When a company uses its product as the main axis of its offices, the result is simply bright. This is the case of the offices of the publishing house Suhrkamp Verlag in Berlin, where the team of kinzo not only managed to accommodate the thousands of volumes and collections of the publisher, but has used them as a plot thread and structural of the project.

Books welcome

Suhrkamp Publisher embarked on the search for a spatial concept that reflected the identity of the publisher. The project required a tailored solution that was simple and elegant with a reduced budget and that, although smaller in size than the previous office, would accommodate 135 employees.

From the entrance to the offices, 7.500 m2, Distributed over six floors, a forceful declaration of intent is transmitted: “Here we make books.”  

Shelving for partitions

The basic concept was to create a distribution that rested on stacked volumes of various heights, which They will replace walls and columns. In this allegorical way, the books had to form the support structure and, at the same time, be the daily work instrument. Consequently, many shelves had to be built, which had to fill almost all the free spaces in the walls and, at the same time, replace them. But the challenge was enormous: how to get enough space to house such a number of books? A new concept for the entire building plan provided the answer: Kinzo divided the plant and let the walls meander through the 6 floors of the building in a zigzag shape, as if it were an interior façade.

Rooms among the books

This idea not only provided more wall space and therefore enough shelves, but at the same time optimized the surface of the rooms and created small niches, usable by all employees as retreat rooms for spontaneous meetings, communication islands, reflection groups or telephone booths.

Editing rooms

In addition to books, staff and its functions also occupy a leading role. Kinzo responded to all the spatial needs of workers, including editors, with a heterogeneous offer that is also reflected in the floor plan. At first, it was a big challenge to accommodate all the editing rooms desired. From the beginning it was clear that the editors' rooms had to be as small and efficient as possible. The result are rooms with an average of 9 m2 that are characterized by floor-length windows that let in a lot of natural light. Instead of appearing confined, the rooms convey a feeling of security and concentration. The door to each assembly room is designed so that, when opened, it is flush with the shelving and almost appears to disappear into it. This allows the room to open up to the adjacent open space of the large office and become your extension.

Open work areas

The broad common area The office counterbalances small rooms, as well as allowing colleagues to have eye contact when the doors are open. The other jobs are gathered in the open areas, which have kitchens y conference rooms on the angular side of the building. They are characterized by being pleasant spaces with views across large windows.

One of the conference rooms It has furniture with wheels, so the room can be reused according to needs. A great screen hides a custom-made whiteboard, which can be opened or closed as needed.

The narrative ladder

The conference rooms and kitchens and, therefore, the plants are connected internally through the so-called “narrative ladder”, which runs from the first floor at an oblique angle to the sixth.

The staircase gets its name from its impressive side shelf, which follows the steep course of the staircase like a narrative thread. The oak shelves are in line with the wood of the steps.

Color and materials

The chromatic concept of books, publisher's identity seal, It is balanced with materials and furniture. To harmonize the bright color of the thousands of book spines, they were chosen calm and neutral colors. All built-in and upholstered furniture is dark blue color, while the loose furniture takes up the primary colors, and here and there accentuates the gray and white speckled carpet of the offices. This, in turn, is harmoniously integrated into the rough gray color scheme of the concrete ceilings seen with exposed formwork, the elegant white of the shelves and the minimalist gray of the balustrades and ceilings. Roller blinds, also in grey, complete the concept.

Although high-quality materials and products were used and many accessories had to be made to measure, the solutions remained cost-effective and fit the bill. audiovisual. With his work, Kinzo has demonstrated his experience in the office interior design, that has been growing over the years, and at the same time has opened new doors by satisfying the requirements and needs of a traditional publisher, an institution of high culture.

Photos: Sebastian Dörken and Schnepp Renou via SnapShotOffice