SelgasCano: The Office of Dreams

(lenka míková) It is a well-known fact that the working environment has a significant impact on the performance of its users – and the owners of the Spanish architectural studio of SalgasCano apparently would like to get the maximum amount of output from their employees. Jose Selgas and Lucia Cano have designed an ideal workplace not only for their workers, but most likely for themselves as well.

Reminiscent of a futuristic glasshouse, the office of dreams is located in a forest close to Madrid. The oblong building has a ceiling that turns into the side walls by means of an arch; its face is exactly in the middle and divided into two parts. The northern half is created by a 20mm thick rounded window made from transparent acrylate, which illuminates the office interior in a sufficient manner. The southern half is white and also rounded insulating sandwich wall from polyester and fiber glass, which provides protection from direct sun radiation. For natural ventilation, the side wall can be tilted by means of a pulley mechanism located outside. The building as a whole is, moreover, partially sunken below ground level. Thus, the studio crew can enjoy the view of surrounding vegetation from a very untypical angle.

The tunnel-like space inside the office reflects the polished minimalist aesthetics of the exterior. Nevertheless, it is spiked with a neon-yellow floor along the window and the lime-green concrete wall below the window with a rough structure that contrasts with the opposite white synthetic wall in a very interesting way. What is work in the office of dreams like? “There are days when it rains when the raindrops beat on the roof, sometimes more…and sometimes less…,” describe the architects.

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