Supagro
Learning spaces rethought inside an existing campus building.
A campus that reorganises without moving.
The building was already there, with its volumes, its mezzanine and its constraints. The project was about reusing that floor area rather than building more, reassigning each space to the use that suits it.
Flexible teaching rooms, work alcoves, high tables for a quick stop, reading corners: one typology follows another without partitioning the floor any further.
Acoustics before decoration.
In a teaching building, noise is the first enemy of comfort. Suspended panels, high-backed enclosed benches and absorbent materials were built into the design, not added afterwards.
The warm tones of the pendant lights and the seating push back against the grey of the building, without overloading it.
Project summary
Ergonomics and desk comfort
Adjustable seating, height-variable work surfaces, supports for standing postures. We size workstations around the hours actually spent in front of a screen, not around an average standard.
Acoustics and light
Noise and glare are the two most common complaints in open-plan offices. Absorbent panels, screens, booths and desk orientation are dealt with at plan stage, not added afterwards.
Modular furniture
Tables that fold and join together, movable partitions, seating that can be shifted: a floor plate should be able to change configuration in an hour, without technical help.
Integrated technology
Screens, video conferencing, room booking, lighting control: equipment is planned into the furniture and the services, to avoid extension leads and boxes stuck on as an afterthought.
Break and wellbeing spaces
Kitchen areas, lounges, quiet break spaces, outdoor zones where the site allows. These places, more than the desks, are what make people want to come back to the office.
Reuse and durability
Some of the existing furniture can often be reused after refurbishment. We favour French and European manufacturers, repairable pieces and take-back schemes for whatever cannot stay.