One Africa Place
The neighbourhood story is integral to the design, inspired by local art, history, landmarks and landscape.
Our interior scheme for Imaran Group’s first co-working office is designed to help the brand stand out, while retaining a sense of the local neighbourhood story. The office will be located across three floors at One Africa Place, a flagship 138,000 sq. ft office space in one of Nairobi’s most prestigious locations. The scheme is intended to inform the design of the group’s co-working brand to be introduced across more sites in the future. The neighbourhood story is integral to the design, inspired by local art, history, landmarks and landscape.
Warm rich colours such as ochre, terracotta, navy and deep greens, accented with pops of colour have been used across the scheme. Brighter and more vibrant colours have been used in the larger open plan spaces, while those used in private and dedicated offices and meeting rooms are richer and less saturated. Local flavour is injected with artworks and accessories, including books and antiquities, and soft furnishings.
As well as the requisite desks and offices, the scheme incorporates flexible event space, a café, extensive meeting facilities and a new staircase. Running between all three floors of the coworking space, the new staircase is a key design feature. Framed by a feature nature-inspired wallcovering, the stair appears to float between levels as if part of Nairobi’s skyline.
The interior scheme is sophisticated and luxurious without being overly opulent. The first floor of the co-working space, level 8, is made up of two different working zones: a hot desking area with varied seating and a permanent desk zone. The reception area has elegant lines with feature lighting. This level also contains the flexible event space.
The playful design includes desk tables which can be suspended from the ceiling creating acoustic rafts during events. The bases of the tables create additional seating or small tables removing the need for storage. Natural timbers and a warm palette with pops of colour from the lockers create a comfortable, social ambience. Planters are used as screens for the dedicated desks.
Kitchen areas on all three floors have an earthy palette with colourful cabinetry window sill seating, sleek brassware and feature lighting. Meeting rooms with digital signage feature gradient frosting to create privacy while encouraging openness. A mixture of seating types enables flexible use for formal, and informal, meeting formats.
Level 9 features a café and the main reception for the co-working spaces. This floor is largely made up of meeting rooms and dedicated serviced offices. The professional mood is enhanced by a subdued palette with rich wall coverings and African art adding interest. Level 10 is split between private and bespoke offices. A breakout area with banquette seating has a dedicated entrance, a small covered balcony links these offices.
“Having visited the site in Nairobi it seemed fitting to take inspiration from one of the city’s famed monikers: ‘the green city in the sun’. The building has a near 360-degree aspect over the city’s many parks and urban forests. It is the perfect spot to take in the rich earthy colours of Nairobi’s famous sunsets: an ever-changing artwork in their own right.”
- Client
- Imaran Group
- Location
- Nairobi, Kenya
- Status
- Technical Design Completed 2019
- Uses
- Co-working
- Size
- 138,000 sqft
- Visuals
- Studio Moren