Innenstadt Office

The first step in the renovation was therefore not design, but clearing out. Through an extended process, decisions were made together with the client as to what should remain, what should be archived, passed on or disposed of. This work could not be delegated – clearing out was already part of the project.

The brief was to renew the existing space without fundamentally changing its familiar arrangement. The curtains, carpets and ceiling ornaments were to be retained. Given an uncertain future and the further development of the location, the budget was limited and the project had to be tightly and economically calculated. Materials, surfaces, and above all craftsmanship became all the more important. Magnificent, yet modest became the guiding principle for the spatial intervention.

The new furniture provides the necessary work surfaces for everyday office use as well as storage for documents. At the same time, it establishes a new horizontal plane running through the office at two different heights. The idea of pedestals rather than simple sideboards and tables goes beyond their original function: existing as well as future objects are deliberately given their place here, and with it, a meaning. Collecting is not intended to stop in the years to come, but rather to become more ordered and visible. Even the office printer receives its own pedestal and is positioned prominently in the room. Mirrors and new artworks on the walls reinforce this relationship between workspace and collection.

The sideboards are designed at a height that allows for an additional use: during larger meetings and office parties, the pedestals become a bar – a place to put down wine glasses, lean against and engage in informal conversation.