Office

Da Nang, Vietnam

Interior Design

PARTNER:

ondesign partners

Kumiko Natsumeda
Masako Nishizawa
Yuri Murata,
Yuriko Tanabe

studio anettai

Takahito Yamada
Nobuhiro Inudoh
Tomas Tran

Photography: Hiroyuki Oki

OTS has launched a move to integrate agile software development into their practice—a concept that is rapidly dominating the IT industry worldwide. The new office situated in the beautiful seaside city of Da Nang will function not just as a venue to accommodate and drive the freshly-assembled agile teams, but also as a symbol to testify their new approach. As architects, we were confronted with the challenge of reinterpreting agility in our own language, and incorporating the concept into our architecture. Our design consists of a venue bisected into two main zones—concentration zone and relaxation zone—each of which possess distinct features and atmosphere. The “corridor” which circulates along the borders of these two areas serve as the main circulation to link the series of spaces with its unique functions. The floor level of the “corridor” is elevated than the rest of the areas to trigger compulsory corporal movement. The entrance to the agile workrooms and meeting rooms are 1-meter deep, enforcing a slight time delay upon entering to prepare oneself for intense concentration. These architectural intentions serve as sort of vantage points to naturally, yet systematically, trigger the transition of psychological mindset from a physical standpoint. The “courtyard” and “terrace” are primarily intended for users to effectively disengage themselves from work. The variety of materials, furniture, lighting, and fluctuation of sunlight create a gentle unevenness throughout the venue, ambiguously separating the large unified space into small sceneries and embodying the freedom of individual users to choose their own personal hideouts. The office is defined by a collage of local materials with various textures – rattan, terrazzo, cement tiles – and subtly accented by rattan furniture and lighting fixtures manufactured by local furniture makers. The color scheme, derived from the beauty of Vietnamese nature, is an unguilty plagiarism. The organic and warm landscape harnessed by this architecture is an intentional design that is disintegrated from the public image of office spaces, which furthermore stimulates creativity and unleashes productivity of the users.