Client: Caunton Engineering
Location: United Kingdom, Nottingham, England
Surface Area: 15,187 sqft
Year Completed:   2019
Photography: Mike Dinsdale
Architect: Opus 4

Opus 4 has been tasked with the headquarter design of the Caunton Engineering offices located in Nottingham, England.

Caunton is one of the UK’s top fully automated structural steelwork contractors and a world leader in ‘Just in Time’ manufacture. Based near Nottingham, England, they operate nationwide offering one-stop solutions to most steel construction needs.

They identified a building opposite their large design and production facility to become their new HQ. They turned to Opus 4 to produce a design, management and refurbishment solution. Celebrating their 50th year in business, the stakeholders wanted to create a workplace which would help them attract the next generation of engineering talent.

The existing structure was significantly enhanced with insulated, powder-coated cladding and a new roof was installed, with a glazed feature atrium, running through the central core of the building. This was key, architectural design feature which allowed natural light to cascade through the first-floor office areas to the open plan multifunction space on the ground floor. A glazed curtain walling system was fitted to the front of the building and the external areas re-landscaped.

Opus 4 was presented with an empty shell, with exposed cladding, interior brickwork and concrete floors and an exposed timber roof. They collaborated closely with the client, harnessing their engineering and BIM modelling expertise to produce a Cat A and B design and fit out solution.

The first floor includes two informal areas, a kitchen, seamless glazed meeting rooms with feature manifestation, management offices and an expansive agile working area with zoning to separate teams.

The ground floor houses a large, multifunction space, directly under the glass atrium. The Opus 4 design team embraced many current workplace trends, with biophilic design elements, such as natural finishes to flooring and several nature walls combining silver birch tree bark with an array of mixed foliage. The space also has a mix of seating styles for people to meet, dine and work individually or in clusters. There is an eclectic mix of decorative styles to the walls, with painted finishes, vinyl wallcovering and bespoke 3D wall panelling. The rest of the ground floor houses departmental offices, a large boardroom, management offices, a family room, a large kitchen and shower wet rooms and toilets.

Caunton was faced with a real challenge when it came to recruiting the most talented engineering graduates from the region’s specialist universities. With fierce competition from renowned names like Rolls Royce, they needed to create a new headquarter building that would attract the best people.

Client: Northern Trust
Location: Pune, India
Surface Area: 168,411 sqft
Year Completed:  2018
Photography: courtesy of Space Matrix
Architect: Space Matrix Design Consultants

Space Matrix Design Consultants designed the offices for Northern Trust, the global financial services company’s location in Pune, India.

.

Wellness in every sense: Northern Trust’s multi-sensory office design approach. When you walk into an office, what are the things you notice that help you build a first impression?

Perhaps you see the fabulous artwork on the walls, or the trendy seating area. Perhaps you notice the smooth jazz they have playing in the background. Or perhaps you first feel the cold blast of the air conditioner as you step in from the sunny street. We rely on multiple senses to inform us about an experience, so it’ll likely be a mix of all these factors. The extent of reliance on each sense, however, differs from person to person. So while one person might find clear, well-marked signs very useful, someone who is visually-impaired might be baffled in a space that relies only on visual indicators.

For Northern Trust’s Pune office, we conceptualised an empathetic, multi-sensory workplace strategy. As a future-facing financial services company, inclusivity and wellness for their partners are core to the company’s values. It was important for these values to come through in their workspace design — so we offered a solution built around the five senses.

Besides being a design that epitomises their brand and showcases their core values, Northern Trust wanted their space to be intuitive to use, specifically for those with special needs. By designing a space which engages all our senses — sight, sound, touch, smell, taste — work would make for a more appealing, immersive experience. Besides, the space would rely on multiple senses to impart information and offer wayfinding aid to improve accessibility along the entire journey.

Sight – Establishing the brand’s identity right at the entrance is a striking anchor installation that draws the eye. As the logo and symbol of Northern Trust, this anchor makes an unforgettable first impression.

The colour and tone of a space have a strong psychological impact too, and our designers used this to optimum advantage. The common areas are done up in earthy neutrals, with bold yellow, orange and green accents. This lends warmth and energy to the spaces where employees work and relax.

On the other hand, the meeting rooms may have an intense, charged atmosphere. To diffuse this energy and create a soothing vibe, we used cooler hues like blues and greys. The colour schemes also play an important role in making the office more inclusive — the colour contrasts are planned in a way that makes them easily distinguishable for people affected with colour blindness.

To keep the workday from getting monotonous, there are multiple alternate work areas — and a varied look and feel help establish a differentiated identity for each. For instance, the work nooks with exposed brick walls and low seating exude a relaxed café-like feel while the areas with visible ceiling ducts have a chic, urban atmosphere.

With plants, table-top pots, overhead planters and green walls, biophilic elements have been used to add depth and vivacity to the office interiors. In fact, the space is even illuminated to mimic and complement nature visually. The automated sun controlled blinds move up or down, depending on the sun’s rays. The circadian lighting system takes its cues from the angle, brightness and intensity of the sun, and optimises the light indoors accordingly. Apart from being gentle on the eyes, it also helps employees maintain their natural circadian rhythm, thereby improving workplace productivity.

Sound – Different acoustical elements add to the aural appeal of the space. The meeting rooms, work zones and private offices offer a higher degree of acoustic privacy to the occupants – plush carpets, upholstered furniture and felt wall panels are used here to muffle sounds and improve focus. For phone meetings or video conferences, we created individual phone and meeting booths for added privacy.

But silence is not really conducive when people are trying to brainstorm, ideate, or simply work as a team. The swing zones and common areas are designed as open spaces where, much like a café, the buzz actually lends itself to the creative atmosphere. The contrast between the quiet and busy zones provide wayfinding aid for the visually impaired — from buzzing chatter to hushed silence, the difference is immediately perceptible. Going the extra mile with workplace wellness, the office features an installation inspired by the soothing tones of a Buddhist singing bowl.

Touch – We used rich, variegated textures across the Northern Trust office to add to its sensory appeal. Wooden planks, exposed bricks, and leafy greenery lend character to the walls, and the furniture too, offers a rich kinesthetic variety as one moves from zone to zone. An employee may find wooden seats and low, upholstered stools in one part of the office, and get to enjoy plush accent chairs and leather booths as they move to another zone for their next meeting.

Flooring is differentiated with carpets, vinyl, concrete, and wood. There are tactile strips on the floor, that help visually impaired individuals easily navigate the space. Braille signage and braille-inspired artwork placed at strategic locations around the office not only function as wayfinding devices but also make the office more welcoming.

Smell – Comforting, homely aromas instantly make a space feel more cosy and welcoming. At Northern Trust, we designed food and coffee points near the entrance to create a great olfactory first impression. Nothing starts a workday better than walking in to the aroma of fresh coffee!

Apart from this, we also included an aroma wall installation to take people on a unique olfactory journey. This wall features different kinds of potpourri, each with an explanation of how different smells trigger specific moods.

Taste – Food and drinks are a great way to fuel conversation, improve workplace engagement and evoke a general feeling of happiness and wellbeing. To enable this, we created food and coffee points at every swing zone, so discussions can take place over snacks and beverages. Rather than one pantry for the entire office, we included a breakout area on each floor. With widescreen televisions and lots of greenery, these are perfect spots to socialise, bond over coffee and snacks, or catch an important match after work.

Client: Ergo Digital IT
Location: Warsaw, Poland
Surface Area: 30,139 sqft
Year Completed:   2018
Photography: PION Studio
Architect: Trzop Architekci

Trzop Architekci was tasked with the modern design of Ergo Digital IT’s offices, located in Warsaw, Poland.

Trzop Architekci studio introduced unique design solutions in a space tailored to the employees’ needs.

Workspace has a modern character and is reminiscent more of an elegant hotel lobby, than a traditional IT sector office. Guests and employees are welcomed by a representative reception, combined with a common space of over 300 sqm.

The office is designed with several different features for collaboration between employees or more independent and reflective work. The design represents a well-balanced space where collaboration happens for a purpose and spaces which enable collaboration are designed with supreme approachability across the office. The heart of the office consists of a big part of the space to create a good first impression when you enter the room. It’s designed for social settings in all its varieties; space is used for meetings, coffee and lunch breaks.

Warm, cozy wood and cold, monochromatic color tones combine easily when it’s necessary to define spaces for individual work, cooperation, or when it’s essential to connect people. A distinctive element of the office is a blue ribbon, seamlessly connecting the office space, passing through the floor, brick walls, naked and exposed technological ceiling, furniture and acoustic panels. It’s a space filled carefully, not just divided into ordinary cubicles. Semi-transparent meeting rooms separate individual workplaces while keeping the space continuous and flowing. Only due to the combination of cool and warm shades in particular ratios used along with layering transparent constructions, it has been possible to achieve a captivating illusion of depth and distant views. Employees can use small meeting rooms in the form of a cylindrical roller. The construction of the room was quite a challenge. It’s a completely new idea on the Polish market, however the architects managed to select the appropriate systems, from which the form was made. The dynamic, diagonal arrangement of rooms makes the office compelling and is an interesting alternative to typical meeting rooms.

The workspace was transformed into a walkthrough experience full of community areas such as game zones and amphitheater, spots dedicated to cooperation and creativity, lounge zones and places for calm, focused work. Workplaces are equipped with electrically operated Lift Desk desks allowing to change position during work and relieve tried spine.

Client: Optum Ventures
Location: Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Surface Area: 16,584 sqft
Year Completed:   2019
Photography: Matt Delphenich
Architect: Fusion Design Consultants

Fusion Design Consultants has realized the professional offices for Optum Ventures, a company providing guidance to heathcare challenges, located in Boston, Massachusetts.

The Optum Ventures group prides themselves not only on their professionalism as a company but also on their passion and motivation as a team. Optum wanted their new office space to reflect both their diligent and collaborative nature as well as their welcoming and comfortable vibe. With plush furniture, textured materials and refined finishes, the Optum space greets teammates and guests alike with a bright freshness that is immediately apparent upon entry.

From the beginning stages, the office design has maintained the vision of having a choice of workspace, with multiple types of collaboration areas, conference rooms and breakout spaces. These areas, combined with the residential-style private offices and café, come together as a place for conducting productive business or enjoying casual leisure.

There are many opportunities for the Optum office to stand out through custom design details, including the floating wood-veneer baffles in open ceiling areas, the hot-rolled steel panels with custom signage, the unique millwork reception desk and the elegant cabinetry. Fusion, Optum Ventures, and the rest of the team brought different degrees of expertise, savvy and taste to the table to create a distinguished, unique and successful office design.

Client: SPACES
Location: Taipei, Taiwan
Surface Area: 25,973 sqft
Year Completed:   2018
Photography: courtesy of Spaces
Architect: D&P Associates

D&P Associates completed the design for the Spaces Hung Sheng coworking offices located in Taipei, Taiwan.

Situated in the booming Zhongshan District, Spaces Hung Sheng is connected to MRT Nanjing Fuxing subway station, while the closest bus station – Nanjing and Longjiang intersection is 100m away. To make full use of such an advantageous location, D&P were requested to turn the 2413 sqm into Taipei’s number one choice of coworking office.

Visitors of Spaces Hung Sheng are freelancers, start-ups, and small businesses who need a place that meets their creative needs. It would be best to go with the contemporary industrial design with light-filled, flexible open areas.

The goal is to create a home office but away from home. We curated minimalistic interiors with a warm color palette in mind and made wood, the “material that makes people happy”, a dominant material. As we wanted as many open plans as possible, spaces are divided by wooden bookcases from Alki. Which also serves as an ideal storage and display solution. Various sophisticated decoration, from paintings of iconic figures to plant pots, inhabit these bookcases to provide some healthy distractions.

It is worth noting that the soft seating room boast the soothing bamboo pendant lighting from Ay Illuminate. The slight Asian touch should help tone down the stress and anxiety from work. Other safer choices include more elegant, modern options from Tooy, &tradition, etc.

Furnitures from Alki, Viccabre, and a handful of others have this fashionable but not too industrial look that they make us lose touch with nature. Rounded corners and clean cut edges make for an inviting, simple and clean look. They are favored according to the warm color palette for consistency.

The design also include a lovely bar counter made from local materials to elevate the calm mood. We believe a hassle free, open bar is vital for a desirable co-working space. It emerges like an oasis in the middle of a desert. Visitors should have no trouble looking for a drink.

Also, an elegant staircase is used to connect the business club to the reserved working space on 1st floor instead of a lifeless elevator. In a nutshell, visitors of Space Hung Sheng may expect a cozy, homey yet professional working space.

Client: Accor Poland, Orbis
Location: Warsaw, Poland
Surface Area: 30,138 sqft
Year Completed:   2019
Photography: Fotomohito
Architect: The Design Group

The Design Group has realized the office design for Accor & Orbis, two different but complementary hospitality groups, located in Warsaw, Poland.

Although both offices are separate units with different teams, in their style there are more common points than differences. The general aesthetics are very similar, and e.g. kitchens are almost identical – with creamy fronts, sinter quartz on countertops, bright lamps and characteristic graphics on fronts and walls. Such meeting and integration venues are a very important part of the office. Coffee points are conducive to spontaneous meetings and conversations in casual circumstances. And a chillout room is a place where you can relax and for a moment, calm down on a comfortable sofa, away from the office hustle and bustle.

The Accor office, which is almost half the size of an orbital office, is dominated by co-working space. Orbis is a more traditional open space. Each of the spaces is equipped with high quality furniture, and through large windows you can admire a beautiful view of the panorama of Warsaw. This is an important aspect that builds the climate of the place.

The Design Group in its work focuses on the involvement of the customer and his employees in the entire design process. Thanks to this, the final result not only meets the expectations of the investor, but also the expectations of future users. The same was also true in this case – the inclusion of the Orbis and Accor teams was necessary also because the new location brought a change in the existing work style. The team contributed to the design process – at each stage it listened to the comments and suggestions of the employees and consulted on changes. Inspirations from the employees are particularly strong in the conference rooms – eight rooms were designed with their ideas in mind.

Each room is decorated in a different style – unconventional aesthetics and solutions stimulate creativity and original ideas. In the room called Slim&Fit you can sit on balls and there are wallbars. In the Globus hall, the neon sign on the wall draws attention – it is a reference to the Orbis company’s symbol, and the dark color scheme is conducive to concentration. There are also separate rooms in which we learn about the history, ambitions and rules of the network (Orbis History, Map, Planet 21 or Heartist) – this reminds us of creating solutions consistent with the company’s values. Brain Fitness conference room is filled with board games and elements stimulating interaction and intellectual competition, which makes it an ideal place to relax and look for unconventional ideas. The Illusion Room, on the other hand, is an area where the sense of sight is deceived – it allows one to avoid patterns in thinking and acting,” says The Design Group.

Client: Dynamic Technologies
Location:Johannesburg, South Africa
Surface Area: 36,597 sqft
Year Completed:   2019
Photography: Elsa Young
Architect: Tétris

Tétris was appointed to design the offices of Dynamic Technologies, a software and technology group, located in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Dynamic Technologies asked Tétris to design and build an office space to house six of its group companies, giving each company a unique look and feel to align with their specific branding, while maintaining a cohesive group company culture.

The shared reception is bold, punchy and colourful. The reception counter is dynamic in its shape, with a diagonal black timber surround that houses a warm timber front, bringing texture and warmth to the otherwise dark finishes.

Punched lights in the bulkhead above the reception counter compel visitors to look up into the triple volume atrium, which showcases a white metal cube installation, staggered and spiralling up through the voluminous space. A friendly “hello world” neon sign greets visitors and is a hint of the tongue-in-cheek and fun atmosphere found throughout the offices.

The dynamism continues in the shared communal areas, with custom graphics and 3D wall features reminding staff to ‘do what you love’, ‘take a <br/>’, and that ‘everything is under CTRL’, bringing in a light reference to the technology solutions offered by the group.The walls continue to be strong features in a variety of spaces: a painted light beam shining boldly in a corner; bright blue and orange round meeting booths, and a tropical beach scene in a break-away zone. These features subtly convey to staff the functionality of each area – focus, collaborate or retreat.

Each group company was given their own identity through colour, layout and furniture choices. Innovative graphics create visual impact in key areas, while the floors too were designed to pack a punch. The carpeting in the office spaces of each company speak to their specific look and feel. With a clever use of pattern, Tétris was able to achieve vibrancy without having to use expensive, imported finishes. A passage of blue hexagons, oversized blue and grey triangles, and giant herringbone vinyl flooring in the canteen bring much movement and interest to each space.

The common areas were an important part of the brief, with attention given to spaces that allow staff to take a break from work and recharge. Among these is a rooftop terrace created for the purpose of group company events and functions, and to give staff an outdoor space to enjoy the mild Johannesburg weather year-round.

Tétris successfully designed and project managed the entire project, working closely with the developers who were on a tight programme to complete the new building. With many decision-makers involved, Tétris acted as the single point of contact, ensuring that each company was happy with their space, providing on-site liaison for all stakeholders and ensuring the bigger picture of creating a unified look and feel throughout Dynamic Technologies House was achieved.

Client: Inspiritum
Location: Moscow, Russia
Surface Area: 9,666 sqft
Year Completed:   2019
Photography: Vladimir Solntsev
Architect:  Meandre

Meandre has designed the dynamic and collaborative Inspiritum offices, located in Moscow, Russia.

The Inspiritum team is specialized in mobile solutions development, payment aggregators and internet traffic arbitration. Meandre architectural studio was invited to design a new office space for Inspiritum.

Employees mostly spend their work hours focused on a task in small workgroups and in a frequent meetings. That’s why the main goal was to create isolated comfortable workspaces and flexible common areas.

The new office space occupies one of the floors in the building of the former baking factory, reconstructed as a business center. Industrial style is reflected in design of the office space.

Work areas are placed along façade walls with meeting and support spaces placed around the atrium. The office is placed on two levels and has two separate entrances.

Design concept is based on an image of a dynamic development of a young team. Sharp lines cut through entire office, uniting all zones with each other. Bright colors and murals create variety and attract attention.

Ceilings are left open to utilize full height of the floor; communications and ceilings are painted.

The reception area has an asymmetrical composition and combines industrial textures and bright spots.

The work area is separated into functional group offices, with the recreational area sitting in the center of the space. Some offices are equipped with bespoke bench along facade – that not only provides a place for chat and rest but also offers a rather spacious storage. At the same time, the bench reduces the effect of a highly placed windows typical for industrial buildings.

Every meeting room has its dedicated color, which is reflected in the glass partitions frame, flooring and light fittings color.

Bathrooms and showers are monochromatic providing contrast with the rest of the office. Concrete walls and perforated steel ceiling support industrial feel of the space.

Two levels of the office are connected with two stairs. The main staircase is located in the corridor and acts as an extension of the conceptual line running through the entire office. The second staircase is located in one of the offices due to the functional needs. The secondary staircase further enhances industrial style of the space and with brutal forms of steel sheets and expanded sheet metal.

The central core of the office is a communal area, split with a corridor into a stand-up area and a kitchen. The stand-up area has an event amphitheater, a gaming area and a recreation area. The kitchen consists of a kitchen cabinetry, shed-styled sofa booths and a group of dining tables with chairs. Zones are stylistically linked with each other by repetition of the wood textures and colors.

Client: Urban Spaces
Location: Stuttgart, Germany
Surface Area: 1,615 sqft
Year Completed:   2019
Photography: Phillip Kottlorz
Design: Studio Komo

Studio Komo created a sense of space for the Urban Spaces coworking offices located in Stuttgart, Germany.

What will the workplace of tomorrow look like? It is a question that has long been asked – and now, thanks to the spirit of the times, we have the answer. The digital transformation, the rise of the sharing culture and the decline of static workstations and fixed office hours call for fresh concepts for the working world. New Work has arrived.

The Schuck family recognised all these things, and turned their co-working concept into reality. The result was the emergence of Urban Spaces, a company that combines office, meeting and event venues with excellent service. An 800-square-metre working environment on two levels with 60 workstations, open kitchens and colour-coded meeting rooms with full technical facilities got designed by Studio Komo. The main idea was to create an urban oasis.

The Urban Spaces project is rounded out with a comprehensive merchandising package. A guidance system was specially developed, with graphics providing a finishing flourish to interior spaces that are also adorned with a special range of china pieces. All in all, the Urban Spaces design involved a wholesale holistic overhaul.