This full floor work space was designed for the oldest insurance company in France. A very specific brief had been put together by the client which required to design a “peaceful, see-through & fresh” space that would not only respond to contemporary work practices but also allow new, and at times unexpected, team interactions. One game changer prior to design started on this project was the involvement of The Boson Project. A young consultancy firm focusing on helping established corporations to adapt to new work environments and culture. This allowed us to focus on design options that we knew were compatible with our clients wishes and ultimately finalize a design package at record speed.

Our focus on this single floor has been to create a variety of work nodes that would allow teams different setups, specifically tailored to their procedures (at times highly confidential) as an insurance company. This in turn creates an alternate flow pattern which we carefully controlled so that it would not conflict with individual well-being. We opted for materials that are not commonly thought of for work spaces and tried to use them sensibly to establish a core identity, combining wood, carpet & glass partitions. Pine was the wood of choice because of its very imperfections.

We made sure natural lighting was allowed as deep as possible inside the floor and introduced generous felt covered surfaces to provide an acoustically efficient environment. Centrally located on the floor plate are “program islands” which allow existing structure to be concealed, create storage and a variety of other programs such as reception desk, stand-up meeting rooms and storage. They are located at the very center of the floor so that all work spaces are evenly distributed from and around these core islands.

Designed by Studio Razavi architecture
Photography by Olivier-Martin Gambier

http://www.archdaily.com/783540/la-parisienne-hq-studio-razavi-architecture