西雅图的创意空间

来源 :职场 | 被引量 : 0次 | 上传用户:rockman27
下载到本地 , 更方便阅读
声明 : 本文档内容版权归属内容提供方 , 如果您对本文有版权争议 , 可与客服联系进行内容授权或下架
论文部分内容阅读
  When you think you've had a pretty good look at the office of Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects, it shape-shifts. The pivoting walls in the conference room, you realize, are set at completely different angles than they were a few hours earlier. The huge white panel in the stair well has suddenly been etched with a new abstraction of shadows. Dozens of spiky blond architectural models migrate from one plane to another over the course of the day. And that skylight—that wasn't open before, was it? Even the staff itself scatters and shuffles.In fact, every thing about this Seattle office is a work in progress, from the zealous use of raw materials to the firm's unique collaborative philosophy. It's never the same place twice.
  The inventive work that's come out of Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen during its 39-year history has almost single-handedly put Seattle on the architecture map, with local landmarks such as the Frye Art Museum expansion and the Pike and Virginia building, and influential residential projects all over the world. By 2003, the firm that Jim Olson founded had grown to include three additionalpartners—Rick Sundberg, Tom Kundig, and Scott Allen--and a burgeoning staff (now about 80 strong) in need of a new office. They settled on the top two floors of a warehouse building in Pioneer Square, a hip neighborhood full of galleries and new restaurants. Since the firm's budget was modest, Kundig was the obvious choice to lead the design: He is renowned for his embrace of inexpensive and reclaimed materials("dirt cheap!" is a term of endearment), which explains the cubicles fashioned from ply wood, the exposed bolts and sheets of dinged steel, and a surprisingly warm and glossy Masonite used for walls and floors. A series of display cases that forms a central design element eventually reveals itself as old modular shelving bolted together--a veteran of no fewer than four prior locations.
  Besides the new flooring, Kundig left the interior of the former Washington Shoe warehouse completely untouched. Even where they sliced through the floor to connect the two levels, the layers of century-old building materials are left exposed, the history of the place proudly on display. " You can't buy time," says Kundig, leaning back in his chair 1and waving his hands around him at the exposed brick and thick wood beams. " When you have something that looks like this, you leave it. This is beautiful as is."
  


  It is Kundig's other trademark—an affinity for kinetic architecture—that forms the shop's aesthetic center of gravity. A skylight—a "sky do or," really, a 3-ton, 15-foot-by -25-foot glass- paned steel door--funnels light into the rooms below. Powered by only city water pressure, one valve draws water into a cylinder, forcing its piston up with the help of a 3-ton counter weight on the roof above.A second valve releases the water to lower the skylight. A blackened aluminum apparatus inspired by a 19th-century steam engine controls the entire system. Yet the skylight performs more than simple acrobatics, says Kundig, ticking off additional uses on his fingers. It can be cranked wide open to circulate cool Puget Sound air, or closed shut to soak up solar heat. It animates a focal point of the office, projecting ever-changing shadows against the stair well wall. It's green(so on, the 12 gallons of water that are forced through the hydraulic system will be reclaimed and used to irrigate a roof garden). It serves as a piece of functional sculpture--it's quite literally a work of art. And it defines the office as an architectural testing ground: " We get to experiment here," he grins, "to try things that might not normally fly with clients."
  Like the cogs and wheel driving the skylight, the workings of the human machinery here are apparent as well. "This space shows our process of working rather than the finished product," Olson says. "In our last space, we had all the interns in a backroom,butnowwe'vebroughtthemoutandputthem right in the middle of ever y thing. That's because this space itself is more like the back room."
  The inside-out nature of the firm's culture is most evident during"the Crit," a Thursday afternoon tradition gathering the entire staff in one of the convertible cork-paneled conference rooms. The Crit allows staff members to explain their current projects, practice their presentation skills, or simply sort through a design problem using the studio's collective brain. The exploratory vibe helps the staff feel comfortable with their own less-than-perfect ideas.
  "There's nothing precious about this joint," says partner Rick Sundberg. "It's messy, it's dirty, it's funky. The process of creating is transparent, and it's right out there for everyone to see."
  
  如果你留神观察 Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects 公司的办公室 , 你会惊讶地发现它的形状 正在改变! 会议室的转轴墙当前呈现给你的角度肯定 与几小时前完全不同 , 因此你所看到的景观也大不一样。楼梯边上巨大的白色天窗也随此倏忽给你的双眼送来一幅崭新的镂刻而成的光影画。
  公司的员工也是如此, 像投注进来的自然光线一样 , 在公司里面四散走动。事实上 , 这幢西雅图办公室本质是流动性的工作, 无论是从原材料的使用还是特有合作氛围。一切都富于特色。
  在39年的发展史上,Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects公司几乎独立承揽了当地不少标志性 的建 筑 , 如 Frye Art Museum expansion 和 the Pike and Virginia building, 从而把西雅图推上建筑地图的一席之地。此外,世界上还有其他建筑名作也是出自它手。尽管用于设计的财务预算不多,设计师Kundig正是处理这类情况的好手:他热衷并不昂贵的可回收的材料,使本来三夹板做成的小隔间在裸露的螺钉和钢板衬托下多了时尚感觉。
  除了更换新的地板,Kundig对里边原先的华盛顿鞋子货仓原封不动。这座建筑时间上的沧桑感是他们引以为傲的一部分。
  “你无法购买时间。”Kundig对显露着砖头和厚重木头横梁的建筑爱不释手,“如果看到有类似的这些物品,那么,就把它们保存下来吧,这是最天然的美。”
  犹如这座办公大楼采用钝齿和车轮来调节自然光的变化的原理一样 , 大楼里人员的工作 也同样明白显见。
  “这个空间显示了我们工作的流程而非最 后的结果。这个空间就像是我们公司的后院一 样 , 把我们里边的东西拿出来放在这里。”
  这种设计也正是与内部文化外现的公司文化相吻合。在每周四下午的传统聚会“the Crit”上,全体职员会集于某一间装了可调节的软木窗格的会议室讨论。
  “the Crit”促使员工自由讨论他们现在手头的方案,练习演示技能,即便只是简单地提出他们现在碰到的设计问题,也可以用到公司里大家的智力方案。每个人带着他们那些几近完美的方案展开讨论,技术有些瑕疵,也会从气氛舒适的讨论中受益不少。
  Rick Sundberg说:“这里或许杂乱无章,或许不够洁净,但这就像创意产生的过程,透明、可视,就在触手可及的地方,每个人都可以看得到。”
  
  LANGUAGE TIPS
  pivot 旋轴
  zealous 热心的
  reclaim 收回
  cubicle 小隔间
  glossy 平滑的
  plywood 三夹板
  beam 横梁
  cog 钝齿
其他文献
《寻找精神家园》    作者:(美)亨利大卫梭罗出版社:中信出版社出版时间:2007年5月  亨利大卫梭罗所著的《瓦尔登湖》引领了几代人的心灵智慧,本书也一样。在他笔下,自然、人以及超验主义理想交融汇合,他所展示出的恬淡的人生态度可以让我们在今天急功近利的冲刺下冷静思考。  当红指数:★★★★★    《带着快乐去上班》    作者:张西超出版社:中信出版社出版时间:2007年4月  你的职业安全
期刊
即使多少有点儿无奈,但我们不得不承认现实社会“以貌取人”,研究数据表明,形象较好的人在职场上比外表欠佳的人,获得更高的薪资及得到更多的提升机会,其中的差异水平是20%。《纽约时报》畅销书作家、著名形象顾问和企业咨询师约翰莫雷(JohnT.Molloy),在其《为成功而打扮》一书中指出:成功的着装并不能让一个蠢材进入董事会,但是不得体的着装可能葬送一个聪明人的前程。  的确,在通往成功事业的路途中,
期刊
一家香港知名咨询管理公司的资深猎头告诉我 , 她常常在 interview 候选人时非常注意观察他们的举止。“今天我刚面试了一个候选人 , 从他的声音大小、夸张的脸部表情 , 我就猜出他的很多信息。 我们隔着会议桌面对面而坐 , 他说话时眉飞色舞 , 一条腿伸到我这边 , 另一条腿立着 , 不停地抖动。 我想他的婚姻状况一定有问题。”一问 , 果然如她所料 : 离异。  这并非以貌取人 , 但常常
期刊
我想这就是解决问题和利用机会的区别。并不是说我们不去解决问题,而是我们在寻找问题的改变,这也是为什么我们如今有这么多的“变革”出现的原因,因为时刻都在变革和创新,新的机会才得以产生,问题才得以解决。其实,这个世界上只有两种人:解决问题者和探求机会者,只着眼解决问题的人会最终被世界的阴暗消极面所吞噬,而探求机会的人则会明白如何迎接环境发出的挑战,并找到新的机会,发现契机。  Staffers:“未来
期刊
绿色商机    沃尔玛这只零售业的巨狮宣布开始销售有机棉T恤,从老板到员工,都将身穿有机棉T恤。如果你是一个小企业,完全没有必要让自己和沃尔玛一样从事同样的绿色或环保的创新模式。实际上,如果你(包括你的员工)真正开始关心环保产品的话,你作为拥有小型规模的老板,会更加有优势来吸引更多的客户群。  环境和可持续发展企业协会专员、《企业家精神》(Spirit of Entreprenurship)的作者
期刊
创业企业能否生存下来,关键在于简单,主要的竞争要素,定位、团队、基础产品和服务、商业模式等,无一例外。  定位要简单。只有简单,才能更快速、更低成本地让员工、媒体、投资人、客户接受并理解,让资本市场更清楚地判断企业的价值,让客户更快速地明白可以获得的价值。企业也才能够更聚焦地描绘自己的愿景和未来,更好地集中资金和人力,以实现更快的发展。  做人要简单。得人心者方可得天下,简单地做人,可以更容易获得
期刊
似乎从工作伙伴成功“升级”至情侣,再到Life partner(生活伴侣):并不少见,而夫妻发展成为相得益彰的商业伙伴,则需要许多条件,细节的处理甚至关乎企业的成败。在研究了国内外很多对成功的夫妻商业领袖之后,我们发现一个比较明显的规律:优势互补。前硅谷CEO Roger和他做美国加州议员的妻子Cindy就是这样商政互补的范例。互补的组合,可以让爱情、婚姻、家庭和事业都更加“繁荣稳定”。    前
期刊
睡不醒,脑袋晕,消化慢,懒得动,效率低,你是否有以上症状?你是否开始像广告词说的那样:30岁的人,60岁的活力?  根据瑞士洛桑管理学院对中国台湾上班族的调查显示,有44万年龄在22~44岁之间的上班族每周工作超过60小时;而25~34岁这个阶段“到凌晨才能睡觉”的人的比例已增至26%,在这样高强度的工作压力下面,没有活动怎么行!    夏雨  金马影帝 出演《阳光灿烂的日子》、《西洋镜》、《康熙
期刊
商业模式是什么?用一句话说就是怎么挣钱。任何一个企业和商业项目创立之初,最需要费工夫琢磨和研究的,就是商业模式。  商业模式从来都不是生而平等的,有的商业模式相对轻松,在获得良好的现金流之前不需要太多投资,一开始便能赚钱,企业很快就可以扶摇直上;而有的模式则需要付出更多的精力、等待更长的时间。其好坏并不能单纯地从赚钱快慢上来评判。蒋晓海创立的掌中无限就是一个很好的佐证。  如果从盈利的角度看,创立
期刊
天生就想与众不同的殷康,在当年出国时选择专业的过程中,没有像很多人那样往当时最热闹的计算机专业凑,而是选了少有人问津的网络技术专业。原因就是他不想做一个“只见树木,不见森林”的人,他要成为掌握“森林法则”的领袖。    如今,殷康的名字在中国的电信业和IT圈里可以毫无疑义地称得上响亮,这位首席网络构架师经常被邀请到诸如世界电信日纪念大会、全球电信技术高峰会和各种各样的论坛上做主题演讲。他也愿意利用
期刊