The office as a place to re-connect

CMC architects designed the new headquarters of the J&T Finance Group, in Prague by keeping the well-being of employees first in mind and moving away from the concept of a closed banking world. It connects the building to the city’s leisure life and fits into the existing urban structure

The new headquarters of J&T Finance Group in Prague started from an employee survey. The survey was given by CMC architects to get to the heart of what creates well-being, and therefore better productivity, in the workplace. One of the employees’ main desires, given the many hours spent there, was to have expansive, flexible spaces, equally suitable to formal meetings and casual chats. The design of the building became more like the interiors of a home space rather than an office. First and foremost is a vital element for body and spirit: light. All the interiors are flooded with light through a special entirely glazed facade made up of rightangled structural graphic motifs, like a reminder that the world of finance is made up of many elements that must fit perfectly together. Clean right angles repeat in the general layout of the interiors and the original graphic design of the directional signs. Inside, there is an immediate contrast to this with pleasing organic shapes that are gentle and rounded, which the designers themselves call more artistic than architectural. The majestic Stellar Dust light installation, made up of 726 crystal drops, for instance, was made by the Bomma glassworks in Sveltá nad Sazavou, and hung on the atrium in a wave shape on a wooden structure.

Developer: J&T Real Estate Tenant: J&T Banka Interior Contractor: Stavební Interiérové Systémy Architecture and Interior design: CMC architects Lighting design: CMC architects Landscape design: Jana Pyšková Construction and structural engineering: Obermeyer Helika Technical engineering: Area TZB Artwork Stellar Dust: Bomma Artwork Art Wall: Michal Škapa Infographics: Side2 Interior partitions: LIKO-S, RACCOON Lifts: OTIS Blinds and shutters: Hunter Douglas – Czechia Furnishings: Bespoke furniture by SOLLUS Nábytek, e-Truhlárna, Linstram, Vitra Lighting: Bomma - Bohemia Machine, Delta Light, Exx Ceilings: Armstrong, Hunter Douglas – Czechia, KOMONT Walls: Boca Group, Němec Flooring: Boca Group, Stavební Interiérové Systémy Tiles and cladding: JEŽ - kamenické práce, ProCeram Textiles: Diamond Design

Author: Manuela Di Mari Photo credits: BoysPlayNice

This algorithmic transposition of the form of a woman’s body has a continuum in the lobby and in the spacious Work Café that cuts diagonally across the entire fifth floor. This area goes well beyond its dining function with a set of of sofas and secluded spaces for privacy, which feature fully equipped kitchens, as well as a study space, a closed lecture hall, and a central space for presentations, which can be flexibly adapted to the number of participants and the event’s purpose. Each floor has a mix of work and relaxation areas to enjoy a coffee or hold a quick meeting.

A roof garden was made for both times to work and to decompress, with a beautiful view of the city center and Prague Castle. Employees have access to a private fitness center with lockers and showers, bicycle storage, and large garages with charging stations for electric cars. But the truly groundbreaking aspect of CMC architects’ work is in having created areas open to the public, forming a significant connection with the outside world and breaking the preconception of a closed banking world. The Magnus Art gallery is proof of this, showing how much art is part of the life of the bank, serving as a springboard for talented contemporary Czech artists and to display private collections. Its restaurant and Café Rustonka are also open up to the city, becoming a place of bustling life.