When we think of work it’s important to recognize that it’s not just the place we go, it’s also a thing we do. 

Office spaces often reflect form and function — but if it’s a tech company, they’re expected to go deeper. Apart from embodying a company’s values and culture, a forward-thinking vision is hoped for. Schneider Electric’s new regional headquarters in Dubai Silicon Oasis aims to do that.

The company officially opened its 10,000 sqm campus, nicknamed the Nest, this Monday. It accommodates more than 1,000 employees and is a workplace built for net-zero emissions. It has spaces that are organic and fluid to yield better creativity, productivity and at the end of the day, efficiency. 

Ahead of the launch of the new office, Walid Sheta, President of Schneider Electric Middle East & Africa, talked about the journey behind the move and how he sees the future of work shaping up.

WHY DUBAI, WHY NOW

“Around three years ago, as the world emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic, a lot of people came to the UAE and the wider Middle East — first for ease of connection, and also because new ways of working showed it’s good to be based here,” Sheta said. “We saw a lot of young talents willing to come live in the UAE.”

“The commitment of the country and the leadership of this region towards sustainability, quite surprisingly, became clearer,” he said, which aligned with Schneider Electric’s core focus on digitization, electrification, and decarbonization.

DESIGNING A WORKPLACE WITH PERSONALITY

The Nest is bigger than its previous office in Dubai Silicon Oasis. Here, the employees can take breaks in soundproof scream rooms, kick back in a gaming chair or grab a coffee at the on-site Galeries Lafayette café. An aesthetic restaurant space encourages spontaneous collaboration, and open areas allow networking.

The Global Innovation Hub, Schneider Electric’s first in Dubai, is the crowning glory. This center showcases the company’s latest technologies, allowing visitors to explore live demos of digital twin tech, smart building systems, prefabricated AI-ready data centers, and the AVEVA Unified Operations Center.

Nest has a dedicated training center to host upskilling programs for customers and partners focusing on youth empowerment.

The office is expected to cut energy consumption by 37% compared to the previous site, delivering an estimated 572 metric tons of CO₂ savings annually, the equivalent of the yearly electricity usage of about 77 homes.

Buildings are responsible for 37% of global carbon emissions. Sheta says, “So for us, it would be awkward not to have a state-of-the-art, digital, and sustainable building ourselves. That’s why we moved, to do all the right, nice things in this building that we’d love to see in our customers’ premises.”

The project is part of the broader Impact Buildings Program, which will expand to other Schneider Electric offices over the next 18 months. The program involves retrofitting existing buildings and setting new benchmarks for sustainable workspaces.

HYBRID BY DEFAULT

“One thing we learned during the pandemic is that we could work 100% from home and still achieve results,” Sheta said.“But as a company, we chose a hybrid model because we believe in human interaction. It matters.”

“If everyone came in on the same day, we’d be packed, but that’s okay,” he adds. “We’re open to remote work, but we also love having people come in, mingle, and connect.”

Does the new office aim to attract more employees back to the office? “Many younger generations prefer the remote, and we understand that. But at some point, human interaction becomes essential for success.”

He estimates that employees will likely split their time 50/50 between home and the office. “Some people want to be here daily; others prefer more flexibility. It depends on the individual and the generation.”

With the Nest, Schneider Electric has built a functioning prototype of the future workplace: immersive, intelligent, and green. Sheta says, “This is more than just a building. It’s our vision in action.”