Programme
Alum Eshet Ltd. is a company that develops and manufactures aluminum profile systems for over 30 years. because of a significant rise of staff, the company decided to relocate its marketing department to a new office compound, which will be used as the company's new official representative head office.
Another central requirement for this space was to accommodate a sizeable boardroom which would be large enough to host seminars that the company runs occasionally for professionals in the field, and would also accommodate the day to day board meetings.
The project's goal for us, was to create a space which, although physically separated from the current factory, would be representative and act as the company's 'face' to visitors and employees alike, and reflect the re-branding process that the company is going in the new space.
Structure and partitions
The 250 sq. meters rectangular space features an eastbound facing windowed wall overlooking a vista of open fields and another long façade facing an internal corridor, opens to a patio, receiving natural light.
The initial planning was driven by the existing windows 'rhythm' which was the most dominant element in the space. we decided to use the windows 'rhythm' as an element in the design itself, so the window frames proceed into the internal space providing side to side views throughout the space.
The glass partitions we used to separate between working areas are also used as hangers and even as writing boards, but most importantly, allow penetration of light and a spacious perception.
We designed an open space with 3 closed entities: 1 for the board room, 1 for the marketing department and 1 shared by the HR team and the service spaces (i.e. the restroom, kitchen and storage). The 3 closed entities continue with the rhythm of the main space and work in parallel to the open space, which contains the entrance hall, a showcase hall to display samples, the planning team's workstations and the main corridor.
The service block was painted dark grey to differentiate it from the lighter main space and so it creates a different facade from both sides of the main corridor. The service functions within the service block were painted light blue throughout (including the ceiling), which emphasizes the principle of mass versus the open space.
Preserving the manufacturing vibe
Since the new compound is no longer in the same domain as the factory, it loses the production look and feel. Therefore, it was important to use elements of the production floor to represent the factory in the new space.
For the main light fixtures, we chose high bay lights fixtures that are characteristic to industrial spaces.
For the same reason we chose to use industrial PVC flooring, which is very common in industrial spaces. At the same time, as a part of the rebranding process, the graphic style was changed into a monochrome geometrical style, the logo changed into black slanted letters on a white background. This inspired us to take the diagonal line and use it in the flooring pattern, by using two colours PVC.
The same diagonal line is apparent throughout all the spaces in the compound, whilst referring to the general partition rhythm. Separating between the light-coloured space and the dark cube also relates to the contrast which exists in the new graphic language. To continue that design language, the signage is made of geometrical icons painted in contrast to the wall's tone.
The ceiling
The existing space had an exposed beautiful concrete ceiling, but the ceiling was too low for the size of the work space. In addition, albeit aesthetic, the concrete's acoustic qualities is not suitable for a quiet workspace, so we had to provide an acoustic solution. Given these requirements we've decided to hang acoustic ceiling tiles which were placed according to the space usage. The plates have been positioned in a constant rhythm to the workstations and the hanging lighting elements. To that note, the plumbing and electrical systems were left exposed on the ceiling.
The Boardroom
The boardroom cube is located near the entrance so that its users, who are often guests, will be able to use it as well as the waiting area, restrooms and kitchenette without disturbing the office residents. Following the requirements, we designed two meeting rooms, the smaller one for 6 persons and the larger one for 12 persons.
The rooms are separated by a moveable acoustic partition which, when open, creates a large boardroom. This enlarged room can hold up to 22 participants. The meeting rooms' tables are modular and provide agility in both size and space arrangement, thus allowing for the best possible use of the space according to changing needs.
The boardroom's walls are covered with white glass printed with the company's logo and framed in black. This way the boardroom wall design keeps the same window rhythm which is featured across the entire inner space.
