'The Cell' is a shared office space in Madrid designed for Spanish coworking brand LOOM. Located on the 8th floor of a refurbished office building in the heart of Madrid´s Azca business district, the space comprises over 1,700 sqm of floor area, flexible 12 to 20 office cells, 5 to 8 meeting rooms and a comprehensive number of amenities.

The design is inspired by emerging natural ecosystems and their ability to produce complexity through aggregation and collaboration. This concept has shaped the entire project: from the aesthetics and finishes to the operation and layout flexibility. The client wanted a project where the layout could quickly adapt to the inevitable change of tenant requirements. This was applied on 2 timescales: meeting rooms can adapt their size and number on a daily basis though a system of sliding partitions, and office cells can combine or divide over the course of a week by mounting or dismounting divider panels.

The chosen layout contributes to tenant flexibility, follows office distribution rationale and provides organic spatial qualities. Entrances, lobby spaces and amenities are doubled to enable the division of the entire space for 2 big tenants. All workstations are positioned on the perimeter with access to natural light, while amenities and meeting rooms are attached to the central core providing artificial lighting control. Shaped by an angled and curved perimeter, the open interstitial space left between these 2 clusters provides an organic and biological atmosphere to users.

There was a general aim from both client and designer to produce an office space that would differentiate itself from the archetypical coworking atmosphere. The looks are inspired on more classical office interiors through the use of natural oak finishes, silver anodised framing, carpet floors, upholstered room wall finishes, sandy colours and classic mid-century furniture. This looks contrast with the vividly-coloured eye-catching anodised aluminium curtains surround meeting room glass partitions decorate circulation areas and provide a level of privacy to meetings.

Circular thinking has been brought into several aspects of the design process, construction method and product specification. The generalised use of mechanically fixed partitions, modular flooring and the oversizing and duplication of building services allow for reversible layouts and further subdivision of office cells. This foresight reduces the need for future redesign, further renovation works, client income loss and, consequently, reduces lifecycle material and carbon footprint. Products with a low embodied carbon have been specified. Cabinets and furniture are made of oak wood, modular carpet and vinyl flooring contain a high percentage of recycled materials such as sea fishing nets and aluminium-framed room dividers are uncoated and can easily be dismantled to be used in a second life or stored inside the building for future needs.