OFFICE - Schwäbisch gmünd 2017

New working world 205

Bosch AS will in future employ agile project work to develop its automotive innovations. The work of the future will take place in a new, future-proof work environment, located in a 3200 m2 former production hall. A striking design was an explicit part of the brief, to enable the company to use this ‘soft skill’ to prevail in attracting the most talented employees.

A central roadway meanders through the hall. It is deliberately furnished with bends, turn-offs and refuelling stops, because accidental encounters between employees are part of a conscious strategy. Diverse meeting options support productive exchange, while ideas can be instantly recorded on the ubiquitous zinc surfaces.

Materials were chosen to suit the industrial character of the space. Raw zinc, wood and steel surfaces are combined to create the strict geometry of the integrated units. Polycarbonate surfaces that suggest model making reappear on walls and seating, thus conjuring up the prototype stage in the developmental process. Many textile elements and the colour concept, which inspires through the use of intense shades, provide a warm tactile contrast.