Gold Interior Space and Exhibition Design · 2020
Terrafertil Headquarter Offices
by Aaron Leppanen and Veronica Burbano
- A' Design Award 2020 Gold Winner in Interior Space and Exhibition Design
- Awarded April 15, 2020
- CLIENT: Terrafertil
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 15,711
- Verification code 4041854F18 · Verify this award
About Terrafertil Headquarter Offices
Terrafertil is a headquarters office interior in Quito, Ecuador. The workplace covers 350 square meters on one floor and combines open workstations with private offices. Two meeting rooms, the waiting area and the lobby are covered by a custom structure of 663 French oak panels, cut by computer controlled machines and held by a steel frame. The polygonal wooden forms divide the space, create privacy and recall the organic growth found in nature. Concrete and drywall contrast with the warmth of the wood. Custom textiles, wallpaper and furniture add color and light.
Aaron Leppanen's Terrafertil Headquarter Offices exemplifies the contemporary evolution of workplace design, wherein traditional corporate formality yields to environments that nurture both productivity and wellbeing through thoughtful material choices and spatial choreography. The design demonstrates masterful command of what might be termed architectural dialogue, establishing two distinct experiential zones that converse across a transparent threshold while maintaining individual character. The reception area, with its deliberately informal arrangement of colorful seating and vibrant abstract artwork, evokes the warmth of domestic space translated into professional context, suggesting an organizational culture that values creative expression and human comfort. The adjacent conference zone, by contrast, employs the dramatic geometric intervention of faceted timber cladding to create an enveloping sense of occasion and focus, the angular planes catching light in ways that animate the surfaces throughout the day. This juxtaposition recalls broader movements in contemporary interior architecture that seek to dissolve rigid boundaries between work and life, formality and relaxation. The chromatic strategy proves particularly sophisticated: warm wood tones establish continuity across the floor plane while accent colors, from the sunshine yellow chair to the deep teal seating, create moments of visual punctuation that guide the eye and establish hierarchy. The inclusion of living plants and the watermelon-motif ottoman speak to biophilic design principles and a willingness to embrace whimsy within professional contexts. Viewers might consider how such spatial arrangements reflect evolving understandings of what contemporary workers seek from their environments and how physical space might support both collaborative engagement and individual restoration.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- The relationship between the workplace and physical environment was exploited by using the company s motto, natural and healthy products from origin. These unique offices are composed of a mix of open and closed spaces that take inspiration from the organic growth which one finds in nature. A system of organic draping wood forms were created to mimic nature s organic growth and define space. This composition makes the project more than an office, it becomes a place of experimentation.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- The office has an area of 350 square meters on one floor. It is composed of two types of workspaces, open workstations, and private offices. The main areas in the office are the two meeting rooms, the waiting area, and the lobby, which are covered with a custom CNC wooden structure made out of 663 French Oak panels. This structure conceptualizes nature which is the heart of the brand Terrafertil.
- Tags
- Nature , Draping , Paneling , Interior , Growth
- Production Technology
- The key in achieving the polygonal forms designed to separate the different interior spaces was the use of 663 custom CNC wood panels with a steel frame structure. To contrast the warmth feeling of the office, as designers we decided to use concrete and drywall.
The custom made stainless steel kitchen was fabricated in an artisanal workshop, which specializes in a welding technique for smooth filleted corners. Every detail in the office was custom fabricated. - Design Challenge
- Our main challenge was finding a suitable technology to fabricate the parametric triangular steel frame structure and wood panels. In Ecuador, CNC and 3D printing machines are at a very early stage. The manufacturers are developing the necessary skills to fully understand how to translate from digital design to the real scale world.
- Project Duration
- The project started in 2016 and was completed on May 2019, in Quito-Ecuador.
- Operation Flow
- The office design prioritizes the flow and feeling of its users, it simulates a walk through the country, the design was meant to bring the outside in. The wooden boxes gather people together, imposing and dividing the space, creating privacy and hierarchy. The interior design is inspired in the brand's logo, products and colors. The textiles, wallpaper and furniture used were custom and were meant to bring light, color and form resembling a prairie. The space is in constant transformation, from a collaborative space to a closed working space, this equilibrium makes the space perform in dynamism.
- Research
- Inspired by the client's brand, the recurring concept of the design was nature. The exploration of different types of materials and construction methods to attain the desired form was a recurring task throughout the project. Through the building of mock ups and extensive parametric script research, the polygonal forms that act as space creators were achieved. After the digital design was completed the work done with contractors was a key collaboration to fabricate, plan, bring on site and assemble the pieces inside of a functioning building.
- Inspiration
- The architectural concept is to promote nature s rich and diverse characteristics through the spatial components. The client wanted a close relationship between the company s motto and the design concept that guided the process and decisions. The strategy was to take inspiration from the organic growth which one finds in nature. Such as, the way that trees and their fruits integrate themselves organically through their natural setting, the harmonious dynamism of blooming and ripening.
- Image Credits
- PHOTOS: BICUBIK
VIDEO: Spintacorp
Colors of Terrafertil Headquarter Offices
Get Terrafertil Headquarter Offices
Architectural Interior Design for Corporate Offices
We transform corporate spaces into living expressions of brand identity. Our award-winning architectural team specializes in creating innovative office interiors that enhance productivity while reflecting your company's values through parametric design and custom fabrication.
G0E3 Shop