Vienna-based architecture firm heri&salli recently completed OFFICE OFF, a funky off-grid office building that effortlessly combines work and play into an energy-efficient envelope. The three-story office is constructed almost entirely out of wood and is equipped with energy-efficient systems such as solar panels, rainwater catchment, and a server cooling pool. The office was built for FOB, an Austrian company that places a strong emphasis on a livable work environment and plans to add additional eco-friendly elements, such as a communal vegetable garden and company e-car fleet.
To create a work environment that fosters creativity and collaboration, heri&salli designed a series of integrated meeting spaces that blur the line between work and leisure, such as a gym with a climbing wall and a fire pond that converts into a swimming pool. The timber grid that surrounds the office can even be climbed like scaffolding for fun. All of the interior furnishings, from the conference tables to the sleeping bunks, were designed individually.
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Wrapped in a high-insulation shell, the office’s only heat source is from a wood-burning stove that the employees refill with locally sourced logs twice a week. In the summer, sliding triple-glazed windows open up to take advantage of cross winds. Indoor temperatures are measured at regular intervals and windows are programmed to open and close depending on the readings. With 85% of the rooftop covered with solar panels, the office not only operates off-grid but also generates excess power that is transferred back to the public power grid.
Images via Heri&Salli, © Paul Ott
