{"id":203575,"date":"2022-12-05T14:45:37","date_gmt":"2022-12-05T19:45:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/interiordesign.net\/?post_type=id_project&p=203575"},"modified":"2023-01-09T09:44:53","modified_gmt":"2023-01-09T14:44:53","slug":"roar-supreme-council-for-motherhood-and-childhood-abu-dhabi","status":"publish","type":"id_project","link":"https:\/\/interiordesign.net\/projects\/roar-supreme-council-for-motherhood-and-childhood-abu-dhabi\/","title":{"rendered":"Roar Breaks the Mold With the Design of This Government Office in Abu Dhabi"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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In the office of Her Excellency Rym Abdulla Al Falasy, Levitt chairs by Ludovica+ Roberto Palomba pair with Caementum tables by Marco Merendi and Diego Vencato and the Shape Up pendant fixture by Ladies & Gentlemen Studio.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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December 5, 2022<\/p>\n\n\n

Words: <\/span>Jane Margolies<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photography: <\/span>Chris Goldstraw<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Roar Breaks the Mold With the Design of This Government Office in Abu Dhabi<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

2022 Best of Year Winner<\/a> for Government\/Institutional<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A huge custom ottoman in the shape of a teddy bear stretched out on its back is not the sort of thing often found in the office of a government agency. Nor is a fluffy armchair the color of a pink flamingo standard bureaucratic furniture. But when the innovative Dubai-based interiors and architecture studio Roar was commissioned for the Abu Dhabi office of the Supreme Council for Motherhood & Childhood\u2014an agency that sets policy in matters concerning the welfare of women and children in the U.A.E.\u2014there was no question that the firm would put its own spin on the workplace. After all, founder and creative director Pallavi Dean<\/a> and her team\u2019s portfolio spans a pop-up bakery, a state-of-the-art rental deposit-box facility, hotels, and spas. This project takes cues from residential design and is undeniably stylish, colorful, comfortable, and, above all, fun. \u201cIn many ways it\u2019s a community space for moms,\u201d Dean says, herself the mother of two. \u201cIt\u2019s kind of like our home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This is not the first time an arm of the Emirates government has turned to Dean: Roar recently completed the Office of the Early Childhood Authority <\/a>(which took home a 2021 Interior Design<\/em> Best of Year Award), also in Abu Dhabi. Yet that project was a modest 1,800 square feet. The Supreme Council encompasses nearly 38,000 square feet across three floors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It wasn\u2019t only the size of the space that was challenging, however. The project, which includes a reception area, an auditorium, and a nursery, library, and playroom for the children of staff and visitors on the ground level, and executive offices, a training room, and a boardroom on the upper floors, would not occupy one of the jazzy new towers for which this city is known\u2014and which often provide design firms with a blank slate, along with impressive views\u2014but rather an existing building tucked in a residential neighborhood. The long floor plates had elevator banks on both ends. Dean didn\u2019t want the staff to feel like they were endlessly trudging down long corridors, so the Roar<\/a> team threw some curves into the layout: a screen of vertical wooden slats, for instance, swoops around a space that\u2019s perfect for impromptu confabs or pre-meeting prep; elsewhere, a lounge spreads out beneath a curvaceous ceiling cutout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For all the spatial ingenuity, the concept is very much rooted in tradition, incorporating familiar \u201ctouchpoints,\u201d as Dean puts it. Reception evokes a traditional Emirati outdoor courtyard, with its ombre green\u2013painted walls and contemporary renditions of the breezeblock patterns used in local homes. Its sculpted arches for the doorway and seating niches evoke vernacular architecture. Arches reappear in other parts of the office, too. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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In reception, Lee Broom\u2019s Hanging Hoop chair joins the Hortensia armchair by Andr\u00e9s Reisinger and J\u00falia Esqu\u00e9, which stands on flooring of Volakas marble, the same stone used for the custom desk.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

In the training room, they\u2019re printed on fabric wallcovering in dusty shades of pink, blue, and beige. For the ex\u00adecutive suite, they\u2019re in the form of a brushed brass partition system, and throughout the workplace they\u2019re incorporated in the built-in cabinetry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Roar Prioritizes Comfort With Soft Colors and Furnishings <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

That curviness extends to the freestanding furniture, which Dean describes as \u201cfeminine,\u201d in tune with the Supreme Council of Motherhood & Childhood\u2019s focus on women. But feminine doesn\u2019t mean dainty here. \u201cThe furniture has a lot of rounded, rotund forms. That\u2019s intentional,\u201d she says. \u201cA lot of it feels like a hug, like it\u2019s cocooning you.\u201d The aforementioned flamingo-reminiscent armchair, called Hortensia, by Andr\u00e9s Reisinger and J\u00falia Esqu\u00e9, is a prime example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In reception of the Supreme Council for Motherhood & Childhood, a government-agency office project by Roar in Abu Dhabi, U.A.E., a womblike concept is introduced via the rounded ash-framed Kav armchair by Alp Nuhoglu and Morph loveseat by Tanju \u00d6zelgin, while the breezeblock screens and arches evoke vernacular architecture. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The material palette furthers that sense of comfort. Greek white marble in reception is softly striated. Carpets and rugs in rhythmic patterns are plush underfoot. Natural oak, ash, and maple are used extensively\u2014on floors as well as in the custom furniture and pieces by the likes of Alp Nuhog\u02c7lu. \u201cWhen you think of luxury interiors, you think of wenge and dark wood. We were steering clear of that,\u201d Dean explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Motherhood & Childhood, Her Excellency Rym Abdulla Al Falasy, was
involved in shaping the color scheme and other aspects. And not just for her own domain, which is slightly more formal in feeling, as befits a place where she might greet high-level officials from her own country as well as delegates from other nations. Here, for instance, one finds paneled walls and an alcove with a raised platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An Inclusive Space in Abu Dhabi for Parents and Children Alike<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But the design pays just as much attention to those who are too young to express their aesthetic preferences. In the children\u2019s restroom, which has a marine-life theme, walls are enlivened with blue-and-white mosaic tile, metal-mesh sea creatures hang from the ceiling, and pendant globes are encased in the same jute netting that fishermen use. In the children\u2019s library, under concentric ceiling circles, a climbable circular enclosure corrals beanbags and a bench resembling one of those balloon dachshunds brought home from kids\u2019 birthday parties. Then there\u2019s that big teddy bear. It rests on an oak base, under a ceiling with a traditional sadu composition of woven palm leaves. Its paws are upholstered in traditional Emirati weaving done by Bedouin women in rural parts of the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In the training room, a long table by Jonathan Prestwich and GamFratesi chairs are backdropped by a sliding partition covered with acoustical fabric printed with custom graphics. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Vertical oak slats partition off a corridor\u2019s work area.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Amid a climbing wall, padded flooring, and foam mounds, standing swings hang from the ceiling of the playroom for children of staff and visitors.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Oak-veneered paneling and custom carpet appoint the mezzanine overlooking the auditorium. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Patricia Urquiola\u2019s Rift sofa faces Baixa chairs by Busk+Hertzog in the lounge, where the custom LED fixture overhead follows the feminine form of the ceiling cutout.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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In the office of Her Excellency Rym Abdulla Al Falasy, Levitt chairs by Ludovica+ Roberto Palomba pair with Caementum tables by Marco Merendi and Diego Vencato and the Shape Up pendant fixture by Ladies & Gentlemen Studio.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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A glass-enclosed office allows the executive assistant to monitor the arrival of visitors; the base of PerezOchando\u2019s Idra side table in the waiting area has a similar transparency.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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In another part of Her Excellency\u2019s office, a custom partition system of glass and brushed brass archways surrounds Francesc Rif\u00e9\u2019s Ant Lite coffee table and a custom rug in wool and polyester. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The sea-themed children\u2019s restroom features mosaic wall tile, Mattias St\u00e5hlbom\u2019s Fisherman pendant fixtures, and a stainless-steel sink installed at kid-height.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The nursery\u2019s custom teddy-bear ottoman is 5 feet long and upholstered in a commercial fabric, except for its two \u201cpaws,\u201d which are covered in a traditional Emirati weaving by Bedouin women.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Different shades of oak flooring flow through the nursery\u2019s nap room and foyer, where there\u2019s a bench by Yilmaz Zenger.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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In the children\u2019s library, an oak-veneered climbable, custom round contains a beanbag and dog-shape Attackle bench, both by Fatboy.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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See Interior Design\u2019s Best of Year Winners and Honorees<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Explore must-see projects and products that took home high honors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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2022 WINNERS<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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PROJECT TEAM<\/h6><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Roar<\/span><\/a>: tamara taamneh; anna de florian; ana carreras; nadeem asharaf<\/span><\/section>\n\n\n\n
summertown interiors<\/span><\/a>: woodwork<\/span><\/section>\n\n\n\n
PRODUCT SOURCES<\/h6><\/div>\n\n\n\n
FROM FRONT<\/h6><\/div>\n\n\n\n
b&t design<\/span><\/a>: wood-frame chair, loveseat, round coffee table (reception), tan chairs (training room), loveseats (waiting area), bench (nap room)<\/span><\/section>\n\n\n\n
karman<\/span><\/a>: pendant fixtures (reception)<\/span><\/section>\n\n\n\n
bestuhl<\/span><\/a>: task chair<\/span><\/section>\n\n\n\n
arper<\/span><\/a>: stools, high tables (hall)<\/span><\/section>\n\n\n\n
inclass spain<\/span><\/a>: round table, pink chairs (training room), task chairs (library)<\/span><\/section>\n\n\n\n
la chance<\/span><\/a>: stool (training room)<\/span><\/section>\n\n\n\n
estiluz<\/span><\/a>: pendant fixture<\/span><\/section>\n\n\n\n
pedrali<\/span><\/a>: tables (training room, office), lounge chairs (library)<\/span><\/section>\n\n\n\n
Lee Broom<\/span><\/a>: hanging chair (reception)<\/span><\/section>\n\n\n\n
Moooi<\/span><\/a>: furry armchair<\/span><\/section>\n\n\n\n
moroso<\/span><\/a>: sofa (lounge)<\/span><\/section>\n\n\n\n
viccarbe<\/span><\/a>: chairs (lounge, office), tables (mezzanine)<\/span><\/section>\n\n\n\n
softline<\/span><\/a>: green chairs (lounge), chairs (mezzanine), tan chairs (office)<\/span><\/section>\n\n\n\n
carpet crafts<\/span><\/a>: custom carpet (mezzanine)<\/span><\/section>\n\n\n\n
Roll & Hill<\/span><\/a>: pendant fixture (office)<\/span><\/section>\n\n\n\n
kendo mobiliario<\/span><\/a>: tables (waiting area, office)<\/span><\/section>\n\n\n\n
flos<\/span><\/a>: pendant fixture (nursery)<\/span><\/section>\n\n\n\n
Carnegie Fabrics<\/span><\/a>: bear fabric<\/span><\/section>\n\n\n\n
fatboy<\/span><\/a>: bench, beanbag (library)<\/span><\/section>\n\n\n\n
sensi<\/span><\/a>: tile (restroom)<\/span><\/section>\n\n\n\n
zero<\/span><\/a>: pendant fixtures<\/span><\/section>\n\n\n\n
THROUGHOUT<\/h6><\/div>\n\n\n\n
ege<\/span><\/a>: custom carpet, custom rugs<\/span><\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n