Design Challenge and Design Ideas

Iconic Offices in collaboration KLD and NSBS set out to create a dynamic and inspiring work space for businesses with high tech technology and innovation at their core. Recently Iconic offices have established themselves as the leading design-led flexible workspace provider in Ireland, through of high end, co-working and fully serviced office spaces. The long-term aspiration of the space was to create somewhere that was visually impactful and inspiring to draw in a mix of progressive businesses, linking these businesses within one space, fuelling innovative thinking and heightening productivity. A home to a diverse, progressive community of business minds. Iconic Offices collaborated with KLD to deliver a shared workspace design that would compliment the environment of their largest co-working space to date, (*April 2017). The Brickhouse, an Iconic Offices and Hibernia REIT plc partnership, located only a short stroll from Dublin’s Silicon Docks was the perfect premises to deliver this.

How the brief was fulfilled

In conjunction with Iconic Offices, KLD were tasked with concepting and designing a three-storey office space that was an inspiring and inclusive environment for members, regardless of role or industry. A diverse and collaborative workspace where start-ups work side-by-side with established brands in every sector. Akin to this was an overall objective to provide a commercially viable design. With a limited design budget, the team had one shared objective: to portray creativity and impact in order to sell space. The concept was a bold, colourful and dynamic design. As part of the design process detailed renders of each of the space were commissioned, which were used to sell the space online. On the strength of the proposed design the spaces were extremely well received and acquired by exciting startups right through to established household names and innovative businesses, prior to fitout completion. The design included ‘dipped’ rooms such as the kitchen and meeting rooms, where every element appeared dipped in a deep, vibrant paint creating immediate impact through colour alone. Bespoke joinery, metal work and panelling were designed with all details specified in a cost-effective manner to maximise budget and design. A strict budget on this job required innovation when selecting materials. Materials like vinyl was used in clever ways to inject drama. A range of graphics and decals to be used on windows and doors throughout the building were also designed. These were extremely cost effective, and made for a high quality, finished look. In line with Iconic Office’s commercial plan, adaptability of spaces, that would allow them to be used as event spaces was an important aspect of the brief. A series of adaptable, non-fixed tables with simple bench seating was designed to allow the kitchen to be completely cleared, creating a large area for events. This space is accessed from the main co-working space through an archway, leading into the vibrant, blue dipped kitchen, bringing the occupier on a journey through the space, conveying Iconic Office’s key values of openness, fun and innovation. A balance had to be achieved for the occupiers of this space, in creating a stimulating, vibrant and inspiring space, while also keeping an awareness of the fact that the space would need to be