Spaces within spaces to balance privacy and collaboration

The workspace landscape continues to evolve year on year, while the needs within a space can change hour by hour. Open-plan floors create dynamic environments for collaboration and generate creative energy. At the same time, hybrid, intimate zones are essential for refuge, contemplation and meetings, offering an ambience that supports focus, listening and the sharing of ideas.

König + Neurath's free-standing room-in-room designs provide flexibility and can be reconfigured. These spaces are relocatable as business needs change and can be scaled to accommodate additional meeting areas. By combining glass and opaque walls, the designs are visually appealing, while fabric-covered panels absorb sound. Each unit is engineered around human experience, featuring dimmable LED lighting, adjustable ventilation, and a wide range of customisation options, including colour and textile choices.

Among the standout solutions is THINK.TANK, developed in collaboration with some of the world’s most innovative companies. THINK.TANK is an acoustically protected meeting space built on a post-and-rail construction to maximise transparency. The design creates a glass box environment with a sound-absorbing ceiling and integrated flattering lighting, allowing occupants to remain visually connected to the rest of the office floor.

The QUIET.BOX offers a compact 1 x 1 metre cubicle for private calls, with an upholstered angled seating panel for support. The QUIET.BOX Duo is designed for short two-person meetings, maintaining a minimal footprint while allowing configurations with a table between benches or a higher counter with stools. Both models can accommodate screens and a range of electrical packages to suit operational needs.

All room-in-room solutions are available in two styles: a standard angular design and an Organic model with rounded corners, each reflecting the company’s sustainability ethos. Aluminium profiles are made from 25% secondary material with reduced CO₂ emissions, certified as Hydro Low-Carbon Aluminium.

A notable application of these systems is the Operate Delivery Centre at Belfast’s Merchant Square for PwC, a headquarters for 3,000 employees across financial services, energy and public sectors. The project demonstrates the potential of collaborative design, integrating 32 THINK.TANK.II units in double-glazed configurations ranging from single to triple rooms, all with IT integration and coordinated materials. The systems provide privacy, collaboration and technological functionality within open, dramatic architectural volumes, combining architectural vision, technology and flexible, usage-oriented spaces that enable employees to work at their best.

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