Santa María Bussiness & Conference Center, Panama City

The Project Santa María Bussiness & Conference Center is a centre for continuing education and a new way of learning in Panama that seeks excellence through its qualified team of professionals. One of its objectives is that its clients live a unique experience and for this they have relied on the design of the space, innovation and multifunctionality to create comfortable areas in which its members can exploit their capabilities to the maximum.

The project arose with the aim of creating a new concept of spaces for conferences, meetings and management workshops at the highest level, in addition to private offices for customer service. This need led to the design of areas that could function both open and closed, flexible spaces where interaction could take place without being conditioned to a specific activity.

For the reception area, elements and products have been used that allow this space to be used as a welcome area, but also as an area for events or promotional activities, as well as an open work area. Straight lines have been used, which are broken up with circular furniture or rounded seats to match the circles on the ceiling. This main space also plays with other elements such as the vertical garden to complement this important room that welcomes visitors to the Santa María Business Congress. Within the formality and seriousness of the space, the furniture chosen also aims to bring a touch of fun while adding colour; the tones used were greys, blues and ochres.

In the lecture hall, with a capacity of 80 people, one of the challenges successfully met was to establish different levels by means of a tiered seating system that allows students to have better visibility and at the same time more interaction with each other and with the teaching staff. The Spacio chair with wheels and cushion, a multi-purpose concept and a lightweight design was chosen for this space. Next to them, the Talent tables with lectern function, folding, height-adjustable and mobile, perfect for this learning-focused space.

The cafeteria is an essentially flexible space; to respond to this great versatility, comfortable, light and easy-to-handle furniture has been chosen, such as the Wing chair, perfect for collective use, with colourful finishes and which can be easily stacked when not in use. These are combined with the Tabula table range, with a timeless design and versatility that allows it to adapt to any environment, and Prisma tables for larger groups.

In both the auditorium and the cafeteria areas, the use of Ecocero sound-absorbing panels provides excellent acoustic comfort that allows the multiple uses of each area to be unaffected by sound reverberation.

The room layout also includes closed offices for work or study. These combine the Twist desk range, which in its contemporary design recreates a fresh, organic office style, with dynamic Efit chairs. Mobile bucks with cushions provide additional meeting space for informal discussions or meetings.

In short, a collaboration in which Designers worked with Actiu to turn this multifunctional building into a benchmark space in Panama within the business and training world in which the public feels comfortable and can work efficiently in each and every one of its rooms.