The design embraces the new method of living and working since the pandemic that blurred the lines between office cubicle and home. The office became a “place to come back to” after people started feeling comfortable working from home. Thus, it was measured up against new standards and had to fulfill hybrid and scalable arrangements, optimize productivity and efficiency while considering health, safety, and wellbeing.
A single wooden laminate “Obi” or “Ribbon” that winds across the workspaces used by employees of different group sizes in various collaborative activities achieves the objective of making the office a place for employees to bond and communicate as a shared community, which was unachieved while working separately at home. The key driving principle can be summarized as "DisCo” where people needed to maintain a safe "Distance” and yet still be connected as a "Community".
The “Obi” carves spaces that respects boundaries, creates individuality, incorporates technology, and prioritizes comfort & wellness. The more public settings such as meeting rooms and the workstations where people spend longer hours are zoned towards the full height windows for optimum views and maximized daylight comfort. The more private spaces requiring enclosed focus spaces such as solo booths and VC rooms are tucked behind shelving that spans across the length of the office.
At the heart of the workspace is a theatre with drop down projection screen and two rows of seating. A play of levels & differing treatment brings contrasting dynamics to the usage of these two rows of seating: while one row of seating takes the form of an informal lounge sofa with movable side tables, the other offers a small group an alternative viewing ambience of gathering around a counter table on highchairs.
Adaptive spaces that generate flexible interactions can take various forms: midday meals at the pantry before heading to the sofa meeting area for an afternoon discourse, and if working in a conventional workspace setting interspersed with lush planting calls for further respite, the ‘obi’ morphs into modern standing desks or height adjustable tables that face the cityscape. The large meeting room for executive clients is finished in sleek detailing and overlooks urban greenery, while the semi-formal meeting room for casual use by staff members and clientele follows finishes which blend with the rest of the office.
The transitory task of waiting is elevated in the entrance gallery to create a sophisticated nature-focused environment using finishes like pebble wash, wooden louvres, and natural greenery. Technology played a pivotal role in enhancing this natural atmosphere through tunable lights spanning 1800K to 12000K range, breaking the boundaries of conventional white lights. The lighting conditions mimic fluctuating daytime outdoor conditions of early mornings, clear blue skies, overcast afternoons, sunsets & moonlight to keep users constantly engaged. At night, the lights in the entrance gallery and above the natural plants in main workspace double up as growth enhancing lights to ensure they thrive despite being indoors.
As a day goes by, collaborative team discussions, coffee breaks at the café, ping pong with a colleague or tuning into a solitary focused work session in the solo booths all happen in one flexible, integrated space orchestrated through design.