Office kitchen is individually designed project where the ideas and wishes of LMT employees are integrated. This approach has directly influenced the result allowing to create a multi functional space. Besides having a meal the kitchen space creates a perfect mood for getting inspired and restart. The environment can be felt with almost all senses- you can touch, see, smell and hear it. Since its opening this kitchen has become a popular meeting place for contact center employees as well as „guest” employees from other departments.
Project designer: Edgars Jesikens
The project is described by Kristīne Martinsone, Head of the LMT Facilities Department, and the author of the concept, Edgars Jesikens.
DREAMS COME TRUE
K. Martinsone: Since 2002, when the LMT building was built, the workload of the Contact Centre has grown considerably. Back then 24 people worked there; now there are 61. The work is continuous, demanding and intensive. In refurbishing this space we wanted to create a place to rest, recover and find inspiration. Combining the existing kitchen area with part of the corridor produced this 45 m2 space. Before the work began we also gathered the employees' own ideas and suggestions, so that what emerged would be a place that fulfils dreams.
A CONCEPT BUILT ON THE FEEL OF A HAY BARN
E. Jesikens: In a space used by a lot of people, the greatest challenge is to make everyone feel good in it. To achieve that, I took inspiration from the idea of a hay barn or a garage. In places like those, anyone can find some long-forgotten object that suddenly becomes useful. Sorting through them stirs up memories and emotions. Without forgetting that this is an office working environment, I wanted to give the space part of those sensations, so that on entering, each person forgets themselves for a moment and, on leaving, can take with them exactly the mood they need at that particular time. For one person that will be the energy of the smell of freshly cut grass, for another the calm created by the shades of white, or inspiration from the play of light in the smart lamps. Visually, the barn idea comes through in the wall finishing elements and in the floor covering, a rough linoleum imitating timber boards.
There is variety in the details. The space is like a blank sheet that everyone can colour in as they please and according to their mood. Tables and chairs of different sizes and heights make it possible to choose whether to have lunch in a livelier or a more relaxed atmosphere. The lunch tables double as playing surfaces – while eating a sandwich you can have a game of ludo or another board game. A full colour spectrum on white
The source code of the kitchen is the interplay of different white materials. White laminate, white composite stone and glass. The various textures also affect the shade of white. Colour is achieved with the "Lightify" smart lighting technology – using a smart device you can select the shade of light from the full colour spectrum and change it to suit the mood. This makes it possible to create either a cool or a warm feeling in the space. The lighting is particularly important because the room has no windows and therefore no daylight enters it. Colour also comes from the details, the tableware and the furniture.
Hay on the wall
One of the most interesting elements in the space is a special wall finishing material made of a plastic backing with organic fibres of hay pressed into it. Besides the familiar effects that are pleasing to the touch and the eye, it also engages the sense of smell: thanks to the pressing technology, the material retains the scent of fresh hay. In this kitchen it is used as wall decoration between the worktop and the upper cabinets.
Functionality
The worktop and the counter-style dining table are made of seamless composite stone, which prevents moisture from getting into joints and gaps. The kitchen has free-standing appliances because, given the large number of people using it, they wear out relatively quickly and have to be replaced every couple of years. The chairs, too, are made of durable materials with a range of textures that are easy to look after and clean.
INSPIRATION TO CONTINUE
K. Martinsone: The break-out area has motivated employees to take an active part in the next project, the refurbishment of the 400 m2 Contact Centre work area. There, too, we want to bring in variety, so that it is not only classic workstations with a desk and a chair. We are planning that in this space it will also be possible to change the working environment and place, swapping a chair for a standing desk or a lounger.
