Unique interiors of Allegro’s office in the historical complex of the Norblin Factory in Warsaw

The prestigious neighbourhood of Warsaw’s Wola district, heritage buildings, historic streets, excellent commute – the news of Allegro’s planned move to the representative office buildings of the Norblin Factory complex has been around for a while. Today we can at last peek inside and enjoy the company’s spectacular space, occupying almost 24,000 sq. m (7 floors). The interior design was commissioned to the Warsaw studio The Design Group, which had also been hired for the arrangement of Allegro’s Poznań headquarters.

Allegro’s dramatic growth in Poland, the company’s dynamic international expansion and intensive team growth prompted the need to expand workspace in Warsaw. Allegro leased a much larger space in the new Plater and Galwan office buildings of the Norblin Factory complex – truly remarkable for their unusual blend of the factory site’s history and future. The company occupies a total of nearly 24,000 sq. m at Norblin and is its largest tenant.

Today, Allegro is the European e-commerce market leader and unquestionably the preferred shopping venue of Poles. We are committed to providing the best possible experience for our customers, and so from the very beginning we have been building our products in-house and are passionate about making their creators as comfortable as possible. This is paramount in the day-to-day reality of hybrid working, as we meet at the offices for a specific purpose and their space should promote creativity and relationship building. – Anna Wróbel, Allegro HR Director

In a climate of post-industrial modernity

The Plater and Galwan office buildings are new structures designed to take on the vibe of the whole Norblin Factory complex. Industrial elements characteristic of post-factory buildings mingle with modern, simple lines. Allegro and TDG architects decided to design the interiors to be consistent with the surrounding context – essentially industrial, with geometric elements, softened with warm finishes in respect to the history of the premises.

From the beginning, we and Allegro wished to introduce an industrial feel. The interiors feature a great deal of exposed raw materials and shades of grey. To highlight the industrial style, we designed acoustic light fittings resembling post-industrial lamps and grey acoustic baffles shaped like arches, reminiscent of vaults typical of old factories. We also introduced elegant and innovative solutions, natural materials, light tones, soft furnishings and greenery. – Karolina Kózka, chief architect, The Design Group

References to the Norblin Factory complex are also evident at the very entrance, in the front desk area. The reception desk is finished in the same rust-like material used for the core of the building. The design is a reference to old machines and yet corresponds to the interiors of the entire office.

The very employees of Allegro had a real impact on the look of the office. They decided on the colours, graphics and materials that you can now see in the interiors. We are pleased that we had the opportunity to support them in this process, listen to them and turn their ideas into reality. – Alicja Zielińska, architect, The Design Group

Allegro’s new office space was constructed during the pandemic, so it incorporates a variety of uses, with sanitary precautions and technology for booking rooms and regulating lighting.

Hybrid open space – transparent functionality

Allegro opted for a multifunctional, flexible and transparent space to allow quick rearrangement to suit the needs of individual users or teams. The facilities include meeting rooms for ad-hoc work, phone booths of diverse sizes, a large conference centre on the 8th floor, terraces combining relaxation spaces with places to work amidst nature, and more.

The main premise of the interior design was to produce a space that would be as open as possible while also allowing employees to separate their territory or space for teamwork. From this came the concept behind the unusual solution we call ‘hybrid open space’. We segmented the office into zones, with special attention paid to acoustics, to maximize the surface area of the working space and augment the office with social functions that support teamwork, idea sharing and integration. – Konrad Krusiewicz, architect and CEO, The Design Group

Glass geometry

The design is predominantly defined by glass walls, which give the impression of an open, transparent space. This lets plenty of daylight into even the zones far away from the windows. The writing boards incorporated into the glass wall muntin system are an innovative solution engineered by glazing professionals.

For Allegro’s Warsaw office, we incorporated rectangles drawn through the muntins in the middle of the double glazing in some of the enclosed rooms. After wrapping the inner glass wall, we positioned writing boards in these rectangles, which look designer and will certainly be of use to any meeting teams. – Karolina Kózka, architect

The office’s glazing is embellished with geometric muntins in natural wood veneer, often paired with acoustic curtains that match the office’s colour code.

Warsaw enclave – green jungle room

At Allegro’s office, there are zones that make a special impression. One of these are the ‘jungle rooms’ – unique spaces designed for employees to chill out, work alone in focus and quiet, or for less formal meetings in a group of up to 10 people. These interiors feature a huge number of different plants, with soft furnishings arranged among them. The model and design were worked out in collaboration between Allegro, TDG architects and greenery specialists.

The Warsaw jungle rooms are like a real jungle; there is a faint penumbra of twilight, and they are hidden, disconnected from the outside world. They are truly amazing and create their own unique microclimate, rich in diverse greenery and a tropical feel. – Natalia Sztandor, architect, The Design Group

Sustainable workspaces

Allegro’s office meets the highest green standards and is committed to ensuring the well-being of its staff and providing appropriate ergonomics. The interiors feature natural, high-quality materials and furniture sourced from Polish suppliers. The reuse of existing furniture was also an important design measure in keeping with Allegro’s sustainable resource-use approach. Lamps with an intelligent lighting control system are installed over each workstation, accented with acoustic PET felt covers in a rust colour specially selected for Allegro’s office design. This treatment amplified the industrial style. Furthermore, acoustic screens, panels and/or baffles are present in each room for noise absorption.

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