Experience design has meaning and function for every square metre of the tram depot

As Tampere Tram expands, new facilities will also be required at the depot. All depot operators were invited to participate in the planning so that people would enjoy the new premises from day one. The best workplace is like a second home where everything works and there is a good feeling.

The Tampere tramway depot brings together a wide range of professionals from different fields in the same premises. The depot in Hervanta employs tram drivers, traffic controllers, track and wagon maintenance personnel, cleaners and white-collar workers. The depot will undergo a major expansion project if the Pirkkala-Linnainmaa tramway is realised in the next few years.

“We are planning a new depot at the same time as the new tramway line, so that when the project is realised, we will be able to maintain and store a larger number of trams than at present,” says Sakari Meriläinen, Real Estate Manager at Tampereen Raitiotie Oy.

Working together guides the depot’s operations, which is why we want to listen to the depot users when planning reforms. Meriläinen also thinks it suits the spirit of the alliance project that the best solutions are considered together. “That’s why we decided to try Sweco’s experience design. Companies talk about customer experience; For us, that means everyone working at the depot.”

Visitor and user experience starts with emotions

The goal of the experience design was to create a concept of a good user and visitor experience at the depot. The depot serves around the clock every day of the year as a meeting and resting place for drivers, a tram control centre, a maintenance home base and a calling card when visitors get a glimpse into the everyday life of the depot. Therefore, everyone was involved in the planning.

“Commitment to the design process is better when everyone feels that they are listened to and that their work is appreciated,” says Pekka Vihma, Senior Advisor at Sweco. The user experience is particularly important when planning a workplace for 100 people for the next 100 years. “Users will be able to tell what kind of facilities work even better than the current ones.”

Experience design was used to find the competitive advantages of the depot as a workplace. The emotional bond is the strongest pull and grip force, but it arises from different things for different people. “The experience of the depot was summed up in functionality, community spirit and well-being, and we want the different spaces to evoke joyful feelings of togetherness and safety,” says Maria Ovaskainen, Project Manager at Sweco.

In the experiential workshops, everyone made their voices heard

Three experience workshops were organised for the depot staff. Due to shift work, it was difficult to find common times, but the depot management worked wonders. Multi-time work was taken into account by using the digital communication platform Howspace.

“The participants were able to view workshop memoranda and pre-assignments in Howspace at a time that suited them,” Meriläinen says. It was also easy to find different topics on the platform.

The first workshop reviewed the current situation of the depot, the second brainstormed ideas and the third crystallized the ideas together. “Instead of a straight line approach, we were able to open things up from many angles,” Meriläinen says.

Drivers, traffic controllers and fitters not only spoke on their own behalf in the workshops, but represented the entire professional group. “Sweco’s experts were able to translate the meandering discussions into very understandable memos.”

According to Vihma, the people at the depot were very involved in the process. “A good and safe atmosphere was immediately created in the experience workshops, which emphasised the idea of shared spaces for everyone.”

Visually appealing user experience concept

The concept of a good user experience was formulated into an easy-to-understand and visual entity. The main idea behind the concept is to divide spaces into different activities through three themes: work &; productivity, rest &; recovery, and activity & experience. “The depot facilities are processed square by square metre through user experiences so that each space promotes enjoyment, coping and efficiency,” says Petteri Tuominen, Senior Advisor at Sweco. The main themes are repeated and highlighted in different sections of the concept book with the help of the depot’s own brand colours. “In addition, the most important content is encapsulated on one page.”

Instead of concrete and steel, people are at the heart of the concept. When each space is in symbiosis with the users, the depot is not just a building, but an integral part of the success and mood. Then workspaces support alertness and concentration, rest areas support calming down and experiences support inspiring encounters with others. “And in order for the concept to be real, concrete indicators have been created for everything, with which the operations of the depot can be monitored and managed even better,” Tuominen says.

The experience paths describe the use of the depot from the perspective of different groups. For example, installers arrive at work through their own gate and visitors through another, from where they are directed to an experiential visitor centre. “The goal is to create a user and visitor experience that resembles a state-of-the-art NHL locker room, F1 pit or airport lounge,” Vihma adds.

The concept serves as a introduction for the designers of the new part of the building, and it has already been discussed with various design groups. “Next, it will serve as a guideline for more detailed spatial planning,” Meriläinen says. The design of the depot proceeds simultaneously with the planning of the railway lines. The decision on the construction of a new tramway line between Linnainmaa and Pirkkala will be made in autumn 2024.

Photos: Tampere Tram