DESIGN BLOG
Natasza Pyzynska
CREATIVE WORKSPACE
‘'Creativity is a function of leadership. It requires navigating uncharted territory and having the courage to face adversity to bring your vision into fruition.’'
​-Linda Naiman, founder of Creativity at Work
DESIGN BRIEF
This project challenges to design a spacious, thought through, creativity and productivity stimulating open pan worskpace for a hypothical creative design agency. The site for the design is The University of Northampton new Innovation Centre located near the Northamtpon Castle Train Station in Northamtpon.
The Innovation Centre have been build in August 2015, as a part of Northampton Waterside Enterprise Zone for Northampton Alive Project, to support enterprises to develop and operate their business in a socially responsible manner, delivering social benefits and tackling difficult social problems. Offices in the Innovation Centre are avaliable to rent for local start-up businesses at lower cost.
CREATIVE AGENCY CHOICE - FIASCO DESIGN
Fiasco Design is a small award winning creative design agency based in Bristol. Founded in only 2010, they have already built a reputation for producing forward-thinking and creative design work for their clients. Fiasco Design brings fresh and innovative ideas to life, with design and code, specializing in branding, web design, illustration, animation and print. Fiasco Design Prides themselves with putting creativity at the heart of everything they do.
CLIENT
Fiasco Design’s distinctive and strong name ‘Fiasco’ (in other words massive failure, catastrophe, disaster) gives the customers the idea of the company being known from the opposite of the word fiasco, which is success, accomplishment and triumph. Their promoting video shows their web designs, illustrations, prints and different animations giving the viewers a strong impression of them being very detailed and trustworthy, as in the video they show how much attention they put into their customers company’s research and then adaptation of the initial ideas development to it. The colours used in the animations and illustrations show that they fashionable, innovative, modern and aim mainly for the youth. The sound in the background is slow, melodramatic and smooth, which gives the impression of the company always paying full attention to the customer, by not rushing things through, implementing that the company is thoughtful, comforting and stable. As Fiasco Design’s popularity has been massively increasing in the past few years within the Design field in the UK, they are planning on taking a step forward and opening another brunch. They have looked into and considered many locations, but they have been most interested in Northampton, as it is a large town with loads of possibilities. Northampton’s location is the most suitable as it is just 15 minutes driving away from Milton Keyes, although property rental it’s not as expensive, has easy access to motorways leading to either North of South, and has brand new train station
FIASCO DESIGN PRINCIPLALS
What makes Fiasco Design different to other creative design agencies is their attention to detail and original, different and fresh approach to simplicity. Overall, Fiasco Design can be easily described with 3 key words:
- Distinct (easily memorable, unique and special)
- Contemplative (detailed, thought through and with an mission and intention)
- Atmospheric (synchronized design, causing certain feelings)
- Exciting (new, adaptable, innovative and creative designs)
CONCEPT
After analysing Fiasco Design company’s key attributes and specific characteristic, I defined them to begin with 4 but then 3 key words: Distinct, Atmospheric and Contemplative. I believe those three words best describe the company’s work, purpose in design and attitude towards clients.
I have looked into dictionary definition of each one of them to understand them better, and found few photographs which I believe implicate their meaning best.
Distinct (from the dictionary):
•recognizably different in nature from something else of a similar type.
•Physically separate.
•readily distinguishable by the senses.
Synonyms: clear, individual, definite, different, well defined, sharp, marked, decided, unmistakable, easily distinguishable.
Antonyms: indistinct, fuzzy, indefinite.
Atmospheric (from the dictionary):
•Intended to evoke a particular emotional tone or aesthetic quality.
Term ‘atmospheric’ can be used to describe many things, although is mainly associated with atmosphere is astrology.
Synonyms (also associated with the astrological meaning): climatic, metrological, aerial, airy, barometrical, baroscopic, ethereal.
Antonyms (also associated with the astrological meaning): down to earth, grounded, standard.
Contemplative (from the dictionary):
•A person given to contemplation (deep thoughts).
•A member of a religious order that emphasizes meditation (deep thoughts).
Synonyms: introspective, meditative, pensive, reflective, thoughtful, intensive, lost, musing, thinking, attentive, cogitative, reflecting, speculative.
Antonyms: ignorant, unthoughtful, disdainful, disregarding, negligent, rejecting, scornful, shallow, unreflective.
DESIGN PROPOSAL
Now, as I not only want my creative workspace design to be an ‘eye candy’ for all Fiasco Design employees, I aim for it to be practical, functional and appropriate. I believe that to achieve so, I have to largely focus on my client and their specific needs, and make sure I have a very good understanding of the company and their work in particular.
One of the most important rules about designing not only an office space, but anything for that matter, is to personalize the design properly. If the design reflects, expresses and almost describes the client, the client knows that the designer has taken their time with understanding them properly, which makes them feel happy and accomplished as everyone always truly desires to be understood, noticed and seen.
By finding out what Fiasco Design is really about, not only as a company but also by getting to know something about individual employees, I aim to create a very specify, personalised and private space, where all members of staff can feel safe and trusted, just like at their homes. That’s why I have decided to base my concept on the three key words that describe not company's work, but the company itself. Each one of those words mean so much Fiasco Design, as each one implicates a huge part of the company's personality. I am willing to deeply look into each one of those words, and by understanding the words character and meaning, think of different places or objects which implicate those features. Places which not only remind or symbolise of those words, but also are those words in themselves. After gathering those, I will use their most intriguing and inspiring features together, and base the office interior design on them.
As in most Fiasco Design work pieces there's a clear domination of distinctive bright colours, I will try to avoid those in my design. Fiasco Design works with company’s who aim mainly for the youth, and as they do so, they have to be constantly aware of the upcoming fashion movements and trends. The space I am willing to design, won’t be aimed for the youth, but professional adults, and won’t be based on a upcoming trend, but will be timeless. It will represent Fiasco Design as a company, not only as what they do.
A distinct place is as I would imagine a place, which characterises itself by something special, something outstanding and ‘one of a kind’. Place like that would be ideally located in a big city or close by, where it could be discovered by people. Such places would quickly gain public interest whether in positive or negative way, and become known for its individuality. For example, a distinct place would be Eiffel tower and it’s surroundings or London Eye. I could also imagine it being a gallery in a crowded city centre, simple inside, but gaining so much public interest because of an new, eccentric and innovative artist’s exhibition.
Contemplative place in my opinion would be a calm, peaceful place where you could go to relax and spend some time with yourself. Nature would play an important role in that place surroundings as I believe a ‘calm and peaceful’ place would be as far as possible form cities or anywhere crowded. To be more specific a place where I personally would advice someone to go if they want to rest from they every day life and think about important for them matters would be a forest, beach, lake or mountains not surrounded by any holiday resorts or tourists. A place filled with fresh air, where the only noise you would hear would be the noise of nature, with wealthy and clear environment. Although it could also be a quiet church or a cathedral, with similar features.
An atmospheric place in my mind would be a place where I could go with and spend some time with people close to me, not necessary being completely cut of from the city but then again not crowded. It would be a place where I could comfortably seat down and possibly eat or drink something. This place would have to have something special about it’s design, apart from relaxing, I would imagine it being luxurious, warm, quite private and almost romantic. For example it could be a small bar on the outskirts of a town centre, my own living room or bedroom or a holiday resort.
DESIGN PROGRAMME
3rd floor Right and left isometric view
Space layout (after entering the 3r floor and moving anti clock wise)
-toilets for women, men and disabled
-lift for the disabled and staircase
-dining area equipped with 6 tables fitting 4 persons each and 4 tables for 2 persons each
-fully equipped kitchen facility, salad bar, drinking station and the cashier providing with hot cooked food and snacks
-through the dining are: socialising area-cafeteria with comfortable sofas and chairs
-small cafeteria providing with hot drinks
-photography and editorial studio with desk for the computers and canvas board with a projector
-dark room
-meeting/brainstorming area: table and chairs fitting 10 persons
-small seating area/brake out space
-staircase and lift for the disabled
-multifunctional working area equipped with two tables fitting 6 persons each, tables can be used for drawing or computer work, charcoal boards within the tables, standing workspace on the right
-brake out space comfortable sofas and chairs with coffee tables
-behind brake out space: multifunctional quiet area with 5 tables surrounded by transparent glass each fitting 4 persons
-acoustic plant wall
-multifunctional space: 3 tables fitting 6 people each with charcoal boards within them and touch pads available
-two small brake out spaces: sofas chairs and coffee tables
-conference room: large table fitting 10 persons
1st floor Right isometric view
Space layout (from the entrance to the pop up retail _
-staircase
-storage room and lockers for the employers
-break out/waiting area with comfortable sofas and coffee table, soft drink machine
-multifunctional working spaces
-brake out space/ socialising area
-working private spaces with desks and charcoal boards
-book shelves with design magazines
-brake out space/socialising area
-toilets for men women and disabled
-main lift
-staircase and lift for the disabled
-pop up store
-cafeteria
-cafeteria seating area
2nd floor Right and left isometric view
Space layout (after entering the 3r floor and moving anti clock wise)
-toilets for women, men and disabled
-lift for the disabled and staircase
-brake out space with sofas and coffee tables
-waiting area
-two head offices each with a desk, table, computer, small storage area and comfortable seats for the visitors
-multifunctional space with 5 round tables each fitting 4 persons
-Small cafeteria, cashier desk and large screen emerging important information and company news
-socialising area sofas and coffee tables
-conference room with large wooden table fitting 10 people and screen
-printing facilities with a desk and computer which operates the printers
-waiting area for the printing facilities
-staircase and lift for the disabled
-conference room/ brainstorm are large wooden table fitting 6 persons magnetic boards and screen
-brake out space with sofas and coffee tables
-individual focus working spaces with desks and stationary computers each divided by the acoustic plant wall to brake the noise and make the space more private
-multifunctional working area 2 big wooden tables fitting 6 persons each with charcoal boards and touch pads available
-library: 4 high and wide books shelves and quiet reading area 3 small shelves with magazines and articles at the back.
FINAL PLANS AND 3D VISUALS
FIRST FLOOR PLAN SECOND FLOOR PLAN
