Sympathetic industril aesthetic

Redesign

When Isopartner, a wholesale company for insulation materials, wanted to reposition itself in a new and contemporary way after a company restructuring, it was clear that this should also have a significant impact on the design of the location in Hamburg. Both the brand image and the architectural quality of the customer contact areas and the workspaces of the 15 employees were subjected to a creative revitalisation.

The south-facing entrance side of an elongated commercial building, which is used as the company’s warehouse except for this narrow third, was to be worked on. The comprehensive redefinition of the architecture in the course of the core renovation provided the opportunity to conceive a formally concise and milieu-forming interior design.

Brand identity and location

The aim was to incorporate the brand identity on the one hand and the characteristics of the industrial location on the other. On the one hand, this was achieved by integrating materials used in the hall, such as typical workshop steel frames with wire glass panes. They now serve as wide doors or partition walls and – handmade – signal an unmistakable sympathy for the company’s field of activity with their rough charm and slightly blurred panes.

This attitude is additionally supported by the technical colour palette of the ambience: the blue and grey of the walls and the black of the frames, furniture and lighting. The parquet floor provides the desired atmospheric warmth and the clear differentiation from the warehouse. Wood in the form of OSB panels is also found in the body of the sales counter.

Form and function

The floor plan with 350 square metres of usable space lines up the necessary functions like a conveyor belt along the narrow strip of space: Individual and multiple offices, a meeting room, a waiting and sales area, the entrance, the toilets, which have also been redesigned, and a staff kitchen.

The intensive cooperation with selected craftsmen’s workshops in the development of the interior design components, the revolving acoustic elements and the slatwall in the sales area seems fitting for the design concept.

What do you consider to be the main qualities of a good workplace?

Julia Schneider: A good workplace serves people. It encourages interaction, creates a place to retreat and a place for concentration. In today’s world, it has to stand out from a home office and offer good lighting, ventilation, acoustics and ergonomics. However, a well-designed workplace is much more than just its function and creates appreciation towards the employees.

Do you see any comparability in interior design for living and for working?

The workplace surrounds the employee every day – for a lifetime. Design and emotional quality are therefore at the forefront of a good life both at home and at work. Both worlds have become increasingly intermingled in recent years and will probably continue to do so. Spaces are defined and also designed by the people who move in them, which is why people and their relationship to space make a significant contribution to design, both in private and at work.

Which material-related aspects are decisive for you in the future development of workspaces?

In general, more attention will be paid to sustainable and recyclable materials in the future. These often also contribute significantly to better room and air quality. The trend towards designed planting in the office also creates a high quality of space that provides a refuge for the strained eye of the digital employee.