The desire of the Swedish company Effective Communication when approaching the architecture studio El Equipo Creativo to develop its offices in Barcelona was to achieve a workspace capable of lightening the burden of long hours of work on workers and, at the same time, create spaces for games and rest that allow the development of personal relationships among the work team.

Located in the new technological-artistic district in the Poble-Nou neighborhood of the city of Barcelona, ​​the offices aim to create an office paradise for workers incorporating and taking as a reference very identifying characteristics of the area of ​​Barcelona in which they are located. They are located, such as the idea of ​​the beach that inspires the entire project.

The entire project developed by El Equipo Creativo takes the idea of ​​the beach as its main reference and inspiration, and this is present in the different rooms of the offices, from the acoustic insulation panels on the ceiling of the Call-Center that simulate the colorful towels from the beach, passing by the surfboards used as tables in the dining room or the beach kiosk located on the terrace.

All these design decisions result made by El Equipo Creativo in a space of great dynamism in which the relationships and visual connections between workspaces and rest spaces are continuous, and in which architecture is capable of making the user the protagonist, resulting in a motivated and highly productive team of workers.
 

Description of project by El Equipo Creativo

CLIENT’S BRIEF

The Swedish company Effective Communication approaches EL EQUIPO CREATIVO with a clear wish: to offer their young Swedish team a new fun and fresh workspace in Barcelona; a place where they can both “work hard” and “party hard”, and which allows them to celebrate their “after-work” events and “Friday barbecues”, important activities of their corporate strategy.

Ultimately, their goal is to get that the space helps to lighten the hard working hours of a callcenter, through spaces for rest, socialize, and play. And also generate a culture of happy and fun company, which help to retain your collaborators, generating more personal relationships beyond work, and creating a small swedish family in barcelona.

CONCEPT

From the beginning, EL EQUIPO CREATIVO understood that the design needed to speak about the city of Barcelona, since it was the main element of attraction for the Swedish staff moving to the company’s new headquarters. And more specifically a spontaneous and fresh Barcelona, full of colour and joy, which is the image that the city exports to northern Europe.

The offices are in the Poble Nou neighbourhood, an old industrial and workshop area next to the coast, today converted into the 22@ District, the new technological and artistic centre of the city: the new “place to be” for any young company. Its proximity to the sea, and the idea of creating a playful workplace for young Swedes in Barcelona, made the designers think of creating an office inspired by the beach. Who has never dreamt of working at the beach?

DESIGN

The main space of the headquarters is the large call-centre room, which requires very careful acoustics due to the type of work carried out there. EL EQUIPO CREATIVO used soundinsulation elements as one of the leading design strategies. The result is a lively acoustic ceiling simulating beach towels with an explosion of bright colours and sailor stripes.

The textured carpet flooring performs as the organic counterpoint to the ceiling. In different shades and grades of blue, the carpet simulates the seawater sweeping up on the beach. The result is a dynamic space that generates an energetic and positive attitude among the staff, part of the company’s corporate philosophy.

The kitchen represents the alter-ego of the workspace. Strategically located next to the facade and directly connected to the terrace--- the other principal protagonist of the offices--- the kitchen is the place to socialize par excellence.

The design in both spaces reflects the most playful and sporty beach aesthetic, offering different seating and socializing arrangements: intimate corners, more group-friendly surfboard tables, table games, pool and even a kiosk-bar for “after-work” parties every Friday

The kitchen opens onto the terrace through large sliders, connecting both spaces on sunny days. To emphasize that “outdoor feeling”, the kitchen’s ceiling acoustic panels, in white organic shapes, simulate clouds under a blue sky.

Together with the meeting rooms and staff’ bathrooms, the primary access maintains the graphic strategy of beach inspiration, fresh and colourful.

Metallic curtains with striped patterns, along with diagonally placed flooring and luminaires, help to create a casual and playful atmosphere intended to inspire a positive attitude. The bathrooms containr an extra surprise with the use of graphics of vintage sailor characters.

There is a secondary access to the administration and coordination area, with a more neutral aesthetic, culminating in the luxurious management office, a little whim of the partners. Because life also deserves an occasional whim, right.

CONCLUSION

One of the principal objectives of EL EQUIPO CREATIVO is to make the person who inhabits or visits its designs feel positively inspired by them.

Through a design centred on the user experience, the company’s staff becomes the protagonist of the space itself, it’s activating element. The design strategy seeks to generate a rewarding work experience, active, optimistic, and, why not, fun! With this aim, the design introduces “play” as the counterpoint to the idea of “work”, as playing generates camaraderie among colleagues. The result could not be more favourable for the company: a highly productive, motivated team with a great sense of camaraderie.

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Architects
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Design team
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Cesc Buxó, Daniel Trujillo.
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Client
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Effective Communicacion.
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Builder
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Area
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Interior.- 1000 sqm. Terrace.- 150 sqm.
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Dates
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2020.
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Location
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Calle Badajoz 145. Barcelona, Spain.
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Photography
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El Equipo Creativo. The architects Oliver Franz Schmidt, Natali Canas del Pozo, and Lucas Echeveste Lacy form EL EQUIPO CREATIVO, a studio based in Barcelona and specialized in the interior design of gastronomic, commercial, brand and hospitality spaces. Since 2010, they have worked for some of the most prestigious chefs in the world, like Ferran and Albert Adrià, and their designs include four Michelin star restaurants.

Their projects have been recognized in more than 25 international design awards, for example, Hotel Axel Madrid was nominated for Best Hotel Design Europe at the prestigious International Hotel & Property Awards 2018 and the Las Chicas, Los Chicos y Los Maniquís Restaurant has recently won the FX Awards as Best Restaurant 2018 and the Frame Awards 2019 as Best Use of Colour.
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Published on: March 13, 2021
Cite: "A beach-inspired office. Effective Communication Offices by El Equipo Creativo" METALOCUS. Accessed
<https://www.metalocus.es/en/news/a-beach-inspired-office-effective-communication-offices-el-equipo-creativo> ISSN 1139-6415
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