From entertainment zones, nested spaces for solo work to inspiring team seatings, this office has got it all.
For the design studio Archix Co, curating the interior for Shenzhen Investment Office & Leisure Space Collaborator is all about creating a sense of subtle refinement with the use of unique materials and novel spaces. Due to the small size of the company – some 4,000 square feet – and the client-focused nature of the work, the team privileged the common amenity spaces by focusing on developing an active team culture as a precursor for success.
A variety of zones for relaxation and other non-work activities make up a large portion of the workplace. It’s a supporting foil to the relatively location-sensitive nature of the work itself, one that’s closely related to computer hardware requirements and constraints.
The challenge of designing the office area was to strike a delicate balance between openness and enclosure. The “L-shaped partition” was employed to create nested spaces and moments of visual privacy; closed doors were removed to enable constant communication and vocal collaboration.
The varied sizes, heights and locations of the partitions allow many degrees of territorial and visual privacy. Textures, perspectives and one’s sense of enclosure all shift as one moves around the surprising and atmospheric space. Glazed panels within each partition, with a custom-filtered dichroic film, produce further novelty in colour and reflectivity and lend the space an air of comfort.
Growth and adaptations of the young business were also taken into consideration. Custom square tables enable a variety of team seating and workstation arrangements, building systems were provided for two possible future enclosed offices, with some of the L-shaped partitions acting to partially inscribe their outlines.
