Workspace and Culture

SHL Asia

Short description

The office of SHL Asia, Workspace and Culture, is located in a residential area in the eastern side of Denpasar city, Bali. Responding to the location and the surrounding area, the design was inspired by Bali urban villages that typically has limited space and no outward view yet still in harmony with the local culture. Sited in 300 square meters land, the one-story office implements the layout of traditional Balinese houses, the office is not one big massive building, it comprises of separate compounds in one housing complex with an open inner courtyard or natah (the centre of a compound of Balinese traditional buildings). The composition is elongated to the back following the shape of the site creating a long isle that embodies the small streets of urban area with each room separated from another that presents the houses. To make it simple and seemingly effortless, raw and exposed materials like locally sourced bricks and metal are applied throughout the building. It present somewhat a clean canvas with an all-white colour scheme that is ‘painted’ by the human activities, vibrant plants and all the different textures. To maximize the space even more, the long inner courtyard is functioned as a garden that can be turned into an outdoor meeting area for a more casual meeting with partners or colleagues. Workspace and Culture is the interpretation of traditional Balinese architecture philosophy in a more modern approach to respond the urban surrounding yet still accommodating the needs of a design studio.