Today, rapidly decreasing resources and the increasing value of time require interiors to be designed with greater efficiency. Limited space, limited time and limited budgets make it necessary to create fast, economical, functional and aesthetically qualified environments with minimized operating and usage costs.
Minimalism, often perceived as a trend, is in fact closely related to rationalism, one of the main principles of modernism. However, when reduced to memorized slogans without understanding its core reasons, it becomes a superficial design attitude. This article summarizes an interior architecture project developed with a rational design philosophy, without exaggeration, and with a focus on function, economy and spatial clarity.
The office, located on the 12th floor of Block A1 in Istanbul World Trade Center, was designed for Good to Great Consultant Group, a consulting company. The 130 m² area had a demanding program: entrance, reception and waiting area, six-person meeting room, three-person staff office, tea and rest area for breaks after long training sessions, and a thirty-person training room.
The reception area was accessed through a welcoming, partly transparent entrance door that created a closer relationship between the elevator hall and the office. The company logo was emphasized with spot lighting and supported with an information panel. Ceramic flooring created a consistent transition between the artificial granite elevator hall and the office interior.
The visibility of the work office and training room from the entrance area supported the concept of transparency, which also reflected the company’s working culture. After the entrance and reception area, maple laminate flooring was used to create a warmer and softer interior effect.
Transparent openings were designed in the wall between the training room and the working area. Natural aluminium frames with double glazing and integrated blinds were used, allowing visual openness when concentration requirements were lower. This helped the relatively compact office feel larger and more spacious.
The training room, which formed the largest part of the functional program, was placed in the inner zone of the office, away from direct daylight, with a linear planning approach. Since the existing floor-type fan coil system was not sufficient for such an intensive program, an additional ceiling-type fan coil unit was planned for the training room. The working area and meeting room were positioned to benefit from daylight and view.
