Almirall Offices – Barcelona

During the past year, we have been working together with the multinational company Farmacéutica Almirall S. A. to develop and deploy their new office project, Flexible Work Place in the four buildings owned by the company in Barcelona, and we have also defined the general parameters of the new space policy that would be implemented in the future in the whole group. The first phase, Quality Building, was completed last July in the two offices belonging to Sant Andreu de la Barca Branch. Phase two, the Social Buildin, completed in December 2017. The proposal of the FWP is based not only on the modernization of the office image but also on the idea of having a more flexible work environment, where no differences are made in terms of ranks or categories among the different job positions and users have several spaces available to carry out their tasks and meet with each other, thus facilitating communication and collaboration among teams. This implementation is particularly special because the working teams and meeting rooms are placed at a forty-five degree angle and incorporate different elements (spaces for informal meetings, meeting points, reading areas, room dividers, etc) every two working teams, helping to visually and acoustically separate areas and, at the same time, taking better advantage of the space available. Biophilia is one of the most interesting proposals of the project, ranging from carpet treatment to the use of (lyophilized or natural) plants all around the office. The new corporate colors are introduced as mild touches in the furniture, acoustic wall elements and room dividers, expressly designed for the project and custom-made. The project reflects a contemporary approach to workplace and public architecture that balances programmatic efficiency with a strong sense of place, using material honesty, daylight, and spatial flexibility to support the evolving needs of occupants. Its successful delivery demonstrates how thoughtful design can align commercial or institutional goals with the well-being of the people who use the space on a daily basis.