The best office building of the year is an
honor coming from all around the world for
INNOCAD architecture studio and Martin Leskaj,
the architect.
So we ask him - what was the concept for the
world's best architecture?
We are facing a very high heterogeneity in
this area, therefore we decided to do a “no-context
building” which serves as an anchor
in this chaos, so we wanted to do something
that has a very clear identity, very strong
identity that works like a “Katalysator”
(catalyst) for the whole process.
Because it is so strong and gets a lot of
attention, it is somehow the anchor for the whole
area which is quite important because it is
one of the main exits where you approach Graz,
also the connection from the airport to
the city, so it has a kind of landmark function.
It really came out of the idea, of the concept
which plays with that contrast and diversity
between clarity of the cube and this overlaying
with an algorithmic curve that is extruded
through the space, and then overlaying it
with clear zoning of the space, and the structural
system and also the two skins that give that
space in between.
The structural engineer came I think, yeah,
many many times with the solution where to
put big columns, little columns, hidden columns,
but there was no chance for columns, because
as I explained before, this is based on the context/no-context
concept and this is what makes this building
so special, but at the end, we found solution
that we hanged down the second layer of the
facade which has functional value for shading
the building, but we hanged it from above.
And so that was not a big effort to do this,
but at the end, it gives that identity of
this floating cube, which is a lasting value
of this whole structure.
The investor didn't ask for the best building
in the world, but for the architecture that
will express the company's values and make
a comfortable working environment.
And the budget was strictly limited.
One of our company values is innovation, so
it was very important for us to realize and
to get innovative building.
On the other side, we are very dynamic, so
we wanted to get a dynamic building somehow.
But on the other side, we are still very grounded,
that means nowhere should be an investment
which is not senseful.
Even if it looks like it is - I hope and I
think so - something special, a very special
building, but the budget was not more than
you would have for any random office building.
It was a very strict budget, it was very strict
monitoring of timetable and budget.
This is a masterwork, not just the design,
not just the architecture.
To stay in time and in the budget, and to
build a building like this, this is a real
challenge.
The most important space for those who use
the building is the interior.
For office buildings, there is always a question
- how to design the interior in a manner to
make it comfortable and to stimulate the employees
to perform well?
Architect Lesjak calls for a holistic and
humane approach to design and interiors.
But it’s always back and forth between privacy
and grouping direction.
And I think that open space - which does not
mean a huge room where you put people in but
a floating open space - is really important
because it works also on the cognitive level,
you can also feel it here, it’s open across
five floors, and you feel included because
you hear little something and you are not
separated in one floor or in one room, but
on the other hand, we have very complex zoning,
so we always play with dimensions, so…
They loved the building like it was designed
from the very beginning, it was a love story.
But, programming-wise, we worked a lot with
them, so we changed their programming quite
a lot.
We had a lot of - let’s say - “hot faces”
where we were almost struggling about one
or the other item, about one or the other
idea, but at the end, I was very happy that
INNOCAD convinced us in many cases.
You need to perform on all levels in the best
way you can, not only the aesthetical, not
only the functional, not only the social,
not only the environmental…
When you see your work and your project from
a holistic level, everything is included.
To receive awards and formal recognition and
the fact that your architecture is widely
respected - with previous architecture and
interior designs also - gives a lot of satisfaction.
But, public and critical acclaim is not the
only or the most important way for Martin
Lesjak and INNOCAD to measure success.
The most important measurement is my personal
impression, and how far we reached the goal,
I mean which percentage.
And I think this is a project with a high
percentage of reaching the goal - I think
that is more than 90%.
When I have this feeling then I know it is
a really good project.
There are projects that I think they are perfect,
but they don’t get the recognition that
much, and there are others - for me maybe
only 80% and they get a lot of recognition.
The higher you get in this ladder of how people
see you, the more trust you get, the more
you can bring in the best you can.
And not make compromises too early in the
process, you know.
Because, as an architect, there is always
a responsibility not only to your client,
but also to the world, to the society, to
the environment, to social connectivity, and
the human being at the end.
