Nordic inspiration
Written by: René Jakl
Photo by: René Jakl
The Swedish development company Ikano has selected one of its projects as its headquarters – the Old Customs House building near náměstí Republiky. The Swedish spirit of openness is evident in these offices, in both lay-out and furnishings. Marcel Mourek, director of the Czech branch, likes the lavish use of wood, a typically Scandinavian material.
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Until the end of the ’80s, Ikano was a part if IKEA, so of course all office furnishings are from IKEA. For some people it’s synonymous with cheap furniture, but it works great for us. Additionally, I like wood as a material. |
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Visitors can look at pictures of our projects just past the entrance. |
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The way our offices are laid out is a compromise between the American open-space system and the central European custom of working in separate offices. This is a typical Swedish third way. You can wave to each other, you can nod to each other – visual communication is simply excellent. |
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Many things at Ikano are symbols. For example, I got this relay baton from the company’s owners to carry and pass on to others the ideas on which the company is built. |
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A corridor over the atrium with blue illumination evokes the impression of a space ship. This is a part of architect Jiří Střítecký’s concept, and features such as industrial lighting and exposed ventilation ducts follow up on this idea. |
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