Aspekt Office has designed Work & Co’s new Copenhagen office as a place where employees can feel at home and where the local ambience shines through.
Modernizing historic spaces
Global design and technology company Work & Co teamed up with Danish design studio Aspekt Office to open their new Copenhagen location. The new office space is housed in a century-old building situated in the Danish capital’s historic city center. Originally designed by the Danish Architect Arthur Wittmaack in 1916 as headquarters for the Danish Inner Mission, the ownership was later transferred to the municipality of Copenhagen. Now, Aspekt Office — a multidisciplinary design studio — has brought modernity to the classic building with the workspace design that puts a relaxed spin on corporate environments.
Keeping it local
Work & Co — which works with IKEA, Apple, Mercedes, Google and other brands, and is known for its award-winning spaces— always partners with local designers to ensure workspaces are a natural extension of their surroundings. As a result, their offices in Brooklyn, Portland, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Belgrade all reflect the city and country in which they are located, embracing the design characteristics of their specific location. When the company was to expand with a presence in Copenhagen, in Bernstorffsgade, the Aspekt Office was tasked to incorporate the Scandinavian aesthetics and expressions.
Said Dever Thomas, partner at Work & Co: “Working in digital, we often take inspiration from other forms of design — architecture, identity, print. That’s why having a space that we can look forward to coming to and be inspired by is so important to do our best work. Aspekt’s background in both interior and industrial design also meant that we could do something very tailored to our needs and to the space. We knew Aspekt would care about the details on the pieces we use everyday just as much as we do.”
Aspekt Office has infused the historical urban architecture with an almost brutalist grid-modernism, using a network of lines to visually frame the interior. Softened by the choice of materials, which brings in warmth and tactility, Aspekt Office’s take on the Scandinavian feel comes together as a rejuvenating blend of clean and comfortable. Employees can immerse themselves in lounges, hold meetings in transparent and open meeting rooms and work collaboratively in large and airy spaces. Features include a unique oval meeting space, a library to take a break and get inspired, a kitchen for communal gatherings, and phone booths for soundproof calls and ultimate focus.
Achieving the Scandinavian feel
Entering the office space, employees and clients are greeted by a bright and welcoming atmosphere where natural light pours in from outside, bathing the interior in a serene warmth. “Scandinavian architecture pays homage to natural light, inviting it in and using it as a strong design element in physical spaces,” said Aspekt. “For Work & Co’s newest office we aimed to design a highly functional space, but introduced softer elements and carefully selected individual furniture pieces to create a harmonious feel that’s more like a home than a workplace, true to the Danish way of living, which celebrates warm and cozy surroundings.”
Materials and furniture
A material palette that highlights oak wood, soothing neutrals and soft textiles produces a distinctly calm and understated ambience throughout the premises. Transparent walls and an overall airy spatial design promote an open environment and sense of community, supporting Work & Co’s work core values around working collaboratively. At the same time, in the current environment, the spaciousness allows for social distancing when needed. Form and function have been important factors in the choice of furniture. With a preference for primary geometries, the furniture is simple for the eyes to comprehend, which contributes to the simplicity and calmness of the space. The mix of international and Scandinavian brands puts emphasis on Work & Co’s global outlook while nodding to this new location.
Reform kitchen preview
All fixed inventory is designed by Aspekt Office and includes a wall-to-wall bookcase with a built-in alcove in oak veneer, a soundproof phone booth offering privacy and room for contemplation, and a six meters long custom-made table that acts as center for communal gatherings in the office’s kitchen. The project also features the very first Reform x Aspekt Office kitchen ever produced. The new kitchen designed by Aspekt Office for the Danish kitchen manufacturer Reform - known for their modern kitchen solutions and collaborations with internationally acclaimed designers such as Muller Van Severen and Cecilie Manz - is set to launch later this year.
