Excerpt: Uplifting office, an office interior by Takashi Niwa Architects, has a striped landscape furniture formation in order to create an ideal environment in a limited interior space. A rhythm of the stripe pattern spreads over to the entire floor, and it uplifts and smoothly becomes a part of the furniture, and uplifts again to shape the wall. The working space is defined and provided by layers of stripes and greenery. Patterns can provide multiple functions depending on their level or position on the floor.
Project Description
An office more than a place to work
[Text as submitted by architect] It is an office renovation project for 25 staff to work in a “Free address” space. In the former office, each staff was physically and psychologically disconnected and divided by the small separated rooms spreading over many floors. To make people feel free and boost their creativity for everyday work, the office design was targeted to realize an office that is more than just a place to work.
Uplifted floor, uplifting emotion
In nature, we feel free. It is because we can choose our own favourite place from the vast space. In addition, it gives us the feeling of being able to go anywhere we want. Since this office only has an area of 220 m2, a striped landscape was installed in order to create an ideal environment in a limited interior space.
A rhythm of the stripe pattern spreads over to the entire floor, and it uplifts and smoothly becomes a part of the furniture, and uplifts again to shape the wall. One floor becomes a bench, the one next becomes storage, another one becomes the table and planter box, and then some of them create the partition for the manager or the focusing booth.
The working space is defined and provided by layers of stripes and greenery. Patterns can provide multiple functions depending on their level or position on the floor. Similar to the landscape in nature, this office consists of many different patterns that create many different spaces.
The border of stripes and levels divides a large space, but another way to say it is that the layers of stripes connect the different activities. Consequently, people find their favourite space within the stripe’s dynamic and diverse landscape. It is possible to alternate this space every day depending on their feelings or the type of work they are doing.
The rhythm of uplifted floor uplifts the emotion
Since this office will be used as a “free-address” flexible office, it requires openness for clear and regular communication, and a variety of spaces for each staff to find their own comfortable way, which is not necessarily the same every day. In order to realize this, a different type of space with different heights with different finishing materials was provided.
Fortunately, people started using the space in a more creative way. Relax working corner now becomes a space for meditation. Some of the staff plant their favourite plants and flowers in the planter box nearby their preferable space. Now the office becomes more than a place to work. Emotion, creativity, and motivation of the people are uplifting just the same as the floors uplifted to the wall and ceiling.
Entering this office and looking at the main corridor, the rhythm of the stripe will catch your eye. It will excite you enough to start looking for the place to sit today from the layers of the stripe and greenery. Walking through the corridor and looking for your preferable seat, uplifted stripes will show you in each row and level to shape the furniture and space.
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