Inspired by the images of two large metropolises – New York and Tokyo – the Spanish architecture practice Izaskun Chinchilla Architects has designed an interior for the 900 sqm (9,688 sqft) ‘Conde de Casal’ coworking space in Madrid.
Izaskun Chinchilla Arquitects: ‘According to many studies, the coworking phenomenon is intrinsicly associated to the urban lifestyle. The density and diversity of people and oportunities that a big metropolis produces, encourages the apparition of places where its fundamental purpouse is sharing creativity. This is why it seemed natural for us that our spaces payed tribute and were inspired by great cities.’
New York was chosen because it is still the emblem of an open city where people go to invent and succeed, whereas Tokyo remains as the symbol of a symbiosis between the latest technologies and ancestral culture. The architects said that these two cities reflected the nature of ‘Conde de Casal’ – open, filled with opportunities for those who imagine a different world.
The interior features a lot of colorful elements – fabrics, ceramics, painted papers – that make it a very cheerful place. However, the style is not the only feature of the project. Striving to inspire the users of ‘Conde de Casal’ with their design, Izaskun Chinchilla Architects created a space where everything could be transformed into something unexpected. The recognizable IKEA furniture was transformed and modified – beds into tables, bunk beds into Skype rooms. Almost all equipment can be moved to another location, allowing the users to make new combinations and layouts within the coworking space.
LOCATION: Madrid, Spain
USE OF THE BUILDING: Work area and events
CLIENT: utopic_US
AUTHOR: Izaskun Chinchilla
COLLABORATORS (ARCHITECTS): Adriana Cabello Plasencia, Alejandro Espallargas Omedas, Guillermo Sánchez Sotés, Jesús Valer Aransay
INTERSHIP (STUDENTS): Cristina Traba Deza
DESIGN PERIOD: May – June 2016
AREA: 900 sqm
FURNITURE: IKEA
PHOTOS: Miguel de Guzman (Imagensubliminal)