Description

The headquarters of Vitra, the furniture makers, is locat­ed on the first floor of a factory erected by Nicholas Grimshaw. The architect Sevil Peach transformed the office areas – which had formerly been used only provisionally – into a dynamic environment allowing staff to choose their workplaces in accordance with their needs. A wide selection of workplaces facilitates teamwork and enables both territorial and non-territorial methods of working, providing areas for concentration and zones for communication. Vitra’s new office puts cooperative and flexible work forms to the test, and its existence illustrates the dissolution of the boundaries between living and working.

Without detracting from the spaciousness of the room, and with a minimum of resources, Peach organised the area (which is almost the size of a soccer pitch) into clearly defined team zones. These zones reflect the company’s corporate structure and Peach has endowed each of them with a clear identity.

A raised wooden floor over a ventilation system was integrated into the existing structure. A free-standing platform, it separates the work areas from the access way and creates a symbolic stage for work. Laterally arranged zones for concentrated work and communicative work alternate with each other. A billiard table and a high bench (an oversized table) for spontaneous meetings are components of the communicative zones, as are the library and technology islands with printers and copiers. The latter are the parking lots for ‘lockers on wheels’ in which staff keep their personal work tools; they are also frequently used for non-territorial work. Two open wooden patios give the design a longitudinal accent. The two green islands in the back regions of the room, cut into the built volume post-factum, bring natural light and fresh air into the formerly dark area. They also separate areas where confidential records are kept, like the personnel department and controlling, from the open work areas. The main access way, with the café, mailboxes and technology islands, runs along the windows at the front of the floor plan. All staff can enjoy an unobstructed view of the surrounding landscape, especially those who prefer non-territorial forms of work, as the touchdown desks are positioned at the edge of the platform, facing towards the windows. Large-format acoustic panels suspended from the supporting structure further articulate the space and are used as bulletin boards or projection screens. Additional acoustic panels are suspended horizontally beneath the ceiling where they serve as a reflective surface for indirect lighting.

Vitra’s office is a patchwork of informal meeting zones and secluded areas arranged in no particular order, for work requiring quiet and concentration. Reflecting the furniture manufacturer’s innovative and experimental image, it serves for the presentation of the company’s own products.

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Originally published in: Rainer Hascher, Simone Jeska, Birgit Klauck, Office Buildings: A Design Manual, Birkhäuser, 2002.