What makes a building “valuable”? Is it what is produced there? The “efficiency” of its design and those inside? What about the story it tells, the feeling that a space offers?
A study by the National Arts Program discovered that incorporating artistic elements into the workplace effectively reduces stress, increases creativity, and encourages freer communication. Allowing employees to have input in the design also increases productivity by 17%. Movements for architectural preservation and green design are further arguing for the value of creating spaces that celebrate beauty and honor history.
One firm putting these concepts into practice is Selgas Cano, whose work pays homage to those who came before while incorporating modern, innovative customizable elements, art, and biophilia.
In London, at the co-working space Second Home’s Holland Park location, SelgasCano studied archival materials from the building’s previous residents, including photographer John Cowan and filmmaker Michelangelo Antonioni, to revitalize the original walkways and recreate the staircase’s iconic color scheme.
At Second Home Hollywood, designers preserved elements of the site’s layout and neocolonialist touches originally created by Paul Revere Williams, the first Black member of the American Institute of Architects, to continue the space’s legacy as a gathering ground for social impact.
Michael Tessler, former chair of the Hollywood Studio District, praises the work. “They took an iconic structure designed by our city’s greatest architect and breathed new life into it with sustainability and a passion for biophilia. It represents a whole new model for our city.”
Emily Dane, a Second Home member who leads development for Game of Thrones writer Brian Cogman, emphasizes, “Second Home is an artist’s paradise, it is both a muse and an inviting canvas.”
Uniting the power of the past with the promise of the present, Second Home is nurturing the creators of the future.