KENO’s new head office is located in Gliwice. Its interior is an example of well-considered design decisions that have resulted in a friendly workplace. The impressive height of the premises ensures acoustic and visual comfort. This was taken care of by architects from Ewa Warot’s ER DESIGN studio.
Today’s offices look completely different from those designed ten years ago. Well furnished, they are attractive to employees and make staying in them a pleasure. This effect is achieved through natural materials and bold solutions that foster relationships and make the office feel like home. An example of a space designed in this way is the new headquarters of KENO in Gliwice.
Architect Ewa Warot has been working on projects for the investor for many years. She knew well what kind of aesthetics and solutions would be expected. The new office is based on minimalism of form. The concrete elements were warmed up with wood and enlivened with greenery. In this way, stylistic consistency was maintained between all the company’s offices in Poland.
The office is located in a new, modernist building, whose form resembles a hewn block. The interior has three levels and a total of 2,200 sq m of space. A large part of the ground floor is the entrance area with a reception desk. Here, guests can sit comfortably and wait for their appointment. On the ground floor, there is also a large display area for the company’s products and a training room. The area of the latter is as large as 200 sq m.
Most of the first floor is taken up by office space. The entire area is divided into several rooms, where several to a dozen workstations have been arranged. The second floor has been arranged in a similar way, including a large open-plan room with areas for quiet work. The architects also designed four three-person staff rooms and a representative conference room with areas for informal meetings. There is also a large dining room on this floor. Additional spaces that allow for a moment of relaxation include an ‘atrium’ relaxation area on the ground floor and outdoor terraces on the first and second floors.
Well-designed workspaces promote concentration. Suitable acoustics help with this. A considerable challenge for the architects was the design of the conference rooms, which are 9 and 11 m high. Their glass and concrete walls reflect sound, so in order to avoid reverberation, the key consideration was… the ceiling.
When designing the conference rooms, the architects wanted all meeting participants to be able to hear their interlocutors comfortably and to take an active part in discussions, without any interference from outside sound. For this reason, the smaller conference room was fitted with illuminated acoustic cladding made from Heradesign panels. The cladding was painted black and installed at an angle to diffuse sound and visually enhance the space. – ‘ We placed wooden panels at the lectern to reflect sound, and Feltdecor felt, eco-friendly panels on the presentation wall to absorb sound,’ says architect Ewa Warot.
In the larger conference room, there are more wooden elements that give the space a warm and cosy feel. The sound-absorbing veneered wall panelling is additionally tilted horizontally, which not only disperses the voice, but also makes it possible to mount striking backlighting. The ceiling in this section is finished with veneered panels with the appropriate properties, so that it reflects the sound above the lectern, which is then attenuated thanks to the panels further up in the ceiling. – In the veneered wall and ceiling panels, sound absorption is achieved by using perforated panels in combination with mineral wool and an air void, the designer explains.
Ewa Warot points out that it is the meeting rooms that are her favourite part of the project. The large one with black panels was difficult to make, but she managed to hang the decorations at the desired angle. With the right lighting, it is possible to build a mood in them that suits specific needs.
The issue of the chosen lighting requires a separate paragraph. Often in ER DESIGN studios’ projects, the architects divide the light at the outset according to the function it is to serve – to help with daily work or to decorate the space. This can be seen in the office lobby, where the lamps have even taken the form of light installations. Suitable luminaires make it possible to highlight and bring out architectural elements. Management is aided by an electronic light control system that adjusts the light intensity according to the changing functions of the rooms during the day.
KENO’s new headquarters is heavily glazed. In furnishing the interior, the designers wanted to refer to the nearby nature and the dark body of the building. Hence, for example, the drawn mesh, painted black, which appears on the façade and on the walls and ceilings inside. The mood is also created by the exposed structural elements. The entire building is made of reinforced concrete. The developer wanted this material to be properly exposed. The grey concrete is enlivened by greenery – there are green moss walls and lots of potted plants. The final main design motif is wood. The entire first floor space, the corridor and the entrance to the CEO’s office are made of natural wood cladding with hidden doors. This noble and natural material can be successfully recycled, but its timeless character means that it will adorn the interior for years to come.
Finally, it is worth noting the toilets. The architects avoided clichés and instead of ’tiles with mirrors’ opted for original solutions that correspond to the design of the entire office. In the toilets, the architects designed portals with dynamic bevelled edges, which are reminiscent of a modern building.
photos: Marcin Grabowiecki
design: Ewa Warot, Marlena Jasicka, Anna Petrzyk, Marta Adamczyk, Magda Ciućka, Ania Waluś
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