Fermanoglou architects&associates renovated these offices in Neo Psyhiko, Athens by creating a superimposed girder from natural oak that ‘jumps’ from the floor onto the wall and the ceiling, forming beautiful oblique geometric shapes that give an extra dimension to the room.
The owner’s office, the manager’s office, the secretary office that acts as a private reception and the entrance hall, are all part of a larger office space that occupies the entire floor. At the design stage of the project, the client asked for a space that would stand out from the others in terms of decoration and materiality, something that would inspire him more. As the architects felt that the existing design created a perfectly functional and practical space, they decided that no drastic changes were needed regarding the layout of the floor plan, Therefore, all their creativity was aimed at using and processing the right materials.
For this purpose, three basic materials were chosen: wood (natural oak), metal (black metal sheets) and cement mortar. All spaces are designed with the principle of the creative interaction and sliding between those materials and the three surfaces of the rooms (floor, wall, ceiling). In more detail, wood, is the main material of the floor. The natural oak ‘jumps’ from the floor onto the wall in the form of 3cm thick superimposed girders, continuing onto the ceiling as well.
The doors and bookcases of all the offices are made of black metal sheets. The above elements are visually ‘connected’ through the floor with pieces of this metal that follow the same logic of the roof girders, creating oblique geometric routes. The project’s third material, grey cement mortar, is used as coating for the walls and ceiling. It acts as the perfect background for the decorative oak girders to come to life.
Finally, one more thing worth mentioning is the office furnishing and especially the desks. All office desks were custom designed and manufactured, in order to fit in perfectly with the lines and geometric requirements of each individual space.
