reception counter

[sunilarch]

hi all, this is a reception area for a financial company which I did and I would like to hav comments frm the great people in PPB. The project is already in making an i would like to hav suggestion for the reception counter which is not yet made.

[sunilarch]

counter detail

[sigue2000]

Hi Sunilarch,

why did you use this disposition? Where is all the comunication hardware situated? What is the exact function of this specific reception desk? What work is to be executed here?

Please check here (http://www.pushpullbar.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2747)

[franjayo]

Sunilarch,

Looks it gives a good impression, shows you have dedicated time and effort to produce an interesting space. Maybe you could explain more about materials, some question following Sigue's line come to mind like, what is the ceiling made of? How do you plan to change light fixtures? Will you need some drawers space? Where will you keep some pencils and paper?

[joHanneum Z]

The desk has design potential. In my point of view such a desk which separates the room and makes so two spaces, the public space for all users who come to the secretary, information person and the place of this working person. the place of the working person must be functional.
The working space must be thought and planned on human scale. What`s the radius of a person sitting, going around with swivel chair to make the easiest movements. The orking process of the person must be direct, oeconomic.
Think of working utilities the person neds to work, like sigue 2000 also said.
Does the person need fax, computer with equipment, telephone book, files...
Think of shelf, cupboards and such things too.

The secretary, lets say secretary ( Is this the function of thi working place?)
sits in front of a communication space, conference space (room behind).
Is it god that everybody can see into it?
Should there be a watching situation by the conerence people?-
the confeence people can see the sectretaries back...
In the conference room:
what is done inside?
-also shown presentations on wall, screen, etc.?
- then the room must be darkened too. think of accustics too.
....and other 578959 questions.
Is this the best way system to the conference room?
Plans, sections will help.
More informations too.

But one thing: The decissions and the think-process must be done in design and planning process. Not later. Later is just useful for next time.

When it`s finished you see how people handle it. Also see how people handle it, in .. .months, years.
Good luck!

[sunilarch]

This is a reception desk to greet and guide guests and answers the tel. The fax and copier is inside the office in a separate communications room. The person sitting here has a pc and a telephone control device. Along with this desk she got a filing pedestal at the size of 100x60x60cm. where the printer can go.

The materials are:-
1. Maple veneer on MDF
2. Grey metallic paint finish with 2caots of polyurethane satin finish.
3. Toughened glass.
4. brushed s.s. pipe

the ceiling is made of gypsum an the lighting is designed as diffused cove lighting with led rope light.

Johan,
The room is not a real board room but of course small meetings do happen here .we have another vip meeting rooms (2nos). The glass partition is to bring natural light into the reception area and the external window have roller blinds to cut off sunlight. There is 3m frosted film in the glass to control the opacity. The acoustics of the room is acceptable with carpet flooring and other furniture.

[Nick Fox]

I'm wondering why the black half of the reception desk is at the angle you chose as it sort of hides the receptionist and it's angled in such a way that it seems to create a sort of barrier between her/him and people entering the office. To me it feels like the person is being deflected away from the desk and I think it would be more inviting if it were angled towards the receptionist - personal preference here. It also creates a sort of triangular dead area of shelf on the top left. If angled towards the receptionist, I think it would have created a more inviting feeling and given a bit more shelf space. The bottom triangular shelf is really pretty non functional and you could have taken it right through to the supporting panel on the right, though I guess it's that shape so that the receptionist can sit at the desk.

[slinus]

hi sunilarch!
very nice render... wich font did you use? ;)

[InArch]

Sunilarch, without knowing the design concept for the entire space, it's difficult to understand the geometry use for the desk. The wall, black cabinet, and maple work surface can be more integrated. Also the glass under the desk may not be appropriate, especially if the receptionist if a female (please reconsider the opacity of the glass). I also agree with he comments about the black cabinet piece isolating the receptionist from the room. Perhaps a lower design could be used to emphasis a low horizontal desk, in counterpoint to the other angles in the space.

Nice project, please share some finished photos when the time comes.

[takesh h]

Hi, sunilarch.
Since you haven't supplied us with enough information and your design objectives,
I will just mumble to myself whatever I noticed and felt about your work.
First of all, as we all can see in the pic#1, the height of dark-grey counter is
posing some problems by showing the receptionist's head as if it is chopped off.
This might be less noticeable in reality, but still it might make her look funny.

The next thing bothered me was the way you handled materials.
It looks as if you just created this c-shape out of blue and pasted wood-grain on it very irresponsibly.
It is not imitating real wood, nor it is not having fun enough in disguise either.
In a small composition like this, if you get the materials right, you are (almost) the winner.

I recommend you go to see Charles and Ray Eames furniture.
If you see their careful use of materials and whimsical play with them, you know what I mean, I hope.
I think, it takes a lot of humour to make a good reception counter.

[sunilarch]

i aligned the two componets of the counter to the two axis as shown in the figure

[sunilarch]

over this part of the world(middle east) a standing counter helps to hav a monitor and few things hidden behind the upper counter and a guest can use the top to scribble something without bending all the way to the lower desk.

[sunilarch]

The glass in the counter helps it to have a link between the counter and the glass walls and it got 3m frosted film to hide wot is behind.
The c shaped mass is the main working counter and it needs to be in veneer finish bcos it is more durable than the painted finish against pen tip marks and other scratched. That’s the reason it got wood finish and other mass got dark grey paint finish. The entire office furniture got the same combination.

[gorgon]

...I will just mumble to myself ...

This is funny :D

it takes a lot of humour to make a good reception counter.

Takesh has the hit the proverbial nail on the head.

As soon as you start doing a 'reception desk' it looks totally naff because it becomes a 'feature' and gets extra money and bad ideas thrown at it

If you really want to do a great desk do what Takesh said and put a lot of humour into it. Put another way imagine you are a tutor back at college and 40 students do schemes for a desk what would you be saying at the crit and what would be the best?
I'm sure it that [select random wood] veneer would not be part of it...

[sunilarch]

The whole office funiture got a combination of maple veneer and dark grey paint finish and also the reception area got wall panelling of maple veneer, do u think that putting the combination in the reception counter is a bad idea? I was thinking it will give a harmony...!!!

[takesh h]

the etymology of the word "harmony" is "joint". It is a balance between different elements.
Unless you are forced to reiterate the material combination your office is currentyl using,
why not try to find something else that will work in that environment, in your composition.

[sunilarch]

takesh, why u strongly reject the wood veneer? can u explain?

[gorgon]

I was thinking it will give a harmony...!!!

Well I don't know about harmony but that makes some sense, you limit your pallette, okay. But how to make a great desk, is that what you want or do you want an okay desk that 'harmonises' with maybe the okay architecture - sorry don't know this, just guessing.

Maybe there is a way to flip the desk project somehow, brief, materials, something. Otherwise you are just going to end up playing with some shapes, angles that 'look good' but have no ***

ps no way is Takesh replying to your question, if you have to ask...
My answer would be ditch the cheap veneer and use solid wood with some great joint details ;)

[sunilarch]

gorgon; As u said im trying to limit the pallette cos this is an office.
In middle east, solid wood is very costly and 99% of office fruniture is made of MDF with venner finish(even the costly imported furniture frm the giants like Hermen Miller, Knoll and Haworth is made of veneer and laminate) And wot is the difference between veneer and solid wood in a finished furniture? I think veneer can achive any effect of solid wood these days.

[gorgon]

1. solid wood is very costly... 2. I think veneer can achive any effect of solid wood these days.

1. I know its expensive but it's your reception desk these are usually high price tag items?

2. no sorry but wood has texture, veneer doesn't

I'm not dissing veneer though
How about you get the veneer and stick it on its edge in dense, long thin strips and make a textured surface of edges, would sound like a comb when you run your fingers acroos it
frrrrrp

[sunilarch]

2. no sorry but wood has texture, veneer doesn't

I'm not dissing veneer though
How about you get the veneer and stick it on its edge in dense, long thin strips and make a textured surface of edges, would sound like a comb when you run your fingers acroos it
frrrrrp

I think there is some mis understading of veneer!! here veneer looks 100% like the wood and it does have texture
(r u talking about laminate??)
Veneer comes in strips of max 300cmx45cm strips and of thikness 0.6mm and it is stitched togather and hot pressed in hydraulic press over mdf of required thickness.

[tdmc]

Interesting comments generated about such a "simple" element that we see in places every day!
I have a couple of observations - the upstand will hid the monitor but where does the PC of Mac or tower go?
The higher section makes sense as an "arrival point" rather than a flat desk. But if the receptionist is busy when a visitor arrives the low desk is not "private" - the visitor being able to look at work/papers on the desk. I guess it depends a little on the organization as to the function of reception.
But remember the receptionist is seated and a standing visitor can be quite dominant/imposing - this may not be a good relationship between the people (again, depending on the organization).
The reception desk is the gate between public and private realms....it is a control point, a doorway, a security point,an image creator....
I'd be inclided to provide a little more screening
Nice renders!

[takesh h]

I don't hate wood veneer, I use it too and I admit it is especially indispensable in a place like offices.
However, I don't think it is a magic finish you can use to any volume, to any forms (although it is generally much abused) just like that.
Let's get back to the reception desk.
Your entire office doesn't have to be covered with these two materials. That's a repetition, not harmonization.
If you stick with wood veneer + painted box, start your composition with these two materials.

[sunilarch]

Your entire office doesn't have to be covered with these two materials. That's a repetition, not harmonization.
If you stick with wood veneer + painted box, start your composition with these two materials.
takesh, in the reception i have more materials;
1. A grey(salt&pepper)carpet
2. A textured (armourcoat) wall finish(fair face concrete look alike)
3. black leather sofa
4. Brushed S.s. trims and skirting for glass

[SWANK-E]

i don't get why you have invented the two axis's, what do they signify and what do they point to and why?

[sunilarch]

i don't get why you have invented the two axis's, what do they signify and what do they point to and why?
axis1 this is the edge of the wooden flooring on which the counter is going to be aligned and it got a visual relation
axis2 this is the back wall of the reception area and i think it connects the counter to the space

[takesh h]

I think, what's really missing here is internal logic, something that makes your reception counter autonomous.
Two angles are aligned with what's around it, the materials are prevailing in the office,
counter heights are almost given. Let him (the reception counter) speak for himself, about his ideas.
sunilarch, give him a character, who is he? Is he square or a comic relief?
Is he dull? smart? suave? a rebel? Why is he wearing what he is wearing?
Talk to him and find out what he really wants to do. Kahn said bricks in upper floor walls wanted to dance... :)

[sunilarch]

very inspiring post takesh.

[sunilarch]

could everybody please post some pics of counters they like the most or they enjoyed designing..(special request to takesh,gorgon,swank,etc..)

[bopswave]

Hi all. I'm new and trying to give a voice ...
The design looks interesting. I find lots of diagonal lines inside the room. It might be sunilarch reason to place the desk in such a diagonal space. For me, it adds the 'harmony' (this might mean different thing for different people) that you want to create for the room. Am I right sunilarch?

If the desk is placed or arranged directly towards the incoming people, somehow this direct angle will not be in harmony with many diagonal lines in there, like the light fixtures above the desk. It's a good design, i think.

[Duncan]

The glass in the angled black volume doesn't make sense to me. You've created this tall section which hides the computer, phone, receptionist's papers, etc. then you have contradicted this with a glass panel in its centre which doesn't really do anything except take this privacy away and give you a view to... well, nowhere...

just my two cents.

[sunilarch]

Hi Duncan,
The glass panel u see at the top is not an opening, this glass is just a panel kept on to of the black volume to avoid the scratching and staining of the black painted surface since there will be fresh flower vase on top of it and also people will put objects like metal keys on top of it. So this is just a guard and it will not be this visible (now u r noticing it cos of sketchup material!!)