LÁPIZ DE ACERO 2023 AWARD
It is a reason for joy to see the recognition to design and national talent !!!
This time I am proud to had been nominated along with a group of great creatives and designers in different areas and categories for the 2023 Lápiz de Acero Award; after taking a tour of all the projects and participating in the award´s night, it was impossible not to see and recognize the innate talent of each nominee and winner.Once again, I am convinced that the commitment to creativity and good design is a successful way to build a better world in which to live. Alexandra Rozo Ramírez OFFICE DESIGN TO LA HIPOTECARIA COLOMBIA BY ALEXANDRA ROZO /// ARQUITECTURA INTERIOR.
PROJECT NOMINATED TO LÁPIZ DE ACERO 2023 IN INTERIOR SPACE CATEGORY.
A PROJECT WITH ITS OWN SOUL !
C O N T E X T
La Hipotecaria is a Latin American institution focused on housing financing and has been operating in Colombia for the last decade. Thanks to its growth and consolidation in the national market, in 2021 it was necessary to change its location to a central place with easy access for all its clients: It was the time when the company had to position its brand presence and would open its doors through spaces created for public attention.
The company demanded that its image and its new space transmit the service it provides and to whom: A financing service for all those people and families with moderate resources who are looking to have their own home for the first time.
Two adjacent spaces located on Av. El Dorado next to Av. Ciudad de Cali, were the final location to begin the 600 M2 design approach. One of the main determinants was adapting the space to accommodate the required capacity of workers and generating exclusive areas for clients. This new location, which overlooks the avenue that leads to the capital's air terminal, would be a great showcase for walkers and vehicles that circulate through these large road connectors.
By then, the world was going through a health crisis that led to extending the time of supply and production chains while the supplies prices showed a disproportionate rise due to their shortage, high transportation costs made construction too difficult; so the design had to offer solutions that included accessible labor and a selection of materials that were available at time: IT WAS CLEAR THAT THE DESIGN MUST BE VIABLE TO ITS CONSTRUCTION.
C O N C E P T
The concept was based on creating the architectural identity of the brand, inspired by the company's values to conceive a language that transmitted its culture, achieving a visual, sensory and emotional impact during the stay in the place: “YOUR HOME, YOUR SPACE, YOUR HOUSE"; a solid and safe space that should invite, receive and embrace.
The space was approached taking advantage of the maximum height of the place creating a game of planes and volumes that allowed the offices to be naturally illuminated and optimize the circulation of natural air. The space was defined in 2 zones:
A first double-height area is the showcase to outside; they are spaces intended for customer service and are characterized by their sobriety and sophistication where users feel inside a lobby with the essence of home, promoting tranquility and stimulating their aspirational level.
The second area was intended for office use and was defined through a mezzanine divided into two areas that were connected by a bridge over an interior void. A composition of vertical planes creates a reading of dynamic perspectives with harmonious and coherent perceptions.
Brand management is implicit in interior design: The image of the company logo is manifested in the morphology of the design, in materials such as vitroblock and in furniture shapes; the corporate color highlights while the sobriety and simplicity of the materiality is evident in a neutral palette of textured finishes, microcement floors and acoustic ceilings that reveal the industrial structure.
Different possibilities were explored with design and the paradigms of corporate spaces were broken; another quality of architecture and environments was created achieving to dignify the importance of Being, without hierarchical or sociocultural differentiation: DESIGN AT THE SERVICE OF ALL.
Design: Alexandra Rozo /// Arquitectura Interior
Text: Alexandra Rozo
Photos: Andrés Valbuena
Video: Studio La Fábrica, by Diego Hurtado & Ana Maria Janer
Project Nominated to Lápiz de Acero 2023 in the Interior Space Category