The new offices of the National Basketball Association (NBA) in Mexico City offer a dynamic and playful environment, allowing visitors and employees to experiment different experiences throughout their visit and workday.
During the design process KMD worked side by side with NBA’s staff in an effort to know and improve their needs. The main challenge was to take the adrenaline and excitement of the sport into the office design in order to transcend from the traditional office environment.
The building framework allowed us to have a less limits project, providing a more lively/energetic landscape. We proposed a wide assortment of working spaces that invite to collaborate or do individual work in different atmospheres allowing people to easily plug in & work.
The space is generous with a tall ceiling height, large windows, big graphics and open plan. The design was played on the red, blue and black colors of NBA’s branding guidelines that merge with the solid and industrial look with materials such as perforated metal, exposed pipelines, LVT concrete floor, and vinyl applicates to provoke a remembrance of the origins of basketball.
Each space was carefully designed to give its employees a strong sense of belonging. Starting from the reception where a suspended basket ball’s ceiling incorporates with the hardwood basketball floor to place the user in the free throw line and right in the middle of the action. This place opens into a flexible semipublic area best known as All hands space.
The All hands space is the core of the project, a flexible, multi-purpose space, with large windows, metal frame shelves for displaying NBA’s merchandise and a comforting seating area for employees, clients and visitors. This area can fit numerous activities, like informal meetings, workshops, trainings, movie screening, or press/team presentations. As the heart of the office it connects the reception, the Board-Room, the private open office space and the Concession area through a movable glass wall which allows it to open up to the All hands space if needed to set a catering.
The private area of the office harbors two open working areas and small meeting rooms. They are connected by a collaborative space with big screens, blackboards, a wide range of furniture and a set of phonebooths. This collaborative space boosts an active way of working, allowing users to perform specific tasks without leaving the office.
