Excerpt: FTMO Office is a corporate space designed by the architectural firm YUAR. From a design point of view, the architectural brief aimed at a more serious and representative place, which would reflect the company’s professional approach and technical prowess. Height-adjustable desks with four monitor arms were necessary to optimize the work process and ensure comfort for each employee. The new office combined quietness, efficiency, and fun, emphasizing strengthening the community atmosphere.
Project Description
[Text as submitted by Architect] FTMO, a Czech foreign exchange trading platform, recently won the Deloitte Technology Fast 500TM for the fastest growing young company in Central Europe. As a result of its rapid growth, FTMO had outgrown its previous office in a concise time. FTMO felt not only the need for a bigger space, but their existing office no longer represented its innovative and progressive identity. FTMO found their new home on the upper floors of the Quadrio building with a panorama view of the Prague city center and its National Theatre.
Stress on professionalism and community
To identify FTMO’s needs, YUAR architects engaged JuiceUp, which organized a workshop with FTMO’s founders and employees and conducted an online survey, gathering users’ opinions on design, equipment, and space use. The tenor of this survey revealed that the new offices should combine quietness, efficiency, and fun, emphasizing strengthening the community atmosphere.
From a design point of view, the architectural brief aimed at a more serious and representative place, which would reflect the company’s professional approach and technical prowess. Height-adjustable desks with four monitor arms were necessary to optimize the work process and ensure comfort for each employee. When designing the workstations, the designers took into account the flexibility and privacy of employees. Phone booths and meeting rooms are used for individual work.
Poker games on after work
The architects arranged the working desks into groups to allow team members to sit together and collaborate while also maintaining privacy for each member. The irregular shape of the desks, for example, offers increased privacy. At the same time, the rounded corners allow small gatherings for quick discussions. The office space becomes a social space where co-workers become friends.
Not short on modern technology
FTMO traders broadcast the latest fintech trends to the world. To do so, they use a modern podcast room with high-end audiovisual equipment. Double walls soundproof the hermetically sealed room with a controlled entry system. The ceiling comprises two different types of acoustic suspended ceilings. A non-reflective chroma key green screen rolls down from the ceiling, special multi-directional dimmable lights set the mood, and a powerful camera records the action.
Panoramic view of Prague
The proposal’s removed the closed partitions. They opened up the space so that each table visually connects with the exterior and has plenty of daylight. All corridors were designed as vistas leading to a certain landmark at the end. This enhanced the space greatly, as the location overlooking Prague’s bustling city center and the National Theatre can be enjoyed from any point in the office.
Ready for further development
The entire project lasted approximately nine months. The architects spent half a year on the design phase, project documentation, and tender, and another three months on the implementation phase, delivery, and assembly of the furniture. It was important for the architects as well as for the clients to minimize the carbon footprint of the structures and the materials used. The original wooden floor was retained, and glass partitions were reused.
“There are currently approximately 90 people in the Prague office. The vast majority go to the office every working day, and we believe that the pleasant environment we managed to create also has its share. The space meets our requirements, and thanks to the cooperation, we managed to come up with several interesting details that make our daily work easier,” says Otakar Šuffner, CEO of FTMO, about the cooperation with the architects.
Traders are known for never going to sleep, just like their new office.
Images
