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Skylab Architecture

NORTH, PORTLAND, OREGON

Meghan Edwards -- Interior Design, 12/1/2008 12:00:00 AM

Skylab Architecture North

A box within a box is the name of the game at North, a branding firm. The 10,000-square-foot office was conceived by Skylab Architecture as a series of breakaway modules for working, collaborating, lounging, and eating. "Cubicles can be too comfortable," says principal Jeff Kovel. "The client specified a space that would stretch the parameters of work." A cantilevered "think module" of exposed pine dominates the airy workplace, like a tree house offering inspiring views. Yellow Post-it Notes, for jotting down brainstorms, cover a wall in the media room. A lounge area encourages standing, thus productivity, by centering on a high table crafted from a sliced fallen tree trunk. It's all meant to generate creativity—and lots of wiggle room.

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standout Angled walls of pristine painted plasterboard lean against rich mozambique paneling to unify the public and work zones in the 21,000-square-foot outpost of a global public-relations firm.

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