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Photographs:Fran Parente
Text description provided by the architects. JAL Real State – Office Building was conceived from some simple premises: Getting away from the traditional sealed and conditioned office, not facing the street excessively, structuring the different areas informally and functionally, and focusing on the customer service in a single place, preferentially near the entrance.
Based on those premises, a small building was designed, made of a simple structure of in loco reinforced concrete, once cost was an important factor. The “C” format in the design allows that every space faces a small internal courtyard, where meetings on a pleasant day can occur, or even just a chill out spot for the users in an open area. The fact that the environments face this internal patio allows each user to see themselves through the glassy surfaces nearly all the time, a very interesting result for being a familiar and informal company.
The link between the front and back rooms, on the ground floor, occurs through a mixed space of movement and workspace, with two-story ceiling, in which a large bookshelf organizes all the documents and files from the office. At the same place, on the first floor, a narrow metallic footbridge connects the spaces, and the users passing by observe the bookshelf, the internal courtyard and the workspace below. The two-story ceiling also makes ventilation easier all around the office space.
The side seals for the geminated neighbors are in masonry, whereas practically all the rest of the seal is made of aluminum casement. Most of these casements can be opened, allowing a gap which will form a variable rhythm for the environment as per the outside temperature.
The project is simple and clear: once the visitors enter the spaces, they can visualize the organization and understand almost every space, even if they were separated by the central garden. Lighting and ventilation are generous despite being easily controlled, resulting in a simple, practical and appropriate workspace for a small company.
