Architecture Awards 2020

117 2020 Architecture Awards BUILD Jun20480 Interior Architecture Studio of the Year 2020 - Hesse When people think of architecture, they may immediately be drawn to thinking about the exterior of a building. However, the interior architecture is just as important, if not more so for the people living or working there. As specialized interior architects, the team at Angela J. Keiser Architekten Innenarchitekten work to design and realise innovative workspaces and unusual medical areas in existing office and healthcare properties. Following the firm’s success, we take a closer look to learn more. ince its establishment, this Hesse-based interior architecture firm has seen itself as a studio of “designers for people”. Angela J. Keiser designs its projects for individuals who have special functional and spatial needs in the future office or clinic spaces, as well as those who want to be motivated and want to experience with all the senses the special atmosphere that it creates. When it comes to designing, the firm specialises in exclusive design and integrates a high level of expertise in building technology, enabling it to realise projects in high-rise buildings, hospitals, and other high-quality architecture. In essence, what Angela J. Keiser seeks to do above all else is design and create good spaces for happy people, and this extends to a myriad of industries, as seen in one of the studio’s most recent projects for Frankfurt Airport Center. The Frankfurt Airport Center is an office building that was originally constructed in the 1980s with more than 45,000 sqm of lettable space at the nearby airport. Until 2018, there was a high vacancy rate. What Angela J. Keiser did was prepared a design and plans for the new lettings. Exciting office concepts were developed for the various prospective tenants, which received a very high response and led to a very quick letting process. Within two years, the firm had designed 26,000 sqm of rental space for companies such as Deutsche Lufthansa, Star Alliance, FRAPORT, Singapore Airlines, and many more. With the designs in hand, the plans were in place for implementation. In addition to the rental space, the team of Angela J. Keiser has also developed design proposals for the lobby, the elevator lobbies, and a mall in the building itself. S Each new project that Angela J. Keiser starts is done so with an analysis of the construction and building law, before creating an associative mood board with a lot of pictures. In the existing space, the studio examines the sustainable fate of various building components in connection with a new office concept. At the same time, Angela J. Keiser encourages intensive user participation in the form of workshops and surveys. Aside from these careful and considered steps, the intensive application of spatial psychology is also a secret of the studio’s progress. During the project, the consideration of the cost also comes into effort. The multi-perspective is maintained throughout the process, and leads to an outstanding result. Inevitably, the effects of COVID-19 are becoming more and more apparent with each passing day that the virus continues to play a role in daily life. The experiences from the shutdowns will change offices in many different ways. According to the data currently determined in Germany, many employees in the future would like to work 20-40% of their working time at a home office. In the long run, many companies in Germany will reduce their office space and change the structures and concepts of workspace. To ensure that efficient and concentrated work can continue to be made possible in reduced space, research results from studies in the field of work organization show a way towards a multispacer concept. Employees without a fixed workplace increase their wellbeing and efficiency in offices that offer many differently designed facets. As that future of office working draws ever closer, it brings with a number of challenges that Angela J. Keiser cannot wait to get stuck into. Currently, beside several office projects, the firm is working on a design concept for the refurbishment of a mall in southern Germany and is learning more about the practical integration of biophilic design in interiors. During the last few years, the firm has gained a large amount of experience with the integration of large interior plantings, and has now realised the importance of this for interiors and the people who work and live there. The latest scientific studies all confirm the positive influence of plants in the environment on people’s wellbeing. Ultimately, Angela J. Keiser is a perfect example of an interior architecture firm that has its sights set on the future, and is ready for whatever comes next. Company: Angela J. Keiser Architekten Innenarchitekten Contact: Angela J. Keiser Website: www.angela-keiser.de