Play is the Word

"Intent on creating a motivating work culture to enrich the employee experiences of its Guangzhou-based team, O&M called upon the design services of a most befitting creative partner - M Moser Associates."

Ogilvy & Mather (O&M) - the international advertising, marketing and public relations agency thrives on creative, out-of-the-box ideas to inspire its clients. For a successful creative agency such as O&M, its primary asset is its creative staff. 'Understanding the intense pressure under which its people need to work round the clock to produce creative ideas, Ogilvy & Mather wanted the space to help people break free from established ways of thinking, so that they can spontaneously explore new ideas and deliver great results,' says Wendy Leung, Director, M Moser Associates, explaining the design brief.

Intent on creating a motivating work culture to enrich the employee experiences of its Guangzhou-based team, O&M called upon the design services of a most befitting creative partner - M Moser Associates. Matching Ogilvy's inventiveness through its own ingenious concepts of design, M Moser went beyond the ordinary to convert the workplace into a visually stimulating space that fuels the imagination and provides a boundless source of inspiration to O&M staff.

With its lease in the CITIC Plaza building in the Central Business District coming to an end, O&M made the decision to relocate its offices to the newly developed arts and culture district of Fang Cun. 'It was a daring decision on behalf of O&M to move out from a prestigious and convenient location to the city's fringe,' Leung states. 'At the same time, it also provided a unique opportunity to strengthen its brand image in Southern China.' The need to kindle the creative quotient of O&M with a'Carnival of Ideas' resulted in an office theme that was unabashedly imaginative, breaking all norms of conventionality and suitably corresponding with the arts and culture surroundings. The sunlit interiors of an 880m2 two-storey building, with a generous 5m ceiling on the lower floor, was chosen as the new premises. The vibrant and cheery elements of the carnival scene - the ornately embellished entrance, multi-coloured lighting effects, ticket booth reception desk and the quintessential carousel on the lower floor become instantly visible through the full-height glass windows upon approach. 'The buzzing carnival scene, created specially for the project by a manufacturer of amusement park rides, is like a magnet drawing people to embrace the fun within,' remarks Annie Chan, Associate, M Moser, the lead designer of the project.

An angled internal staircase bearing the O&M logo in bold red lettering and luminescent lighting firmly establishes its brand identity and gives it a strong visual reference.'The staircase is reminiscent of Hogwarts Schoo in the Harry Potter books,' Chan says. Creating a vertica link and connecting the two floors the 'Red Corridor partially lifts on the ground floor allowing a peek to the back office and the breakout area. 'Running Ogilvy's vivic corporate Red diagonally across the space, the Corridor not only symbolically links people spread over two floors with one bold statement of its corporate personality, bul also encourages people to interact and have fun using the 'explorative staircase',' Chan adds. Acting as a space-time trajectory, the staircase connects with a walk-bridge and rallies through the interiors, enticing people to explore the viewpoints and discover new perspectives.

Taking advantage of the generous ceiling height a loft was created for those intending an intensediscussion or brainstorming ideas. Connected by means of a walk-bridge to the Red Corridor, this 'upper cranium' brings an added dimension to the space, offering lofty views and inspiring perspectives.

Another playground for ideas lies on the left of the reception area. Atypical in many ways from its traditional equivalent, the boardroom in its playful composition of carousel themed walls, irregularly shaped table, vintage furniture and overhead projector shaped as a galloping horse is a venue for ideas merry-go-round. A secret door through the wall leads into the breakout area which is where the 'fun' in the funfair lies. Displays of colourful masks, armoured knights and fairytale characters, galloping horses on barley twist poles and carousel-themed walls with mirrored windows and fairy lights promise amusing intervals.

Work stations are placed amidst a lively blend of sideshow curiosities such as a colourful confetti carpet, fantasy pumpkin poufs and hall-of-mirror features that create ample food for thought. 'We believe that playful environments make people happy - and good ideas usually come up when you're in a relaxing mood,' Chan says.

Explaining the challenge to design its unique concept of office interior Leung says, 'This project was idea oriented, which meant that there were endless possibilities. Our challenge was to narrow down the possibilities and tie them together in a workspace scenario.'

In this instance, the office design cuts both ways. On one level, the office brings the best out of its people and enables them to swiftly convert ideas to realisation. On another, its vibrant real-life carnival entices visitors and staff to get into its lively atmosphere.

The two creative firms have shown that it takes two to start a party. And this is one Carnival that is not to be missed.

M Moser Associates creates workplace environments for global business. Eleven offices in Beijing, Delhi, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, London, New York, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Singapore and Taipei serve the design and planning needs of multinational companies around the world!