The idea of the object in general.
A modern presentation office of innovative technologies in the field of heating, air conditioning and ventilation, which would allow to look at the need for warmth, clean air and comfort in completely new ways. I wanted to show technologies addressed to man, and not just as an established trend of modernity, but as a history of a long but impressive way of humanity and each person individually in search of a perfect source of energy. The search, which continues, in the center of which is a person which is now also, as at the dawn of ages, continues to need of the main human values: home, warmth, family.
The tasks that we were confronted with.
The company owned by customers is actually a family business. In addition, the company's partner is a world-famous brand, with almost a century of history, is also a family business and attributes its success in the industry, primarily to the family traditions in business.
The task of opening a new office was not only to create a new space that would serve a more efficient and pleasant business, but also to provide development of the brand in its identity.
To show innovative technologies of heating, air conditioning and ventilation that are really addressed to a person and besides not only maximally satisfying the needs of a person within the framework of their functions, but also which are caring for the whole environment.
The company employs only experienced professionals, experts in their field, only with higher education, with high moral, ethical and cultural values. The character of this design should provide them an atmosphere that allows to express themselves fully and is intended to serve the continuation of disclosure their already high potential.
It was necessary to take into account that this is not just a technical company that supplies an innovative and high-quality product to the market (author's note: The product in the sense of an integrated solution in particular equipment + installation + service). They are also creative in its implementation. The company is proud to design beautifully its solutions. Aesthetics in the wiring of communications equipment at facilities is part of the high standards of customer service.
Project tasks.
Сreate a whole range of premises: a showroom for demonstration of equipment, executive offices, meeting room, a room for employees of 8-10 people, an archive, a small warehouse, a kitchen, toilet facilities.
The first thing that should meet people is a showroom with an exposition of innovative boiler equipment, showing a full working cycle.
Make the office modern, maximum bright, spacious and comfortable for a team of 10 people on the basis of existing planning conditions.
Make management of the company absolutely accessible, both for clients and for the team members, and at the same time giving them a separate space.
Create the home feeling, but also the office atmosphere that provides maximum efficiency in working with the least number of distractions.
The conception. How we solved the tasks.
Conceptually, we seem to go inside the technologies at the same time, in the organization of the space and in the design as a whole, the ideas of the family hearth and care for future generations are traced. The common office space is functionally divided and at the same time, the various zones remain open to each other. Of course, there are different tasks, but they are parts of one single inspiring life of team members, and therefore do not need separate solutions. The beauty of the content, as an additional guarantee of reliability, openness and aesthetics of technologism, as a tool for building trust, the human need for eternal values and his unstoppable desire for self-realization - all together formed the basis of this amazing design.
Insights
Besides that we did the interior design, it was important to rethink the whole activities of the company, for which we did it. The result of this rethinking was the new three-dimensional trademark developed by our workshop - the logo. Now the new logo is the dominant of the interior, and bears in itself a living idea of continuous development, moving force which is ongoing, transforming and developing. The level of implementation of the logo can be attributed to the sculptural visual arts and this allowed to lift its main function to the very top - to provide an exceptional and expressive identity of the company.
Difficulties
With a relatively small space quadrature, initially deep development of the volume inside. At the facade there are only two openings - the entrance space and one window in the entire height and width of the walls and ceilings. In other words the object was originally potentially dark. In this connection, when the planning solution was ready, we were faced with the choice of furniture. Traditional furniture did not allow to realize the idea of design as a whole. The difficulty with natural light and the basics of business philosophy by the owners of the company led to a solution with glass partitions.
To some extent, the ceilings made it possible to make a two-level space in separate zones, and we considered such options. But, literally after the first sketches, we moved away from the idea of the second levels, because it became clear - it is necessary to emphasize the height of the ceilings. This made it possible to relate the office space to impressions comparable to impressions from staying in huge industrial premises, such as the turbine hall of a power plant, for example. The height of the ceilings also emphasized the magnitude of the business itself and symbolized the perspectives for further growth of the company.
General approaches to the planning concept
What we did to solve the tasks?
We decided that the main thing was the employees and the showroom. The cabinet of the heads with glass partitions, being in the depths, only emphasizes unity, but not authoritarianism. Our concept turned out to be very close to the philosophy of the head of the company and glass zoning partitions organically reveal it.
The task was to demonstrate the full cycle of the innovative boiler room, so we designed the wall display organized by the construction of expanded grids. On the one hand, a wall of gratings is a bright design element, on the other hand, it allows you to dynamically change the exposure as soon as possible without complicated engineering work.
For clients of the company, open space appears declared but not viewable. This allows clients literally from the threshold to be sure that there is someone to work on their order, and allows employees not to be distracted from work and at the same time be easily accessible to clients for technical consultations or for discussing prices and any other issues that arise when working with clients.
A mini-kitchen was also attributed to the open space. Almost without distracting from exciting creative work tasks, employees can switch to coffee or to full meal, observing the work of others.
Realization.
Planning concept.
Open type office on the first floor. Entrance space is also a show window of the showroom space. Without going inside the office, you can see what the company does. The office is viewed to the depth of the cabinet of the heads. We see the first stakeholders - it means everything works here.
The showroom is like the turbine hall of a power station - this is where the heart of the company beats. So, from the threshold of the office, we enter the very heart, where immediately behind it is the company's brain - management. You don’t have a “ladder” that you need to climb to get what you want. All you need is to enter.
The show-room unreservedly, without secrets and mysteries, demonstrates the main strength of the technical capabilities and the beauty of the installation decisions that the customers will actually receive. Namely in order to emphasize and at the same time not to distract from the demonstration of the advantages of equipment it was decided to use expanded grids as the basis for the display panel (author's note another variant: the basis for the exposure) painted in the colors of durable and noble metals - copper and brass.
The philosophy and principles of the company, which required verbalization, were reflected in the colors and materials of decoration, design objects and the logic of combinations. They had to sound capacious and distinctly, while not distracting, but only emphasizing the main importance of the main participants of the exhibition - equipment. The purity and nobility of technology are reflected in the glossy tile of dark green color. Bike Fixed became a vivid symbol of how to use difficulties as a tool for self-improvement, while not forgetting about aesthetics and ecology. The volumetric logo on the wall, acting like a dominant of the space, maintains a perfect balance between natural sound and extreme expressiveness. Like a sculpture, it tells the story without words and reveals the meanings, referring directly to our feelings. Patinated copper and drop-shaped forms in the game of any light accomplish the impossible - animate it. Well, and the cords of ordinary firewood, which are folded just under the representatives of the last word of technicks and technology, unequivocally remind us of the origins, preventing us from losing the connection between the past and the future.
Open space has three work areas: designers, installation engineers, sellers. There is also a small seating area right by the window. Thanks to the windowsill with poufs, the whole technologism is softened already at the entrance to the workspace. Wide blinds on a huge window as confirmation of multidimensionality and structuredness of the company, guard the external and internal. The width of their lamellae indicates solidity and allows natural light to throw off the “stairs” of clear shadows. For employees, we have developed storage systems into the entire wall and up to the ceiling - open shelves that have their own individual rhythm. Folders were also matched in color, because they participate in the formation of the overall picture of the design.
The mini-kitchen was planned as a far from a secondary premise and, because it is separated from the open space by a glass partition, it creates the impression of a larger space. So we have achieved that mini-kitchen visually gives more space to open space, and open space responds to it in return.
Cabinet of the heads is designed for two people. The space is L-shaped form and small in size. Due to the glass partitions we managed to expand it and create the impression that it does not end around the perimeter of the glass. The partitions are decorated with curtains of coffee-colored textiles, which, if necessary, provide the possibility of privacy.
In the cabinet of the heads, as well as in the open space, the open shelves continue the overall design concept, and at the same time they fulfill their direct function - they store documentation, catalogs, reference books.
The main idea of using glass partitions, of course, was to cause a feeling of greater spaciousness, at the same time they allowed in the planning to clearly distinguish each premise, denoting their function. As soon as we begin to move around the office the natural albeit fuzzy reflections, every time when the lighting is changed, draw us into a new episode of the technological film with our participation.
Furniture. In general, a small office space did not allow to use ready-made traditional furniture. A very concentrated functional richness in a small area also introduced its requirements and limitations. Therefore, for this object we had to develop individually all the furniture from tables to shelves. Absolutely all the furniture of our design, the only exceptions are office chairs.
Photographer: Andriy Avdeyenko
