SFM Corporate Services Office, Dubai

Swiss Bureau has completed the design for SFM, a Dubai headquartered financial services firm specializing in offshore company formation.

The office space in Opal Tower overlooking the Dubai Creek had the advantage of a premium location and great views. It needed to comfortably accommodate 30 people in both open workspaces and closed rooms, along with a filing room, meeting rooms and CEO office. The concept stemmed from the colonnade of ancient times that still permeates within architecture of the modern era. Derived from its form and the sense of rhythm and harmony created, an interpretation of the colonnade is seen in the office. Achieving this through a sequence of tinted glass fins in the corridor and wood louvres at the glass partitions, Swiss Bureau attempted to encapsulate the essence of grandeur and sophistication, characteristic of the ancient colonnade. The frosted cloud lights above the desks are an unanticipated element of design that bring a certain calm dynamic to the structured lines of the space. The design team chose materials that were functional yet luxurious. The play of the dark smooth polished marble and light porcelain against a rough tactile stone feature wall of the landscape provided subtle contrasts in texture. Swiss Bureau designed a marble bench that floats above the pond with an integrated planter box that emerges through the water. The project has been built to last for decades without much renovation as the materials are robust and hard-wearing.