Arope HQ - Verdun Beirut - 2007 - Interior design

In order to maintain a close connection with their joint company, a former retail space in the Headquarters of Blom Bank building has been converted into office spaces for the Headquarter of Arope insurance. Located at the ground and first floor and set up around the inside patio of the building, the office spaces open up to the street, bringing in the urban landscape, and allowing the user to recall the feeling of being outdoors. Glazed curtain walls give each floor a connection to these outdoor spaces and provide the ability to naturally ventilate and bring light to the spaces. Shades of grey and white play against black and stainless steel furniture inside the office spaces, with colored variations of lights coming down from the stretched ceilings. Moveable furniture and partition walls are incorporated so that the office space can easily be reconfigured, by a combination of necessity and the intent of creating a flexible space which could take on different roles at different time. Due to privacy and sun protection in urban areas, curtains can be closed to gently deflect prying eyes, or opened to provide a feeling of expansiveness, and at night turns into a glittering veil illuminated by the interior lighting.