Murata Korea Reimagines Manufacturing Office Space with Color and Nature

Steam Not Yet Cold: The Third Life of an Old Factory from the Perspective of Office Environment Design

Address: Karlsruhe, Germany
Area: 3,000 平方米
Keywords: office environment design, coworking, historic construction, ABW working method, hybrid model, biophilic design, collaborative exchange, flexible and diverse, focus and collaboration, graphic design
Deep in the streets and alleys of Karlsruhe, an old industrial building has stood silent for many years. Time’s moss creeps over the brick walls, the steel frames have rusted into brown-red memories, and beneath the high ceilings once echoed the hissing of steam carpenter workshops. Until one day, the key turned and light poured in—this place was given a burning name: SteamWork.

A Future Heartbeat in Historic Construction
3000平方米。数字是冷静的，空间却是炽热的。The design team at baurmann.durr Architekten faced not merely an office environment design, but a dialogue across time. How can a building born for the Steam Age breathe the air of the digital age?

“SteamWork”—the name itself is a declaration. It does not avoid history; instead, it embraces that steampunk-like past, while also suggesting a ceaselessly surging passion for work. Here, the exposed brick walls need not be covered by plaster, the huge metal supports need no decoration, and the ancient wooden beams are the best ceiling art. Historic construction is not a backdrop, but the first narrator of the space.

The Growth Logic of a Hybrid Model
The users of the space are diverse: independent creators, startup teams, large companies looking for temporary bases, and even freelancers who simply need a corner that “feels good” to get work done. How can such a complex ecosystem coexist?

The answer lies in the wisdom of the ABW working method (Activity Based Working). There is no fixed workstation hegemony, only the right to choose according to the flow of needs. In the flexible and diverse layout, you will see:

Free workstations scattered like islands, suitable for efficient, static work

Communication islands rise on the open floor plan, encouraging chance encounters

Acoustic pods serve as “rooms within rooms,” providing shelters for focus

Independent office units ensure private domains for teams

Three floors, three personalities. But all follow the same logic: focus and collaboration are not opposing multiple-choice options, but states that can be switched at any time. You can curl up with a laptop on a sofa beneath century-old wooden beams and ponder, then the next moment walk into a glass meeting room for a brainstorm.

The Breathing Sensation of Biophilic Design
Within the rough industrial skeleton, gentle veins of life grow. Biophilic design is not only reflected in the patch of greenery in the courtyard where one can work outdoors, but also permeates the details: the warmth of wood tempers the coldness of metal, the leaping green plants break the seriousness of concrete, and natural light pours down from high windows, moving the scale of time across the terrazzo floor.

Especially that large courtyard with a terrace—it is no longer leftover open space of the building, but the lungs of the space. Here, the boundary between work and rest blurs; collaborative exchange may happen amid the aroma of coffee, and an important breakthrough in inspiration may come from a moment of emptying the mind while looking up at the sky.

A Declaration of Personality Through Graphic Design
If space has an expression, then graphic design is its countenance. The walls are not monotonous backgrounds but extensions of emotion: bold graffiti tell modern legends of Karlsruhe, color blocks leap into view like musical beats, and the wayfinding system is both clear and full of playful interest. These visual languages silently declare: here creativity is welcome, individuality is respected, and rigid workplace dogma is rejected.

The Vitality of the “Hall” and Spillover Worktables
GoodSpace’s ambition goes beyond workstations. The multipurpose “Hall” that can accommodate 200 people is ready at any time to transform into a lecture hall, exhibition venue, or celebration space; the “Impact Studio” provides an incubation corner for urban initiatives; and the package-free store and on-site catering mean daily needs do not require leaving the building.

As the operator says: “‘SteamWork’ is also a place to savor life and feel beauty. Our concept focuses not only on work, but also on people and the environment.”

The Work Philosophy of the Steam Age
Ultimately, SteamWork presents a hybrid-model office philosophy. It does not believe in extreme openness, nor does it advocate enclosed isolation. It seeks balance between the weight of history and the lightness of the future, builds bridges between individual focus and team collaboration, and weaves a dialogue between industrial heritage and digital needs.

Modular office elements can be reorganized according to needs, but the load-bearing walls remain as solid as before; working methods are agile and changeable, but the spiritual anchor of the building remains unchanged. This may be exactly the inspiration for future office environment design: true innovation is not erasing the past, but letting new muscles grow on old bones; true coworking is not simply a gathering of people, but creating an ecosystem in which different rhythms can resonate harmoniously.

The steam engine has long cooled, but the energy symbolized by steam has never left. In this old factory, a new work civilization is gently rising with the steam from the coffee machine.