Benoit Thébault - Edvance : "Deskeo was really present at every moment."

Benoit Thébault, Head of the Work Environment Department at Edvance, talks about their recent real estate challenge: finding a quick, temporary solution within a limited area to accommodate their 300 employees.

Edvance is a subsidiary of the EDF group, which groups together the engineering of the nuclear island for everything that concerns the construction of tomorrow's low-carbon power plants.

Today, we have around 3,600 employees, with staff made up of Framatome, EDF, and joint ventures with whom we work.

What real estate issues did you face?

Between 2018 and 2021, we experienced a 15% growth in staff, which is only now beginning to level off.

Various assets were brought in and we had to be organised into project platforms. We had to define a real estate trajectory accordingly.

We were forced to find an alternative to accommodate our employees while waiting for the delivery of Flow, and this very quickly.

What did you need?

A turnkey solution that would meet our growing workforce and be close enough to the EDF head office in Montrouge. We didn't have the internal resources to add this site from an operations and maintenance management point of view.

The Magnetik building met our criteria perfectly, especially as we could not commit to a traditional lease for such a short period.

What interested you in the Deskeo offer?

First of all, the speed of implementation. Deskeo sourced and leased 3,200 square meters of space for us, based on the various specificities of our specifications.

But beyond that, all the service activity that Deskeo was able to develop on the Magnetik site.

There was real support. Deskeo was really present at all times and took charge of things before we even had to say, do or think about them. We had peace of mind!

What did you like most about the office?

First of all, the proximity of Park Azur and the accessibility of public transport. Then, the turnkey aspect of the Deskeo offer, the quick installation in our future offices, the fact that we don't have to worry about the operation and maintenance of the site. We were used to managing and operating our own offices, we know what it's like!

We also really appreciated the level of light and brightness we could enjoy on the top floors, both in the cafeteria and in the office areas. Not to mention the view!

What choices did you make in terms of layout?

We are working on areas close to the openings to have as much natural light as possible. In the central part, we chose to integrate collaborative work spaces.

Did your employees appreciate these offices? What was their feedback?

The fear we had was that we wouldn't be able to take them "home". Our employees really enjoyed working in these offices and were in no hurry to leave!

Could you ever work with Deskeo again?

Yes, of course we will! If we continue to grow our business, the question of occupancy may come up again as we increase our workforce, and I would definitely contact Deskeo again.

Working methods are undergoing a revolution, are you moving towards a more hybrid organisation?

Absolutely! While our employees were in the Magnetik building, we reorganised the EDF Park Azur to make the workstations more dynamic. Today, we have between 2 and 3 days of teleworking per week.

What do you think the future holds for the office?

There is now a great deal of flexibility in the world of work, especially with the rise of teleworking. In the future, it is the flexibility and agility that landlords will be able to offer their tenants that will dominate and become the new model.

Deskeo's offer responds to all these issues, and we are also looking to move towards this model internally.