While I ain’t easily impressed with office design, I was simply wowed when I saw this cool office space designed by Netherlands based design firm STUDIO 1:1 for Kennisnet. The space has been designed with the intention of creating a centralized location in Kennisnet’s head office for professionals including ambassadors from various educational institutions, teachers, rectors and managers come come together under one roof to experience and get inspired by the latest innovations in the ICT sector.
One of the most important things to consider during the design process was to create a layout and use materials that would not only be functional, but also unique and inspirational. The design team started conceptualizing the place by studying the ICT (Information & Communication Technology) materials and components and later blowing them up to create tables, chairs, wall panels, flooring designs etc using innovative materials, creating a sense of curiosity and amazement.
The designers also created different workspaces for different functions. For example, one can temporary stand or sit somewhere for a short period, while another workspace functions as a think-tank because it is semi-closed. A yellow bar is designed for the visitors to self-serve allowing them to feel comfortable in the space. The bar is made of stainless steel, 25mm tubes sprayed with impact proof paint. The water supply and drain and also the data- and power cables are integrated in the tubes of the bar. The sink drain and the grid in the cooling have a laser-cut pattern like the ones on a printed circuit board. At the end of the bar there is also a workspace for 8 people. In the worktop there are 9 power- and 2 data plugs.
One of my favourite elements in this workspace is the ‘Pixel Wall‘, created from Polystyrene ‘basic plates’ and ‘pixels’ of 1 mm x 1 mm. Manufactured by PixelHobby Inc in Wervershoof, the wall is made by a large group of ‘pixel-lovers’. This group of hobbyists consists mostly out of elderly ladies in Hengelo. Check out some of the images below to discover the Wow factor of this innovatively designed workspace.
Pixel Wall (Photography by Sanne Donders)
Bar (Photography by Sanne Donders)
Photography by Sanne Donders
