Recently, Ogilvy & Mather made the decision to unite their scattered offices in Jakarta by placing them all in one location. They found an ideal address on the 10th and 11th floor of Sentral Senayan III, a modern 28-storey office tower in Jakarta’s central business district, and enlisted M Moser Associates’ Kuala Lumpur team (in partnership with local design firm CDA International) to carry out the firm’s vision of an office for creative undertakings.

“In terms of planning, they needed 2 distinct types of space to support their ways of work: one very open, and the other more segregated. There was also a need for a large, multipurpose area that could be used for everything from dining and relaxation to intimate discussions,” says Ramesh Subramaniam, the project leader from M Moser.

The firm occupies the entire 11th floor of Sentral Senayan III. This is the core of the office and the location of the open-plan work area.

The reception, also located on the 11th floor is, in Ramesh’s words, designed to give visitors and staff an experience akin to “walking into a spa in Bali”. The reception desk sits atop a low timber platform, and the desk itself is supported by solid sections of tree trunks. Suspended above are a trio of ‘silk cocoon’ light fixtures.

In contrast, the main work area has a minimalist character with simple open bench-type desks arranged around the outer circumference of the floor plate for maximum natural light. Enclosed areas – including a few individual offices, lounges and small meeting rooms – are located against the building core.

Descending the office’s internal staircase brings one directly into its ‘cafe’ area on level 10, a casual zone where staff can dine, talk and collaborate. And there’s a choice of how to get there: one can walk down the stairs, which also has ‘seats’ for big meetings, or – for the more adventurous – reach their destination in record time via a slide.

The cafe features a circular timber platform with curved panels of fabric mesh for more private discussions. There are also cosy seats and daybeds for comfortable and more relaxed interactions.

Apart from staff integration, Ogilvy & Mather’s new Jakarta office ultimately gives each employee many different ways to go about their work – while boldly adding fun into the equation.

M Moser Associates
mmoser.com