There are many challenges when working with renovations: adapting spaces that were not necessarily designed for a particular program, adding new uses for rooms and modernizing the building in order to make it compatible with contemporary demands. This was the case of Mobio Arquitetura's project for the headquarters of a solar energy fintech company, which sought to value the memory of the historic building while adding a new layer of contemporary and technological infrastructure designed for the comfort, usability and productive coexistence of the new occupants. The office has been selected among the five winners of the 2022 Shaw Contract Design Awards "Best of Globe".
Occupying an early 20th century building within Porto Digital in Recife, Brazil, the project involved distributing the company's different sectors, workstations, meeting areas, and decompression spaces throughout the four floors. There was also a requirement to make it both comfortable and with the appropriate infrastructure to house a company's whole spectrum of activities. According to the architects, "The careful analysis of each floor was fundamental for the distribution of the functions in the building, prioritizing the well-being of the collaborators. The mezzanine, for example, presented low ceiling heights in several points due to the existing robust beams and fewer openings. Therefore, it was occupied with spaces for more temporary and transitory uses, such as meeting rooms and a small multipurpose auditorium."
The use of transparent and colored surfaces conformed lighter and more playful environments, while making the company's headquarters more connected to its values. In the meeting rooms, for example, colored vertical blinds were used next to glass walls, and the rhythmic and graphic alternation created a gradient inspired by heat maps. Color was also used to identify the spaces: each room has a carpeted floor and acoustic panels in a different color for easy identification by staff and visitors. Regarding this ingenious use of color, Karen S. Miller, Head of Interior Design, Design Leader, NCIDQ at Gulf Consult and one of the competition's judges, points out that: "I really like this project because it's not your typical workplace solution. If you look at the space holistically, color is used in a very focused way, giving subtext to the environment. There's a bold use of color and graphics in this project; it's quite brave and fun."
Color Frame Tile and Poured Tile, both by Shaw Contract, were the products chosen to achieve the effects sought by the architects. Both present a varied range of colors and textures that can be adapted to any demand and environment. They are composed of modular pieces and contribute directly to improving the acoustic characteristics of the spaces, as the surfaces of the original building were mostly made of masonry and concrete.
In addition, the design is especially successful in creating common and collective points of use near the workstations, such as micro meeting pods for calls or small meetings, as well as a large pantry; elements that promote collaboration and meeting spaces among employees. As Subhashish Mandal, Design Director at Gensler & juror for the Best of 2022 Region panel concludes, "There is a good understanding of the old and the new in this project, particularly how the interiors contrast with the original heritage building. The design team highlighted interesting elements where the workspaces transition in relation to the older part of the architecture."
For more information on this year’s Best of Globe winners, visit Shaw Contract’s Design Awards program.
