Inspired by impressions from a stay in the Antarctic, the managing director of the holding »zwei.7« decided to face a new professional challenge: To build an angular, new urban villa to serve as the new company location in the town of Osnabrück. Two levels contain work spaces, an additional upper level and the souterrain serve as event spaces and guest areas, as well as space for inspiration and innovative projects. An art gallery, »Gallery w«, is situated on the building’s ground floor and its presentations are visible from all levels.
The colour ice-blue, an allusion to Antarctica’s giant icebergs, plays on the name, the philosophy, and the visual appearance of the society. This corporate identity color, the building materials of the architecture, and the results of analyses of ours come together in the color concept we developed: The polyurethane floors show shades from anthracite to very light grays. From the ground floor to the third, these colours get brighter and, thus, more and more airy. They form the calm, supporting backdrop against which four strong colours – blue, red, yellow and violet – are set. To meet the desire for a natural result, we chose oak to complement the architecture, showing in level accesses, doors and window frames.
Along the longitudinal axis of the building, we designed open-plan office spaces containing long work desks. Over the length of the room, we installed sleek, lightweight black metal benches and free-standing cabinets. A light-band installed underneath makes them appear even more light-weight – almost free-floating. The visual concept also employs contrasting lines which connect surfaces and objects throughout the whole building. Multi-function folding screens not only demarcate walk ways but also implement a pleasant zoning. The semi-opaque and acoustically active fabrics used maintain transparency as well as a sense of privacy. Lounges for informal meetings, meeting rooms and small kitchens are also integrated in the office levels.
In the penthouse, a boardroom with an event kitchen forms the centre. Two guest apartments complete this area.
In strong contrast to the other levels, the souterrain’s lighting scheme emulates a white world. In the airy lighting concept, this neutral white forms the background against which the colours from our analysis are again set off. This level, upon which all others base, is used for sports and relaxation, rounding off nicely the radiant work and living space that is now “zwei.7”.
