An innovation office in a historic Venetian palace

For the new Smact competence centre, Babau Bureau has designed a furnishing system that responds to the evolution of today’s work environment.

A centre for innovation and research in industry 4.0 is housed in a historic building in Venice, the "palazzina orologio" at the university campus of San Giobbe.

Smact center, an office space designed by Babau Bureau studio, delicately confronts the historical context through the inclusion of a few elegantly shaped elements, while at the same time affirming its innovative identity and adapting to the needs of contemporary work.

The project is divided into two levels: on the ground floor a wall of wood and micro-perforated sheet metal delimits a work area and accompanies users towards the staircase leading to the first floor.

On the upper level, the meeting room is defined by a sound-absorbing curtain, which continues the circular geometries found on the ground floor. A large table can be separated into several parts so that it can be used both for meetings and for individual work. Around the space there is a long bench which integrates the air conditioning system and can be used for informal meetings or leisure activities.

In 2021, office work is not only desk work, but is composed of different moments: from meetings to informal exchanges, from videoconferences to brainstorming. The interior design responds to these dynamics with a flexible and transformable intervention.

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