Enjoy 2 free articles a month. For unlimited access, get a membership now.

Spark Capital Mercer

Desai Chia Architecture

SAVE SUBMISSION
Bronze
Bronze
Bronze
Paul Warchol
Located in SoHo in an old industrial loft building, Spark Capital’s office provides a reception lounge area that connects to three conference rooms with full visibility. - Paul Warchol
The architectural design was inspired by the clients’ logo and the graphic nature of traditional Japanese rock gardens. The traditional Japanese rock gardens are metaphorical ground forms comprised of carefully arranged patterns that symbolize water ripples, which in turn express the beauty and balance found in nature. - Paul Warchol
Paul Warchol

1 / 13

Sponsor
Comments
Innovation
Functionality
Creativity
Eco-Social Impact
Total
JURY VOTES
Small Office
5.47
5.84
5.55
5.32
5.55
Peter Greenberg
Peter Greenberg Partner at Ester Bruzkus Architekten
3.42
5
4.44
3.71
4.14
Bjorn Verlinde
Bjorn Verlinde Founder at Studio Bjorn Verlinde
4.31
4.24
4.31
4.45
4.33
Sarah Nabih Nasif
Sarah Nabih Nasif Lecturer at October University for modern Science and Arts (MSA)
Nothing innovative here , it is all...
5.88
5.88
5.88
5.88
5.88
Maja Kozel
Maja Kozel Senior Interior Architect at iL Office
The focus seems really on the light...
4.17
5.45
6.17
4.1
4.97
Alessandro Pulina
Alessandro Pulina Founder and Chief Interior Designer at Pulina Exclusive Interiors
6.38
6.95
6.81
6.81
6.74
Lawrence Kim
Lawrence Kim Architect and Professor at A+U Lab and Pusan National University
4.83
5.64
5.55
5.26
5.32
Ray An Chuang
Ray An Chuang Executive VP & Managing Partner at Cheng Chung Design
4.95
5.95
5.45
5.67
5.51
Adam Thompson
Adam Thompson Strategy Director at Amplify
for the sector, I imagine that this...
6.94
6.01
5.58
5.77
6.08
Edmund Sumner
Edmund Sumner Founder at Edmund Sumner Photography
5.25
5.4
4.41
4.45
4.88
Amir Idiatulin
Amir Idiatulin Founder at IND Architects
6.69
5.21
5.55
5.88
5.83
Michael Lam
Michael Lam Founder and Creative Director at Design Plus Design
6.61
5.95
5.78
4.46
5.7
Jing Xu
Jing Xu Cofounder at Shanghai Neobio Enterprise Management
4.09
6.19
4.09
6.12
5.12
Sarah Kennedy
Sarah Kennedy Principal, Interior Design Director at CLB Architects
6.66
6.85
7.11
5
6.41
Katerina Kavazi
Katerina Kavazi Founder at K. Kavazi Interior Design Studio
6.45
7.1
6.6
6.88
6.76
Comments
Innovation
Functionality
Creativity
Eco-Social Impact
Total
JURY VOTES
Light
5.49
5.41
5.52
5.22
5.41
Peter Greenberg
Peter Greenberg Partner at Ester Bruzkus Architekten
6.32
6.32
5.74
5
5.85
Bjorn Verlinde
Bjorn Verlinde Founder at Studio Bjorn Verlinde
3.1
3.02
3.1
3.02
3.06
Sarah Nabih Nasif
Sarah Nabih Nasif Lecturer at October University for modern Science and Arts (MSA)
The lighting units in the ceiling a...
5.88
6.02
5.88
5.88
5.92
Maja Kozel
Maja Kozel Senior Interior Architect at iL Office
5
4.24
5.74
5.67
5.16
Alessandro Pulina
Alessandro Pulina Founder and Chief Interior Designer at Pulina Exclusive Interiors
6.95
6.6
6.45
6.24
6.56
Lawrence Kim
Lawrence Kim Architect and Professor at A+U Lab and Pusan National University
5.17
5.21
5.64
5.6
5.41
Ray An Chuang
Ray An Chuang Executive VP & Managing Partner at Cheng Chung Design
5.67
5.17
5.74
5.81
5.6
Edmund Sumner
Edmund Sumner Founder at Edmund Sumner Photography
5.83
5.29
5.33
4.54
5.25
Amir Idiatulin
Amir Idiatulin Founder at IND Architects
5.45
5.17
5.31
5.5
5.36
Michael Lam
Michael Lam Founder and Creative Director at Design Plus Design
5
5
5
5
5
Jing Xu
Jing Xu Cofounder at Shanghai Neobio Enterprise Management
5
5
5
5
5
Sarah Kennedy
Sarah Kennedy Principal, Interior Design Director at CLB Architects
5.64
5.65
5.63
5.66
5.65
Katerina Kavazi
Katerina Kavazi Founder at K. Kavazi Interior Design Studio
6.38
7.6
7.24
5
6.56
Comments
Innovation
Functionality
Creativity
Eco-Social Impact
Total
JURY VOTES
Material
5.52
5.56
5.66
5.46
5.55
Peter Greenberg
Peter Greenberg Partner at Ester Bruzkus Architekten
4
4
3.85
4.15
4
Bjorn Verlinde
Bjorn Verlinde Founder at Studio Bjorn Verlinde
3.88
3.95
3.81
5
4.16
Sarah Nabih Nasif
Sarah Nabih Nasif Lecturer at October University for modern Science and Arts (MSA)
6.52
6.02
6.02
6.02
6.15
Maja Kozel
Maja Kozel Senior Interior Architect at iL Office
4.88
4.31
6.52
5.67
5.35
Alessandro Pulina
Alessandro Pulina Founder and Chief Interior Designer at Pulina Exclusive Interiors
6.74
6.88
7.17
6.95
6.94
Lawrence Kim
Lawrence Kim Architect and Professor at A+U Lab and Pusan National University
5.21
5.5
5.26
5.12
5.27
Ray An Chuang
Ray An Chuang Executive VP & Managing Partner at Cheng Chung Design
5.38
5.6
5.38
5.17
5.38
Edmund Sumner
Edmund Sumner Founder at Edmund Sumner Photography
5.36
5.64
5.68
4.5
5.3
Amir Idiatulin
Amir Idiatulin Founder at IND Architects
4.5
5.4
5.88
5.83
5.4
Michael Lam
Michael Lam Founder and Creative Director at Design Plus Design
6.97
6.27
6.47
4.74
6.11
Jing Xu
Jing Xu Cofounder at Shanghai Neobio Enterprise Management
5.98
6.12
4.44
6.47
5.75
Sarah Kennedy
Sarah Kennedy Principal, Interior Design Director at CLB Architects
5.91
5.83
5.85
6.31
5.98
Katerina Kavazi
Katerina Kavazi Founder at K. Kavazi Interior Design Studio
6.45
6.74
7.31
5
6.38
Client
Spark Capital
Floor area
290 ㎡
Completion
2020
Social Media
Instagram Facebook Linkedin
Millwork
Lighting
Lighting
Lighting
Lighting
Lighting
Finishes (flooring & wallcovering)
Finishes (flooring & wallcovering)
Finishes (flooring & wallcovering)
Finishes (flooring & wallcovering)

Spark Capital, a boutique investment firm headquartered in Boston, is a seed investor in companies like Twitter, Wayfair, and Slack. The company’s logo was inspired by the graphic nature of traditional Japanese rock gardens whose metaphorical ground forms are carefully arranged patterns that symbolize water ripples. Its expression mimics the harmony of beauty and balance found in nature. The idealized ripples in Spark Capital’s logo are symbolic of how the company’s impact reverberates across their many collaborators. We infused the ripple metaphor into the design of their new office to create warm and welcoming experiences that balance the intensity of the work environment. The team work area— open in the middle for staff desks with private offices around the perimeter— is efficient and compact.

A screen wall links the reception area to the team work area. It provides acoustical separation using glass partitions but lets light through a wood screen with a CNC-milled pattern of ripples. At the epicenter of each concentric ripple is a porthole that brings more light through and provides a moment of focused view between the public and private spaces. A custom ceiling was designed as a floating canopy of wood and light; we experimented with molded wood veneer flitches to create concentric forms of varying depths and interior volume. The result is a dynamic installation that brings texture and scale to the space while allowing the ripples to float overhead, almost as if one were under water. The Work Bar near the pantry kitchen is a custom high table that allows the team to meet informally or have lunch together. It holds its own presence as an elegant, anchoring form while also referencing the shape of the ripples in the other parts of the office. 

The office’s design is reflective of its purpose: a space dedicated to collaboration across diverse platforms and a fast-paced exchange of ideas. The layout fosters team synergy and provides the right amount of flexibility to accommodate the ever-dynamic workday. Inspired by the same forward thinking and creative attitude espoused by our client, the office is welcoming, beautifully illuminated, and embodies the mission and brand of Spark Capital.