OFFICE SPACE >
Raw charm of industry
Written by: Štěpánka Strouhalová
Photo by: Věroslav Sixt

The unmistakable "raw" hallmark of the architect Stanislav Fiala turned a prewar industrial building in Strašnice, Prague, into a pleasant, airy space with the help of simple elements. Its design communicates with the mission and spirit of Illbruck, a vendor of sealing and anchoring construction materials. "We're an innovative, dynamic company with great team spirit," says Miroslav Kratochvíl, the firm's sales director. "So our offices appear so as to stimulate cooperation and new ideas."

01> The common office for purchasing and the secretarial pool is logically open, with a broad entrance for visitors to easily find their way around.

02> To be an expert in your profession you must invest in education. Our diplomas, trophies, and certificates prove that we constantly try to train not only our management, but the entire firm as well.

03> Miroslav Kratochvíl, sales director

04> An effective decorative element is the heating, made with the use of simple materials: welded and lacquered heating pipes, spiraling around the original columns.

05> This picture by Aleš Ogoun is borrowed from Sipral, with whom we shared our original headquarters.

06> This is the main communication area for the company, where everything goes on, joining all the offices and the firm's infrastructure. We placed great emphasis on the entire space being open and well-lit.

07> I prefer a well arranged office, so I have maximal information in my computer handy. Meetings must take place in a pleasant atmosphere. For example, I try not to let visits be disturbed by noise from the other offices or by lights that have an unpleasant glare.

08> The purposefully designed conference room with ten seats is the only closed space in the firm.

09> The visible design of the wiring has both functional and aesthetic aspects. Because we rent this facility, we decided to run the wiring outside the bricks and plaster for economic reasons.

10> Over time, the kitchenette, with its unusual stainless counter and cupboards, has required several functional modifications, to the detriment of the aesthetic design. We try to avoid this to the utmost, but despite the architect's opinion, we had to replace the interesting washerless faucets and the siphon.