THIS SPREAD:
EY Interiors
Working closely with
Ergoform, Savile Row
developed custom
workstations in order to
achieve the vibrant yet
comfortable workspace
that EY envisioned
EY INTERIORS
With the bustling Waterfront dock on one side,
and an open vista of the mountain on the other,
EY’s new workplace is firmly rooted in Cape
Town’s thriving business hub.
When they decided to move out of
their downtown offices EY were clear they
wanted their new home to be a comfortable,
welcoming, flexible and inspiring space. A
workplace that accurately reflected the EY
personality and their position as an innovative
leader in their industry.
Savile Row design director Adrian David-
son explains: “The client brief over and
above implementing EY’s global new ‘Ways
of Working‘ principles, was to encourage us
as the Interior Architects, to push the design
in terms of a non-corporate look and feel. As
a practice when planning we usually work
using metrics, data, best practice etc. On
EY we had lots of workplace user data, and
we designed spaces based on the numbers.
However the problem with the measurable is
it can become generic and you end up with
space that doesn’t represent anybody. As
a studio our strength is that we constantly
remind ourselves that the spaces we create
are for people, so to us it’s more than getting
the metrics right, its about creating a balance
between the cool head and warm heart – the
measurable and immeasurable.”
Savile Row’s aim was to make the work
environment pleasurable and not just address
functions, but create spaces people feel good
in. So they designed the space as somewhere
that reflects different psychosocial needs:
there are places to relax, recharge, work,
Waterway House
learn, celebrate. With flexibility in mind,
Savile Row designed the Harbour Terrace
with full height sliding doors so the whole
area can become one flowing indoor/outdoor
entertainment space.
To create easy interaction between the
two floors, a central staircase was introduced,
with its overhead skylight flooding light into
the area.
The distinctive design aesthetic was
achieved through mixing and contrasting
textural finishes and tones to achieve an
effective balance between laid-back industrial
and refined comfort. The client and design team
are thrilled with the result, and the lively work
atmosphere bears witness to the success of
the design.
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