The design for Slim's office was conceived around the notion of Power as an engulfing and controlling force. To reinforce this idea, I thought it appropriate to slice the office space, and provide Slim with a thin 'line of vision' to the meeting place below, emphasizing the constant surveillance and control that he demands. The whole atmosphere is very stark, and the colours are muted and washed out - a very bland environment that runs almost contradictory to the preconceived idea that Power signifies lavishness. I believed that it would be interesting to explore Slim's more intimate areas, the office where he spends most of his time, as a retreat from the hectic business transactions - a quite area for him to observe and reflect.
The elevator from Slim's office to the meeting space is colored bright red: an accent to the harsh and unaccommodating office block, as for me, red signifies power, strength and also a certain passion that is both aggressive and refined.
Rata's Office and Elevator to meeting place and dining table
The idea for Rata's office was very much inspired by the way he treated and responded to his power. While Slim flaunts his authority, and uses it as means to further his influence, in the form of constant surveillance, and assume almost a predatoriness compulsion, Rata keeps himself detached and secluded by choice. Thus I have placed his office far from the bridge, and accessible only by his private elevator. The office provides privacy, so much so, that the outside is not visible from within the office, as the ribbon windows are place too high up - I wanted to emphasis the idea that Rata is almost imposing a sanction against the outside world when he is in his office.
The elevator that takes Rata from his office to the meeting place is a distorted 'C' shape, where the top also acts as a roof, once again cutting off natural light and interaction with the outside.
The meeting area is en plein air, but there is a moving transparent louver that grounds the otherwise disorienting space to the bridge. The table is made up of two individual tables, which are movers initiated when bumped. They move to the middle and the two clients can assume a meeting there. The main concept behind this design, was the respect for individual space - something that two powerful figures would undoubtedly expect - and the union of two powers. Yet the coming together of the two figures is only temporary and based on reserved amicability, as they are distance far from each other, and they never achieve physical contact, nor invite the other over to their side.
