Academy apart is the innovative technology integrated throughout that supports users in tangible ways. The design was developed and implemented during the pandemic and, therefore, had to be flexible and accommodating to whatever the future may hold for the SAP workplace.
“It was a pleasure to work with HGA once again,” added Dwain Christensen, Director, SAP Silicon Valley Global Real-estate and Facilities. “After our last project with the firm in 2017, we knew they were the right team to take on this defining new facility for SAP.”
In addition to Macaluso, the HGA team responsible for the design of the Academy included Susan Foong, design principal; Faith Tan, senior interior designer; Sarah Brown, project coordinator; Brent Forslin, structural engineering; and Wayne Flock, hardware specialist.
Additional project partners included Purple—the team behind elements supporting the Academy’s curriculum and user experience as well as specialty A/V and graphics—as well as Source Construction, Inc., general contractor; Sextant Group, additional A/V; MNM Group, Low Voltage; and Triangle, printing, and installation of graphics. Furniture, fixtures, and equipment were handled by CRI and Vitra.
The SAP Engineering Academy graciously hosted HGA’s National Interior Design leadership team for its first strategic planning retreat. It was a rare chance for the project designers to experience the space they designed first-hand. See highlights from the interactive meeting below.
