Zeller & Moye embed plants throughout German office

Architecture studio Zeller & Moye has created an office in Bochum, Germany, which includes numerous wooden planters, an indoor garden and a felt "walkable landscape".

Designed for medical software company Pradtke, the office was created as an alternative to standard workspaces, with plants and natural materials used throughout.

"It goes way beyond the common office setting by offering a wide spectrum of different spaces and atmospheres to its users who constantly navigate between them," said Zeller & Moye co-founder Ingrid Moye.

"Aiming for a sustainable project with the well-being of the users in mind, plants were embedded throughout all areas and only natural materials were used," she told Dezeen.

Zeller & Moye aimed to create a variety of working environments in the 500-square-metre office, with the team encouraged to move between the spaces during the day.

Alongside spaces for collaborative and individual working, which are filled with planting, the studio created an indoor garden for thinking and relaxing.

"The zones offer very different environments that reflect the different types of work within the company," said Zeller & Moye co-founder Christoph Zeller.

"Each of the zones was designed for specific ways of working, from concentrated individual work to group sessions and education," he told Dezeen.

"The range of spatial offers means that users frequently move between them, allowing for spontaneous encounter and communication between the staff."

The main work area was designed to have the appearance of a giant table, but is actually divided by glass screens.

"We wanted to bring together the different fields of work by creating the gesture of an extra-large table for everyone in the company to work alongside each other," said Zeller.

"Glass walls cutting through the table create acoustically separated compartments with users sitting next to each other only with a layer of glass between them."

The office also contains numerous acoustic booths and a large flexible hall for events, while a separate floor contains smaller rooms for in-depth work.

Alongside these more traditional workspaces, Zeller & Moye continued the theme of integrated planters with an indoor garden and a "felt landscape".

The studio worked with German artist Tilo Schulz to create the seating area, which has movable, felt-covered pieces that can be reconfigured into various positions.

"The felt landscape was created as a contrasting setting to the chair-table-based work areas," said Moye.

"The walkable landscape allows for working in relaxed positions, comfortable seating, and even sun-bathing below the two windows," she continued. "The upholstered surface makes for a positive irritation when walking over it, gently suggesting a shift in thinking."

With wellness the focus of the project, the spaces are naturally ventilated and lit.

Along with the planting, the studio chose natural materials including timber, felt and linoleum to create a calm atmosphere.

Overall, Zeller & Moye hope that the office will allow the team to work efficiently, but also encourage "out-of-the-box thinking".

"As a counterpart to the main areas, the unconventional spaces such as the internal garden and the upholstered landscape offer not only rest, solitude or social interaction but more importantly, offer a different point of view and therefore trigger out-of-the-box thinking," said Moye.

Based in Berlin and Mexico City, Zeller & Moye is led by architects Zeller and Moye. Recent projects by the studio include an earthquake-resistant housing block in Mexico City and a wooden house in a German forest.

The photography is by Andreas Gehrke.

Project credits:

Architect: Zeller & Moye / Ingrid Moye, Christoph Zeller (principals), Francesco Baggio, Alessio Benetello, Pamela Kajakas, Iris Reis, Francesco Spadini (team)
Local architect: Norbert Overberg Innenarchitekten
Contractor: Röttlingsberger (drywalls), Dickerhoff (carpentry), Strack (glass), Gärtner Gregg (interior garden), EDS (elektrical and data), Zgoll (media technology)
Client: Pradtke GmbH
Project coordination and artistic supervision: Tilo Schulz

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