What happens when we take the ‘tech’ out of office design? Analogue business technologies are on the rise again.
In 2013, Sydney-based firm THOSE Architects was approached to design an office for Ansarada, an Aussie start-up in the financial services sector. Most of the company’s work is done online, presenting the designers with unique opportunities for flexible design.
The space, in Sydney’s Rocks area, was within a heritage-listed space. “Our architectural approach was to treat the fit-out very similarly to the ideology of operating in the cloud, so the building we inherited in Sydney, we were kind of backed into a corner in that way because it was heritage listed. Quite literally we had to get approval from the state-base heritage council in order to fit every last screw.” The resulting spaces had to ‘sleeve’ into the existing fabric. Luckily, because the tech infrastructure was so minimal, this task was much easier.
However, rather than squandering the additional floor space by inserting single function spaces, the designers wanted to make the best use of it. “One thing we try to do with all of our work is to imbue spaces with multiple uses. So rather than dictating uses to our clients we try to create spaces with a second or third use. Say in a house, taking a typical brief from a client that would result in a 300sqm house, we give them a 200sqm that achieves the same through flexibility of design.”
Since developing this first office for Ansarada, THOSE Architects have completed a second fit-out, this time in Chicago. The new site continues and builds upon the lessons learnt in the first project, and reflects an evolution of the company and the relationship with the designers.
Designing for the cloud has resulted in some truly innovative solutions, and some unexpected new ‘business technology’. Read all about THOSE and Ansarada’s development of ‘analogue technologies’ for the workplace in Issue #69 of Indesign, on sale now.
–
Read the full story in Indesign #69 on sale May 11.
A searchable and comprehensive guide for specifying leading products and their suppliers
Keep up to date with the latest and greatest from our industry BFF's!
Create a configuration to suit your needs with this curved collection.
Sub-Zero and Wolf’s prestigious Kitchen Design Contest (KDC) has celebrated the very best in kitchen innovation and aesthetics for three decades now. Recognising premier kitchen design professionals from around the globe, the KDC facilitates innovation, style and functionality that pushes boundaries.
Savage Design’s approach to understanding the relationship between design concepts and user experience, particularly with metalwork, transcends traditional boundaries, blending timeless craftsmanship with digital innovation to create enduring elegance in objects, furnishings, and door furniture.
Channelling the enchanting ambience of the Caffè Greco in Rome, Budapest’s historic Gerbeaud, and Grossi Florentino in Melbourne, Ross Didier’s new collection evokes the designer’s affinity for café experience, while delivering refined seating for contemporary hospitality interiors.
Simon Liley, Principal Sustainability Consultant at Cundall, writes about how cyberpunk dystopias haven’t (quite) come to pass yet – and how designers can avoid them.
Beau Fulwood and Alison Peach on returning to a low-tech, first-principles concept of design as a strategy to combat climate change.
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
With Milan 2024 only a few weeks away, we sneak a view of some of the most exciting pieces set to go on show – from lighting design to furniture, here are nine preview products.
Landing in the city’s financial district for the first time, The Sebel Sydney Martin Place has had its modern interiors completed by Stack Studio.