The deserted ghost building on Kifisias Avenue, before the traffic lights of Panormou, was, for almost a decade, a depressing, dark and vacant space. For the past few months however, it has begun to come alive, acquiring dimension, curves, depth and colour, (white), with traces of green on the facade which appear to be blossoming and will become a wonderful, verdant ‘Spaceship’ in this area of Athens, in which are located the majority of the city’s high rise structures. Its name: The Orbit. Shortly before its official opening, we were guided around the building by Nikos Drandakis, founder of Beat, a leading force in online urban mobility.
The well known Athenian and International taxi application, Beat, has already relocated to 4 floors (5th to 8th), in a bright, ‘smart’, and contemporary work space. It has been known for a while that the international practice of L.C. Architects, namely, Natassa Lianou and Ermis Chalvatzis, who have both worked with the legendary Zaha Hadid, are responsible for the project.
The building is now a a vision of quiet curves, bright spaces and white surfaces which have started to define The Orbit, its 42.000 square meters is a beautiful ensemble of clean lines, a dynamic presence and great consciousness.
The initial impression focuses on the three large arches with huge openings, a hanging garden, an interactive work space and a dramatic entrance with black marble, an enormous column with a ‘waterfall’ of fresh greenery. On the upper floor of Beat is the office of the founder and CEO of the company, Nikos Drandakis, our guide. On one side, a spectacular ‘vitrina’ which spreads out on Kifisias Avenue in its full depth, on the opposite side is an expansive terrace, still under construction, which appears to be preparing to host a small forest. The 4 floors accommodate the 380 members of the staff of Beat. Young, modern girls and boys, (90% of whom have beards). They are spread throughout the floors in a sober fashion. Online with their small, smart equipment, in small and large offices and workstations, meeting rooms and the colourful mini lounges located in the corners. On the entire length of the never ending corridors are located small, soundproof booths for the Zen, time out moments aiding the well-being of the personnel.
White surfaces with colourful details, generous windows full of post its and notes in felt tipped pens, hastily written during brainstorming sessions. (Just like Russel Crow in A Beautiful Mind).
“In our offices, we shall offer all benefits that are offered to employees in large companies, from food to catering for the needs of pregnant women or those who have small children, in addition to gyms, showers and other facilities.” states N. Drandakis.
On the day of our visit, the Artion gallery had hung in the office spaces of Beat, a wonderful selection of colourful Pop Art by local and foreign artists including Fabienne Arietti, Hiro Ando, Henri Inglesis, Youn and Victoria Domski, creating a playful ambience. “The art is on a trial period to decide what to keep” states N. Drandakis.
He goes on to talk about the new HQ. “It was a plan which took around three years to come to fruition. When the team began to grow, I met Ermis and Natassa, the architects, by chance. We had an idea to procure an entire shoe manufacturing factory behind Pavlidis in Petralona, to create the new home of Beat. We had decided to name it, e-Code Factory, linking its past with its present function. Because of a delay in the project, we began to search for a new space when the architects had the idea and put me in touch with the Viohalco Group, who owned this building from the years it was a vacant shell, it had remained so for around 10 years, due to the crisis.
The agreement was that if we could commit to a certain meterage, they would be prepared to invest the funds to complete the project. I agreed on the condition that the two architects undertook the completion of the planned work. That’s how The Orbit happened and we rented a third of the building. The name was the idea of the architects, who also designed our offices.
“In our offices, we shall offer all benefits that are offered to employees in large companies, from food to catering for the needs of pregnant women or those who have small children, in addition to gyms, showers and other facilities.” states N. Drandakis. On the day of our visit, the Artion gallery had hung in the office spaces of Beat, a wonderful selection of colourful Pop Art by local and foreign artists including Fabienne Arietti, Hiro Ando, Henri Inglesis, Youn and Victoria Domski, creating a playful ambience. “The art is on a trial period to decide what to keep” states N. Drandakis. He goes on to talk about the new HQ. “It was a plan which took around three years to come to fruition. When the team began to grow, I met Ermis and Natassa, the architects, by chance. We had an idea to procure an entire shoe manufacturing factory behind Pavlidis in Petralona, to create the new home of Beat. We had decided to name it, e-Code Factory, linking its past with its present function. Because of a delay in the project, we began to search for a new space when the architects had the idea and put me in touch with the Viohalco Group, who owned this building from the years it was a vacant shell, it had remained so for around 10 years, due to the crisis. The agreement was that if we could commit to a certain meterage, they would be prepared to invest the funds to complete the project. I agreed on the condition that the two architects undertook the completion of the planned work. That’s how The Orbit happened and we rented a third of the building. The name was the idea of the architects, who also designed our offices.
The identity of the design reflects the values and philosophy of the company with a basic ethic of transparency with regular breakout ‘bleisure’ (business + leisure) spaces, as they are called. We have created multiple collaborative areas including open spaces, closed, more private areas for one to one meetings, spaces for gatherings of groups plus flexible spaces which can become a large joint meeting area for monthly presentations to accommodate the entire team. The creation of various types of spaces affords freedom to the personnel to work and collaborate in any environment which inspires them and in which they feel at their most creative simultaneously.
Spaces are being developed where breaks can be combined with leisure pursuits, original games and entertainment such as, a silent music room, cinema and library, as well as spaces for relaxation and brainstorming, a VR room, and a meditation and gym area, promoting communication and well-being with personal and cultural development. All of these values of the design offer the personnel the opportunity to express themselves, communicate and collaborate, to learn, develop, to be inspired and to innovate.
