Swiss Bureau designs a sinuous, refined space for financial services group Amana Capital.

A move to new premises is an opportunity for a company to transform its corporate culture, and allow the interior design of the new workplace to reflect this change. Amana Capital is a financial services group that specializes in providing brokerage services in international financial markets – currencies, commodities and stock indices. When Amana Capital relocated to DIFC, it commissioned Dubai-based interior design firm Swiss Bureau to create a new office environment that showcased the sophisticated and versatile nature of the firm.

Swiss Bureau recently completed the design and build project for this 390 m2 workplace. ‘Amana means ‘integrity’ in Arabic and we wanted to design the office to reflect this idea of unity and cohesion to stay true to the brand’s essence,” says Joakim de Rham, CEO and co-founder, Swiss Bureau. “The concept further evolved being inspired by their logo, which in many ways can be interpreted as the ‘solidarity of unison”. the curved walls and the sweeping lines of the flooring and ceiling through the space create a sinuous architecture that echoes the brand’s identity.” The materials palette combines warm wood with brass and chrome accents in the furniture and lighting, while the colour scheme uses grey, blues, white and soft tampers to create a comfortable and inviting environment. Black powder-coated framed glass partitions create a simple pure form, with strip lights highlighting the curves.

De Rham says his favorite design feature is the curved wood and the asymmetric curved gypsum ceiling at the reception, which complement the carpet lines on the floor and accentuate the curved white concrete walls. The office has an open, bright and modern feeling, thanks to the open-plan layout, with workstations situated along the windows and glass-fronted private offices. Senior executives enjoy the best views, looking out over the DIFC precinct. Their offices are furnished with contemporary soft lounge seating. For the unconventionally shaped boardroom, Swiss Bureau customized a table to match the footprint of the room, which is flanked by back painted glass and wood walls. The meeting rooms have white concrete walls with a dark vinyl flooring, light chairs, a glass table with customized chrome legs and decorative pendants. Some of the key suppliers who worked on this project include Shaw, Goodrich Global, Floor Expo, Interior 360, Cubes&co and Metteograssi. “One of the challenges we faced at the design stage was carefully balancing the lines – in order to keep it subtle an not too overpowering, “says Kamsin Mirchandani, senior architect of Swiss Bureau. “During construction it was important for these curves to be executed with precision to create an uninterrupted flow, which we think we have accomplished beautifully.