An industrial London workspace and the home of software company Slack feature in our latest lookbook, which spotlights 10 office interiors animated by wooden bleacher-style seating.
Traditionally found in sports stadiums, bleachers are an inexpensive form of stepped seating composed of rows of benches. They are accessed by built-in staircases or directly from the stepped seats themselves.
In recent years, bleachers have also become a workplace staple for many modern companies as they offer flexible auditorium-style spaces for presentations, impromptu meetings and collaboration.
While they are typically made from metal, many architects designing office bleachers are opting for a wooden finish instead.
This is the latest in our series of lookbooks providing curated visual inspiration from Dezeen’s image archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks showcasing homely office interiors, workspaces filled with plants and garden studios for remote working.
The Forge, UK, by Emrys Architects
Two banks of bleachers feature in this listed ironworks in London, which Emrys Architects transformed into a studio complex with co-working spaces and workshops.
Crafted from birch plywood, the seating is positioned at the building’s heart to provide access to the first floor of the complex while doubling as a gathering point for occupants.
Find out more about Millwall Ironworks ›
Quartz offices, USA, by Desai Chia Architecture
The Quartz offices in New York feature a large events space, lined on three sides with chunky bleacher seating made from plywood.
The seating was designed by Desai Chia Architecture to accommodate everything from parties to symposiums and is complemented by moveable furniture. It also incorporates hidden storage units at its base.
Find out more about Quartz offices ›
Slack offices, Canada, by Leckie Studio
Company-wide meetings are hosted on these cushioned bleachers, which form the focal point of the Slack offices designed by Leckie Studio in a Vancouver warehouse.
Set in a double-height atrium, the stadium-like seating runs alongside a staircase that links two floors of open-plan workspace and incorporates plug sockets to allow employees to work from the bleachers.
Find out more about Slack offices ›
Eventbrite offices, USA, by Rapt Studio
Rapt Studio added cushions to the stadium-like seating that it designed for the offices of e-ticketing company Eventbrite in San Francisco.
Built from light wood, the seating was introduced to support large company meetings and offers a counterpoint to the one-on-one workrooms and quiet nooks elsewhere in the office. The cushions are upholstered in blue fabrics and teamed with matching ottomans.
Find out more about Eventbrite offices ›
The Houtloods, the Netherlands, by Bedaux de Brouwer Architecten
This wooden bleacher-style seating was designed by Bedaux de Brouwer to conceal private offices, toilets and storage at this advertising agency in an old railway building in Tilburg.
The seating also provides the office with an informal auditorium for group meetings. At the top of the structure are personal workstations for employees, accessed by a staircase built into its bleachers or metal stairs along its edge.
Find out more about The Houtloods ›
Fintual offices, Chile, by Studio Cáceres Lazo
Studio Cáceres Lazo mounted this small bank of bleachers on wheels to allow employees at Fintual in Santiago to move it around their office for group meetings or gatherings.
The office, which occupies an old mansion by architect Sergio Larraín García-Moreno, was designed as a flexible work environment for the financial startup. The stepped seating is made from laminated wooden boards and finished with square cushions and potted plants.
Find out more about Fintual offices ›
Nikken Space Design offices, Japan, by Nikken Sekkei
Books and magazines can be found in the hollowed-out steps of this bleacher-style seating structure, located at the centre of the Nikken Space Design offices in Osaka.
Built from recycled scaffolding planks and complete with small side tables, the rows of seating-cum-bookshelves encourage staff to pick up a book at any time to help support their creativity.
Find out more about Nikken Space Design offices ›
Airbnb offices, Singapore, by Farm
At Airbnb’s Singapore office, local studio Farm positioned a group of small wooden bleachers in a room for informal meetings and presentations.
Each bank is lined with four rows of cushioned seating and also incorporates a small nook at its rear. Fitted with benches, these nooks provide employees with a cosy space to work alone or with colleagues.
Find out more about Airbnb offices ›
Slack offices, USA, by Snøhetta
Wooden stadium-like seating also features at the Slack offices in New York, which Snøhetta created to suit “a variety of social interactions and work styles”.
Positioned at the heart of the office, the large plywood steps are used for everything from informal conversations between colleagues to large company presentations. Snøhetta incorporated plants and a mix of cushions that help to soften its visual impact.
Find out more about Slack offices ›
Red Cross Volunteer House, Denmark, by Cobe
Architecture studio Cobe lined one side of this auditorium with tiered seating for the volunteer training, meetings and events held at the Red Cross Volunteer House in Copenhagen.
It is framed by a dramatic stepped ceiling cast from concrete, which is the inversion of the stepped seating on top of the building that acts as a public meeting place.
Find out more about Red Cross Volunteer House ›
This is the latest in our series of lookbooks providing curated visual inspiration from Dezeen’s image archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks showcasing homely office interiors, workspaces filled with plants and garden studios for remote working.
Source: Rooms - dezeen.com
