For the software engineering company QAware, the term “Hybrid” has become the starting point of a new corporate culture. To achieve this, office spaces need to be flexible and adaptable. “Permanent Beta,” meaning constant change and development, is the credo of this demanding work and is also intended to apply to the office spaces. At their Munich location, loop was commissioned to renovate the ground floor of a 1990s office building and expand it to 1,190 square meters of office space — serving both as a home for the employees and a laboratory space. Hybrid Work for QAware is created through a synergy of culture, places, spaces, and hybrid tools and devices — with people always at the center. The challenge was to identify which work settings worked best for the teams.
Together with the QAware project team, the planners developed various spatial and functional offerings. These include wireless internet, Plug IN+, and fully equipped IT workstations in meeting rooms and throughout the office, enabling employees to log in effectively from anywhere. The workspace consists of workstations in 2-person, 4-person, 6-person, and 8-person configurations within open room structures. Programmatically, the layout also includes generous retreat areas for video calls, private offices, team offices, and a parent-child office. Additionally, there are meeting rooms, a welcoming reception with a service area, and the adjacent Q-Bar — a community space with a kitchen, barista bar, communal table, and lounge. In the creative workshop, only analog work is allowed, following the logic of design thinking and supporting creative processes optimally. Hybrid work means that the office complements home office setups and provides comfort and amenities similar to one’s own home. Hospitality management ensures a warm reception and a pleasant stay. This is also reflected in the workspace aesthetics: bright and natural materials, soft elements, and “wow-effects” in the materiality. The colors are muted, not loud, aiming for a professional yet cozy environment rather than one that is overly agile or focused on digital or coding elements. The architectural framework consists of an enormous room height with a whitewashed raw concrete ceiling, floor-to-ceiling, high-performance glass walls, and a continuous oil-finished oak plank floor. Strong colors and gradients are used strategically, in line with the company’s corporate design.
| Client | QAware |
| City | Muenchen |
| Country | Germany |
| Architects | loop GmbH – creating places |
| Completion | March 2024 |
| Sector | Tech |
| Project type | Modification/Conversion |
| Gross floor area m2 | 1,258 |
| Number of employees | - |
| Lighting | - |
| Flooring | - |
| Acoustics | - |
| Workspace Furniture | Strähle Glaswandsysteme |
| Conference Furniture | Buzzyspace |
| Lounge Furniture | - |
| Greenery | - |
| Technology | - |
| Gastronomy | - |
