Fit-out of 400m2 office space within Marina Plaza for Cundall’s new Dubai office. The office design included full MEP design, along with the design of acoustic and structural features. The whole office was being designed to achieve gold certification through the WELL Building Standard.
Multiple features have been included within the office design to highlight the MEP, structural and acoustic elements of the office.
MEP services are largely exposed, including the use of cardboard ductwork within the main open plan office.
The structural team was engaged to design three unique elements for the office; a cantilevered break out table, a cantilevered reception seating bench and a parametrically modelled board room ceiling. The elements provided a unique way to showcase the skills of the team, whilst forming aesthetically beautiful elements in our own office. They provide a platform to share our passion for design, through regularly used items.
Acoustic panels have been installed within meeting rooms both wall and ceiling mounted panels have been installed to ensure speech privacy and the best possible acoustic environment. The main challenges involved educating the contractor on the standards required and the quality of materials that were required to ensure compliance with the WELL Building Standard.
Given that this is not the usual standard and is relatively new in Dubai, this was often very challenging especially at site level with all of the sub-contractors involved on the project. In addition, as structurally governed furniture is not usually something found within an office fit-out, it was a challenge to ensure the contractor followed the design correctly. Coordination with the PT tendons within the slab was critical and required a lot of supervision throughout the construction process.
Designing to the WELL Building Standard has improve the office environment for all staff. This has ensured a healthier working environment with the overall aim being to reduce staff absences and have greater staff retention.
There are no water services provided within the office, however as part of the WELL certification, biophilic plants are provided throughout the office. Condensate water from the FCU’s is collected within a small tank located within the office, with the collected water being used to water these plants.
Lighting design has been carried out to achieve the highest level of efficiency with an overall lighting power density of 5.2W/m2. This is an approximate 45% reduction over the required standards.
There are number of features within the office that have been designed to re-use or repurpose old materials. UPVC pipes have been recycled as a lighting feature. Wooden pallets used for transportation of equipment have been re-purposed and used as a feature wall finish. Cardboard tubes used for rolls of material have been reused as a feature wall finish and innovative cardboard tube diffusers form part of the air conditioning system.