At the end of last year we filled you in briefly on the evolution of
office design from autonomous, uninspiring closed spaces to the
ubiquitous cube and finally the latest incarnation of creative,
motivational and dynamic workable environments. And now we’re
back to tell you about one of the latest projects from the architecture
and design firm Camenzind Evolution: Google Zurich.
And what is truly remarkable about this project is that Carmenzind
Evolution delivered exactly what Google desired, while not exceeding
the costs of many conventional interior office fit-outs. The
design team began by working closely with Google through the pre-design
process by interviewing all 350 employees with the intention of
incorporating their ideas into a new workspace. Because many
companies spend excessive amounts on furniture and finishes that have
nothing to do with how the employees work and interact within the
space, the final design resulted in elements from which the so-called
‘Zooglers’ would benefit most.
Stefan Camenzind, the design firm’s founding partner, reveals the
essential considerations that led to the innovative creation for the
new office space in Zurich: staff knows better than a management
committee what works best based on personality types; flexibility of
space allows employees take ownership and feel like they belong;
communal areas can and should be outlandish and inspiring; bold, clean
colour will successfully change the character of the room; cash is
always well-spent on an extraordinary coffee machine rather than on
soda or junk food; and finally, it’s OK and even recommended to splurge
on a few signature items rather than going all out on carpet, furniture
and chairs, all of which can amount to spending too much on the stuff
no one notices anyway.
Keeping all that in mind, let’s dissect Google’s new EMEA Engineering
Hub located within walking distance of Zurich city centre in the
‘Hurlimann Areal.’ The building was originally a brewery that has
been converted in to a vibrant mixed-use development of residential and
commercial spaces, including shops and a spa hotel. The Google offices
comprise seven storeys of 12,000 square metres of floor space for up to
800 employees.
A diverse team of Zooglers was assembled and represented the entire
staff by approving and rejecting nearly every aspect of the interior
fit-out. Carmenzind Evolution was never given a specific design
brief, but instead followed the directions and recommendations given by
the steering committee. Another unique element included in the
design process was the involvement of a psychologist who administered a
survey to each employee identifying both emotional and practical
requirement of the Zooglers.
The final design strategy involved the creation of highly functional,
yet somewhat basic individual workspace surrounded by proportionally
larger, highly stimulating communal areas and meeting spaces.
Open-plan workspaces were created for 8-10 employees, whilst
glass-partitioned offices were built for smaller work teams allowing
for both transparency and light from the outside, as well as creating
the required degree of privacy from within. And because the
average Google worker moves workstations twice a year, each area has to
be exceedingly flexibly and adaptable.
Every floor is individually themed and colour-coded allowing for
effortless orientation. The fifth floor, the history floor, was
designed to resemble an old library parlor. The meeting room has
large overstuffed sofas and chairs, dark, velvet curtains, a fireplace
and a chandelier. The fourth floor is the green floor – the
environment floor. The communal spaces have large, cocoon-like
meeting areas amidst a forest of tree trunks. Zooglers can slide
down a pole from the floor above into the space. And the third
floor’s theme is Switzerland. The floors have carpets that look
like snow, and ski gondolas have been converted into meeting
spaces. Igloo Satellite Cabins allow work teams to close
themselves off to their surroundings and attend videoconferences with
peers around the world.
Other noteworthy communal areas include an aquarium water lounge where
workers can chill out in foam-brick-filled bathtubs; a massage spa and
a games room to play billiards, foosball and other video games; the
Milliways cafeteria accessible via a large spiral slide where chefs use
local produce to offer fresh meals; and a fitness studio offering group
yoga and Pilates classes. And as each communal area is dispersed
throughout the seven floors, Zooglers are encouraged to circulate and
explore thereby increasing their interaction and communication with
co-workers from every department.
We have to admit we’re huge fans of socially-inclusive design processes
– and the design team at Carmenzind Evolution were dedicated to
insuring the wants and needs of each Google employee in Zurich were met
– and usually even exceeded. Google, of course, is a highly
innovative and effervescent company where their new relaxed work
environment will undoubtedly inspire and motivate Zooglers to keep the
company moving forward while conceiving provoking initiatives. By Andrew J Wiener.
If in Barcelona, you’ll have a couple of more days to see MWM’s — aka Matt W. Moore — solo show 20/20 by ROJO magazine at Artspace at Carrer Girona 61 Local 02 in Eixample. But it is worth a view online as well at mwmgraphics.blogspot.com and Flickr.
Moore is a 28-year-old Boston-based graduate of Savannah College of Art
and Design. He is a multitalented artist, illustrator and designer who
has worked with Ecko, Nike, Samsung and many others. Fascinated with
symmetry, math and wild color, he creates retro-spirited, abstract
graphics with a wild, graffiti edge. His typography, type treatments
and icons are featured in his annual b/w book – MWM B:4, and in a
comprehensive solo book Vectorfunk by ROJO. By Tuija Seipell
Antwerp, Belgium-based one-year-old sculp(IT)
is a partnership of two architects, Pieter Peerlings and Silvia
Mertens. They have recently completed a clever office, residence and
studio for themselves in what they call “Antwerp’s narrowest house”
located in Anwerp’s former red-light district. They took a 2.4-meter (7
feet 10 inches) wide space between two buildings, erected a steel
skeleton in it and installed four wooden floors, one each for work,
dining, relaxing and sleeping, plus a bath tub on the roof.
A one-piece staircase connects the floors. The walls are all glass,
allowing light in and creating a feel of space. In a nod to the area’s
“exhibitionist” past, each “window” to the street has a black frame
emphasizing the showcase or display aspect. The multi-color lighting
scheme completes the seedy notion. By Tuija Seipell
If you are in New York, go to the Fulton Ferry Landing by the Brooklyn
Bridge and peer at London with a monstrous telectroscope. If you are
lucky, your buddies in London happen to be on the South Bank by the
Tower Bridge where a similar telectroscope stands. And guess what you
will see? Each other! Why would that be in any way interesting,
considering that we can webcam with anyone any time?
This prehistoric-looking getup is ART created by London artist Paul St.
George. And he, apparently, is only fulfilling the dream of his
great-grandfather, Alexander Stanhope St. George. The elder St. George
dreamt of burrowing a tunnel across the ocean, setting a magnifying
telectroscope at each end so that people could see each other.
If the fake tale isn’t enticing enough, the gizmo itself is worth the
trek. It took two days and nights for the massive contraption to grow
from the river mud and morph from a six-foot, revolving, metallic drill
bit to the final tower of a 37-foot-long telescope. It will be
there until June 15. To set up a viewing date with your buddies at the
other end, go to telectroscope.net. By Tuija Seipell
After becoming one of the world's hottest boutique botanical skincare ranges, the Australian-based Aesop brand
is now making a name for itself in the world of innovative retail
design, injecting a large dose of cool into the concept of
sustainability. If you thought the brand's Melbourne "cardboard" concept store was
clever (all of the merchandising stands were made from recycled
cardboard), you'll love its brand new Adelaide "bottle" boutique. The
store's ceiling is crafted entirely out of recycled bottles, precisely
arranged in a wave pattern. Who said green had to be dowdy?
These new Australian stores are part of a big phase of expansion for
Aesop, which has also just opened boutiques in Paris and London's
swanky Mayfair. By Lisa Evans
There’s a new planet in the solar system and it’s called Luxury.
Actually, it is here on earth, on a little-known island called Nurai,
located northeast of Abu Dhabi city.
The 130,000-square-meter island is about to be transformed into an
achingly glamorous and luxurious resort and exclusive private
residential estate, comprised of one boutique luxury hotel resort with
60 suites, 31 beachfront estates and 36 water villas.
The mammoth project is a collaboration between New York based Studio Dror, led by Dror Benshetrit, that has designed the residences, and the Paris-based firm AW2 are responsible for the design of the hotel.
The sheer scale of the project is awe-inspiring; the incredible
multi-storey water villas alone will span 515 square metres each,
comprising of three bedrooms, four bathrooms, a private rooftop garden
with spa pool, private infinity pool, multiple decks, outdoor barbeque
area, gourmet kitchen and concealed service quarters. No doubt Tom
& Katie are making their reservations already.
As for the private “Seaside” residences (which are sure to be snapped
up by Saudi Princes and oil shieks because they will probably be the
only ones who can afford them), the five bedroom-six bathroom estates
span across between 3,000 – 6,050 square metres.
Each “Seaside” estate will include a private beach and garden, rooftop
garden with spa pool, infinity swimming pool, indoor reflecting pools,
concealed service quarters, entertainment patios, outdoor dining areas,
chef and show kitchens and outdoor showers.
The resort is due to open in 2010 and residences start at €20 million. By Lisa Evans
Some of us think that our far off ancestors lived in the trees – and
during our childhood, when our thoughts and memories are most pure, we
yearn to climb trees growing in our gardens, in our parks, in our
cities. As we get older, the urge to climb trees subsides as we
ride elevators up to our offices in the sky and look out across the
cities where we live. Yet occasionally, as we’re sealed up tight
in our artificially climatic spaces, we long for a breath of fresh air.
At a German company called baumraum
an architect, a landscape architect, an arbologist, and a craftsman
design modern, natural and solidly constructed treehouses. Each
treehouse project is assessed individually. The team takes into
consideration both the condition of the environment and of the tree,
with the size and features the clients desire.
baumraum offers a range of wood-types as well as options for insulated
walls. Treespaces can be outfitted with sitting and sleeping
benches, storage spaces, a mini-kitchen, heating, glass windows,
lighting, as well as a sound system for multimedia. Every piece
is pre-fabricated in a workshop, and then brought together on site.
Sound like something you’ve been wanting? The baumraum team
offers free consultation where they can talk you through every option
available as you put together your dream treehouse. The
treehouses can span multiple levels and sit among several trees.
Treehouses are mostly secured with ropes, thereby minimising the impact
of stress to the tree or trees on which the house is placed. And
if a tree is particularly weak, or even if a treehouse is wanted where
there is no suitable tree, stilts are used to guarantee people
everywhere can once again climb trees. By Andrew J Wiener.
If you were led to a department store’s make-up and perfume floor blindfolded, would you know where you are when the blindfold came off? What store, what city, what country? Probably not, as one looks just like the other. Unimaginative, predictable, boring. Not so at Berlin’s 100-plus year-old Kaufhaus des Westens, one singular store known by Berliners as KaDeWe. Specializing in luxury, style and indulgence, KaDeWe has never shied away from swanky design or striking displays. This time, they’ve allowed Hamburg-based Bilen & Born GbR to create two radically different areas on the ground-floor perfume department. One is a white space-agey multi-label area inspired by the act of breathing in fragrances, where spirals and rounded shapes draw the visitor in. The other is a baroque-inspired space with a contemporary twist. With its glass mosaic floor, studded pillars and ceiling with more than 8,000 Swarovski crystals, these surroundings are memorable even if the brands are the same as everywhere else. By Tuija Seipell
The work of Belgium’s Rotor Group
is popping up in more and more visible places. Rotor covers a wide
range of projects, from basic design, branding and packaging, to
events, lighting planning, interiors, showrooms, products, trade shows
and art. We especially like the work they have done with Belgian
lighting firm Modular Lighting Instruments
creating events, showrooms and surroundings that defy definition. A
great example is Rotor Designer Toon Stockman’s retro-futuristic
showroom for Modular that pays homage to Modular’s Beam Squad and
consists of six enormous cages supported by a skeleton of fluorescent
tubing. The wild narrative for this installation — a typical Rotor tale
— tells of life-destroying peril but luckily, all will be well and in
about 2069, lighting will be manufactured in peace again. By Tuija Seipell
For all you sneaker addicts - here's two new crazy styles that have just been released. Arriving in Dover
Street Market (London) on 15th May – the Pierre Hardy special limited
edition ‘Cruzeiro’ in metallic calfskin (above) and below, the must-have terry toweling inspired sneaker by Japanese brand realMadHectic -
the Pile.
The MINI Chateau, based on the MINI Clubman S, made its world debut at
the recent Top Marques show in Monaco. It will be limited to just 12
units and radiates exclusivity and luxury with its wood trims and a
miniature, shock-absorbent wine cellar (room for 6 bottles and
chalices) in the trunk.
The MINI Chateau is painted in
changeable pearly brown, matched with sandy/gold metallic paint for the
roof, bumpers and some details. But what really stands out, is the use
of precious wood, both on the inside and outside of the car. Inside
Aznom fitted the upholstery with gaucho leather and Alcantara to create
a warm, vintage atmosphere.
The car rides on 18-inch TSW 'Pace'
alloy wheels wrapped in 205/40 Yokohama S-Drive rubber. The Mini
Chateau’s 12 limited-edition exclusive samples will each display a
numbered label with the name of the lucky owner. By Tuija Seipell.
With its rich, red interior, Le Rouge restaurant in Stockholm’s Gamla Stan (Old Town) is a delicious fusion of a maharaja’s tent, red-light-district boudoir and aristocratic grandeur. It is not called Moulin Rouge, but it could be. The entire concept is dramatic with lush drapery, ornamental tableware and lighting fixtures oozing with bling and tassels.
Le Rouge is the latest addition to the F12 restaurant empire owned by two chefs, Melker Andersson and Danyel Couet. The chefs interpret classic French and Italian cuisine in Le Rouge using fresh Swedish ingredients. The 125–seat Le Rouge occupies two adjacent buildings, spreads over three-stories and 1,200 square-metres, and includes a dining room, bar, lounge and private rooms. The concept comes from the talented masters of Gothenburg’s Stylt Trampoli AB who were using storytelling as a tool to create and stage-direct restaurants, hotels and resorts long before storytelling became a design cliché. By Tuija Seipell
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