At the Heart of the Szkieletor – The Autodesk Kraków Office by The Design Group
This office seems to be a space created without limits placed on imagination. The colours surprise, as do the bespoke ceiling structures and wall murals. Quite a lot is happening here, yet everything fits together perfectly. We are talking about the headquarters of Autodesk located in one of the Unity Centre buildings in Kraków. The Design Group Warsaw studio was responsible for the design of its interiors – literally tailored to the investor’s needs.
The Kraków Szkieletor needs no special introduction. It waited nearly 45 years to open its doors and became one of the more well-known points on the city’s map. Completely transformed, it now forms the central point of Kraków’s Unity Centre, i.e. the largest, multi-functional business centre of the Małopolska capital. It is precisely here, at the address Lubomirskiego 2, that the office of the international corporation Autodesk found its home.
Colourful Net Effect
The original assumption was to create interiors in an industrial style – bright spaces creating an atmosphere conducive to work. The Design Group designers proposed a slight modification of the style – they call it modern industrial through the addition of warmth with wood and vivid colours. Everything started with Autodesk’s own graphics, which imposed on the designers the colour palette of furniture and decorative, bent cut-and-stretched steel mesh (mesh) spread across ceilings and partly on walls.
A preview of the colour palette appears already in the lift lobby – an interesting structure referring to the Autodesk logo, made from mesh, in the form of a huge letter A reaching almost to the ceiling. Net Effect has definitely become the leitmotif of the office. The vivid colours of the mesh and their dynamic forms provide this place with the necessary positive energy, while simultaneously delineating individual zones.
“The biggest design challenge in the Kraków Autodesk office was the coordination of the ceiling elements. Apart from the visible installations, the lighting and mesh are also important here. Thanks to the commitment and coordination of many people’s work, we managed to achieve the intended effect, which was to emphasise the mesh and ceiling geometry with lighting – emphasises Marta Konarska, the architect responsible for the Autodesk office concept.”
“Many people contributed to the final appearance of the Kraków Autodesk office. The client himself was also very involved – we could count on his help and constructive feedback – admits architect Konrad Krusiewicz, founder and CEO of The Design Group.”
In the Rhythm of the City
The investor was very keen for the office to reflect the urban fabric of Kraków. Autodesk ensures the maintenance of a given city’s atmosphere in each of its offices around the world. Photographs and murals referring to famous Kraków landmarks can be admired throughout the office. In the staff kitchen, there is a mural depicting only half of one of Kraków’s buildings – the other half can be found in the reflection of a huge mirror adjacent to it.
Multi-functionality Friendly to Employees
The Design Group designers ensured the functionality and flexibility of the space, allowing it to be quickly adapted to current needs. The kitchen, separated by a curtain from the chillout zone, can serve not only for rest or eating, but also for calling whole-team meetings – a projector is installed here, and the veneered table can be converted into a billiard table. Employees use the open space, but also have at their disposal smaller and larger separate rooms, as well as a room with a treadmill.
“The office we designed is very distinctive, yet also tailored to the client’s needs. Many of the elements found here were made to special order. Throughout the office, one can encounter a variety of textures, colours and finishes – but ultimately we combined all of this into a coherent whole – adds arch. Marta Konarska.”
