HIGH ABOVE DORTMUND

The concept

Identification also means something to those who live in a factual, modern world these days – identification with the employer, with colleagues and, of course, with the place where you spend a lot of time and energy every week. The interior designers commissioned by Connect Sense Synergetische Raumplanung therefore also took this into account in a specific way when it came to finding a concept for the new Dortmund location of Conciso GmbH, an IT consulting and software development company. Fifty employees work on digital solutions and product development as well as customer experience; flexible and agile working and networking are in demand. The available space of 591 square metres on the top floor of an office building in Dortmund has an H-shaped floor plan, which prompted the planners to create a corresponding layout: four characteristic zones with workstations and a management area with a multifunctional room located to the side of the reception.

The Phoenix

The crossbeam of the H, which serves as a connection to the side wings, is occupied by a “work garden” with different settings – from differentiated furnished meeting places to the communal table to the bistro and the adjoining roof terrace. Three open spaces are distributed in the side wings, each combined and charged with a spatial programme designed to enable identification with the city. The section with a red, geometrically patterned carpet is named after Dortmund’s U-Tower, a former fermentation and storage tower of the Union Brewery and current cultural centre. As with the other two locations, a large plaque makes this dedication clear. The Phoenixsee sector, with its bluish background, refers to a popular leisure area on the artificial lake of the same name on the site of a dismantled steelworks. Green stands for the Westfalenpark zone, which acts as a green oasis in the city centre. Small retreat and team rooms have been installed in all floor areas.

What do you think are the key qualities of a good workplace?
Tim Przybyla: Basically, there is no such thing as “the” right workstation for knowledge work or desk work. Rather, there must be different workstation variants to provide employees with the best possible support in their various activities throughout the day. In addition, it is important that the workstation supports the employee during quick task changes, for example from focussed work to teamwork. Furthermore, the workstation should be multifunctional and be able to be changed by the user.
Do you see any comparability in the interior design for living and working?
This point is particularly important in view of the ever-increasing proportion of people working from home. In future projects, it will become increasingly important to transfer the personalised, individually furnished home office workplace to the office. The aim is to transfer what the user considers to be good amenities from the home office to the office, making it more homely and less grey and sterile. This automatically creates a comparison between the home and the office.
Which functional aspects do you consider to be the most important for the future development of workspaces?
For me, the following three points are essential for a functioning workspace in the future: 1. the space must be multifunctional and adaptable to the fast-paced world of work. 2. the space must generate added value to the home office and at the same time provide the benefits of the home office. 3. the space must be intuitive, self-explanatory and accessible to everyone.