Unicorn Suppliers (HK) Ltd. was recognized in 1985 to function a chain of office merchants and supermarkets from Japan in Hong Kong, with a mission to supply “high-good quality, honest and courteous provider of a section retail outlet from Japan to customers”. Bean Buro was tasked with planning their headquarters which has unique demands to retail outlet and overview samples.
The Narrative: A modernised courteous workplace
We translated Unicorn Stores’ enterprise ethos as a really typical and courteous workplace for the employees. We aided them go from a common place of work set up to a modern day workplace that is significantly extra sociable for collaborations whilst staying cozy and soothing. The layout utilises numerous delicate Japanese things as inspiration.
The Course of action: Infusing Japanese roots into the inside
We investigated traditional Japanese architecture and translated the ideas into simple timber joinery to produce many bespoke things, these kinds of as the reception desk, a gridded ceiling lights program, and Japanese partition screens. Other Japanese inspirations include the use of a ‘noren’ – standard dividers designed of organic material, frequently hung in doorways and amongst rooms, and playful Japanese motifs in the graphic structure and signages.
The Alternative: An open up and integrated neighbourhood
The entrance and reception lobby has been lined in timber to build a warm and welcoming environment with seating booths which can be used by people and personnel alike in a cosy location. The normal workplace is an open program, one huge connecting neighbourhood with various shared furnishings built-in. Enclosed conference rooms are situated in the main of the office with glass partitions to maintain obvious connections and crops are integrated into all the windowsills.
Somewhat than enclosed offices for the departmental heads, they are as an alternative connected to the workforce as component of the open up prepare even though even now retaining a stage of privacy by means of the use of a collection of bespoke acoustic partition screens with a tailor made textile style and design. The pantry is an informal room for the personnel to loosen up with adaptable café seating. The spot also has pegged partitions for sharing group data. Roller blinds are utilised alongside the pantry windows and support to strengthen the identity of the office by means of customized graphic style.
The Components: Neutral naturals with playful accents
The palette is predominantly timber and white for the architectural surfaces. Several accents are created in the supplies, including the use of a gradient fluted glass for the partitions of the collaboration booths, playful geometry these kinds of as arcs and circles in red—an interpretation of the brand—and other subtle takes advantage of of colors and graphics on the glass and acoustic partitions. Purple colored grout is also employed for the tiles in the pantry region to even more inject the brand’s identity into the style and design.
We located the standard operate neighbourhood to be close to the windows for enough pure daylight, and the conference rooms in the main with an ethereal lighting structure, to assure surplus synthetic lighting is not essential. For instance, the a variety of wall acoustic panels with backlighting support to improve the legibility of the rear walls of the space. Carpets have been applied in all enclosed meeting rooms and plants have been built-in into the joinery design and style. We also specified very low VOC paint and veneer laminates.
The Obstacle: A fragile balancing act
The challenge in phrases of design was placing a delicate harmony of building a incredibly robust corporation id by way of the use of colors, gentry, signages and nevertheless making sure the place of work is a comfortable and calming perform placing. For instance, we utilized lively colours in the entrance of household reception and the pantry spots to promote electricity for heightened social interactions but retained all the normal workspaces pretty neutral working with natural supplies. The end result is a office that embraces social, collaborative, and adaptable performing.
Bean Buro staff: Lorène Faure, Kenny Kinugasa-Tsui, Christina Standaloft, Isabelle Gin, Savannah Wilkins Consumer: Unicorn Merchants Key contractor: Element Systems & Provides Ltd.
