The pioneering design of the Pfizer Center for Digital Innovation
DS.WRITER:
Iro Karavia
Central Image Edit: Giorgos Sfakianakis
Delicate limits, light play, fluid functions, and interaction between “open” and “closed” make up eDje Architects’ approach to Pfizer’s Center for Digital Innovation, based in Thessaloniki. This innovative hybrid research and work complex will surely, in the following years, constitute a reference point both on a local level and beyond. The Center for Digital Innovation is expected to bring together an important working and research audience, both from the city and region of Thessaloniki and from the interdisciplinary community in general as various interdepartmental research programmes with ΑUTh and other universities and institutions are in the works, relating to the fields of health and research. Located on the East side of the city, the modern campus is attuned to the industrial character of the area, extending the axes of historicity and urban planning in Northern Greece.
Thessaloniki is a city with a vivid history, nimble architectural narratives and changes in its urban planning. The coastal front and its modern-day redevelopment, which invokes the old port, create an architectural dialogue, setting axes that define contemporary Greek architecture. Some of the above are points of reference for the eDje Architects office, for the curation and design of the 7.000sq m campus. The complex summarizes the functions and intermediate spaces that outline a working environment, far from the strict boundaries and unsynchronized workspace models we are used to.
Image Edit: Giorgos Sfakianakis
Office spaces with flexible layouts, intermediate meeting environments, rest areas, a coffee shop, wellness areas, skylights and claustra make up the social model of existence of the Pfizer Center for Digital Innovation. EDje Architects propose a spatial experience that respects the historical and social thread of the city, and through modern and innovative materials they compose a navigational experience that also depends on the user. The open floor plan is defined by shapes in various scales that release the tension of the “public” through the “private” and are translated into sliding writing surfaces, boards made from ecological cork and felt acoustic panels. The main artery of the "Stoa" (a corridor flanked by various uses) creates the feeling of a neighborhood where the various groups housed in the space can co-exist.
Image Edit: Giorgos Sfakianakis
The layout of the interiors evokes a feeling of intimacy as the office chose to render the cultural activity of the city and its folklore richness in modern terms, creating perforated brick claustra in terracotta shades. The "Stoa" culminates in the "Square", an amphitheater-like space with a capacity of 260 people, and its use was developed with the collaboration and intersectionality of the various fields of the Center in mind. The dining areas evoke the cafes our grandparents used to frequent but also, in a modern twist, they bring to mind the collaborative working cafes found all over central Europe. As eDje mention: It is important to feel “at home”. The furniture remains simple, giving the freedom to appropriate the space. Comfortable seating areas, light desks, soft surfaces and natural materials exist in conversation with the abundant free space. The presence of the natural element is not missing and in combination with the ceiling lights the outside enters inside, creating a gently sunny and healthy atmosphere.
The Pfizer Center for Digital Innovation, based in Thessaloniki, introduces a new era of the architectural management of the workspace. Technology and ecology exist in proportion to the user. The limits are delicate and create environments that can be creative and sustainable. ΕDje Architects led the design teams and coordinated all design aspects. Architectural design firm Perkins Will provided the primary space design strategy and remained in contact with the team throughout the project. The mechanical, electrical and hydraulic system design of the space was undertaken by the Kamarinos Engineers office. Anastasia Filippopoulou’s lighting and the acoustic study by the Technology & Acoustics company were integrated into the design. Finally, the supervision of the work by project managers was undertaken by Arbitrage Real Estate Advisors.
