<Apiary Offices>
The presented headquarters of the Czech IT startup Apiary is located in a former factory hall, which is now part of the Forum Karlín complex in Prague. The hall has been pre-divided into smaller rental units and equipped with a built-in mezzanine. The layout of the fit-out and its architectural expression, which was the subject of our work, seeks to connect with the distinct character of the industrial building and adapt it to the needs of the new tenant.
One of the main expressive means of the design is the acknowledgment of the construction "hardware," that is, the structure and technological equipment of the offices. The original steel structures are painted white and exposed, no ceilings have been used in the ceilings, and all installations are visible, left in their natural colors.
The chosen materials also follow the established "aesthetic of acknowledgment"; the raw physicality of the surfaces can be understood as a harmonious counterbalance to the virtuality of the company's products. On the first floor, the floor is made of industrial lacquered cement screed, and on the second floor, it consists of oil-treated larch floorboards of "C" quality. The outer wall with windows is left in plaster without final painting. The bicycle storage is separated by a grille partition in a frame of steel sections, and the ground floor construction is clad in aluminum sheet. The reception area is made of lacquered spruce plywood. The kitchen and staircase construction are made of laminate (anthracite). The dividing walls of the workplaces are made of Ytong blocks, sprayed with gray paint, with the structure acknowledged (i.e., without plaster). The steel structure is filled in with these partitions using a half-timbering method. The partitions of smaller meeting rooms are painted anthracite. The volume of the toilets is clad in the same type of wood used for the floor.
Although it was "merely" about fitting out the interior, the theme was also the spatial arrangement of the constructions on both floors and working with natural light. With the exception of the acoustic Ytong partition separating individual workplaces on the second floor, each element of the layout is understood as objects inserted into the large space of the hall, separately ceilinged under the actual ceiling (on the first floor) or without a ceiling, open to daylight (meeting rooms on the second floor). To allow daylight from the roof skylights to permeate to the lower floor, a long opening was cut into the floor at the back wall on the second floor.
In line with the regular facade, the interior of the ground floor is divided into four distinctly defined zones - 1) a metal construction that includes the bicycle storage, a changing room with a shower, restrooms, and a larger meeting room. 2) a wooden construction with a reception area, relaxation and bar seating, and a relaxation room. 3) a dining area with modular tables and a projection screen. 4) a staircase construction, under which is a kitchen with a bar and storage.
One of the main expressive means of the design is the acknowledgment of the construction "hardware," that is, the structure and technological equipment of the offices. The original steel structures are painted white and exposed, no ceilings have been used in the ceilings, and all installations are visible, left in their natural colors.
The chosen materials also follow the established "aesthetic of acknowledgment"; the raw physicality of the surfaces can be understood as a harmonious counterbalance to the virtuality of the company's products. On the first floor, the floor is made of industrial lacquered cement screed, and on the second floor, it consists of oil-treated larch floorboards of "C" quality. The outer wall with windows is left in plaster without final painting. The bicycle storage is separated by a grille partition in a frame of steel sections, and the ground floor construction is clad in aluminum sheet. The reception area is made of lacquered spruce plywood. The kitchen and staircase construction are made of laminate (anthracite). The dividing walls of the workplaces are made of Ytong blocks, sprayed with gray paint, with the structure acknowledged (i.e., without plaster). The steel structure is filled in with these partitions using a half-timbering method. The partitions of smaller meeting rooms are painted anthracite. The volume of the toilets is clad in the same type of wood used for the floor.
Although it was "merely" about fitting out the interior, the theme was also the spatial arrangement of the constructions on both floors and working with natural light. With the exception of the acoustic Ytong partition separating individual workplaces on the second floor, each element of the layout is understood as objects inserted into the large space of the hall, separately ceilinged under the actual ceiling (on the first floor) or without a ceiling, open to daylight (meeting rooms on the second floor). To allow daylight from the roof skylights to permeate to the lower floor, a long opening was cut into the floor at the back wall on the second floor.
In line with the regular facade, the interior of the ground floor is divided into four distinctly defined zones - 1) a metal construction that includes the bicycle storage, a changing room with a shower, restrooms, and a larger meeting room. 2) a wooden construction with a reception area, relaxation and bar seating, and a relaxation room. 3) a dining area with modular tables and a projection screen. 4) a staircase construction, under which is a kitchen with a bar and storage.
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