YNNO Workplace by Sprikk
Sprikk recently completed the design for an office in Utrecht, The Netherlands.
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Description from Sprikk:
Sprikk designed a new working environment for consulting agency YNNO.
YNNO advises on innovative methods of working and the environments that support these. Their expertise follows the conceptions of the “new ways of working”. As their best reference sprikk planned the office that embodies these notions.
Since their consultants spend more time at their client’s than in the office, YNNO asked for a workplace that functions as a home base rather than a conventional office. A working environment was created that suits the nature of the consultant’s way of working in which communication and networking play a vital role. The floorplan is kept entirely open with the exception of two acoustically separated glass volumes. This stimulates free movement, spontaneous encounters and flexible uses while allowing for lots of natural light.
In this open plan organically shaped birchwood structures were placed that form partitions, niches, storage spaces and bookshelves. By applying one material and a single construction method a coherent appearance of the space is created, that still offers a diversity of working places with gradations in open and closed character. The natural, haptic qualities of these birchwood structures form a contrast to the high-end communication- and presentation technologies that were applied throughout the space.
The wood structures contain a number of ergonomic workplaces that embrace daylight and offer a view to the outside. Settings for the concentrated individual as well as active collaboration can be found. A vis-à-vis setting for casual discussions is placed on a platform integrated into the wooden structures. Groups of up to eight people can work on projects and presentations in an acoustically well-balanced room. It is fitted with writable surfaces and high-end presentation equipment. Private meetings or presentations for clients are held in an acoustically separated room that offers a casual atmosphere and plenty of daylight. A free-formed wooden island, close to the printer and the archive, can be used for secretarial and administrative work but can also function as an open office desk space for the consultants. The most notable open working environment is the ‘guild’ table. This giant surface provides an active and communicative setting by its organic layout. For special occasions and company-wide presentations it can accommodate the entire staff.
Visit the Sprikk website – here.
Photography by Edward Clydesdale Thomson
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Chris on 20 Sep 2010 at 1:17 pm #
I love the use of colour. Fun!
Alex on 20 Sep 2010 at 5:16 pm #
Hate the lamps, hate the office. They really let people work all day behind a laptop without ergonomical equipment? Terrible.
Jan on 20 Sep 2010 at 10:49 pm #
@Alex, wow! this hate-attitude is really something I love in an employee.
uncle fester on 21 Sep 2010 at 2:14 am #
Open plan workspaces are brutal. There is no chance to let your guard down and concentrate; rather, you are unrelentingly besieged psychically by other people whose gazes you must evade, and with whom you have to perform a complex unspoken dance, not to subject them to a searing within your line of sight, in order to eke a quantum of ease out of an unpleasant situation.
For “spontaneous encounters” read “awkward gratuitous non-voluntary encounters”. Unnecessary stress is thus placed on workers, who would find ways to communicate and collaborate anyway, but much more comfortably, if only they had SOME semblance of haven, even if only a low translucent screen or a stack of books [watch them construct this over time, accidentally on purpose]. This absolute deprivation of privacy is hateful.
Here’s betting the boss has a private space, with a door bitch to prevent “spontaneous encounters”. The sooner people fess up to how little they thrive in this sort of environment, the sooner CEOs will stop imposing it on them in the name of productivity. It’s an old concept now, not a shiny new one, and it’s time it was retired.
uncle fester on 21 Sep 2010 at 2:16 am #
… the furniture and fittings are fun, though. Especially that little bookcase cave
Soussan on 21 Sep 2010 at 9:50 am #
Don’t hate this plan but somehow I agree with Alex. There are no ergonomics in this office. In fact, it looks mostly like model at exhibition rather a warm, comfort place to work in.
Carly on 21 Sep 2010 at 12:18 pm #
I would be very interested to hear how this office plan is working in reality. I work in a mostly open office setting, but the majority of staff are in the office full time and have their own desks and some of us have partial walls. It can be very loud in our office. It can also be stressful, never having any privacy. Upper management all have their own traditional offices with doors and locks. Whenever a guest is in the office we all have to be told to be quiet, because normal joking can seem very unprofessional to outsiders.
I think articles like this one which boast of all the money you can save by having an open office plan are deceptive because you might pay for it in low employee satisfaction or slower rates of project completion.
KDS on 21 Sep 2010 at 1:26 pm #
Advertising giant Chiat/Day, which prided itself on being cutting edge, tried the fully open office concept years ago. Every morning, employees would come in and find themselves a seat at one of the gigantic open tables with nothing more familiar than their laptop.
The experiment was a massive failure–lowering morale, decreasing creativity while increasing stress. Rather than fostering interaction, it actually had an isolating effect and made workers feel paranoid. The agency eventually realized the error in such a “progressive” office concept and reverted to more conventional, humane cubicles.
Great on 21 Sep 2010 at 3:35 pm #
This layout would probably work on big offices with areas where employees converge for project work.
TW on 22 Sep 2010 at 1:08 am #
I don’t get the problem.
The most progressive offices today are not the traditional ones with everyone stuck in their little cubicle of personal space. Have a look around people – half the floor of your office is most likely empty cause people are off sick, on holidays, in meetings, at lunch or sitting in a clients office in another building.
I currently work in a collaborative office space that can only hold 60% of staff at any given moment. No one has fixed desks, phones or PCs. I can take my laptop and mobile and work wherever I want – from home, from the cafe downstairs, from the park up the road. If I need to make a private call, I use a private booth or a meeting room.
When I am in the office, I work on a collaborative table with people from all areas. I meet new people, I learn new things, I can by-pass beauracracy because I can discuss projects more informally.
Or I can work in a lounge area. Or I can work in the kitchen.
Is it loud? Sometimes. But that just adds to the creative vibe.
Is everyone happy? Post occupancy research done every 6 months shows that everyone is in love with their new way of working.
Think outside the square people!!
I should also point out that there is a BIG difference in an open office designed by workstation companies and those deliberately composed by designers/architects. The former is cost saving. The latter is intentional innovation.
CHARLIEDELC on 22 Sep 2010 at 8:40 am #
DOES ANYONE KNOW THE BRAND OF THE LAMPS? I’VE SEEN THOSE LAMPS IN A LOT OF PROJECTS, BUT DONT KNOW WHERE TO BUY’EM.
frederik on 23 Sep 2010 at 3:08 pm #
Our office is really fun and comfortable to work in. Look for more information on: http://www.thewayweworktoday.com and: http://www.youmeet.nl