Live-cell therapy
Three people are huddled in the small meeting room, making sure the project really moves forward. Next door in the auditorium a key presentation to clients is taking place. A colleague from a branch office has made herself comfortable in the lounge zone in the lobby and is busy responding to her mails; her return flight is not till evening. In the large meeting rooms everything is ready for the feedback session after the presentation. Modern conference and convention facilities should be able to respond flexibly to different and changing room requirements. To this extent, the Oslo conference center Kor Interiør converted is exemplary, as the project successfully brings together offerings for different working and communication settings. And thanks to Kvadrat Soft Cells panels, the ambient mood is great, too.
The conference center is located in the prosperous Oslo district of Majorstuen, not far from a large park. The owner, real-estate developer Eiendom, recently had it modernized to bring the spaces into line with current requirements and standards. The existing structures had qualities of their own and the three planners from Oslo’s Kor Interiør studio therefore opted to retain the wood floors and in part the ceilings, too. To turn the building back into a contemporary and attractive conference center, Kor completely redesigned the lighting, the acoustics and the fit-out. The center, with the auditorium, two conference rooms, a lounge, kitchen and ancillary rooms now exudes a bright, warm feeling. “Although the surfaces are not exactly blessed with daylight,” comments Stine Riiber, one of the three founders of Kor Interiør.
The trick? Getting the right mix! The rooms may be uniform and restrained, with a lot of white, functional lighting and furnishings. But Kor has spruced up this matter-of-fact basic outfit by adding a few special items. For example, pendant luminaires by Wästberg, bar stools by Fredericia and chairs by Vitra. And key for the overall atmosphere: the colorful and haptic accents Kor has achieved with textiles, above all the Soft Cells panels by Danish manufacturer Kvadrat Soft Cells.
With their pleasant colors and textures, the panels not only brighten the mood, but thanks to their acoustic properties they also calm an overly loud background hustle-and-bustle. Which is why the countless wall areas in the conference center are clad with panels from the “Standard” series. “We chose the Soft Cells system because the panels are both precision-made and beautiful,” says Stine Riiber, who has frequently relied on Kvadrat products in her work. “What is more, it offers countless possible combinations of textile and color.” In this case, the choice was “Remix”, from which Kor also had the auditorium curtains and seat upholstery made. Meaning the mood is right, so nothing can really get in the way of successful work at the center. (jj)
