This week BAUX has been in conversation with Project Lead Allard Kuijken, Project lead at Citron Design Group about the Sixt West Coast Headquarters in California.
Could you tell us a little about this project? What was the client brief?
For their new headquarters on the US west coast, Sixt was looking for a creative, open office environment The Terminal in Long Beach fulfilled all their requirements as far as proximity to LAX and freeways (which was important for their training sessions) industrial look and feel, direct connection to outdoor areas and break out spaces for informal meetings.
What is the importance of a well designed acoustic environment?
These days everybody likes the aesthetics of an open office environment to enhance collaboration and have flexible workspaces that can easily be reconfigured or expanded to accommodate growth in the future. However, this only works well if the people are not disturbed by too much noise from other people talking and phone conversations nearby. Acoustical materials are a critical component to a well-designed space that not only looks good but functions well for all required levels of audibility.
What made you choose BAUX products for the space?
Citron Design Group has used BAUX products in past creative office designs to great success in acoustic control and aesthetic compliment, and the Sixt global design team did extensive research for acoustical materials and concluded that the BAUX products had the best aesthetics, acoustical qualities and were competitive in pricing. One of the main deciding factors was the green-sustainable value of all BAUX products.
How did you use colour to transform the venue?
Our client’s new space on the 1 st Floor is part of a 2 story concrete tilt-up building, therefore, there are exposed concrete walls, high metal deck ceilings (painted white and polished grey concrete flooring. The natural BAUX product was selected in grey to complete this look. These industrial neutral materials created the perfect background for the strong orange colored Sixt branding. Each Sixt location in the world has the same background in the reception area which relates back to their spaces in airports with hexagon carpet tiles (black and grey) and strong graphics throughout the space in black, grey and orange. By coincidence the furniture in the courtyard is orange as well (same furniture as the classic pieces in “Jardin de Luxembourg” in Paris and makes an even stronger connection between the indoor and outdoor spaces.
What would the dream BAUX project look like?
The Sixt project is pretty close to a dream project: the material, design and color of the tiles enhance our design concept perfectly. Sound has as significant an impact on spaces as light, color, and layout.
Learn more about Sixt, or visit our project references for other BAUX acoustic interior design projects.
First published on www.baux.se