SEVIL PEACH
SEVIL PEACH
stopping them from sitting on the fl oor to work, as long as
you have a laptop, what’s the problem?
NC
Over the last fi ve years or so a sort of cult around craft and artis-
anship has developed, people want to use their hands, get them dirty,
from the kitchen to the workshop. I think a lot of people stuck in
front of a screen fantasize about that kind of work and life. Is there
a way of satisfying that urge in the offi ce environment?
SP Our solution is for people to get up and do
things as often as they can, I always tell this story when I
give talks: We started with Vitra where we provided one
rubbish bin for every 15-20 people. All hell broke loose.
I said, “Ok, give it one month.” I explained the reason why
we were doing this: Firstly, for your health, your back and
your vision, it’s a reason to get up and change you posture
and rest your eyes. Secondly, as a means of communication:
it’s like creating a village pump, you meet people and talk.
A month went by, and it was no longer a problem. Twelve
years later and it still isn’t a problem. They now recommend
this approach to their clients.
NC
In very simple terms a nice offi ce its about scale, isn’t it?
SP You know what we do? Every offi ce we
design is based on the size of this offi ce of about 15-20 people.
We take this footprint to create a similar human scale on
larger offi ce fl oor. We try to develop ways to break up the
larger spaces into smaller zones. It’s a really important point.
You know, design is really simple; it’s persuading people that
is the hard part!
NC
Is the non-territorial offi ce an ideal? Aren’t we by nature territorial?
Aren’t we uncomfortable when that instinct is denied?
SP Some people are really territorial, others,
less so. What I don’t understand is why you would have
a picture of George Clooney on your desk. What is the mes-
sage we are trying to give by that? There was an offi ce we
designed where there was a guy who worked in the corner,
he had pictures of George Clooney everywhere, every single
surface, horizontal and vertical was covered. His chair was
positioned on a little oriental carpet. Another lady at another
offi ce had pictures of dogs absolutely everywhere, including
the windows. I fi nd that really offensive. How can you impose
