Balanz is a leader in the capital market which has operated in Argentina for twenty years and currently has a presence abroad as well.
Due to considerable growth in recent times, combined with the need to be closer to its customers in the north of Greater Buenos Aires, where the company intends to base its Wealth Management (i.e. private banking) department, the decision was made to relocate from its traditional offices in downtown Buenos Aires to a modern building in Nordelta, a 30 min drive from the capital city.
The project for the new offices, which Balanz entrusted to Contract Workplaces, was developed on the second floor of the east wing of the iconic Officia building, across a usable floor area of 14,000 sq ft, to be occupied by around 80 employees. The building, optimally located within a beautiful natural setting, boasts open vistas of the Nordelta pond, spaces designed to foster open-air experiences, amenities and common spaces intended for socializing, sports and recreation.
The goal was to create a modern, sophisticated and state-of-the-art office equipped with team meeting spaces, a Work Café and a large reception area with an Art Hall—designed to display the organization’s private art collection—, in keeping with the company’s client segment.
To address these challenges, we proposed a brand image that reflects the company’s values, while also seeking excellence and exceptional quality. As a result, the concept of The Balanz Experience was born: a space focused on the client’s experience in order to promote engagement and brand loyalty within a unique meeting environment, in an extraordinary setting.
The layout was arranged over a completely open floor, with no barriers to access, so as to facilitate movement between the works of art displayed in the offices. The majority of workstations and a couple of closed meeting rooms were located along the perimeter of the North façade, to harness the natural light and splendid vistas, while the corner of the floor was assigned to the remaining workstations and a collaborative area. The project does not have closed offices, but it does include a variety of meeting spaces for occasional use.
On the South façade, we placed the Work Café, open to staff and clients alike, along with three small meeting “bubbles” whose wall finishes recreate the effect of stucco—our proposal to make these spaces unique.
As for the finishes, we decided to make the most of the building’s new concrete and leave the slab ceiling exposed, along with the installations. However, round acoustic panels were placed over the open space to help reduce the resonance within the area. In terms of floorings, we chose a cement-like vinyl flooring in the circulation pathways and the Work Café, whereas modular carpeting was used in the workstations and the meeting rooms, for increased comfort.
We selected a neutral color palette, dominated by grey hues, for the flooring, ceiling and wall finishes, which, by contrast, highlights a few saturated accents in the upholstery as spots of visual attraction. In this way, we created the perfect background to display the works of art from the Balanz collection.
The result was an open, transparent workplace with a distinct identity, supporting employees’ wellbeing as well as boosting their talent and productivity, where art coexists with the company’s everyday activities.
