Architectural and landscape design firm SHL Asia has coined the phrase ‘Workspace and Culture’ to describe their new office and studio set up. “Some of you might have already heard of the phrase,” they told us, “but to sum it up, ‘Workspace and Culture’ is a space in which to channel creativity and culture in the new world. We wanted to get away from the idea of work as a negative, and redefine it with positive connotations.
The area itself involves a few main concepts, physically and philosophically, with the composition inspired mostly by ‘Natah’ pattern of Balinese traditional houses. It focuses on the balance between the building and the landscape area.
In Bali, when people say ‘house’ they do not necessarily refer to one single building – instead it represents a group of separate buildings. Human activities, interaction and the landscape involved acts as a connector between these spaces, creating stability and balance within the compound. It is designed so that life energy goes from inside and out in a cosmic orientation, creating good flow and harmony.
“Our building is the reflection of our needs, economics and land. It is nestled amidst residential home next to a warehouse, so we are keen for the building to blend in with the surrounding area. So we came up with an ‘urban village’ feel involving a lot of raw and rough textures through the application of exposed brick for exterior and interior walls. Other than that, a very minimalist color palette is applied to represent a clear and clean impression. Later, we can utilize this white canvas for multi-functional space and decorate it with the touch of art and creativity. The blank canvas will be ‘painted’ by individual activities, plants, accents, furniture and most importantly, the intimacy of our team.”
