Singapore studio Ministry of Design have completed an office building in Singapore, which features strips of white lighting that seem to have been scribbled over exterior and interior surfaces.  

Called Face to Face, the building contains offices, meeting rooms and informal meeting spaces.

In place of a reception desk, visitors are greeted at a 10 meter-long solid-surface bar.

The black walls are decorated with white silhouettes of animals, people and trees.

More about Ministry of Design on Dezeen:

Leo Burnett Office, featuring a drawing of the company’s founder spread across the walls and floor (October 2009)

Here’s some words from Ministry of Design:

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Ministry of Design has created a holistic experience for Face to Face, a regional serviced office provider spanning Architecture, Interiors and complete Branding. Situated in between the high-density areas of Raffles City and Raffles Place, the project aims to provide a service office and meeting environment that captures an emerging need for more lifestyle orientated workplaces.

QUESTION

Beginning the process by asking some fundamental questions, we began to investigate the creation of a distinct and holistic identity for the client in contrast to the conventional sleek, modern, professional image portrayed and experience provided by other service office providers. We were also interested in the relationship and experience between the reception-visitors and landlord-tenant together with the lack of distinctiveness in the typical office meeting spaces and the lack of informal/serendipitous meetings.

DISTURB

Through our process of disturbing convention, we began to overturn several key areas. We began by de-familiarizing the distinction of a reception counter by turning it into a pantry bar, meeting table cum play table. Here, a 10m long sculptural bar formed out of solid surface becomes a magnet for interaction and activity on a daily basis as well as during special functions.

Next, we have provided the potential for seasonal transformation in the feel and function of the main public spaces through a full-length graphic wall. An all-black canvas coupled with dramatic lighting and various reflective/matte surfaces provide a dynamic and unconventional setting for an office – one that is more lifestyle-driven. Portrayals of human and animal silhouettes provide a quirky and playful sensibility in the reception, pantry, meeting rooms and even the fire escape stairs allow the experience to be imageable for both 1st time visitors and tenants. These features also aid in the de- familiarization in the normative understanding and experience of typical office spaces.

Lastly, the orchestration of quotidian activities of tenants such as collecting mail, conducting brief meetings or relaxation periods in front of the main pantry on the 1st storey are aimed to encourage interaction between tenants and the Face To Face guest relations office.

REDEFINE

As a redefined experience, Face to Face introduces a Concierge and guest relations officer instead of the typical passive receptionist. It provides different ways of meeting face-to-face and holistically, leaves a distinctive and imageable impression of a differentiated serviced office experience that is both professional and lifestyle based.