Oficinas Vergel | Eduardo Audirac

Vergel Offices

These offices emerged from the need to revitalize a building that had been unused for approximately 10 years. Located in a neighborhood undergoing significant transformation within the city of Puebla, transitioning from primarily residential to mixed-use, there was a need to adapt it to serve a dual purpose: to provide office space in what was once a gym and cafeteria, and to reconfigure the building to enhance its revitalization without intervening beyond the ground floor.

In shared interest with the client, our approach to the project was to create spaces that diverged from a corporate language and aimed to provide a workspace that was inherently warm and serene while maintaining a fundamental focus on the energy and environment of the intervention. Simultaneously, the new lobby was intended to serve not only the new offices but also a future dance school and potentially more office spaces on other levels.

Our design strategy primarily involved subdividing the original open floor plan using two main elements: a bamboo plywood partition/furniture and an integral façade also made of bamboo plywood and opaque glass, with the latter element serving as an internal skylight. These subdivisions restructured the office space without creating an overly hermetic division, allowing for a flexible usage scheme, either as a whole or in parts.
The spatial, scale, and usage restructuring was complemented by the design of a lightweight false wood ceiling, the integration of greenery throughout the main office corridor and in the lobby, including two live vertical gardens, and the implementation of a 100% low-consumption LED lamp-based lighting project. With minimal yet strategic interventions in existing walls, a more efficient flow of visitors and building users was achieved, and wasted areas were utilized to create useful spaces such as a kitchenette, bathrooms, and a common area.