Kdan Mobile has created a new home! After months of hard work and planning, the Kdan team has moved into their new office. Not only does this new office have more space and rooms to work with, but the design has been set up to allow each employee to work more efficiently. In only the first couple of days of this office, we have already seen a major improvement in the productivity level within the teams and individual workers.
There was a lot of planning that was needed to create such a space, and thanks to Direct Interior Design we were able to make it possible. We spoke with the lead designer Shawn Wang as he described to us the process of creating such a functional office. Here’s what he had to say:
Chris: What brought you together with Kdan Mobile?
Shawn: I met Kenny at a social event and really connected. After learning more about the company culture, I really appreciated Kenny for giving us this opportunity to work with Kdan Mobile. I was particularly impressed by the culture of open communication at Kdan Mobile. The company embraces each individuals’ opinions and needs in order to make decisions as a cohesive unit.
C: What was the biggest challenge in this project?
Shawn: Time, Time, Time! The project was delayed because of some contract issues with the landlord. This gave us a very small window to complete the construction. Not to mention we still needed to design the electricity layout, recap the ceiling, and resurface the floor. It was a complicated project, however we managed to finish it on time with the great help from Kdan’s Design team.
C: How were you able to blend Kdan’s company culture within the interior design? How is the company culture reflected on the structure of the new office?
Shawn: We first referred to the company image and brand colors before we started to design the space. We added aesthetic furniture in the front of the office based on the brand colors.
Without the right design technology can be cold and uninviting. Technology, especially within an office setting, should be warm and welcoming. To capture this concept, we put in wooden framework at the entrance of the office to create a warm feeling that invites the employees into the office every day.
We knew Kdan is a young and passionate company; hence we wanted to preserve sufficient light and space for the workers to work efficiently. We decided to use the open beam design for the ceiling so it’s less oppressive for the users.
C: We knew there were some restrictions in the space, such like low ceilings and pillars. How did the design team overcome these challenges?
Shawn: Yes, the main challenge here is the low ceiling, which immediately brought pressure for the workers. Besides that, the room is quite spacious, we needed to consider how lights can flow through this environment. Last but not least, the users’ needs were what we cared about the most. Before we kick off the project, the Kdan team had an internal survey. In the survey, employees listed out their idea office, for example, many of them mentioned about the heavy demand on small meeting room. Other demands like lighting, a tea room, and a breast feeding room were also acknowledged by the team.
We decided to use transparent PC board as the wall of the meeting rooms and managers offices after evaluation. The PC board provided some privacy, but still keep the light flowing in the space. We use Laminate Flooring. This kind of flooring is easy to clean and maintain. The wooden texture also brought in some warmth.
We went for the minimal design, and kept only objects with functions. We consistently referred back to the demands and feedback of the workers. Take the meeting space for example, we used the black hardware with the white glass board to separate the spaces. Users can draw or write on the glass board in the meeting. This kind of designs really added on much flexibility for the space. One essential aspect often overlooked in office design is regular HVAC maintenance. Properly maintained HVAC systems ensure optimal air quality and temperature control, which are vital for creating a productive and comfortable work environment.
Thank you for building such a comfortable work space, is there anything you want to say to the users?
Shawn: Our mission is to build a functional and aesthetic space. We keep the lowest design lexicon, and invite users to interact and add their own characteristics in this space. We hope the Kdan Team can enjoy the space, and inject life and meaning to this new office.
ABOUT DIRECT INTERIOR DESIGN
Direct Interior Design is a team of collage friends who owns same passion and philosophy about space. The name Direct origins from our believe that design should be a common language for everyone. Our mission is to translate customers’ needs into the form of architecture.
