K2 Office

Lead Architects: Derya Çiftnamlı & Berk Ekmen
Architectural Photographer: Hacer Bozkurt

“K2” - Office, designed as a financial affairs office for an automotive company, was
realised in Istanbul Kağıthane in 2022 to provide users with both, a dynamic office space
and a serene spatial experience. The project was built in a volume with a net floor area of
250 m² and a ceiling height of 3.60 m. The office was designed with an open floor and
ceiling plan; it can be spatially described under the headings of entrance and resting area,
meeting room, technical room, kitchenette, restrooms, work areas, meeting areas and
executive area. However, the spaces in between, arising from the intricate relations of all
these spatial formations with each other, are important elements of the architecture
aimed during the design process .
The office, designed in a linear plan, welcomes the user with a waiting and resting area at
the entrance. The meeting room, adjacent to this space, directly affects the atmosphere of
the entrance area through optical illusions created by the ribbed glass used on the
separators. Through the acoustic curtain that borders the entrance area, one enters the
working space. At this point, a kitchenette, which we can call the central point of the
project, is positioned to serve the entire office. The workstations and executive desks that
begin in this area, spread throughout the space and shape the rest of the volume. The
walls of these working areas are used as storage areas. To ensure aesthetic integrity, the
colors that dominate the space are projected onto the niches and handle details of these
storage areas. Restrooms are accessible through the doors in between these storage
areas.
The state of simplicity, which is an inevitable necessity for workspaces, is combined with
the choice of pastel colors and concrete texture, creating a space where different
approaches can be experienced together. The balance and consistency of colors spread
throughout the project with each other in the transitions between materials has become
one of the main elements of the project. Taking into account the pointiness, linearity and
spatiality of colors and textures, the aim was to create a spatial experience that results
from their defined relationships. Using this approach, color and texture applications
defined the space without separating horizontal and vertical planes. In addition, an
aesthetic was designed that incorporated many mechanical elements that are in the open
ceiling. Considering the complex visual experience created by these mechanical elements,
all ceiling elements were painted white to create a passive background in the space. As a
result, the only elements suspended from the ceiling and included in the space with color
are the lighting elements. In addition, some of the electrical switches and some control
panels that users interact with directly were covered with white thin tubes that reflect the
mechanical linearity of the ceiling.
“K2” - Office was designed in search of a dynamic space. It is aimed to enable the users to
shape the space according to their needs. Reasons for this are not only about common
office needs, but also the dynamics of the project area itself. Since the project area is
located on the ground floor, it has a direct connection with the courtyard of the office
complex in which it is located. To control the permeability between the interior and
exterior spaces resulting from this situation, a movable acoustic curtain was designed to
separate the two areas. The aim of this curtain is to define a semi-permeable space
between the courtyard, the resting area and the work area. However, on the street-facing
façade of the project, this permeability was considered a problem and was prevented with
a translucent window film.
Acoustic performance requirements, which are essential for offices, were also one of the
main inputs for the design of “K2” - Office. With this in mind, many acoustic components
were used throughout the office. Each of these components was considered as a
component with its own functions. Elements such as table top linear lightings, cork
communication board, acoustic divider curtain, and separators between desks were
positioned so that each would perform its own specific functions while providing acoustic
performance. In addition, acoustic wall panels were also used for the meeting room.
Despite all this, 2 acoustic pods were also placed in the space, which can still be used if
needed.
The meeting room, which is one of the most important spaces of “K2” - Office, was
designed as a singular space by separating it from the rest of the office. The meeting
room was planned in such a way that, if necessary, it can be divided into two separate
rooms, considering the principle of effective use of the spaces. In this way, instead of a
single use, two different types of use were defined for the space. The ribbed glass used
for the windows of the meeting room, was used to minimize the visual connection of the
room to the outside without preventing daylight from passing through. This was to ensure
that users could concentrate better. Another advantage of the ribbed glass is that users’
facial expressions during the meetings cannot be read from the outside.