The Covid 19-pandemic has brought in a new demand for offices to be configured in new ways to feel like home and to appear as warm and fun as possible. Located in the historical district 3 of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, ASA Studios office was remodelled from a Mid-century modern villa. The design goal of ASA office is to utilize lighting as a space-transforming element to create an inspiring work environment that has a soul.
In the large open office area, the ceiling is white and smooth. Thus, the design choice is to keep it seamless, with no use of downlight. Uplight are integrated into each station to softly illuminate the ceiling while simultaneously bouncing light back to task area, giving the overall space a serene look.
The use of decorative glowing lanterns add warmth and comfort to the office, making it feel home-like. Moreover, user comfort is also taken into considerations as each person can conveniently control and adjust individual station’s lighting colour temperature and brightness from their phone app.
Both lanterns and uplight system are designed by ASA and custom-made with low cost. The dimmability and colour-changing attribute of these lighting systems offer a great flexibility in altering the look and feel of the office on various occasions.
On regular days, the office looks pleasant and cozy with 3000K warm-white lighting. During special events such as Moon Festival 2022 hosted by Elle Decor Vietnam magazine at ASA Studios Office, the space appears to be whimsical and playful with red lanterns and blue ceiling uplight.
Upon entering, visitors are intrigued by the colour moon-like lanterns in the garden. As visitors move from the garden to the interior, lighting continues to create points of interest along the way to guide visitors through a pleasurable experience. The design allows visitors to interact, take photos and have fun with light.
During the day, natural light plays an important role in the office lighting scheme as most work stations have access to large windows. Artificial lights are dimmed down during the hours when the space receives most daylight to conserve energy. Furthermore, having access to natural light also helps enhancing office users’ physical and psychological well-being.
Although with a limited budget, the lighting strategies for ASA Studios Office still successfully achieve the design goals of creating a work environment that is not only aesthetically pleasing but also flexible, soulful and memorable.
