Oslo Cowork, a compact coworking space designed by BABELstudio, is located in Bilbao, Spain. Featuring a minimalist aesthetic, the office serves as both an architecture photography studio and a coworking space. The design incorporates a double-height structure, creating distinct zones for different activities.
Oslo Cowork, a compact office designed by BABELstudio, serves as both the new studio for architecture photographer Erlantz Biderbost and a coworking space in Bilbao. Nestled alongside the Nervion river in the Olabeaga neighbourhood, the area was once home to shipyards, industrial plants, and warehouses but had been abandoned over time. Recently, the region has experienced revitalization as it is rediscovered and transformed.
The design brief for this project was to integrate three to five workstations, a meeting and retreat space, kitchenette, bathroom, and extended storage into a rather small 39-square-metre (420 square feet) gross floor area with a double-height ceiling.
To make efficient use of the limited space, a two-level design was implemented, utilizing the room’s height to create a distinct mezzanine level. This separated the meeting and retreat area from the permanent working places on the street level.
Innovative Space Organization
Rather than pushing the mezzanine level to the sides or back wall, BABELstudio organized the space around a central, free-standing volume. This volume accommodated all secondary uses while providing access to the mezzanine platform.
The decision to position the platform apart from the delimiting walls maintained the generous double-height, leading to a distinctive and expressive spatial configuration.
Working tables, especially designed for the project with Portela, are arranged on each side of the central volume, offering high flexibility for various working situations. These foldaway tables can be completely folded down for events such as exhibitions.
Warm and Functional Interiors
On the platform level, the meeting area serves as a retreat for more isolated working situations, providing views through the newly designed double-height facade to the opposite Zorrotzaure island. The wooden grid facade structure allows increased open views on the upper level while narrowing the grid for privacy on the street level.
Interior finishes are kept minimal yet rich in materiality. Hand-made cement tiles in blood-red colour, ash wood for the central volume, tables, and a full height bookshelf with brass details lend the space a refined look. The central volume’s interiors feature a contrasting dark green against the red flooring and brass accents.
Grey coloured fitted carpet on the mezzanine level creates a more private and relaxed atmosphere, while repeating the original concrete blocks on the ceiling ties the design together.
Oslo Cowork’s material selection was intended to balance a bright, light-flooded, and minimalist studio suitable for concentrated working with a calm, warm atmosphere.
Photography by Erlantz Biderbost
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