Industrial, Elegant and… Homely – The Xceedance Office in Kraków by The Design Group
Xceedance is a global provider of solutions in the field of insurance analytics and insurance advisory services. The Polish branch of the company continues to grow, the natural consequence of which was the search for a location for a new headquarters. The solution proved to be the offer of the Kraków office complex High5ive – the Xceedance office is spread across two floors and occupies over a thousand sqm on the first of them, as well as nearly 540 sqm on the second.
A relaxed space
“We knew that many young people work at Xceedance. We therefore wanted to create a relaxed space in which everyone could feel comfortable, as if at home. The relaxed vibe we interpreted as the mix of different styles applied here – says arch. Konrad Krusiewicz, founder of The Design Group.”
The interior was therefore dominated by an industrial style softened by the use of friendly colours, warm wood and soft textures – for example in the form of velvet curtains or velvet upholstery on chairs. This is clearly visible already at the office reception, where the green wall with the illuminated company logo catches the eye. A characteristic element of the industrial style are the glazed partitions with black glazing bars that delineate smaller office spaces, as well as decorative glazing bars made from black MDF strips on the walls, serving as frames for numerous graphics.
“Black walls and dark wood add depth and elegance to this space, while the velvet, colourful curtains warm up the industrial style. In the kitchen – as in the reception – we also used dark wood, which gives a homely, elegant atmosphere. An interesting solution is the use in the kitchen of Inox laminate that resembles brushed steel – says arch. Martyna Bosek from The Design Group.”
Dynamic open space
The construction of the building caused characteristic, concrete columns resembling the letter V in shape to be visible in the open space. Thanks to them, the space gained dynamism and an unusual appearance. Because all employees of the Kraków Xceedance office work in an open space, it was important to create an alternative in the form of separate enclosed rooms. Separate conference rooms – for meetings in larger groups – are located by the reception.
“We created chill rooms/call rooms, i.e. separate rooms with armchairs and a small table, with colourful curtains and panels – they are therefore well soundproofed. They are intended for 1–2 persons. You can cut yourself off from the noise of the open space, rest, or simply make a call – adds arch. Konrad Krusiewicz.”
Working at Hogwarts
An interesting initiative of Xceedance was to invite employees to co-create the atmosphere of the new office together with TDG architects. The task was to invent names for the individual rooms – they are quite abstract, e.g. Bali, Palermo, Kinder Bueno, Milky Way or Hogwarts. “Each of these names we tried to interpret. We most often referred to them through graphics. If the room doesn’t have one, the reference can be found in its colour scheme. E.g. the Milky Way room is blue, because that is the colour of the wrapper of this chocolate bar – says arch. Martyna Bosek.”
This is the office we dreamed of
“I was very pleasantly surprised by the effect of the green wall with the glowing logo at the entrance to the reception – says Agata Zając, EA & Office Manager Xceedance. “The black glazing bars on the walls, which our guests envy us, also produce a fantastic effect, as do the curtains in the conference rooms, which create a wonderful atmosphere. The enormous commitment of The Design Group team to our project was visible. The office is very modern, yet cosy, exactly as we wanted – she adds.”
