Is it possible to create an attractive working environment within a shell construction? This question stands at the beginning of a commission on both sides—and here, employers bear just as much responsibility as designers. In Zug, Gehri AG developed an interior design for the cantonal bank’s 582 square meters of office space that provides exactly the kind of formal language a welcoming workspace requires. As is often the case in successful interior architecture, specific motifs and colors carry an overarching unifying function and support a sense of identity — something many companies understandably consider important. A defining motif of the new workspace with 60 workstations is the specially designed pendant lighting: opal glass spheres framed in a decorative yet poetic manner by orange curtains. Their integration into the otherwise continuous exposed concrete ceiling creates an aesthetic tension. They primarily accompany the corridors within the open space — tapering to a point on one side — and provide intuitive orientation. A deep blue serves as a harmoniously balanced contrast color on walls and flooring. Orange also reappears in selected elements, such as delicate room dividers. While groups of four desks are arranged along the windows, acoustically separated meeting rooms are located in the central zone of the office floor on the ground level — after all, there must be space for video conferences and focused meetings. Thanks to the generous use of glass, translucent textiles, and delicate constructions, there is never a sense of enclosure. Despite all its lightness, the design never loses its formal control and strength. The new location has found its place.
