This is a space with the intention to integrate with the city, to become an events and presentation hub that is simultaneously the new showroom for SANCAL

The design of a space or headquarters often marks the DNA of the company so it's special when you encounter one that surprises the senses and prioritises value added to creativity. Isern Serra’s idea was to create a dynamic and purposeful space, where the architecture and geometric forms would take centre stage. A place that evokes a playful atmosphere and emphasises art and creativity. The client was Fuego Camina Conmigo - a strategic and creative advertising agency, who were looking to open their new headquarters as a way to materialise their values into a space. The project consisted of the refurbishment of an office on the third floor of a building located in the industrial neighbourhood of Gracia, Barcelona. This interior has a rectangular form, filled with details and original architectural elements and windows on three facades.

The brief consisted of a zone for the meeting rooms and service spaces, such as the kitchen, bathrooms and storage. Secondly, the agora zone seeks a specific dynamism to be used as a space to hold informal meetings and calls and at the same time can be used for presentation and temporary exhibitions. And finally, a permanent work zone that can accommodate up to 44 people. Therefore, the division of the space was decided with respect to the entrance. The more private areas are located towards the back of the office, to offer more protection. The agora zone in the centre serves as a plaza. The functional service spaces, towards the front near the entrance, act as an architectural protector for the interior.

The goal for the design was to create an open and dynamic space, steering away from the typical glass enclosures, found in the office design world. Hence the closed spaces were conceived in the form of micro architecture that interact with one another and create a sculptural passage. With circular openings generating doors and windows, these allow the light to circulate and evoke a world of art and creation. Each module was thought of as a small sculpture, which at the same time is compositionally related to the other rooms.

The first decision was to clean the space of an existing separation, to recover the original structure and hence reveal the true volume of the space. A need for a differentiated space and the rectangular form of the architecture allowed the design team to easily divide the space into three sections. The first zone upon entering is composed of storage, bathrooms and meeting rooms. The concept of micro architecture of the space is materialised here. Each room has a distinct height, length and width, emphasising the sculptural concept. There are five different meeting rooms, one big enough to accommodate 12 people that runs along the façade of the space and the other four more private rooms, located next to it. The openings and windows of each room have been thought out to optimise the amount of light that enters. When looked at as an entity, the rooms offer a unique perspective of the space, creating a dynamic intervention. The different heights emphasise not only the height of the architecture, but also make visible the existing unique metallic beams. The furniture of each room was then chosen carefully with Spanish furniture brand SANCAL - leveraging a neutral colour palette that compliments the space, environment and the client’s preferences. 

The same area on the left is a series of spaces used to make “fast calls''. There’s an intervention between the architectural forms and lighting design, where an artistically illuminated space inspired by James Turell takes centre stage. The kitchen is also a multipurpose space, with a capacity for 30 people, that at the same time can be used as a training room. It encompasses three large custom tables, made by “Fusteria Vidal”, with rounded edges on the base of the table, while the stool seating in the space, is another SANCAL piece. With a matte black structural base and a natural wood seat, this complements the space perfectly. 

The agora is by far the most multipurpose space of the project, where two big metallic, mobile steps structure the space. Small islands are generated in the interiors through the use of coloured circular carpets that bring together sofas, tables and other furniture from SANCAL. To hold improvised meetings, each island is treated with a distinct colour palette, and fabrics chosen for each carpet match the assigned tones. The last space is the most private, with four large custom-made tables, each seating up to 11 people. This unique table continues the sculptural concept of the space. The illumination of the project has been realised in collaboration with Leds C4, from the embedded focus lights in the closed rooms, to the tracked spotlights in the Agora. Meanwhile, the illumination above the private work tables was realised through the model TUBS designed by Nahtrang Studio.

Unique furnishings chosen with SANCAL include the Remnant armchair, Vestige table and Dividuals pouffe by Note Design Studio, Totem stools and side table by Sylvain Willenz, the Roll chair by Mut Design, Diwan chaise by PerezOchando, Click seating programme by Estudio Sancal, the Tortuga armchair and table, Silla40 chair and Tab side tables by Isaac Piñeiro, Magnum chair by Estudihac and the Vesper occasional table by Sebastian Herkner Pion tables by Ionna Vautrin.