Tuesday, 26 August 2008 |
If you sit at a desk and read TCH, how attune are you to your surroundings? Some of us sit at a desk in our homes – where we are probably the most comfortable – and enjoy the experience of working. Many of us stare at our computer monitors all day from the place we just usually refer to as ‘work.’ I’m at ‘work.’ I don’t want to go to ‘work’ tomorrow. And for some, I love ‘work.’
If you’re wondering, your environment does have a direct impact on everything you do all day long. From the time you sit down with your Monday morning latte, to the moment you make the mad dash to the elevator hopefully not too late Friday afternoon, there are innumerable stimuli affecting every action and reaction you have throughout your workweek. Can you gaze out, or better yet, open a window to let in fresh air? Is your concentration broken each time a nearby coworker turns on the external speaker when he answers the phone? Do you spend most of your day away from your workstation? And if so, are your meeting rooms and common areas inviting and inspiring?
Fortunately, designers have been increasingly ingenious when it comes to laying out plans for redesigning office space, but the ones making the decisions at the top deserve praise as well. We’re finding more and more collaborations between designers and organisations that unquestionably result in satisfaction throughout the workforce.
Attention has shifted focus – we, as leaders, expect our people sitting in cubes out there to react and produce more, better, faster, cooler. But we also spend all our time and energy ‘evolving our brand,’ and not much changes. Try changing your workspace, and you’ll probably get what you want. Creative environments are the key to creative minds.
We, as designers, figured it out – change the cube, evolve the thinking. So we did. We collaborate with interior architects and suddenly the focus is on space – and in its entirety. How can we use space better? What if our space is in a giant pipe – or a series of pipes? How do we create interesting space?
Designers have been devoting time to elevators, stairwells, bathrooms, meeting rooms and other social spaces. These previously ignored and undervalued spaces are becoming an integral part of design strategies – and not just to look good, but also to function well. By adding color, neon, digital interiors, irregular shapes and patterns – cool stuff to look at, to touch, to sit in or on – we’ll heighten the senses and draw out creative thinking. Everything has been thought of, and workers are loving it. The more creative the space, the happier and more productive the workforce will be.
We know at least some of you have benefited from our previous take on innovative workspaces,
and we want you to know we're now on the hunt for images of the best
creative offices for our 3rd book - "World's Most Creative Office
Environments.” Email us at
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or nominate yourself if you think you’ve got what we want. - Andrew J Wiener
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Tuesday, 17 June 2008 |
Mergers, acquisitions, transfer of power and takeovers are happening all around us nearly on a daily basis. The approach many companies take in a time of transition when figuring out how to seamlessly integrate a new vision into an old work environment can present a challenge.
The Virgin Media Group brought in Headline Design to re-brand over 50 buildings from Head Office to call centers throughout the UK – 150 of which had active employees. Because the average age of the Virgin Call Center employee was 23, the design team named the new work environment ‘Our Neighborhood’ in attempt to shift workers’ thinking from ‘them’ to ‘us.’
Primary consideration was directed at the staff’s behavior in the space. No longer can it be acceptable to just pick a color or a theme and apply it haphazardly into a space, which is why the Virgin Call Centers are not overly branded with oversized Vs and bright red walls. That’s not to say the spaces are boring – on the contrary, Household strived to integrate humor into the design – and they focused on underused areas of the former office – communal spaces including reception, canteen, break rooms, meeting rooms and spaces in between such as elevators, hallways and stairs. All these spaces were designed with the intention of maximizing the staff’s life at work and to encourage workers to feel comfortable interacting with one another through the use of animal silhouette wallpaper, chalkboards, ‘dating car park spaces’ and more.
And across the pond at the Virgin Mobile USA (pictured above) the design team at Gensler brought similar whimsical elements to the work environments. Environmental graphics, bold textures and patterns combine to create a youthful and vibrant work environment characteristic of the Virgin brand. By Andrew J Wiener.
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Tuesday, 10 June 2008 |
Great interior design isn't just limited to private homes, the retail world, hotels and public spaces such as art galleries. Smart employers are realizing that a creative workspace inspires greater productivity and...you guessed it, creativity. Since we first identified this trend last year, we've seen many more great examples - so much so that we've decided to launch a whole new
section on creative work environments around the globe. Like this great
space designed for KULT offices,
located in a former school atop Mount Sophia in Singapore, the inspiration for this PR and advertising agency was to return to the uncertainty and excitement of the classroom laboratory. Remember the fascinating hours spent in the school lab - setting fire to stuff, cutting slimy things, peering into microscopes, sniffing foul liquids, adding just a little bit more of that to this to see what happens? Kult staff step into their office through a large cut in the wall, which creates an other-worldly effect as they leave reality behind every morning. A central island work-space is illuminated by a spectacular, suspended light ceiling. This techno element is balanced by the ubiquitous views of nature, delivered by windows situated above each desktop along the entire length of the office's walls. A contrasting color scheme of black and white brings it all together creating a modern space that blends harmoniously with the natural environment.
We're so inspired by cool creative office design that we're going to make the
subject of our next book: The World's Coolest Creatives Offices; the second in a
series which kicked off on The World's Coolest Hotel Rooms, this week. If you know of such a cool creative environment please send us a tip. By Lisa Evans.
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Monday, 02 June 2008 |
At the end of last year we filled you in briefly on the evolution of
office design from autonomous, uninspiring closed spaces to the
ubiquitous cube and finally the latest incarnation of creative,
motivational and dynamic workable environments. And now we’re
back to tell you about one of the latest projects from the architecture
and design firm Camenzind Evolution: Google Zurich.
And what is truly remarkable about this project is that Carmenzind
Evolution delivered exactly what Google desired, while not exceeding
the costs of many conventional interior office fit-outs. The
design team began by working closely with Google through the pre-design
process by interviewing all 350 employees with the intention of
incorporating their ideas into a new workspace. Because many
companies spend excessive amounts on furniture and finishes that have
nothing to do with how the employees work and interact within the
space, the final design resulted in elements from which the so-called
‘Zooglers’ would benefit most.
Stefan Camenzind, the design firm’s founding partner, reveals the
essential considerations that led to the innovative creation for the
new office space in Zurich: staff knows better than a management
committee what works best based on personality types; flexibility of
space allows employees take ownership and feel like they belong;
communal areas can and should be outlandish and inspiring; bold, clean
color will successfully change the character of the room; cash is
always well-spent on an extraordinary coffee machine rather than on
soda or junk food; and finally, it’s OK and even recommended to splurge
on a few signature items rather than going all out on carpet, furniture
and chairs, all of which can amount to spending too much on the stuff
no one notices anyway.
Keeping all that in mind, let’s dissect Google’s new EMEA Engineering
Hub located within walking distance of Zurich city centre in the
‘Hurlimann Areal.’ The building was originally a brewery that has
been converted in to a vibrant mixed-use development of residential and
commercial spaces, including shops and a spa hotel. The Google
offices comprise seven storeys of 130,000 square feet of floor space
for up to 800 employees.
A diverse team of Zooglers was assembled and represented the entire
staff by approving and rejecting nearly every aspect of the interior
fit-out. Carmenzind Evolution was never given a specific design
brief, but instead followed the directions and recommendations given by
the steering committee. Another unique element included in the
design process was the involvement of a psychologist who administered a
survey to each employee identifying both emotional and practical
requirement of the Zooglers.
The final design strategy involved the creation of highly functional,
yet somewhat basic individual workspace surrounded by proportionally
larger, highly stimulating communal areas and meeting spaces.
Open-plan workspaces were created for 8-10 employees, while
glass-partitioned offices were built for smaller work teams allowing
for both transparency and light from the outside, as well as creating
the required degree of privacy from within. And because the
average Google worker moves workstations twice a year, each area has to
be exceedingly flexibly and adaptable.
Every floor is individually themed and color-coded allowing for
effortless orientation. The fifth floor, the history floor, was
designed to resemble an old library parlor. The meeting room has
large overstuffed sofas and chairs, dark, velvet curtains, a fireplace
and a chandelier. The fourth floor is the green floor – the
environment floor. The communal spaces have large, cocoon-like
meeting areas amidst a forest of tree trunks. Zooglers can slide
down a pole from the floor above into the space. And the third
floor’s theme is Switzerland. The floors have carpets that look
like snow, and ski gondolas have been converted into meeting
spaces. Igloo Satellite Cabins allow work teams to close
themselves off to their surroundings and attend videoconferences with
peers around the world.
Other noteworthy communal areas include an aquarium water lounge where
workers can chill out in foam-brick-filled bathtubs; a massage spa and
a games room to play billiards, foosball and other video games; the
Milliways cafeteria accessible via a large spiral slide where chefs use
local produce to offer fresh meals; and a fitness studio offering group
yoga and Pilates classes. And as each communal area is dispersed
throughout the seven floors, Zooglers are encouraged to circulate and
explore thereby increasing their interaction and communication with
co-workers from every department.
We have to admit we’re huge fans of socially-inclusive design processes
– and the design team at Carmenzind Evolution were dedicated to
insuring the wants and needs of each Google employee in Zurich were met
– and usually even exceeded. Google, of course, is a highly
innovative and effervescent company where their new relaxed work
environment will undoubtedly inspire and motivate Zooglers to keep the
company moving forward while conceiving provoking initiatives. By Andrew J Wiener
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Tuesday, 08 April 2008 |
Diane von Fürstenberg Studio’s
new headquarters fits perfectly in New York City’s fashionable
Meatpacking District, also known as the Gansevoort Market Historic
District. The new, six-story building is wedged between two historical,
landmarked facades that resemble the wall props in Cirque du Soleil’s
La Nouba. One corner of the structure is topped by a Olot, Spain-made
faceted glass sphere that is part of the penthouse suite and seems like
a gigantic diamond fallen from the sky.
In the design, New York-based WORK Architecture managed
to combine old and new, light and dark, openness and enclosure,
artistry and practicality. The building houses DVF’s flagship store, a
5,000-square-foot showroom and event space, offices and studios for a
120 people, an executive suite, and a penthouse apartment.
Inside the building, the chief feature is the “stairdelier,” a wide
stairway that connects the floors and distributes light throughout the
building. Flexibility characterizes all of the public areas. Pivoting
walls and built-in unfolding “steamer-trunk” structures allow for a
wide use of the space for fashion shows, photo shoots, events and
parties.
WORK was founded in 2002 by Beirut, Lebanon-born Amale Andraos and
Rhode Island native Dan Wood. Many of their projects are in New York,
but their work includes everything from a master plan of an Icelandic
town to a theatre stage set, from low-income housing towers in New York
to a luxury residence in Panama, plus retail, office and residential
projects around the world. WORK is also designing 14 DVF stores in 11
countries.
Diane von Fürstenberg was born in Brussels, Belgium, 61 years ago. She
started her fashion designer career in 1970. Famous for her wrap
dresses, which she started creating in 1973, she has become a veritable
fashion icon. She is also the current president of the Council of
Fashion Designers of America, the non-profit association of America’s
fashion heavy-weights. By Tuija Seipell
Random archive
Skype Phones
Neon Disco Drink Away The Art Mobile Movies
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Tuesday, 08 April 2008 |
We always thought that fables anthropomorphized animals, plants and
inanimate objects, giving them human-like character. For us, the word
fable evokes thoughts of rich, organic color - a sort of Cirque du
Soleil Varekai world. So when we heard that the new office of the
Amsterdam-based UXUS Design was inspired by the fables, we expected a riot of color.
Instead, we saw a predominantly white interior with transparent walls,
white, gauzy drapery and residential-style floor lamps. A few wall
graphics and some organic furnishings do give a nod to nature and,
without doubt, the office is a cool background for colorful ideas.
It is a stylish base for UXUS, founded in 2003 by USA-born co-creative
director Georg Anthony Gottl, Costa Rica native Erica Gottl, and
French-born co-creative director Oliver J.P. Michell. Their collective
experience spans the globe and their work includes interiors,
architecture, retail, hospitality, identity, graphics and packaging
projects for clients such as Levi's, Nokia and Adidas. By Tuija Seipell.
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Monday, 03 December 2007 |
Chances are if you talk to any CEO within the
traditional corporation model they will most likely agree that
productivity is primarily measured in monetary terms (i.e. profits and
margins). If numbers continually rise or remain stable, then
change within an organization should be avoided at all costs. If,
at any time, productivity declines, the CEO will undoubtedly be the
first to take notice, and a top-down chain of events could result in
layoffs and downsizing and consequently evoke fear and panic from the
bottom up through the ranks.
But what about a change to the physical environment within which people
operate – create – innovate? Most companies adapted to the
so-called ‘open plan’ lining employees up in rows of cube-shaped spaces
essentially allowing working minds to adjust according to stimulus
created in the workplace.
Individuals who became accustomed to hiding inside their own closed off
sanctuaries were suddenly forced into listening and discussing openly
and candidly work-related problems and ideas abandoning the ability of
retreating into isolation. Those who had a difficult time acclimating
were either kicked out or discredited for not being able to operate
effectively.
During this phase in the evolution of work space design many larger
companies who could afford to do so, spent money on architecturally
impressive buildings from the outside – modern, sleek, media-attracting
structures – while simultaneously neglecting following through within
where the work generally takes shape.
The office cube became synonymous with monotonous, uninspiring highly
systematic office space. A new era of work space design was
dawning, and design professionals across the world began to seriously
consider the practices of an organization as an essential prerequisite
for subsequent design briefs.
Jump Studios in London have made a substantial contribution to the new
generation of work spaces in their innovative design for the Red Bull
Headquarters. Ideas about work environment design centered around
feelings associated with adrenaline and energy – directly associated
with the brand itself. The offices are spread across three floors
in a nineteenth century building in the West End. Visitors are received
at the main reception from the top floor – an area that serves as the
social space for the employees complete with a bar, café, various
meeting areas as well as the central boardroom. A continuous
carbon fiber feature links the entire space together – starting as a
canopy outside the building, winding inside and around the boardroom,
through the reception area, enclosing space for an actual slide between
floors, and finally forming an additional informal meeting area on the
lowest level. This ramp-like feature is a direct reference to the
various extreme sports associated with Red Bull.
A number of projects have also been completed by the Danish company of
Bosch & Fjord that fulfill the changing needs of work space
design. One recent project saw the creation of a series of
meeting rooms, a reception area, a café and several meeting spaces for
the Lego Group in Billund, Denmark – where the majority of the world’s
Lego products are conceived, produced and manufactured. In the
hands-on world of a company such as Lego, creative talent thrive in
dynamic spaces that encourage interaction among people, products and
thought, and the Bosch & Fjord design team successfully followed
through by producing meeting rooms and furniture that truly
inspire.
And what about adaptability for the changing needs of an
organization? Again, Bosch & Fjord believe that people should
not accommodate a room; a room should accommodate the people. In
an office, often the physical surroundings need to be shaped according
to what is happening within the company. In this sense, the
social aspect of design eliminates conventional hierarchies among
employees, and thereby enhances communal exchange and
communication. Bosch and Fjord created a furniture system for
Innovation Lab’s new space at the IT University in Copenhagen. Rooms
are designed within raw shipping crates that include three types
of workstations: a small meeting room, a kitchen box and a large
worktable that are packed, unpacked, arranged and rearranged with ease
and flexibility.
A new model without guidelines or conformity has been established for
work place design yielding visually interesting and mentally
stimulating environments. Steve Jobs hired Bohlin Cywinki Jackson
to design the gigantic Pixar Animation Studios outside of San Francisco
(BCJ have also designed ten Apple Stores worldwide). While Jobs
insisted on including a swimming pool, soccer field, basketball court
and fitness center, his main concern was about the longevity of the
design.
The interior space also includes a 10,000 square foot atrium used as a
reception and lounge area, a café, screening rooms and a large
theatre. The workspaces are laid out in 46,500 square foot wings
accommodating offices for the 650-person staff. Interesting,
office spaces are individual and full enclosed set out in units of six
– each around a central meeting area.
The San Francisco based firm Garcia + Francica installed the fit-outs
based on Jobs’ recommendation of mid-century classics and his love of
color. Pieces from Cassina, Ligne Roset, Eames, Aalto and Platner
can be found throughout the entire space. Perhaps the most
impressive aspect is a series of handwoven Tibetan floor coverings that
add a level of comfort to the large office areas.
The Los Angeles based Clive Wilkinson Architects designed the space for
Google’s headquarters – known at the Googleplex with a combination of
open and closed spaces allowing for maximum flexibility for all members
of the organization. Employees are grouped in three or four-person
clusters - and each shared space includes a meeting area with sofas.
Other office amenities include a fitness center, spa complete with
massage rooms, various video and table games spread throughout the
complex as well as a full service café and snack rooms. Again
vibrant colors are splashed around the space – colored glass panels,
bright red walls, green, grass-textured flooring – all set against
white work stations.
Ultimately there seems to be no general guidelines set that reveal how
to create the perfect office environment. From the designer
perspective, it becomes apparent to understand the type of work that
will be carried out in the space, and plan accordingly.
The cookie-cutter open-plan office spaces are no longer an effective
means of stimulating creativity. Physical dimensions such as
light and surrounding noise undoubtedly affect the way people work with
one another. Even subtle alterations in the color of a wall or
the angle of a work station may result in highly sustainable creative
thinking efforts.
Not everyone does their best work from their own desk either.
Individual work spaces may serve as an organizational area – a home
base to return after meeting with coworkers in a nearby meeting room –
or in a shared informal conference space – or even after a competitive
round of ping pong or foosball.
New and improved stimuli have only just
begun to inspire a new way of working and relating to our corporate
peers.
Is
your office (or one you know of) a super cool, creative space that
defies the usual drab rules that dominate most work environments? If the answer's yes, send us
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By Andrew J Wiener.
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