On the Oslo harbourfront, an office fit-out that uses a single material – dark timber slats – to maximum effect, dividing, decorating and programming the space.InsideNorwayWork
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Arkwright is an international management consultancy based in Norway. With nordic roots, and a strong commitment to collaboration and long-term client relationships their world view closely mirrors our own.
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Following a personal recommendation, we were asked to design their Oslo base within an old shipbuilding workshop on the harbourfront at Aker Brygge.
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The brick building, with distinctive arched windows, was first refurbished as a workspace in the 1980s.
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Our task was to create a characterful place within the very generic existing fit-out, combining formal workspaces for 45 team members with more informal areas to meet and socialise.
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Our key idea was to add a single, sculptural intervention into the double-height space that acts simultaneously as a reception desk, space divider, stair and amphitheatre.
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Staff and visitors enter on the top floor, descending into the social space and then the main office, via this multipurpose structure.
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In the deeper part of the plan, where the space is more difficult to work with and there are fewer windows, we designed a ‘James Bond’ room, an executive lounge with a calm and intimate atmosphere.
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The central intervention is inspired by the svabergs typical of the area – granite rock formations polished smooth by glacial ice – and is entirely built from stained plywood slats.
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The timber slats change in width and arrangement according to their function, starting as a transparent vertical sunscreen around the reception desk, which is itself made of the same material.
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Stacked, they then form a steep-sided stair into the main space, where they broaden out to a shallower gradient, creating an informal amphitheatre of seats and a raised speaker’s position.
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The main office and meeting rooms have a more conventional fitout in contrast to the amphitheatre space and the Bond-style meeting room, which is reached through a revolving bookcase.
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We collaborated on the scheme with specialist cabinet maker Treververk Stedet, who successfully translated the very complex shapes we had designed into wood.
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To achieve these shapes we invented a whole new ‘squircular’ geometry, a combination of both squares and circles.
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Collaborators BOB Design created large-scale graphics based on transcripts of speeches by exceptional people with exceptional ideas. These visual compositions were transferred to vinyl on the glass doors and partitions throughout.
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We have continued to work with our client at Arkwright, designing his private home and drawing up sketches for his holiday chalet, effectively becoming a house architect and friend.
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The project is typical of many of our interiors in its extensive use of timber, and the close relationships we foster with both clients and craftspeople.