Fotograf: Wen Studio

Design Statement

-vibrant workspace with a neighborhood feeling

INMEDIA, an advertising agency based in Shanghai, tasked Yatofu Creatives with creating an office space which would increase its employees’ sense of happiness, freedom, and inspiration. Yatofu set out to concoct a space which would offer varied and dynamic ways of work, as well as reflecting the agency’s forward-thinking spirit.

The new office space is located in the Hongkou area, a district in Shanghai known for its historic neighborhoods of condensed alleyway housings called lilongs. Influenced by the legacy of these lilongs and inspired by the comparative visual vibrancy found in the small alley streets of Southern Europe, Yatofu Creatives approached the design for INMEDIA's office by seeking to bring a sense of community into the office setting.

Drawing from the reference of Southern European alleyways, Yatofu planned the space with two zones which represent the “interior” and “exterior” of the alleyways. The wood-clad structure, which houses the private office and meeting rooms, draws inspiration from the residences that line the bustling alleys, with windows opening into the interior to offer a glimpse of the activity inside. The “exterior” area references materials often found on alleyway exteriors, and is clad in glossy crimson tiles, paired against the rawness of the exposed concrete. Custom table lamps, whose forms are directly inspired by pedestrian streetlamps, line the table alleys as if luminating narrow passageways.

Throughout the space, opportunistic seating arrangements are created through winding paths that offer privacy through the creation of corners, resulting in dynamic possibilities for different formats of work. Along the glazed wall of windows, a sun-lit corridor serves as an area to relax and recharge, but can also be purposed as an informal meeting area for the employees.

By referencing a different architectural typology to serve as the spirit of the workspace concept, INMEDIA's office steers away from generic office configurations to create one which promotes spontaneous interactions and blurred boundaries between the individual and the shared space. This format for their new office not only encourages interactive behavior, but also promotes a sense of community and combined purpose.