Corporate and Quirky: A look inside the Lekki office of Anakle designed by Grey Square

Anakle is a “digital agency, creating experiences for online and offline audiences“, with a view to “Building Africa’s happiest workplace.”They recently set up a new office in Lekki, Lagos which was originally featured on techpoint.ng. The design of the interior was delivered by Lagos-based, design and creative studio, Greysquare.

The workspace combines elements of corporate office design and quirky character pieces. It infuses within it some degree of indigenous style creatively translated into a contemporary context.

Here’s the designer’s take,

The creation of a new working environment is a rare opportunity to produce innovative design that embraces emerging future directions. Anakle was faced with this challenge when they relocated to take up 300sqm of office space at 14a Adewale Kolawole Cr., off Alternative Route, Lekki.

During the design process, emphasis was placed on the importance of implementing the sustainable design principles Anakle recommends to its clients, from the selection of finishes to design for improved energy management.

A modular approach was taken to the design of workstations and offices allowing for greater flexibility and re-configuration in the future.

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From the Lobby to the Game room/Library, you get a sense of what kind of company anakle is, and how Greysquare have translated that culture into their workspace. For instance, the conference room features an interesting theme as well a bespoke piece. The 40+ inch flat screen hangs atop a wooden back drop which I think is an extension of the very interesting conference table. Topped with glass, the conference table stands on a wooden frame, and has white granite chips filling the void therein. Two peculiar ‘African-esque’ masks lay embedded in the white granite sealed within the aforementioned void. The masks appear to have their mouths open, which I suspect is a nod to all the talking that goes on within that space. Fluorescent LED’s also reflect off the shiny granite chips to add all the more emphasis to the table. Like I said, very interesting.

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The backdrop of what appears to be the main office area, is a personal favourite of mine. Bamboo is not a material that is synonymous with corporate office design, but, GreySquare were able to integrate seamlessly into the space via a ‘Bamboo wall’. It contrasts well with the boxy, rectilinear geometry of the desks and shelving, adding some degree of texture and form to what would have been a typically generic ‘room’. The idea of stone, wood and glass extends to the lobby coffee table, from where most of the office is visible, thanks to the frameless glass partitions that do well to let light permeate and make the office seem boundless.

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Theres a sense of soul in what Greysquare have delivered for Anakle. All the typical ‘office stuff’ is present and accounted for but, they attempt to go a step further, with the ingenuity and creativity in things like the conference room table and the ‘bamboo wall’. These elements, add not only style to the space, but character and personality which goes beyond a space being ‘corporate’ or ‘office-y’ but looks towards something more authentic and ownable, and I think they achieved just that.

[images courtesy techpoint, greysquare]

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