Architect/Interior: Park+Associates Pte Ltd/ 2nd Edition Pte Ltd Location: 158, Cecil Street, Singapore Area: 3,300 sqf Project Year: 2010 Photographers: Edward Hendricks
Architectural firm Park + Associates has moved to new premises at 158 Cecil Street, at the heart of the Singapore business district. In line with the firm’s sensitivity to spaces, their new office features distinct spatial experiences designed to surprise the senses, where pure black and white are used for each room according to their functions, making movement through the space refreshing and dynamic.
“For the interior, we wanted to exaggerate the purity of black and white, so it is almost like experiencing night and day in the office as you move about,” says Principal Architect Lim Koon Park. “This new space also gives us room for growth and the ability to house all our staff on the same floor, rather than on separate floors in our old shophouse space. It has improved communication and cooperation significantly.”
More than half of the new office has been dedicated to communal spaces, emphasizing the company’s focus on discourse and dialogue, both internally and externally. Guests are met by a luscious reception area in deep black, hemmed in by dark stained timber, which also doubles as a relaxing library and lounge area for staff. Quaint rabbit lamps line the way through a tube of soothing darkness, a welcome respite from the glare of the city.
In contrast, work areas glow in clean white, their functionality heightened with efficient lines, intelligent storage and creative lighting arrangements. The Studio makes up the largest working space and a full wall of live plants (complete with solar lamps) adds a layer of warmth to the sleek studio. A long table in the centre of the main workspace brings designers together in an open meeting place that spurs brainstorming and open communication.
Text provided by Park+Associates.
