Unicorn Stores HQ by Bean Buro

Unicorn Suppliers (HK) Ltd. was set up in 1985 to work a chain of office outlets and supermarkets from Japan in Hong Kong, with a mission to provide “high-quality, honest and courteous service of a department keep from Japan to customers”. Bean Buro was tasked with coming up with their headquarters which has unique demands to retail outlet and critique samples.

The Narrative: A modernised courteous office
We translated Unicorn Stores’ organization ethos as a extremely common and courteous office for the personnel. We served them move from a traditional office setup to a up to date office that is substantially a lot more sociable for collaborations though getting relaxed and comforting. The style utilises various delicate Japanese elements as inspiration.

The Process: Infusing Japanese roots into the interior
We researched standard Japanese architecture and translated the ideas into simple timber joinery to make several bespoke factors, these kinds of as the reception desk, a gridded ceiling lighting process, and Japanese partition screens. Other Japanese inspirations consist of the use of a ‘noren’ – traditional dividers made of organic material, frequently hung in doorways and concerning rooms, and playful Japanese motifs in the graphic design and style and signages.

The Answer: An open and integrated neighbourhood
The entrance and reception lobby has been lined in timber to create a heat and welcoming atmosphere with seating booths which can be utilized by guests and workforce alike in a cosy environment. The common place of work is an open prepare, a single large connecting neighbourhood with several shared furnishings built-in. Enclosed assembly rooms are found in the main of the place of work with glass partitions to protect noticeable connections and plants are integrated into all the windowsills.

Instead than enclosed places of work for the departmental heads, they are in its place related to the team as aspect of the open plan although continue to retaining a stage of privacy by the use of a sequence of bespoke acoustic partition screens with a custom made textile style. The pantry is an informal area for the staff to loosen up with versatile café seating. The spot also has pegged walls for sharing local community information. Roller blinds are utilized alongside the pantry home windows and assist to reinforce the id of the workplace as a result of tailor made graphic style.

The Products: Neutral naturals with playful accents
The palette is predominantly timber and white for the architectural surfaces. A number of accents are created in the elements, like the use of a gradient fluted glass for the partitions of the collaboration booths, playful geometry this sort of as arcs and circles in red—an interpretation of the brand—and other delicate utilizes of colors and graphics on the glass and acoustic partitions. Purple coloured grout is also employed for the tiles in the pantry spot to further inject the brand’s identification into the design.

We positioned the normal operate neighbourhood to be around the home windows for ample purely natural daylight, and the meeting rooms in the main with an airy lights design, to make sure excess artificial lighting is not necessary. For example, the several wall acoustic panels with backlighting assistance to strengthen the legibility of the rear walls of the room. Carpets have been applied in all enclosed conference rooms and vegetation have been integrated into the joinery style and design. We also specified very low VOC paint and veneer laminates.

The Challenge: A sensitive balancing act
The challenge in conditions of layout was placing a delicate equilibrium of making a really strong organization id by means of the use of colors, gentry, signages and nevertheless making certain the workplace is a comfy and comforting perform setting. For illustration, we employed lively colors in the entrance of dwelling reception and the pantry regions to promote vitality for heightened social interactions but retained all the normal workspaces really neutral making use of purely natural supplies. The outcome is a office that embraces social, collaborative, and flexible doing the job.

Bean Buro team: Lorène Faure, Kenny Kinugasa-Tsui, Christina Standaloft, Isabelle Gin, Savannah Wilkins Shopper: Unicorn Suppliers Primary contractor: Element Systems & Supplies Ltd.