Ficus Office is the result of believing in the potential of inherited architecture.

Located in a residential area of Madrid with no real attraction nor personal identity, this abandoned industrial space had as only inhabitant a Ficus tree, growing inside and searching for light. The division of the space did not allow to appreciate it clearly and sunlight hardly reached the interior.

Once removed the existing partitions, the totally empty space was a great opportunity. The concept for the project was very clear: a fluid and shared workspace for the exchange of ideas and teamwork. Linked to this, the idea of creating new topographies came to us.

The different levels that invade the warehouse around the Ficus make possible to create a continuous space, not only horizontally but vertically, and to take advantage of the entire volume of the space. The architecture flows around the green cores, and so do we. The ambiguity of the use of these horizontal surfaces is reinforced by the grey colour that is ever-present in each seat, table, shelf, podium…?

In addition to the main shared space, there are rooms and cabins that are used at specific times when greater privacy is required, as well as some rest areas.

Ficus is built respecting the existing industrial identity by using light-weight metallic systems, all in white. A clean, sophisticated, aesthetic and efficient space created as a manifesto of what contemporary industry must be.

The project materializes in a minimal-invasive intervention, where the tree's growing space is respected, and it shares it with us as a space for coexistence. The architecture aims to be seen as a fresh start, where multiple ways of living are possible. Biophilic design brings outdoors indoors. This white canvas is colored by plantlife and us.

This is where ARQUID team works every day, so from the very beginning, one of the main requirements was to create selfcare-architecture. We thought this place not only as a workplace, but a place to socialize with others. A space for the people.

Our multidisciplinary team needed multipurpose and reconfigurable spaces to host different ways of interacting and collaborating. Ficus Office is organized as a space where people can work in a collective and flexible way. Worksurfaces are designed to be continuous, a place to be all together with no hierarchical priority, enabling the exchange of ideas. We strongly believe that this philosophy of sharing our opinions, knowledge and even the space, make us grow in a more efficient way. Not just as a company but also as colleagues, part of a team.

The natural light comes inside through the zenithal skylights and the Ficus leaves, allowing us to inhabit the space all together. Changes on its direction, reflections and colours as well as the gradual growth of the tree and its falling leaves make us aware of the passing time.