Äripäev Office – The Soul of History Meets the Needs of Today’s Work Culture

20. The machine hall of the Luther plywood factory, built at the beginning of the 20th century, is more than just a historical building – it is a monumental space reminiscent of sacred architecture. The basilica-like design with a 12.6-meter-high central bay and two lower side bays immediately raised the question in our team: How can we turn this space, breathing in mighty history, into a home for 270 modern media people?

The core of our approach was simple – to expose the originality of the building and let the historical reinforced concrete structure speak for itself. All the columns and ceilings remained visible, forming a dramatic backdrop for the modern office system. One of the most special reinforced concrete factory buildings in the Baltics of that time deserved respect, not concealment.

Äripäev had a clear vision – to place the entire team on one floor and create an activity-based office that offers much more than traditional desktop solutions. The answer was a café that became the heart of the space, radiating different work zones: meeting rooms, training classes, co-working desks, Skype rooms, a library and even a creative corner.

The plywood that was once manufactured here provided our main formal inspiration – the rounded lines of the veneer roll gave rise to curved, plywood-covered spatial objects that organically cut through the space. These wardrobes, meeting rooms and other functional elements do not dominate the historic space, but add a modern layer to it.

Acoustically, we transformed the tedium of a 4-second reverberation into a well-functioning work environment with 1.5-second acoustics – thanks to smart planning and sound-absorbing materials on the walls and ceiling. This is an achievement that is technically challenging in such a large space and of which we are proud.