Archello Awards 2023 has revealed its winning projects. For each of the 27 categories, one project was awarded by jury vote, and one project was awarded by public vote. As the overall Interior of the Year award winner, the public has selected the HQ Sunrock project designed by Mirato.
The office space in Amsterdam was designed for Sunrock, a market leader in solar park development, within a former bicycle factory located in the Schinkelkwartier neighborhood of Amsterdam. According to the architect, the design contract was won with a concept that focused on aspects of natural daylight, in alignment with Sunrock's reliance on the sun.
Mirato even refers to the interior design project as an 'Ode to the Sun'. The old factory in which the office is located is north-facing, and one of the design goals was to let in even light during production hours without creating shadows, taking advantage of the sun as it revolves around the office from east to west over the course of the workday.
The design plays with light and shadow, reflection and transparency. Color gradients were implemented to reflect the many variations of sunlight, which at times is hard and bright, while at other moments soft and warm. The colors used in the project transition from morning to evening, as interior light conditions change with the movement of the sun.
Phone booths and meeting areas are painted in unique, vibrant hues. Furniture is upholstered in solid-colored textiles that vary based on the space, ranging from greens and oranges to reds and blues. Light fixtures, drapes and acoustic panels all hang from the industrial white-painted ceilings to offer the spaces complex visual features and additional splashes of color. Shadows are also experimented with on ribbed walls made of plywood arches that function as transition zones between open offices and closed meeting rooms.
The Interior of the Year is the top-ranking Archello Award honoring the best overall building interior completed in the last year. “This is the reward for our team's full dedication to storytelling,” says Jaël Noordhof, creative director at Mirato.
Read more about the project on Archello here.
