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      HawkinsBrown renovates Reading offices to create a “connection to nature”

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      A stack of meeting rooms and a moss-covered wall overlook the atriums of Here + Now, a pair of office buildings in England refurbished by architecture studio HawkinsBrown.

      Informed by changing attitudes to workplace design following the Covid-19 pandemic, the two buildings have been renovated with a focus on wellbeing and a connection to nature.
      They are located within a wider business park in Reading, formerly used by Microsoft.
      HawkinsBrown has renovated a pair of offices in Reading called Here + NowConnected by a bridge at their centre, the two buildings contain different facilities. One of them, named Here, offers space for more established companies, while the other, named Now, contains offices for smaller companies and start-ups.
      “Here + Now is located on a business park, not in a city centre, which provides users with a much closer connection to nature and therefore better opportunity for activity and wellbeing,” HawkinsBrown partner Massimo Tepedino told Dezeen.

      “The idea is that companies can scale up or down and thereby stay on the campus for longer – this ultimately helps to create a sense of community,” he added.
      A moss-covered wall overlooks an atrium in the Now buildingWhile the two buildings share a similar material and colour palette, the finishes of each were slightly different based on its tenants.
      The approach to the Now building focuses on more cost-effective, flexible spaces, while the Here building is finished to a higher specification.
      Wood has been used to form seating areas and quiet nooksEach of the two buildings features a large arrival atrium designed to evoke a sense of “wonder”.
      In the Here building, this space has a stack of meeting pods described by HawkinsBrown as a “treehouse”, while dehydrated moss-covered balconies animate the atrium in Now.

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      Shared by both buildings are a range of on-site amenities, including a gym and treatment rooms, as well as a “lifestyle manager” who organises events and workshops.
      “The benefit of having two buildings share amenities is that office spaces can accommodate a wide range of budgets, while everyone benefits from best-in-class amenities and the opportunity to socialise with established professionals and young entrepreneurs,” explained Tepedino.
      The two buildings are connected by a bridgeThe glass and metal structures of the existing buildings have been treated internally with wooden panelling, which complements new wooden seating areas and nooks.
      Particular attention was paid to the colour scheme, with a muted palette intended to evoke the nearby natural landscape and create a relaxing atmosphere.
      The project is located on a business park”We know that colours can facilitate, regulate, and even influence people’s behaviour – our colour palette takes its cues from the natural landscape and compliments the neutral tones of the existing buildings,” explained HawkinsBrown.
      “The bathrooms take inspiration from spas and hotels, with green shades and bold graphics create a strong visual connection to nature and a calming environment.”
      Here + Now has been shortlisted in the large workplace interior category of Dezeen Awards 2023.
      Other projects recently completed by HawkinsBrown include a student hub at Queen’s University Belfast with RPP Architects and the transformation of the historic Central Foundation Boys’ School in London.
      The photography is by Jack Hobhouse.

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      Japanese garden design informs Tokyo real estate office by Flooat

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      Lush plants and gravel beds feature in the Tokyo offices of real estate company Mitsui & Co, which local interior studio Flooat has designed to be “as stress-free as possible”.

      The workspace is located on the third floor of a 1980s office block in Chiyoda, a special district of Tokyo that is also home to the Imperial Palace.
      Flooat set out to bring new value to the outdated building, creating a working environment that could be “cherished and used for a long time”.
      Mitsui & Co’s office is set in a 1980s office block”In this project, we aimed to create a space that is considerate to both people and the environment by updating the charm of an old building and showing its new value in Tokyo, where there is a notably high rebuilding rate,” the studio told Dezeen.
      The practice was presented with a space that was dark and awkward, with a corridor running down the middle of a long, narrow floor.

      Flooat’s solution involved reducing the interior to a “skeleton” and eliminating the corridor to create a semi-open space for Mitsui & Co’s employees.
      Design studio Flooat used teak wood to line walls and floorsThe remaining walls were adjusted to a height and position that would not block any natural light.
      “The walls are constructed to match the architectural module, giving a sense of depth while dead-end flow lines have been eliminated so that the space can be viewed from various angles,” the studio said.
      “The result is a harmony of function and aesthetic with a clean, simple look.”
      The same timber was also used to clad the newly deepened window surroundsThe surrounds of the windows were deepened and lined with grainy matt-finish teak to bring warmth and character to the office while softening the direct sunlight.
      The same timber was also used to wrap around walls, floors, windows and doors.
      “To create harmony in the space, we selected trees with similar characteristics,” Flooat said. “Employees spend a lot of time in the office, so we aim to create a natural space that is as stress-free as possible.”
      Comfortable seating areas were created next to the windowsFlooat used partitions at various heights, alongside different floor levels and furniture heights to create dedicated areas for different modes of working.
      Sofas and low tables were installed close to windows, allowing visitors to sit and take in the outside world in a relaxed environment.
      Long communal tables provide space for focused work while another area serves as a lounge where Mitsui & Co’s staff can mingle with others in the building.
      “Instead of sitting in the same seat all the time, we have created an environment where people can move around, creating opportunities for communication and a natural flow of people in the office,” the studio said.

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      Different zones are demarcated via narrow tracts of gravel laid into troughs in the floor.
      “Borders are indicated in such a way as to give every area its own independence, evoking the pleasing features of a Japanese landscape garden with a tea house,” the studio said.
      “The pebble is a sign for switching spaces, a modern representation of the uniquely Japanese way of communicating signs.”
      Different floor levels and gravel beds help to delineate areasPlants with lush green foliage introduce a soft organic element to the space, providing a link to nature within the city.
      “We placed large plants on the symbolic tables where people tend to congregate,” the studio said.
      “We also considered the shadows created by the trees as an element of comfort. Organic, natural shapes also help to reduce tension and create a cosy atmosphere.”
      The natural grain of the wood serves a decorative functionA cavernous meeting room pod is set into one of the partition walls, enveloped in a grey textile surround that was chosen for its sound-absorbing qualities.
      “This gives the impression of a cave,” the studio said. “Once inside, the space gives a sense of security and allows people to concentrate on communication. It’s a place where you don’t have to worry about other people’s eyes and voices.”
      For the furniture, Flooat chose enduring design pieces that date back to before the building’s construction in 1983, in a bid to create a sense of timelessness.
      A meeting room pod is integrated into one of the partition walls”We wanted to revive the interior of an old building and choose furniture that would be appropriate for a place that will still be used in the future,” said Flooat.
      “We used furniture in the lounge space that was designed in the 1960s, for example, and is still being produced today.”
      Mitsui & Co’s office has been shortlisted in the small workplace interior category of this year’s Dezeen Awards.
      Also in the running is the office of digital artist Andrés Reisinger, with surreal details that nod to his otherworldly renderings, and the library of the Cricket Club of India, which is nestled amongst tree-like wooden columns.
      The photography is by Tomooki Kengaku.

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      Chain curtains enclose prayer room inside Abu Dhabi government office by Agata Kurzela Studio

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      Interiors firm Agata Kurzela Studio has reworked the top floor of a heritage building in Abu Dhabi to create offices for an Emirati government bureau, which oversees major public architecture projects.

      Located in the capital’s waterfront area of Khor Al Maqta, the workspace is housed inside the former Armed Forces Officers’ Club with its distinctive concrete shell designed by French architect Roger Taillibert.
      A steel volume next to the entrance of this Emirati government office (above) leads up to a mezzanine level (top image)Recently redeveloped and rebranded as the Erth complex, the development now houses a hotel with sprawling sports facilities as well as several offices in its central building, called The Club.
      On the very top level of this building, Dubai-based Agata Kurzela designed a workspace for an Emirati government bureau that works on “the most prestigious developments in the UAE”, although the designer says she “cannot reveal” its name.
      Workspaces are housed on the lower floorHer studio added a mezzanine level under the roof to house exhibition spaces, where upcoming architecture projects can be presented, while workspaces are located on the floor below.

      Kurzela says this was necessary as the bureau experienced an unprecedented period of growth as the project unfolded, meaning the space had to be adapted to accommodate 120 people rather than 88 as originally planned.
      “Once the ambitions outgrew the available space, we expanded vertically by adding functional platforms interconnected by staircases,” Kurzela told Dezeen.
      The steel unit houses two staircases and a women’s prayer roomPreviously inaccessible gravelled roofs were resurfaced and opened up to serve as breakout areas. The practice also added spaces for prayer rooms, nursing rooms and ablution areas for performing ritual cleansing before prayer.
      In the entrance area, a bold new volume made of recycled mild steel houses two converging staircases to create a connection to the exhibition level above.
      The men’s prayer room is surrounded by metal chains instead of walls”We needed to provide a reception space open to the main building while providing privacy to the main office,” says Kurzela. “The volume was a response to both compositional and functional needs.”
      “This bold sculptural element creates a beacon that signals the entrance and brings order to multiple competing geometries of the original building.”

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      The steel cube also houses a women’s prayer room and an office on the lower level while the men’s prayer room takes the form of a smaller cube that is perched on top.
      This second prayer room was carefully proportioned to be half the size and half of the opacity as the steel volume below, with its walls made of suspended aluminium chains instead of solid metal.
      “It has volumetric qualities when seen from the outside while bringing a sense of privacy to the space it contains,” the designer said. “The daylight that filters through adds lightness and mysticism.”
      Designer Agata Kurzela created a bespoke foldable boardroom table for the officeThe practice sought to celebrate and restore to prominence the building’s original features, including the dramatic undulating roof.
      “The building’s floating roof shelters a structure that originally had a very clear order, visible on the original plans,” says Kurzela.
      “That logic was at times obscured by random subdivisions and often lost to the visitor through the sheer volume of the building. We felt our opportunity lay in providing visual guidance and clarity, and for the space to feel like a natural part of the building.”
      Reconfigurable tables allow narrow and curved spaces to be maximisedThe designer took the decision not to add ceilings above the open offices, helping to minimise material waste and allow daylight to permeate these spaces.
      “Before the refurbishment, the space felt murky, but now it benefits from the skylights and panoramic window, with views towards the Grand Mosque,” she said.
      The studio also used super-thin LED light strips designed by Davide Groppi, which measure up to 17 metres long, to bring illumination to areas where recessing lights in walls, floors or ceilings were impossible.
      Much of the furniture was locally producedThroughout the project, there was an emphasis on locally produced elements including acoustic glass partitions, furniture in the executive areas and cushions woven by a collective of Emirati artisans using a traditional technique called sadu.
      The material palette brings together contrasting textures including rough plaster, patinated mild steel and woven palm mats, known as safeefah.
      “It brings about a sense of familiarity, mixed with a sense of awe found in Ken Adams’s movie sets for the James Bond series,” says Kurzela.
      Bespoke vanity mirrors in the bathrooms combine matte and translucent surfacesThe government office has been shortlisted in the large workspace interior category of this year’s Dezeen Awards alongside 210 Euston Road by Universal Design Studio.
      The photography is by Sebastian Böttcher.

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      Headquarters of crypto company Copper designed to “provide a sense of assurance”

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      Universal Design Studio put a modern spin on the design conventions of bank buildings when creating the headquarters for cryptocurrency firm Copper inside a Richard Rogers-designed office in London.

      Copper – a fintech company that helps financial institutions to securely store and trade cryptocurrencies – wanted to break away from London’s financial districts and instead set up its office inside Soho’s Broadwick House.
      Copper’s headquarters are located in the Richard Rogers-designed Broadwick HouseThe building was originally completed by the Richard Rogers Partnership in 2000 and was renovated last year before Copper brought in Universal Design Studio to devise the interiors.
      The local practice introduced familiar materials such as marble and walnut into Copper’s HQ to “provide a sense of assurance”.
      Copper-toned curtains provide a sense of privacyThese are contrasted with more contemporary elements including stainless steel, kinetic screens and dynamic light boxes that help to create “an uncanny and cinematic environment”.

      “The design approach draws in part upon historic icons of banking architecture through a contemporary lens, to create a familiar space that feels safe, whilst also pushing the boundaries on expectations,” the practice said.
      “Being able to contain that within an architectural landmark is very special.”
      Private meeting rooms are set back from the facade at the core of the buildingThe lobby features Jesmonite wall panels, referencing the marble-wrapped entrances found in more traditional banks.
      By contrast, a gold desk, alcove and gridded lightbox ceiling give a cinematic feel to the lobby and “allude to some of the more unexpected design elements further up the building”, according to Universal Design Studio.
      “This idea of bringing together two distinctive finishes that are different recurs throughout the building, to echo the safe and trusted nature of finance with a new digital future,” the practice said.
      The building’s new “Copper Core” is clad in dark timberRogers’s original architectural concept for the building focussed on transparency, with glazed facades providing high levels of light penetration.
      Universal Design Studio sought to work with this vision, creating light-infused workspaces with a focus on natural materials.
      Lightbox ceilings provide dramatic illumination”The main workspaces for the Copper team are light, with a connection to the street level around the perimeter, playing to the strengths of the original facade design,” the studio said.
      “But given the nature of what Copper do, an element of privacy was also essential.”

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      To achieve this, the studio designed a more opaque “Copper Core” that runs through the entire building, punctuating each floor and containing private spaces such as meeting rooms and quiet rooms.
      Set away from the exterior facade, the meeting rooms in the core of the building are inevitably less light-filled than the main work areas.
      Meeting rooms are panelled with walnut woodTo create spaces that still felt inviting, Universal chose to panel the walls with walnut, harnessing the tactility of this natural material to add a feeling of safety and familiarity.
      Stainless steel thresholds were added to create a sense of arrival, as team members move away from general working areas into the Copper Core.
      The interiors were designed to inspire a sense of trust and securityIn another nod to the concept of privacy, Universal designed a copper-toned curtain that is found on each floor level, running the full perimeter of the facade.
      “Operated digitally, each floor’s curtain closes in unison,” the studio said. “The curtain was also conceived as a type of visual security, locking down the building at night.”
      The top floors were designed for hosting clientsVisiting clients are received on the sixth and seventh floors of the building where the meeting rooms take on a hospitality focus, with bar and banquette-style seating capitalising on Broadwick House’s views across the city.
      “These areas are styled on a members’ club to serve the Copper team and its clients,” Universal Design Studio said.
      “The sixth floor has a focus on gathering both physically and digitally. Cinematic experiences are again utilised in this space with dramatic sliding digital screens for large events and presentations.”
      Guests can take in the views from banquette-style seating boothsOther unconventional interiors belonging to financial institutions include Hana Bank in Seoul with its “floating” meeting room and Citibank Singapore, which was designed to resemble a giant conservatory.
      The photography is by Ed Reeve.

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      Michael Hsu outfits self-designed Austin studio with “humble materials”

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      Michael Hsu Office of Architecture has adorned its studio with wood-and-fabric lined walls and industrial details in Austin in order to create a material “representation” of its work.

      Located in Austin’s Rosedale neighbourhood, the 10,750-square-foot (1,000-square metre) studio combines elements of residential and warehouse architecture.
      Michael Hsu Office for Architecture has completed its self-designed Austin studio”The new studio provides us with the additional space we needed and is a physical representation of our process. The spaces are designed to facilitate how we work now – allowing for different modes, sizes, and shapes of collaboration.” founder Michael Hsu said.
      “We wanted to design a space for our team to develop curiosity and creativity while being surrounded by a community of talented people.”
      The project features bespoke touchesIt was completed in July 2022 for its growing team. Michael Hsu Office of Architecture occupies the first and third floors of the three-storey building.

      The exterior is wrapped in locally crafted terracotta block along the base and dark-coloured horizontal cladding around the top floors that is punctured by large windows.
      Exposed steel trusses add an atmosphere of industry to the spaceThe rectangular plan is bisected by a large pale green exterior staircase with a slatted roof to shade it from the Texas sun. Wooden soffits warm the exterior material with subtle blade signs directing circulation.
      Inside, exposed steel trusses – painted white – add an atmosphere of industry to the space, while the thin black window frames and mullions provide delicate contrast.
      Scarlet-hued velvet furniture contrasts with various industrial accents”The spaces allow for different modes, sizes and shapes of collaboration across a larger footprint,” the team said. “Humble materials were used in beautiful and unexpected ways.”
      “Bespoke furnishings and curated artwork throughout the space reflect a commitment to collaboration with MHOA’s favorite fabricators and artists.”
      A painting by Patrick Puckett decorates the entry loungeThe ground floor – with conference rooms designated for entertaining clients scattered within the buzz of the office – prioritizes finish and formality with bold monochromatic colours.
      The entry lounge is wrapped in light grey routed wooden wall panels and adorned with a vibrant painting by Patrick Puckett and a custom light fixture by Warbach Lighting in collaboration with artist Brandon Mike.
      The casual workspace is juxtaposed by more “formal” conference roomsGrey drapes and scarlet-coloured velvet furniture serve as a plush alternative to the clean lines of the custom spalted maple and polished aluminium reception desk.
      The open-plan workspace is full of light with Calacatta Gold Borghini marble and soft white details set off by raw white oak flooring and walnut desktops and millwork.
      These rooms are draped in sapphire silk and mohair wall coveringsThe casual workspace is juxtaposed with the “formal dining space” of the conference rooms. Draped in sapphire silk and mohair wall coverings, the conference rooms have custom tables by Michael Wilson and Drophouse, vintage chairs and suspended metallic light fixtures.
      Upstairs, the light-filled elevator lobby has playful art inclusions like Shawn Smith’s pixelated deer head sculpture and Hsu’s vintage Ducati motorcycle.

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      The third floor serves as a collaborative space for the designers with “a hands-on material lab and a generous lounge and kitchen designed to support social connection”.
      A custom mint-green and chrome Litmus Industries cabinet divides the space and serves as an intimate moment within the open space full of combined white desks.
      A mint-green and chrome Litmus Industries cabinet divides the space”It was important to the team to represent expertise and show exceptional hospitality to clients while being inclusive and accommodating to MHOA’s designers,” the studio said.
      The office’s affinity for soft jewel-toned furniture placed in large industrial spaces is evident in its 2019 design of Shake Shack’s headquarters in New York and the recent conversion of a 1930s church for Argodesign’s Austin office.
      The photography is by Chase Daniel.
      Project credits:
      Architecture + interiors, FFE selection and procurement: Michael Hsu Office of ArchitectureCustom light fixture: designed in collaboration with Warbach Lighting and artist Brandon MikeCustom tables: Michael Wilson and DrophouseCustom millwork and reception desk: Litmus IndustriesArtists: Patrick Puckett, Denise Prince, Clare Grill, Seung Yul Oh, Dorota Jedrusik, Hugo Pernet and Paolo Arao

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      Cho Thompson unearths Boston building’s history to inform office interiors

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      US studio Atelier Cho Thompson has redesigned the shared spaces for an office building in Boston, borrowing shapes and materials from its history for new interior elements.

      The project involved reimagining the communal areas at 179 Lincoln Street, a full-block building in the city’s Leather District that was constructed as a shoe factory in 1899.
      Arched motifs on the facade of 179 Lincoln Street were reinterpreted as grooves in the lobby’s plaster wallsAtelier Cho Thompson looked to this history to guide the design of areas at the margins of the building, including the under-utilized lobby space, a dark central core, and empty pocket spaces on each of five floors – all totalling 8,000 square feet (743 square metres).
      “We unearthed and amplified the building’s rich history while creating a space that is responsive to the needs of the post-pandemic workplace,” said studio founder Cho Thompson.
      Finger-shaped backrests for a bench are wrapped in leather to nod to the building’s shoe-making pastWork began with removing the layers of previous renovations, including vinyl tile and commercial carpet, which had left areas “dark and generic”.

      The team uncovered original terrazzo floors in some areas and worked with experts to restore any sections that were damaged.
      Arches are also hewn into the white oak counter front in the receptionThey also looked to the arched geometry and detailed ornamentation of the building’s historic facade for interior design cues.
      The arches are repeated in the lobby as grooved patterns across the hand-troweled plaster walls, and again at a smaller scale around the white oak front of the marble-topped reception counter.
      Brass details including handrails match the building’s original mail chute”With a modern sensibility, we developed a language of detail that brought elements of the exterior into the building’s core,” Thompson said.
      “In that transformation, we brought a playful spirit, bringing massive forms down to human size and creating juxtapositions of materials, patterns, and scales.”
      In other communal areas, original red brick walls and terrazzo floors are exposedShiny black floors contrast the pale colour palette used across all other surfaces, while brass – chosen to match the building’s mail chute – provides a bright accent on railings, drawer handles and other details.
      Lighting fixtures by Lam Partners comprise globe-shaped components attached to thin brass supports, in a variety of linear configurations.
      Multiple counters are provided for group work and conversations between colleaguesIn other “in-between” communal areas, red brick walls and columns are exposed beneath skylights.
      A series of brass-topped counters are scattered through these spaces, creating spots for casual conversation between colleagues.

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      Banquettes and benches also provide opportunities for group and collaborative work outside of typical meeting rooms.
      These are upholstered in dusty pink leather as a nod to the building’s shoe-making past.
      These casual meeting spaces are designed to respond to the changing needs of office workers”This project responds to the changing landscape of office life by offering opportunities that go beyond what we can experience in only working from home,” said Thompson.
      “With a hospitality approach, the spaces of the project offer a fresh, welcoming, and inclusive place to spend time with colleagues.”
      Polished brass is also used for signage and wayfinding. Photo by Samara ViseReimagining historic buildings as contemporary workplaces is a common challenge for architects and designers, and refreshing communal or public-facing spaces is typically an impactful place to start.
      Similarly, GRT Architects overhauled the entrance to the art deco Fashion Tower in New York, restoring its facade and modernising the lobby.
      The photography is by Jared Kuzia, unless stated otherwise.
      Project credits:
      Client: EQ OfficeArchitect: Atelier Cho ThompsonLighting designer: Lam Partners

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      Lab La Bla uses “hyper-ordinary materials” for energy operator HQ interior

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      Local studio Lab La Bla sourced diabase rock from a nearby mine and created seating from MDF and recycled cork for the interior of energy company E.ON’s headquarters in Malmö, Sweden.

      Lab La Bla designed the headquarters’ reception area, coat room and lounge area, while also creating furniture, sculptures and other accessories across nine floors of the 22,000-square-metre building.
      The studio aimed to create a sequence of space that had variety, while taking inspiration from sources including airport terminals.
      The studio used recycled materials for the interiors”Creating work for an office that houses 1,500 employees is both challenging and inspiring,” co-founders Axel Landström and Victor Isaksson Pirtti told Dezeen.
      “It’s about creating spaces and functions that cater to the many while offering a mix of focus, creative and social environments, so it’s really about designing for the masses without making it boring or generic,” they added.

      “There’s a current fascination about airport interiors in the studio, so for the reception area we drew from that source of inspiration.”
      Seating was made from MDFIn the reception area, the studio created a set of sunny yellow furniture made from medium-density fibreboard (MDF) covered in nylon fiber.
      “The overall project for us is sort of a reaction to dysfunctional and non-sustainable processes inherent within our industry,” the studio explained.
      “For the reception area MDF and screws have been coated with repurposed nylon fiber using a technology commonly seen in the automotive industry, resulting in furniture that celebrates leftover material but without compromising on durability.”
      A bench features a “melting” diabase stone detailFor the building’s central atrium, Lab La Bla designed an unusual bench that features a gloopy stone decoration resembling an oil spill.
      This was created using diabase stone, which is famous for its blackness and was mined nearby in southern Sweden. The process of creating it was informed by its setting at an energy company headquarters.
      Lab La Bla sourced local materials for the project”Since electricity and magnetism are essentially two aspects of the same thing – and E.ON being an electric utility company – we thought it suitable to introduce magnetism as a modelling tool,” Landström and Isaksson Pirtti explained.
      “The shape of the piece comes from dropping a lump of magnetic slime on top of a conductive material,” they added. “The slime seemingly randomly slump and drapes over a metal bar before settling in its final shape.”

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      Lab La Bla then scaled this shape up and hand-sculpted the shape from a single block of diabase, which was finally sandblasted and polished.
      “We see this process as an adventurous exploration in making a physical representation of the invisible force that shapes our world,” Landström and Isaksson Pirtti added.
      Mouth-blown glass panels form a three-metre-high sculptureThe studio also turned brick beams, left over from the construction of a school in Malmö in the early 1900s, into umbrella stands, and sourced mouth-blown glass panels from one of the few remaining producers of the material.
      This was used, together with dichroic glass, to create a three-metre-high glass sculpture with a graphic pattern that depicts a CT-scan of a wood-fibre material.
      Glass sculptures were formed inside hollowed-out tree trunksLab La Bla also created decorative vases and glass sculptures using molten glass blown into tree trunks that had been hallowed by fungal decay. The trunks were sourced from E.ON’s own local heating centre.
      These trunks “serve no industrial purpose, but are burnt for energy by E.ON and used for teleheating for Malmö,” the studio said.
      “We borrow these tree trunks to blow glass in them, before returning them to their final purpose.”
      Lounge sofas were made from ground-down wine corksIn the headquarters’ lounge areas, the designers created modular sofas made from ground-down wine corks sourced from restaurants.
      “The modular cork sofa uses a unique process where 100 per cent recycled cork is sprayed onto a foam structure, proudly incorporating signs of imperfection into the design while bringing superior durability and sustainability to your furniture,” Landström and Isaksson Pirtti said.
      A table has an office-style glass relief with a keyboardTo the designers, the aim of the interior design was to use disused or forgotten materials, as well as ones that were recycled and recyclable.
      “We took a conscious decision of picking hyper-ordinary materials such as MDF and aluminium to pinpoint and educate people about cyclic and sustainable qualities inherent in the processes of creating these materials,” the studio said.
      “We often try to celebrate the beauty and intrinsic qualities of everyday, industrial materials otherwise consigned to temporary or low-cost construction solutions,” it added.
      “We wanted to design objects which require significant time and skills from craftspeople, usually reserved for expensive, rare and high-quality materials – to some of the very inexpensive and found materials that we used throughout the project.”
      Lab La Bla’s designs have previously been shown at the Moving Forward exhibition at Stockholm Design Week and as part of the Metabolic Processes for Leftovers exhibition in Malmö.
      The photography is by Lars Brønseth.

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      Ivy Studio converts historic bank building into offices for Montreal ad agency

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      The offices that Montreal’s Ivy Studio has designed for digital advertising agency Cardigan include a mesh-wrapped mezzanine and a “futuristic” basement within a former bank building.

      For Cardigan’s expanding team, Ivy Studio has renovated a stone building that was built as a bank in 1907, in the Rosemont area of Montreal.
      Ivy Studio inserted a steel mesh mezzanine inside the historic bank building to provide additional spaceThe structure has had many uses, including most recently a religious establishment, and boasts plenty of historic architectural details.
      While the upper floor is a residential condo, Cardigan occupies 1,250 square feet (116 square metres) across the ground and basement levels – spaces with very different ceiling heights and light conditions.
      The mesh was painted white to accentuate the bright and airy feel in the office space”One of the main challenges of working with the building was the contrasting ceiling heights between each floor,” said Ivy Studio. “This made the spacial blocking very important at the start of the project.”

      To benefit from the 16.5 foot (5 metres) clearance and abundance of natural light, all the workstations are positioned on the ground level.
      Under the mezzanine sit multiple phone booths and meeting roomsHowever, the floor plate was not sufficient to accommodate all 25 employees as well as meeting rooms, so the studio took advantage of the ceiling height and added a mezzanine.
      This addition was placed in a corner to avoid blocking the arched windows, and was painted entirely white to accentuate the bright and airy atmosphere of the space.
      During the renovation, the building’s large arched windows were fully uncovered to let in more lightThe structure is made from perforated steel mesh, allowing light to enter the phone booths and meeting rooms tucked underneath, and a gap was left between the mesh and the glass partitions behind to make space for planters.
      Additional workstations are located on top of the mezzanine, which is curved at its corner. “The newly-built mezzanine structure interprets the curves of the existing space without competing with them,” Ivy Studio said.

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      To let even more light in, the boarded window arches were reopened to their original form, while the parquet flooring was replaced with natural oak to retain the warmth.
      Meanwhile, in the basement, low ceiling heights and a lack of windows called for an entirely contrasting strategy.
      “It is a different universe of its own,” said Ivy Studio, which took a “futuristic, in your face” approach to the sub-grade space.
      In the windowless basement, a contrasting “futuristic” aesthetic was chosenThis level accommodates the bathrooms, kitchen, lounge and storage, and features a mix of plastered ceilings, ceramic walls and epoxy floors.
      In the kitchen, all of the surfaces are coloured baby blue, while the adjacent bathroom block is completely grey.
      The spaces are colour-blocked to heighten their visual impactAcross the kitchen island, a circular mirror faces an opening that’s exactly the same shape and leads into a room painted in orange.
      “The spaces are all monochromatic, to increase the visual impact of their intense colors but also help camouflage the imperfections of the existing building,” said Ivy Studio.
      Baby blue and stainless steel cover the kitchenThe office’s levels are linked by two staircases: an older one made from wood and a newer minimal design that emerges from under an arched portico.
      Both are painted navy blue and are intended to reflect Cardigan’s contradicting “hard-working yet playful values”.
      The adjacent bathroom is executed entirely in greyIvy Studio’s portfolio of projects in its home city spans from workspaces and restaurants, to a spinning studio and a dry cleaners.
      Recently completed interiors by the firm include a creative hub populated with pink and purple elements, and a renovated eatery that was damaged in a fire.
      The photography is by Alex Lesage.
      Project credits:
      Design and architecture: Ivy StudioConstruction: Group Manovra

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