A Look Inside Codelab and umlaut’s Szczecin Office

Interior design firm MIXD recentlydesigned a new office for Codelab and umlaut companies in Szczecin, Poland.

“The starting point for the design work was – as in the case of other MIXD office projects – the Culture Club® workshops. “This proprietary tool, developed by our studio, allows, by working with future office users, to collect a lot of valuable information about their needs, expectations, and ways of organizing work. We talk about very specific issues, such as their previous experience with office equipment or every day, practical needs: the size of the desks, the number of monitors or the type of armchairs.

We discuss what their working day looks like, how often they have meetings, in what groups, whether they work on fixed tasks or on projects closed in time. The relaxed atmosphere during the workshops makes the participants feel good and they get very involved in the process: they openly share with us both critical insights (what bothers them, what they do not want) and ideas that are bold and very creative (individual solutions, decorations, ideas for relaxation). It is actually a type of research from which we obtain a lot of data, necessary for our project to meet the expectations of future users.” – says Piotr Kalinowski, CEO and creative director of MIXD.

On the road again

It was during the workshops that it became clear how closely the work of Codelab and umlaut is related to technology. And although the software is a much less tangible thing than comfortable seats or modern tires, they also make driving a modern car as pleasant as in the golden age of the automotive industry – the 1950s and 1960s. This meant that the leitmotif of the office in Poseidon was travel and everything that we associate with it: gas stations, roadside bars, beaches, camping and tourist routes. Already at the reception, we are greeted by ready to go into the unknown Fiat 500 retro, with a trunk loaded with suitcases. This car, the delivery of which to the fourth floor of Poseidon required the use of a construction crane (!) and it was already at the shell stage of open construction, it was not accidentally delivered there. The iconic car is the ancestor of tens of millions of modern cars which today use software written in Codelab.

The next stage of an office trip is the Gas Station. One of the parts of the common area is where the battery is charged for work – while talking with a cup of coffee in hand. Right next to it, we have the Cafeteria, inspired by American roadside drive-in bars, where you don’t even have to stop to order something to eat. The aesthetics of the 50`s reign here – pastel colors, stream-line, black and white chessboard floor, neon signs and painted signboards, characteristic bar stools. Finally, the last part of the common area is the Beach. Developers are the big part of the digital nomad community. Today, after many hours in front of the monitor, they are looking for a rest and chillout outside the city, at the seaside … or even on the city beach surrounded by the Craneosaurs. These are the places where the beach coworking zone appeals: with a beach basket, a reed umbrella, “changing rooms” for desks, inflatable furniture and lamps from Malafor and Puff-Buff. “We value the time spent together not only in engaging projects, but also during conversations, which is why we devoted the same attention to creating a space that encourages joint meetings after work.”