Denys & von Arend Interior design for passive offices in Barcelona

the barcelonian Denys & von Arend studio, founded 25 years ago by architects Patricia Von Arend and Nathalie Denyscreated the interior design project of the offices of the new headquarters of Coatresa, a company specializing in the production of molds and non-stick and anti-corrosion coatings for the food bakery sector. The client wanted to bring together, in the same industrial building, both the production area and the central administrative offices. The architects were therefore asked to create a project that could encompass all the different departments and create links between production and the administrative process. At the same time, the new offices had to be efficient, compliant with the PassiveHaus standard and therefore use passive techniques of thermal insulation and ventilation of the spaces, guaranteeing significant energy savings and a conscious use of resources.
The client’s production activity was an essential source of inspiration and a starting point for the interior design project. Working with a completely empty and bare space, the architects started from the idea of ​​a “mold” and its serial repetition, to develop a pattern composed of a series of repeated elements that would give a certain rhythm to the interior design. The result is a space characterized by a refined industrial style, as well as flexible to respond to the work daily life of the company Inspired by the customer’s non-stick and anti-corrosion products and the theories designed by the Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasserthe architects worked on the concept of a “third skin“. In the artist’s vision, after the epidermis and clothing, buildings are the third skin of the human being. For the Denys & von Arend interior design studio, moreover, in addition to our residences, this identity should also be extended with respect to the workplace, where we spend most of our daily active time. Developing this concept, the architects organized the floor plan of the offices to meet the different needs of the employees, with spaces where isolation was possible, necessary for certain work activities, while allowing visual connection and internal communication. quickly between the different departments. All this has been made possible thanks to the use of semi-transparent metal panel walls that create visual filters and volumes of different heights intended for specific functions. The solutions adopted create internal paths and therefore spaces ranging from private to more permeable, responding to different work needs. In addition, the different textures and finishes adopted contribute to creating an elegant and efficient environment, in a relaxed and productive atmosphere that invites professional interaction between colleagues, while promoting individual work.

(Agnes Bifulco)

Images courtesy of Denys & Von Arend, photo by Vicugo Studio

Project: Offices Coatresa
Clients: Coatresa
Location: Santa Perpetua de Mogoda (Barcelona)

Architects: Denys & Von Arend
Collaborators: Studio Passive House Rafael Gil Rodriguez
Builders: Workout Www.Workout-Events.Com
Project date: 05.2019
Completion date: 11 2021
Area: 830 m2
Photos: Studio Vicugo