Desigual Offices – Nova Bocana

The new Desigual offices designed by Turull-Sorensen Arquitectos, located in a building next to the beach in the new mouth of the port of Barcelona, are a perfect viewpoint overlooking the city and the sea.

The surface area of almost 25,000 m² distributed over 6 floors (one basement floor and five floors above ground level) has been designed on the basis of the collaboration that this architectural studio has maintained with Desigual for the last 15 years.

The distribution of the interior space has sought to promote teamwork from a multidisciplinary perspective, organising the workspaces by challenges and not by functions. In this way, the creative connection between people is exercised and coexistence is improved.
The entrance hall acts as a welcoming space. Named after the brand’s slogan, “Life is cool”, it consists of a central atrium, which allows you to immerse yourself in the Desigual atmosphere. A space that not only responds to functional requirements, but also has to mean an “experience” for those who find themselves in it

In this same hall there is a cafeteria and different living and working areas, creating a meeting place for employees and visitors. The proximity to the beach and the sea on one side and the panoramic view of the city of Barcelona on the other, are the real protagonists. As we move around “La Vida es Chula”, we can’t help but become engrossed against the glass façade, watching the powerful waves on a stormy day or the sunset on a spring evening.

The main materials used in the interior design are wood, wicker, bamboo and concrete. But also the fabrics, Desigual’s hallmark. At this level, one of the most important decisions of the architectural studio was to use carpet as flooring, which is unusual in Mediterranean culture. The carpet design imitates a patchwork of carpets, risky but in keeping with the company’s modus vivendi. The “overlaying” of carpets to cover the entire floor, based on the solution adopted in many mosques, not only provides a pleasant feeling when walking on them, but also regulates the reverberation of acoustic waves. This allows 200 people to work in a single space while maintaining a low noise level.

The idea of combination is repeated in the floor of the hall, where eight types of wood are mixed in a radial pavement with “the bar” at its centre.

The canvas covering the central space of the canteen is also intended to resolve the acoustics of this space.

The work carried out by the architects and interior designers has sought only to create the ideal setting for working in a pleasant and efficient way, in an ideal environment for developing good ideas, and also for contemplating what nature has to offer.

The sofas, armchairs, tables and other pieces of furniture chosen, as well as the lighting and wall treatments, are intended to “accompany” and go hand in hand with the experience of seeing and “smelling” what is going on out there.

The selected pieces therefore have a story to tell. A large number of them – copper tables, stools or bulrush chairs – were found in markets and street stalls in Marrakech, Barcelona and Catalonia. The result is a very visual, graphic atmosphere.

At this location, the employees of some of the departments do not have a fixed place of work. Each employee – from the design, product, marketing, human resources, retail, procurement and garment workshop departments – lives in a “neighbourhood” located on open floors, with no offices or walls separating them. There are personal lockers, but in many cases the desks, office equipment and monitors are in common and shared use. And every day, everything is collected according to a “clean desk” policy.

This is made possible by a unified communications system that integrates chat, telephony and video conferencing from the laptop, with wifi connection from anywhere in the building without the need to be plugged into a network cable. To concentrate, work with other colleagues on a common project, hold an informal meeting or make a presentation with a projector, there are multiple spaces specially designed and conceived for these moments (rooms, think tanks, touch downs, dream rooms…).

The climate control systems run parallel to the façade, allowing for aesthetic and functional integration. And, to reduce the demand for air conditioning, the windows have double glazing and solar protection and the blinds are light and heat deflecting. The lighting is centralised and zoned, and has an automatic switch-off system, high-efficiency LEDs and/or fluorescent lights, presence sensors and timer buttons.

The water from the washbasin is used with a water purification system that

Hand-washing water is used by a water treatment plant that feeds it back into the cisterns throughout the building and also irrigates the rooftop plants. And to encourage sustainable transport, 65% of employees commute to work by public transport, walking or cycling (they have free parking). For those who commute by car, there is a notice board offering car-sharing options.

In short, an office that is enriched through the Desigual concept, and becomes a pleasant and lively workspace.