RESEARCH STUDIO PLACE 2.5
BERLAGE INSTITUT ROTTERDAM
FOREWORD
DR. BERNHARD E. KALLUP
CHAIRMAN OF THE SEDUS STOLL AG BOARD OF MANAGEMENT
In the present day “Work in the knowledge society“ is a popular buzzword – but what in fact does it mean? What consequences will it have in future for the design of offices, and in particular for the architectural planning of office buildings?
As a producer of office furniture Sedus occupies itself on a daily basis with the design of workplaces – but the questions to be examined here are not just a question of equipping existing office space. In an ideal case the buildings are regarded at the very planning stage not just as a property investment but take holistic concepts of use into consideration.
If people as the users are regarded as the central factor, office buildings should not just encourage efficient work on the part of the occupants but also rest and communication, and at the same time have a kind of emotional appeal. Only when these aspects have been fulfilled will motivation and satisfaction increase, and with them the efficiency of the employees and users.
If companies today wish to attract and retain highly qualified experts, the criteria of an attractive workplace
As a producer of office furniture Sedus occupies itself on a daily basis with the design of workplaces – but the questions to be examined here are not just a question of equipping existing office space. In an ideal case the buildings are regarded at the very planning stage not just as a property investment but take holistic concepts of use into consideration.
If people as the users are regarded as the central factor, office buildings should not just encourage efficient work on the part of the occupants but also rest and communication, and at the same time have a kind of emotional appeal. Only when these aspects have been fulfilled will motivation and satisfaction increase, and with them the efficiency of the employees and users.
If companies today wish to attract and retain highly qualified experts, the criteria of an attractive workplace
with the accompanying flexible allocation of time – an individually controlled alternation between „Create and Recreate“ – will become indispensable.
With its PLACE 2.5 concept Sedus is adopting this very approach. Behind it lies the thesis put forward by sociologists that our lives take place at three places: at the First Place – our home, at the Second Place – our place of work, and at the Third Places, the locations where we enjoy ourselves, relax, rest – places which enable us to recharge our batteries emotionally and provide the strength for the daily routine.
PLACE 2.5 is a perfect Second Place, which feels like a Third Place. In an attractive and stimulating working environment employees experience sensual stimulation, enjoyment, success and fulfilment.
To go one step further and develop this approach not only within the company itself but also in discussion with architects and customers, Sedus intiated, in the 2005/2006 winter semester, a Research Studio on this subject at the prestigious Berlage Institute, the architectural research centre in Rotterdam.
With its PLACE 2.5 concept Sedus is adopting this very approach. Behind it lies the thesis put forward by sociologists that our lives take place at three places: at the First Place – our home, at the Second Place – our place of work, and at the Third Places, the locations where we enjoy ourselves, relax, rest – places which enable us to recharge our batteries emotionally and provide the strength for the daily routine.
PLACE 2.5 is a perfect Second Place, which feels like a Third Place. In an attractive and stimulating working environment employees experience sensual stimulation, enjoyment, success and fulfilment.
To go one step further and develop this approach not only within the company itself but also in discussion with architects and customers, Sedus intiated, in the 2005/2006 winter semester, a Research Studio on this subject at the prestigious Berlage Institute, the architectural research centre in Rotterdam.
Under the leadership of Prof. Dietmar Leyk, supported by Tobias Lutz and Nils Becker, an international team of postgraduates is working on the vision of what the consequences of PLACE 2.5 could mean for architecture. On the basis of case studies suggestions have been developed for a wide range of applications.
This online presentation provides an insight into projects involving the office building of the future, projects which are of course in part influenced by the cultural identity of those who have developed them, but which, in terms of use, have been conceived from the “Create and Recreate“ point of view.
I hope that reading this presentation will provide you with new impressions and food for thought, and that it leads to an interesting discussion and debate on the future of a more emotionally-oriented and holistic way of looking at the place where we work.
Dr. Bernhard E. Kallup
Chairman of the Sedus Stoll AG Board of Management
This online presentation provides an insight into projects involving the office building of the future, projects which are of course in part influenced by the cultural identity of those who have developed them, but which, in terms of use, have been conceived from the “Create and Recreate“ point of view.
I hope that reading this presentation will provide you with new impressions and food for thought, and that it leads to an interesting discussion and debate on the future of a more emotionally-oriented and holistic way of looking at the place where we work.
Dr. Bernhard E. Kallup
Chairman of the Sedus Stoll AG Board of Management