Purpose
The project purpose was to develop an architecture project and to perform the construction of a new office space of Vortal, VIL - Vortal Innovation Lab in the Building UPTEC - Science and Technology Park of the Oporto University.
Intervention
The present work took place in an inner open space of 300m2. It was necessary to adapt the project plan to the existing infrastructure in the building in order to create multifunctional and well-defined areas.
The working space was somewhat unclear presenting a variety of fenestrations, volumes and pillars. With this intervention, we sought to improve the basic orientation and the definition of the present space.
By defining two different ceiling heights, we have been able to clearly separate the office areas, yet providing unity and coherence. A 3 m ceiling was set for the workplaces (open space, offices and meeting room) and 2.40 m for areas of leisure, circulation and the reception. These interventions allowed us to create strong perspectives, capturing the different working areas throughout the office and also to establish a perception of containment or opening, depending on the desired aim for each area.
Concept
We have made an effort to illuminate two different aspects in the same working space. The stable and rigorous aspects of the working space were contrasted with the more “playful” and surprising elements of the leisure areas.
Entering the space we are greeted by the Vortal Company logo entitled the "Panel Logo”, which is a pivotal element that emerges from the wall and that seems to fracture it to create the Vortal image. Then, this element fuses into a game of pipes, which embrace the existing pillars of the building, defining the leisure area. In brief, the panel logo assumes structural role in this office layout, as it separates the open space working area, which represents a more dynamic and noisy area, from the technical support area and the meeting room, which require less disclosure.
The Lounge area is characterized by a structure resembling an “undulating arm" composed of pipes of two different sizes. The larger white pipes, define the outer limit and smaller multicolour pipes the inner border of the Lounge area. We sought to design a structure, the white pipes, to shield the small colour pipes of the Lounge at entrance in order to provide an undisturbed view of the panel logo. Walking in the direction of the Lounge area the colour pipes are gradually disclosed to reveal a dynamic and almost “schizophrenic” element in a game of colours.
The basic idea of the “hidden” colour pipes was to provide different impressions depending on the point of view of the observer. Being a physically static structure, this element is dynamically transformed in the perception of the viewer. This “playful” element was designed to contrast the rigidity of the working space.
The lighting illuminates the space in both a linear and a peripheral way to enhance structures and paths. In addition to the peripheral lighting from the ceiling, linear suspension lamps are provided at the workstations and spotlights in the leisure area.
