In 2024, our studio was commissioned to design two workplaces for A&O Shearman in Brussels and Antwerp. Rather than approaching them as conventional office environments, we developed both as integrated spatial ecosystems where working, meeting, focusing, collaborating and unwinding can coexist naturally throughout the day.
The design is rooted in our Habitoor principle: the belief that workplaces should be shaped not only by desks and functions, but by experience, identity and human behaviour. Instead of assigning one setting to every activity, the offices offer a sequence of spaces that allow people to choose where and how they work depending on the task, moment and level of interaction required.
Hospitality plays a central role in this approach. It is embedded throughout the workplace through comfort, material quality, intuitive circulation and spaces that encourage people to connect and spend time together.
At the heart of both offices is a grand café, conceived as the social anchor of the workplace. It provides a setting for informal encounters, spontaneous meetings and moments away from the desk, helping to create a stronger sense of community within the building.
Surrounding this central space, a series of breakout areas offers more informal and dynamic settings for collaboration. Teams can step away from traditional meeting rooms and work together in environments designed to encourage exchange and interaction. For more private occasions, dedicated dining rooms provide a refined setting for client meetings, focused conversations and smaller gatherings.
Equal attention was given to concentration and retreat. Quiet zones, enclosed rooms and acoustically considered environments provide comfortable spaces for focused individual work, allowing users to withdraw when necessary.
Both locations offered strong existing architectural identities. Rather than overwriting these qualities, our approach was to work with them, strengthening the material character and spatial clarity of each building while creating a coherent workplace identity for A&O Shearman.
The result is a pair of workplaces built around balance: openness and privacy, interaction and concentration, energy and calm. Each space has its own atmosphere and purpose, while together they create a cohesive environment that supports the changing rhythms of the working day.
A&O Shearman Brussels and Antwerp demonstrate how the contemporary workplace can move beyond the traditional office model to become an environment that supports not only how people work, but also how they connect, collaborate and experience their time together.
Design:
Design Team: Casper Schwarz and Lisan Geerts
Photography:
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