Page 111 - AIT0418_E-Paper

Entwurf • Design Atelier Barda, CA-Montreal
Bauherr • Client SSENSE, CA-Montreal
Standort • Location 333 Rue Cha banel 0, CA-Montreal
Nutzfläche • Floor space 2.230 m 2
Fotos • Photos Adrien Williams, CA-Montreal
Mehr Infos auf Seite • More infos on page 160

SSENSE HEADQUARTERS

IN MONTREAL

Antonio Di Bacco and Cécile Combelle from Atelier
Barda designed new office premises which reflect the
zeitgeist and would make the heart of any hipster in
Berlin-Mitte beat faster. The existing factory floor was
left unchanged in its structure as much as possible. To
contrast it, they designed filigree furniture which further
emphasizes the loft-like atmosphere of the space.

Y ou have never heard of SSENSE? Then you were probably born
before 1985 and thus simply no longer belong to the target group
of the Canadian fashion platform. The internet shop established in 2006
is mainly addressed to the so-called millennial generation and is visited
by its fashion-conscious representatives up to 30 million times a month.
Haute-couture brands and luxury street-wear labels – from Acne to
Versace – use SSENSE to reach a young and, above all, solvent group
and to establish customer loyalty as early as possible. And with success:
Since it was established, the platform’s turnovers have been increasing
by more than 80 percent per year. As a consequence, the number of
employees is also steadily growing. Almost 500 employees are currently
working at the headquarters in Montreal. It is – not unsuitably – in a for-
mer textile factory in the district of Ahuntsic-Cartierville. This is where
the company moved in 2013 and had an elegant office floor planned by
the local Humà Design architectural office. Straight lines, upscale furni-
ture and an intense black-and-white contrast dominate the interior
design. Now SSENSE has rented an additional floor in the building and
commissioned the likewise Montreal-based young architectural and
design office Atelier Barda with the design. The result is a minimalist
interior with street credibility, as what is rough and authentic is called
among the hip target group. Small changes only were made to what
was already there. The space is characterized by the structure of the
concrete columns, the visible ventilation pipes and the lighting rails on
the ceiling as well as the grey screed floor. Wherever they are needed,
a few semi-finished gypsum-board walls produce open conference
zones. In addition to these, there are long rows of desks throughout the
open space. When hundreds of seamstresses were still sitting here at
their machines, the space probably didn’t look much different. With a
bit of fresh colour, many plants and the right furniture, however,
Antonio Di Bacco and Cécile Combelle, the founders of Atelier Barda,
turned it into an ambience fit for Instagram. With the exception of the
Grundriss • Floor plan desks, all the furniture was made according to plans by the designers.
.

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