Walls are not what they used to be. They’re more transparent sometimes more complex in design, and more ingrained into the architecture of a space. Designers are feeling out new avenues for dividing space, and experimenting with the power these more creative options lend to their projects.
Recent works by the Texas-based interior architecture firm lauckgroup caught our eye for their designers’ ingenious approach to separating spaces.
GALVANIZE. Austin, TX
Galvanize, a community of education and training for the tech industry, is a pioneer in the arena of coworking spaces that target specific industries and offer more intensive and inclusive environments for its members. lauckgroup designed its seventh location in Austin, TX, using a less than ideal floor plate to their advantage.
“We were a little bit challenged with the floor plate, which was very long and very narrow,” said Raul Baeza, associate at lauckgroup. “And we needed to find a way to connect three levels.”
A stair at the center of the floor plate, which can be seen from the building exterior, took on the life of both a stairway and a chandelier of sorts – lit in the evenings and stacking atop itself to connect three levels.
Blending functionality, aesthetics and code requirements, lauckgroup designed a white steel and wood stair to do triple duty – work as a stair connecting the multi-floor campus in a transparent, inclusive way; provide the aesthetic and visual quality of a chandelier; and provide a railing required by codes.
“Because passersby can see the stair from the outside, we had the idea that the staircase could become a chandelier, rather than using an actual chandelier of some sort,” said Mr. Baeza.
The design team also needed to create collaboration spaces that divided the different levels of membership at Galvanize, from private suites to individual open/unreserved workspaces. These collaboration spaces not only need to guide members to their respective areas, but most importantly to encourage members from all levels to come together for “spontaneous” collaboration and ideation, regardless of membership level.
lauckgroup built this connection into the workspace by developing a few meeting spaces with folding accordion walls; boosting flexibility and mobility. The walls, made of glass and steel, can remain connected and closed, open partially in accordion fashion or open entirely.
“We face the square footage challenge with a lot of clients,” said Matt Taylor, associate principal at lauckgroup. A wall folding into an accordion gives people the option to divide the space how they want or need to as the workday or workweek unfolds. We worked closely with Modernfold, the manufacturer, to mimic that dynamic.”
Using a wide collection of solutions helps designers and their client companies assert a level of intended privacy in a certain area.
At Galvanize, this took shape in the form of delineating spaces for both breakout/collaboration and introspective/focus work for individuals, small groups, and larger more established companies that occupy private suites.
Rather than simply using traditional walls, designing a mix traditional walls and creative architectural elements gives designers an opportunity to guide people through a space in a more nuanced way. The lauckgroup design team saw a unique opportunity to do so at the entryway to Galvanize, where guests exit the elevator.
“At the reception, you have to walk around the corner to see the full office,” said Mr. Baeza. “We wanted to create a way of guiding people from the elevator lobby through to the reception and into the office. We wanted to create that movement with an architectural element.
Bordering the elevator lobby space and moving through to reception are slanted floor to ceiling wooden slats with pieces of color designed into their core and lit from above. The solution cues visitors to continue on into reception and beyond.
Developing nontraditional space division in place of throwing up walls also enables designers to mimic existing architecture – to create continuity.
And where traditional walls were used, lauckgroup employed a bold approach to graphics and branding. From large-scale murals and wallpapering to room signage and wayfinding, Galvanize delivers something unexpected to people as they move through the space.
“There’s always a nice surprise just around the corner.”
DROPBOX. Austin, TX
Dropbox, the cloud storage giant, wanted its new Austin, TX, offices to reflect the tech company’s creative energy and its attention to a high level of design detail.
Lauckgroup typically begins working with a client by conducting an initial visioning session, to collaborate/brainstorm with the
“They wanted authenticity of materials, and they wanted a very clean atmosphere,” said Mr. Baeza. “You’ll notice a lot of clean white ceilings, and a lot of wood contrasted with hot-rolled steel.”
The new workspace is heavily influenced by the hospitality industry.
Dropbox wanted to use a custom steel trellis power system for the workstations that had been used at its other locations. The system enables seamless tech integration and power solutions throughout the open plan area, and offers each person and team the freedom to configure their desk to best suit their position and work style. lauckgroup worked closely with Dropbox to configure the system correctly and in a way that would still allow for flexibility and mobility in the floor plan.
“We were challenged to create ‘destinations’ within the office, to create experiences that employees could have away from their workstation,” said Mr. Baeza. “We wanted to create different interpretations of the same architectural massing, to define a recurring concept.”
The concept of experiences flowing into each other and yet retaining individuality lends itself well to playing creatively with borders and space.
A constant in the design is the presence of wood, shifting in color and present in everything from glass conference/door integration to lighting, open and staggered floor-to-ceiling architectural paneling, and horizontal wall paneling.
The “music room” was inspired by a band made up of Dropbox employees that participates in a local battle of the bands competition in Austin. The room sits in a corner space that has one of the best exterior views in the entire office. To retain sightlines while still offering a bit of acoustic separation, the wall connecting the music room to an adjacent game room features two panes of glass separated by a crisscrossing steel structure.
The “break room lounge,” a reinterpretation of a lodge, draws on natural elements, a fireplace, finishes and other touches that convey warmth and welcoming. This space and other lounge areas in the office are bordered by walnut wood slats, some as horizontal elements on wall and others as floor-to-ceiling slats providing spatial separation.
The “library,” offering another secondary workspace for employees, features a drape that enables users to adjust room privacy as needs shift throughout the day.
Sometimes a wall will do; many times, however, there’s a window of opportunity for designers to flex creatively with space delineation.