The TL Project is an unrealized architecture study for the office of a new startup company in Athens. It takes place in a 100m² office located on the ground floor / semi-basement of a block of flats, and it has access to a part of its back-side uncovered yard. The initial office space consisted of separate employees’ and director’s offices. Storage rooms and restrooms accessed the back yard, which was also used as an additional storage area. The floor level being below the street level, and the quantity of partition walls lead ti insufficient natural light in the office area. However, the startup team envisioned a space with intense transparency, more light, spaces that would encourage collaboration, discussion, presentation and overall way of working; an environment that would encourage ideas and innovation, with an aesthetic inspired by the product and the philosophy of the company.
Flexible layout design
The TL project aimed to address to the needs of the team. The layout of the new floor plan is developed on the horizontal east-west axis. That would offer better use of natural light and ventilation. The desk working area and cooperation space is formed along the horizontal axis, and conceptually separated in a semi-transparent way from the shared common area, which functions either as a waiting area or as a casual meeting space. The main meeting space is placed in the center of the office, emphasizing teamwork spirit and its high importance for innovation. A linear shelving system extends in a parallel axis, providing hidden storage spaces, recesses for presentation projections, and a small kitchenette. The restrooms and server / storage rooms are placed behind a hidden background zone. The back yard is designed to be a small garden for lunch break. In the front elevation, the previous entrance door in the middle is converted to a fixed window and two new symmetrical doors define the new circulation. Planting areas were designed in the front and back elevation, so that the workplace would have a more intimate character.