Urban Desk Design & Fitout

Riverhorse Valley, Durban.

Stepping nicely outside of our comfort zone is a job that was so exciting and has continued to bring so much joy as it grows and changes. Urban Desk is a shared office with digital and hot-desk options available and is a space for emerging entrepreneurs to come together to work, connect and develop new networks (so not that far outside of our comfort zone).

The brief was simple; create a series of spaces that work together and encourages people to come together and actually enjoy going to work.  We set out to achieve this by removing the old cliche corporate office ceiling tiles to open up the internal volume and introduce more of the limited natural lighting as well as giving us the opportunity for more creative and less harmful artificial lighting. Next we ripped up the old linoleum flooring to bring in a more natural feel of wood in the private spaces and a more rugged feel of concrete in the social spaces. We also didn’t want the space to feel like ‘just another office’ so we designed custom-made furniture and decorative details that would encompass the identity of Urban Desk. 

In terms of spatial planning, we chose keep the offices to the outer perimeter of the office with glass partitions allowing workers to remain connected to the central and more social spaces such as the shared hot-deks, workbench vestibules and dining area. Rather than hiding the kitchen away, we chose to adapt our residential mindset and turn it into the heart of the office where colleagues could come together for a meal of a cup of coffee.