Office Design Project for Hyundai CRADLE in Ebertstrasse, Berlin
Architecture / Furniture
Team: Changki Kim, Ki Jun Kim, Sejin Lee
2020
Hyundai CRADLE Berlin, European Open Innovation Hub
This is a design and construction project for Hyundai CRADLE Berlin office in Germany. Established by Hyundai Motor Company in major cities around the world, Hyundai CRADLE aims to discover and support start-ups and innovative ventures in key areas of future mobility.
Janusian Space
We analyzed themes that reflect identities and values of the city of Berlin and our client. Berlin is young heart of Europe where diverse cultures coexist and create unique harmony based on its dynamic history and Hyundai CRADLE is a small and flexible organization leading in industry innovation with the DNA of Hyundai Motors. We suggested the keyword Janusian Space as a spatial concept encompassing both identities. Janus, the gatekeeper god in Roman mythology, embodies concepts of duality and compatibility such as gate, beginning & end, and transition. This concept represents the shared values of the city of Berlin and Hyundai CRADLE and played a key role in developing this new workspace.
The project is located in a business facility building designed by the architectural office Modersohn & Freiesleben on the north side of the Berlin Potsdamer Platz district, which was fully developed after unification of Germany. The space is 320 sqm and to the east, Berlin's Mitte area spreads out, and the west faces a calm block courtyard. Working area and event halls are located on the facade side, and the communication/service area supporting them is naturally located in the center. This area includes two masses with different characters that contain a meeting room, copy room and a telephone booth, and an area that contains the reception lounge and library, located in between the two masses. These areas were concretized through conceptual reflection of Janusian Space with materiality, areas, atmosphere, and transformation.
Material_Casual/luxury
Prior to morphological design of spaces and facilities, we first developed the overall composition of materiality and spaces by considering our client’s usage requirements and corporate image. Casual and luxurious materials are juxtaposed, providing aesthetic novelty and functional practicality at the same time, while each character stands out on its own. This materiality is the basis of our formal and structural decisions of the interior architecture and furniture design.
Area_Comfortable working area and dynamic communication area
The working area is made so that the field of vision changes depending on user’s height, providing a comfortable working environment while allowing concentration to take place. In contrast, communication areas such as the meeting room and copy room have lively character expressed by compact space groupings and controllable wall transparency. Custom-made furniture reflects archetypal behavioral patterns of the users and is placed along with plants to naturally connect and separate the two areas.
Atmosphere_Alone together
Each space is connected to the service area with unique narrative expressed by different color and materiality of components such as surface, furniture and lighting. This creates an atmosphere that is independent and connected at the same time.
Transformation_Movement on silence
In designing spaces that require flexible usage, such as event room or an external working area, we placed more importance on key usage of the spaces rather than on rapidity of transformation. This reflects the Korean aesthetic philosophy of “Movement in Silence” (jeongjungdong/정중동).