The Introduction

The Siglo offices are based in the iconic Umhlanga Arch building in Durban, the floor layout and atmosphere of the office benefitted from having the incredible views of the city and its beautiful coastline.

The brief involved creating a shared office between four businesses, sharing facilities such as the reception area, meeting rooms, boardrooms, kitchen and ablutions.  The office design criteria were that it had to appeal to all the brand identities in the space and to be seen as one.

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The Body

The interior design was based on three key design concepts: Calm, professional and open. This was achieved by making use of transparent materials and neutral colours to create an understated space with a sense of flow and of volume in the relatively small office. 

To allow employees to move around easily and have equal access to the façade edge and views, full height clear glazed partitions were introduced to bring light to the inner darker spaces and to share the views. It was imperative for the various businesses to appear as integrated rather than segregated and offer visibility even if not accessible.

The office features lounge seating areas at the reception with lush planting to create a sense of place in sub-tropical Durban. It has direct access to the view and is surrounded by numerous types and sizes of VC boardrooms and meeting rooms, fully equipped with video conferencing facilities and acoustically treated to ensure privacy.

The Inspiration

The office desk areas were planned at the extremities of the floor layout to negate/avoid disruptions from the daily functions.  A communal kitchen and entertainment area has a large island and dining table for lunchtime meals or as the evening bar to host visiting guests. The kitchen joinery was designed to conceal the scullery functions from sight if required.  This area leads out onto the patio which has views onto the main piazza of the building for their outdoor entertaining.

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The Features

Custom-made furniture includes the boardroom tables, to accommodate the video conferencing requirements concealed within, executive lounge armchairs, sofa, coffee and console tables, meeting tables and reception desk.

The logo for Siglo was also developed by the interior designers which was used in various ways around the office and wayfinding signage throughout the building.

The neutral palette of textures and materials including Italian marble, porcelain, solid & veneered oak and sisal rugs was extensively used. Artwork played a very important role in the design to highlight the proximity to the ocean and the sub-tropical climate.

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