ODD (Office for Design) is a space that joins different professional firms that constitute a fundamental part of the city’s creative side. It’s a space for sharing ideas, networking, clients and growing as a whole. It’s not just a coworking, it’s not a public office. Think of it as a private club, where only friends and firms that are aligned with the space values are invited to join and have a presence.
The space itself was abandoned during the pandemic and the founding partners of ODD; Branding Studio VoltaRocks, the CR Lab and interior design firm F05 Studio, had an extremely tight budget to make this idea happen. Located in the heart of Medellin, amongst hotels, bars and restaurants, the most important aspect was that it had to be a quiet space, it had to stay under budget, be fresh and unique in a city that grows by the minute.
The intervention had to also be minimal. The structure, flooring, plumbing, cables and technical structures were all left exposed, as they were was, they were only cleaned.
The space has 28 tables work tables, made out of repurposed oak timbers and it had to be divided between teams but a physical division was too harsh for this space, except for the meeting room. So we partnered with a local landscape designer, Greenfield, to plant the greenery around the space, but these aren’t planted…they’re left in the greenhouse bag and with a rotating schedule and careful maintenance they’re rotated monthly back to the greenhouse for recovery and selling. The space is always alive, always changing and not a single plant dies nor isn’a taken care of, it also helps immensely on the temperature of the office, the central air conditioning is rarely turned on.
Lighting is partnered with another local company, Hometech, magnetic rails through the space allow us to light wherever and whatever we need. These include automation so they are programmed to work at a lower percentage during daylight vs nighttime, there are also settings for when events are held, etc. They are never fully on, saving a considerable amount of energy and money, this is also aided by painting what could be painted with a very light beige, both walls and the exposed steel deck of the ceiling.
The library is ODD’s story, objects that matter to the client and the story they want to tell. Everything that is for use: samples, papers, etc, are all hidden away in drawers, 100% of the time. The kitchen is from ODD’s partner, Dell’Anno, and is designed to show what this vendor can do and be used for events only, there is a hidden kitchen for daily use. The meeting room is a glass enclosed room in the center of the space, with internal curtains for when privacy is needed.