Innovation
Our concept for the Agristo HQ, a car park and a new green space on a fairly modest plot of land, involved concentrating all 3 elements into 1 structure. This way we maximised the available space for development and at the same time separated this from busy factory workflows. To do so, the design had to break with conventional square/rectangular layouts. We created an organic shape to take full advantage of the designated plot and manipulated the volumetry to provide all staff with natural light throughout the day.

Functionality
OYO showed Agristo that in the future mobility would change. In 10yrs time the strategy around company cars would likely be different, and less people would be driving their own car to work – making a large dedicated parking structure obsolete. True to our mantra “sustainability is adaptability”, the parking lot was placed within the lower levels of the structure but designed in a way that these lower levels can easily be transformed into office space to support future business growth.

The interior has been created with diverse spatial purposes in mind. It’s not really an office. It is a space with multiple areas designed to facilitate focus, collaboration, relaxation or socialisation. These areas encourage circulation of staff and cross departmental collaboration since they are strategically connected by the impressive atrium.

Creativity
By rotating the office volume opposed to the base, more space is created in relation to the surrounding buildings and more daylight enters the building. Also, the terrace will benefit from this rotation; the green area is lifted above the circulation of traffic below and provides a great outdoor space where employees can relax and recharge.

On another note, a potato shaped auditorium adds a playfulness that brings the brand’s personality to life. Although it is mainly used to present the potato products to clients, the auditorium has become the place to be for informal team gatherings.

Sustainability
The structure’s synergy with the existing factory building was also considered, with ecosystem thinking leading to an efficient idea for heating and cooling the new building. Heat traps were included in our designs to funnel excess cool/hot air from Agristo’s industrial fridges/ovens to the new structure. This kind of thinking illustrates how adaptive design and sustainable practices were woven into every aspect of the design – which is why the building achieved the BREEAM EXCELLENT accreditation.

In addition, seeing the company’s desire for a “green space” for what it really was (an investment in employee wellbeing and social sustainability) OYO decided to make green spaces an important and considered feature of the building itself. Terraces on each level of the building provide employees with equal and easy access to the outdoors, getting everyone closer to nature. Flora also encircle the building providing more visible greenery and encouraging greater biodiversity.