Living Offices| S04E05 | Fraunhofer
Porto, Portugal [Go to PT Version]
Office File
Company: Fraunhofer
Location: Porto, Portugal
Total Area: 1660 m2
Year: 2011
Capacity: 80 people
Industry: Research
Office Design: Pedra Silva Arquitetos
The company Fraunhofer Portugal is a part of the german company Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, the biggest investigation institution in Europe. Although it is little known by the people in general, Fraunhofer is responsible for innovations with the audio mp3 format and considerable advances in the technology area with health and welfare.
The workspace of this institution is located in the Park of Science and Technology of the University of Porto — UPTEC. It is constituted for two office floors and one 3D printer lab the Digital Fabrication Lab, with a lot of precise high-quality equipment used to create and test prototypes.
The office design project meats the innovation philosophy of Fraunhofer “ remarkable technology easy to use”.
The circulation between the work areas and labs happens over the big glass facade animated with yellow cabinets and a carpet flooring with a linear pattern.
The different areas are defined by a continuous organic plan that creates meeting rooms, offices, labs and investigation offices in the open space.
The communication design in the office it´s made with illustrative icons that indicate where are the kitchen, toilet, reception or the print point.
To ensure the essential privacy in the meeting rooms and private offices were created illustrations of classic quotes from characters in the scientific world.
The colors used in the office (yellow, grey, and brown) cheer up the office and contribute to an informal and relaxed environment. When we talked with the investigators, everyone shared their pride in the familiar environment in the organization. People feel free to talk with other investigation teams and share knowledge.
For those moments when it´s really necessary to be focused, the investigators go to silence rooms, which work like concentration spaces, used for informal meetings or simply to get some rest.
Work Areas
Each of the Fraunhofer office floors has a work area organized in open space. The investigation teams meet around the available work islands and, whenever it is needed, they can go to the labs or test rooms.
Once the circulation corridor is separated from the investigation area, the environment in these rooms is quiet which makes the work for everyone. The big glass facade of the building allows all the offices to receive a good natural illumination.
The smaller meeting rooms are close to the work areas, at any moment the teams can gather up in a private space equipped with projection systems and video conference. Near the meeting rooms, we also find the private offices used by the project managers which facilitates the contact between teams and the manager.
For meetings with big groups, or formal presentations, there is an equipped room with advanced technology: projection screens, sound sistem, and adjustable illumination systems. The carpet flooring used on the walls improves the acoustics of the room and decorates the space.
Social Areas
Other then the meeting rooms and work areas, the investigators have at their disposition a set of zones where they can have informal meetings. The reception of the second floor was created with them. The wall behind the sofa has an electronic watch developed during an intern project, the LED´S color is constantly changing which creates differents environments in the reception.
At lunchtime, everyone gets together in the kitchen! Divided into two zones — food preparation (red) and the meal (black and white) — this is where the investigators come to take their well-deserved breaks. The vinyl mural with illustrations and the lamps in the ceiling are elements that stand out most in the space.
The library, the puff hall, the print corners, and the living lab are spaces used by teams informally throughout the day.
The library is the starting point for a lot of internal projects and workshops. In the walls, we see post-its, drawings and schemes that allow us to imagine brainstorming sessions and action plans! The print corners are also used for standing meetings between teams.
The living lab it´s a small apartment, with a living room, kitchen and one bedroom, used to test smart living and assisted living technologies — projects thought for elderly population or with some kind of deficiency that disrupts mobility and independence of users.
To test and develop other kinds of products, like wearables, Fraunhofer invested in a high technology test chamber with movement sensors and real-time data collection. It was in this room that we get to know the Vicon system, while Paulo, one of the investigators, tested a shoe with incorporated sensors.
The Digital Fabrication Lab, along with the sensory test room that we just mentioned, it´s a proud motive for the organization. When visiting the lab, one can’t realize the potential that each printer has and it´s level of accuracy. Only when we see it working and get to touch the prototypes, we understand the fundamental paper of these technologies in the process of prototyping a new product or medical device.
“I work in mobile development, and at this moment I´m collaborating on other four different projects. What I most like in Fraunhofer is our familiar and relaxed environment. It’s not usual in research institutions being so close to our colleagues.”
Ricardo Graça
“I met Fraunhofer when I was working in my thesis in the detection of human activity and I´m here about two years and a half. I like workrooms in open space and the corridor, that´s where we end up talking with our co-workers when there is some doubt.”
Diana Gomes
“The projects where I am involved aim to take new technologies to poor populations. Last year, we installed an internet network in Maio Island, it was really grateful to see the impact of our work on the life of these communities.”
Waldir Júnior
