DI: What is the main principle, idea and inspiration behind your design?
IG : We intended to create an open space office where we would like to work on a daily basis - this motivated us to design the ideal office for our client.
DI: What has been your main focus in designing this work? Especially what did you want to achieve?
IG : A large part of the building was already used by the Wall AG, but not the space on the ground level. Therefore, our fist task was to connect the new office to the rest of the company headquarters. The entrance from the street to the SmartDigital Office was closed and a staircase was opened again in order to access the new office space from the first floor. Due to its position on street level, the office is an external representation of the company and a workplace at the same time. The Interior Design should fulfil this double function by giving an insight of the work atmosphere and providing a necessary degree of privacy for the employees. This is equally important for the close and the long distance perception: it is the face of the company in Berlin’s urban environment.
DI: What are your future plans for this award winning design?
IG : We hope that it will be in use for a very long time. Our design allows changes so that the interior can change and grow together with the company.
DI: Why did you design this particular concept? Was this design commissioned or did you decide to pursuit an inspiration?
IG : We designed the office space for our client, the Wall AG. The company works in outdoor advertisement and street furniture. The office on street level was a challenge and a blessing at the same time. The busy road junction makes strong noise insulation necessary, but it is the perfect environment for the employees who work on advertisement in the urban environment. We used the floor of the SmartDigital office as a quote from the cityscape: near the window, the floor is made of rubber which looks like asphalt. Yellow road markings provide an ideal test track for close and long-distance perception of the content on the Digital City Light Display which is placed in the lounge area. The overall idea was to create the opposite of an anonymous Cubicle – and to present our client in the best possible light.
DI: What sets this design apart from other similar or resembling concepts?
IG : In this particular project, there were many similarities between a public and an office project because the space is situated on street level. Usually, a public project aims at a strong visual effect. An office space on the other hand needs to provide the ideal lighting situation for the employees. In the SmartDigital office we combined these two elements and created an open plan office which is attractive from the outside and ideally lit as a workplace from the inside.
DI: What is the most unique aspect of your design?
IG : IONDESIGN aims at the utility of the product or space - not the formalistic style. Every design task is different and therefore the solutions differ as well. Our goal is to design for today and tomorrow, this requires timelessness and high quality. This objective can be found in every detail of the SmartDigital Office. The flexible floor plan of the space offers the possibility to adapt the office to changes in the future. For example the desk area can be extended with additional tables and seating, without having to adapt the light fixtures. In every project it is crucial for us to come up with the ideal solution for the people who use the space or the object.
DI: What is the role of technology in this particular design?
IG : We pretty much achieved the vision we had in mind. Thanks to the great 3D-visualization tools we use, we can see what the space will look like quite early in the design process. It is always a long way until the design is agreed upon but once that is done, we can visualize it very accurately.
DI: What are some of the challenges you faced during the design/realization of your concept?
IG : Of course, every project has some surprises which come up unexpectedly, no matter how well you plan it. With the lighting, though, we were quite lucky – the only challenge, if you want to call it that, would be the budget which we had to keep in mind.
A general challenge was the partitioning of the open plan office. The huge windows on two sides of the main room were a factor for the localization of the different areas: two separate offices were brought to the rear part of the office where it is quiet. In the rear part there is also a small conference room for more intimate meetings. The lively part of the office with the lounge, the bar area and the desks is placed in the more public part of the SmartDigital office.
DI: Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?
IG : This project we used to reflect on the changes in the working world. In the office we designed, the company's digital future is created - the big oak veneer desks are reminiscent to workbenches and facilitate an intensive exchange among the employees. Flexible seating can be distributed arbitrarily around the large tables to hold short meetings and promote collaborative work - the interior design by IONDESIGN Berlin responds to the demands of a networked working environment.
