Midori arquitectura created a coworking space for the initiative “Sinèrgics”, in order to provide a working space for freelancers or small companies of the socially-challenged neighbourhood of Baró de Viver. Curtains from floor to ceiling are used to divide the space and ensure privacy both from the inside and the outside when needed. The colours of the curtains create a Bauhaus-like atmosphere.

Sinèrgics is an initiative which started in Barcelona in 2016 in the socially-challenged neighbourhood of Baró de Viver. The main goal of Sinèrgics is to provide a working space for freelancers or small companies in exchange for a few hours of their time every month dedicated to actions or projects that can make an impact and help the neighbours of this area of Barcelona, struck by income inequality and with high unemployment rates. 

Since its start, the initiative has been using 5 different spaces: two office spaces, two atelier /workshop spaces and a meeting room. Experiencing a growth in the applications for using these spaces, and specially since the working environment is much more meeting and remote-work based, Sinèrgics expanded and was able to use one more space. 

The design of this space was commissioned to midori arquitectura, which is a coworker in Sinèrgics since 2020. 

The new space should double as a multipurpose space for speeches or presentations and a meeting room, generally for small groups or even a single coworker engaged in a videocall. Previous to the opening of this new space, the once only meeting room was usually booked by a single person and its laptop, resulting in a waste of resources. Addressing that problem, the new space features floor to ceiling curtains that allow the users to split the room into two smaller, separate spaces that can be used simultaneously. The thick sound-absorbing curtains provide privacy and acoustic comfort to the coworkers and their guests.

When the curtains are folded, a single open space is created to host larger groups or different activities. 

The design is meant to be kept as simple as possible: clear, white walls enclose the space and large floor to ceiling windows open the room to the adjacent street. Views from that street can also be blocked by curtains to ensure privacy when needed. The floor is kept homogenous, giving the idea of a single open space, in contrast with the ceiling which enhances the fragmentation of the room into smaller areas by using different colors for each sub-room and also by separating each part from the next one with a jump in the ceiling height, that is used to hide the curtain rails.

The colors are chosen to give a clear and distinct appearance to each subdivision, allowing for a total transformation of the space when curtains are drawn, and also to give a Bauhaus-like atmosphere, appealing to the shared working environment and community ideals, which are essential to Sinèrgics. 

Credits & Details:

Project: Coworking space in Barcelona
Design: Albert Montilla – midori arquitectura
Year: 2022
Contact: www.midoriarquitectura.com / https://www.instagram.com/midori_arquitectura/
Photography: Judith Casas: http://jthcasas.com/
Curtains: Serveis Textils: https://www.serveistextils.com/
Promotes: Sinèrgics https://sinergics.cat/