Second Home London Office by Selgascano.

An orange plastic tunnel forms a curvy seating area along the facade of this London office block – the first UK project from José Selgas and Lucía Cano of SelgasCano, the architects of this year’s Serpentine Gallery Pavilion. Located in a former carpet factory in Shoreditch, Second Home is a collaborative workspace for various small companies, featuring transparent acrylic walls, over a thousand plants and a so-called “flying table”.

At the front of the two-storey space is a canteen restaurant where occupants are encouraged to interact with one another and share ideas. Inspired by Richard Rogers’ River Cafe, the area doubles up as an informal workspace.

The main seating area is contained within the orange tunnel, described by the architects as a greenhouse. It features a curved bank of seating, painted with glossy orange paint, and a selection of mismatched chairs. Behind this is an events space that can be used for film screenings, music performances and lectures, as well as for company meetings and workshops. To ensure the flexibility in this room, it features a grand U-shaped meeting table that can be winched up towards the ceiling when not in use. Legs can be screwed on and off, to ensure stability when people are leaning on it.

Related Posts:
Deliciously Curvalicious.
El “B” Auditorium in Cartagena, Spain by SelgasCano.
Serpentine Pavilion by SelgasCano at Kensington Gardens in London.

[Images courtesy of SelgasCano. Photography © Iwan Baan.]