One of the marketing foundations of office design is that the style of the office should represent the company’s work and areas of expertise. So, when it comes to the office space of a design agency, the keywords of a story told by the design should be – creative, functional, innovative, trendsetting, colorful, stylish, playful (just to name a few).
In this article, Archi-living.com brings you a workspace design story that “ticks all the boxes” of the previously mentioned keywords. Read on and discover – why is design agency Brigada’s new Zagreb office hidden behind a store in a shopping center?
After more than a decade of residence in Zagreb’s Zavrtnica business area, in the award-winning office space which Brigada shared with the Bruketa&Žinić&Grey agency, the renowned Croatian interior designers decided it was time for something new, for something different.
While they worked on a retail project, the opportunity presented itself in the form of a space looking for a new function and a make-over. So, they moved to a new and dynamic environment of a shopping center in the heart of Zagreb, the Croatian capital city. Since the agency specializes in the design of stores and offices, the idea that the new office spaces should be a kind of hybrid of a store and a workspace naturally arose.
The Transformation from Storage Room to Designers’ Workspace
As previously mentioned, during the construction of the interior of the Kaptol Center, the design of which is also signed by creatives from Brigada, they “discovered” an interior space that turned out to be a “diamond in the rough”. It was a storage room with enough square meters to host the entire team. Behind the pile of building materials, the designers recognized the potential of a space immersed in the surrounding beauty of nature with a spacious terrace and lots of natural light. The terrace with its greenery, or, as I like to say – an outdoor office, is a biophilic gem that increases productivity and creates a relaxing atmosphere.
After a short renovation, this versatile and predominantly open space became Brigada’s new home away from home.
Showroom as an Exhibition Space and an Office Lobby
In front of the workspace is a real shop, which you enter from the shopping center. This showroom is staged as an exhibition space of various creative themes that are periodically changed. It is a space open to everyone – and attracts attention with its playful design.
In addition to the exhibition of Brigada’s projects and the collaboration with the Flora Garden Center on the creation of a summer pop-up motel, the showroom will also be the stage for presentations of new designer furniture collections from the world brands, exhibitions of graphic designers, and new experiments with spatial experience of the designers and architects from Brigada.
Secret Door, Big Red Button, and “Have a Peek” Round Window
The showroom is the stage, and the entrance area to the office space is equally theatrical (or movie-like). To reach it, it is necessary to go through the showroom. When the visitor comes in front of the silver-toned wall and the “secret door” in the middle, notices that there is no doorknob, but, there is a big red button on the wall. When pressed, the big red button activates the school bell in the office, and one of the Brigadiers opens the secret door. The only hint of what is hidden behind the secret door is the round ship’s window through which can be peeked into the working atmosphere of the design agency.
Work & Relax – Workspace with a Terrace and Park View
The working part of the office is dominated by a large glass wall covering almost half of the entire office’s wall surfaces, which opens onto the terrace and the park with trees, thus becoming an integral part of the interior.
In addition to work units that are separated by acoustic partitions, an essential element in the interior space is an extensive library with samples, professional literature, and panels for mood boards and design process elaboration. This is also a team’s zone for researching new materials, technical and creative solutions, and experimentation in all fields of spatial experience. Many materials and technology, more than ten different types of lighting, innovative acoustic solutions, fragrance diffusers, and advanced sound systems were used as an integral part of the design.
Kitchen and Dining Room(s) for Shared Meals by the Entire Team
The last (but definitely not least) zone at the bottom of this linearly designed office interior is reserved for the kitchen and dining room, which open onto the terrace. The kitchen with an island/bar and dining area with a picturesque wooden table is used daily for shared meals by the entire team.
An Urban Garden and “Pasture” for Bees
The terrace immersed in the park, through which trees grow, often becomes an alternative workspace in the shade of Japanese cherries. This outdoor space is also a summer dining room and an urban garden where organic strawberries, tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, lettuce, and various herbs are grown, which are regularly used for meals prepared by employees. There is also a small “pasture” for bees, with flowers that allow the insects to feed within the city center.
Designer Pieces of Furniture – Each Tells a Story
The office was primarily designed to be fully functional and respond to the needs identified by the entire team through workshops as key to a more pleasant and productive work environment. Among the designer pieces of furniture, a dining table made of recycled wood from Tuscan villas stands out, as well as original pieces of regional design classics such as armchairs by Bernardo Bernardi, Niko Kralj, or Meblo lighting fixtures from the seventies.
To give an appropriate ambiance to design classics, part of the showroom was transformed into a kind of homage to that time. It was designed entirely in the spirit of the seventies of the last century and the previous state. With a combination of original designer furniture from that time, coffee tables and commodes developed by Brigada designers, as well as new materials, less formal meetings are held with the sounds of records from a wooden gramophone or simply ending the working day with a view of the greenery of the park.
Welcome to the Brigada!
Photos by Domagoj Blažević
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