- agora -

In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic—a time when the very notion of the workplace was fundamentally redefined—a new headquarters floor was conceived for a company engaged in both employment support and staffing services.

This floor is designed as a shared environment where individuals receiving employment support and staff driving the staffing business work side by side. The core design intent was to establish a spatial framework where support and operations coexist seamlessly—fostering natural overlap between distinct user groups and facilitating an uninterrupted continuum between assistance and action.

The space was expected to serve a dual function: as a headquarters overseeing the company's nationwide staffing network, and as a dynamic hub where visiting staff from regional offices could gather, exchange information, and make decisions rapidly. Equally critical was the need for a spatial grammar that could embrace diverse working styles, encourage spontaneous dialogue, and promote organic collaboration. The program called for a hybrid workspace that merges the sensibility of care with the operational rigor of a corporate office.

At the heart of the plan, a shared “living-room-like” zone anchors the floor. More than a mere circulation node, this central space is carefully calibrated to offer warmth and hospitality—setting the tone and behavioral cues for the entire office. Through deliberate choices in lighting intensity, material tactility, and furniture scale, the design establishes a sequence of psychologically attuned “places to dwell,” accommodating varying degrees of focus and social interaction.

This central zone features a media wall that consolidates information from regional offices, along with meeting areas designed to support impromptu discussions, a counter that invites casual exchange, a universally accessible café corner, and private meeting booths for focused dialogue. Much like the agora of an ancient city, the space is configured to encourage serendipitous encounters and free-flowing communication.

Importantly, shared space is not centralized but distributed. A layered spatial structure incorporates zones of different scales and thresholds, enabling multiple forms of occupation across the floor. By loosely interweaving the domains of employment support and office operations, the design fosters a landscape of gentle overlaps and natural cohabitation.

Workstations are composed of reconfigurable units based on off-the-shelf aluminum frames—providing a robust yet flexible infrastructure that can adapt to organizational change and business growth.

Interior finishes further reinforce spatial legibility and sensory depth: the underside of the existing beams serves as a datum line, above and below which two-tone paint delineates a horizontal rhythm. This introduces a quiet spatial structure while offering workers a subtle sense of boundary and openness within their daily routines.

This project positions itself as a reimagining of the post-pandemic workplace: a contemporary agora where care and commerce, support and strategy, are integrated into a cohesive architectural vision.