How Mimaristudio Designed BASF Turkey’s Office Into a Flexible Hub for Hybrid Work

BASF Turkey’s HQ by Mimaristudio supports hybrid work with flexible spaces, sustainable design, and a focus on employee well-being.

One of the World’s leading chemical companies, BASF, moved its headquarters in Istanbul to a new location that supports “Future of Work” phylosophy and “BASF’ s sustainability approach.” The new office spans two floors and covers 1,700 square meters.

The project, designed by Mimaristudio in line with the company’s Real Estate & Facility Management leadership and the company’s global design criterias, marks another implementation of the hybrid working model in the new office located in the LEED Gold-certified Nidakule Batı building in Istanbul.

The new office, where collaboration and flexibility are prioritized, is envisioned as a vibrant meeting and interaction point that fosters creativity, encourages connections among employees, and provides innovations powered by technology. Flexibility, modularity, transparency and experience are the main starting points for the design.

A space is planned not only for work but also where employees can develop themselves, socialize, share, and work in a manner suitable for hybrid working.

Instead of a traditional working model, a design approach is adopted that positively impacts productivity and maintains strong interaction among employees. A transparent working environment is planned that allows for the development of creative ideas.

Project Details & Challenges

In the planning, the use of space flexibility is achieved with different types of individual and collaborative workspaces, meeting and discussion areas and social areas that everyone can freely use. An ‘agile’ space design is implemented, allowing users of different profiles to work together, brainstorm, and engage in interactive communication throughout the day. In this context, a reconfigurable floor plan is designed to strengthen the connection among employees and encourage mutual interaction. Shortly, a dynamic office concept is created that appeals to different age groups, balancing connection and individuality.

The design team incorporated spaces into the project that allow for visual and auditory contact and enable open communication, in order to plan areas with spatial continuity and integrity  Spaces are planned to meet the conditions necessary for creativity and productivity. The most notable of these is the “townhall area”, a common gathering area that not only hosts engaging talks, panel discussions, international meetings, and even occasional film screenings, but also serves as a place where people can eat, have coffee, or socialize with friends.

Environmental friendliness and sustainable spaces are other key subtopics of the design approach. In this context, the ‘biophilic design’ approach is incorporated into the project, emphasizing the concepts of ‘Nature in space,’ ‘Natural Reminders,’ and ‘The Nature of Space,’ along with 14 biophilic design steps under these themes.

Another important aspect highlighted in the design is the concept of well-being, focusing on creating spaces where employees could be healthy and happy both physically and mentally. In this regard, a living space is planned where employees can work with maximum daylight, regular fresh air, suitable thermal and acoustic comfort conditions, appropriate lighting solutions, and access to technological amenities. Additionally, the use of natural colors that do not overwhelm or bore the user is preferred throughout the project, supporting the use of natural materials.

Under the theme of flexible working, ergonomics is prioritized with the use of height-adjustable desks, allowing users to feel comfortable in a workspace where they can sometimes work standing up rather than sitting. Additionally, open terrace areas give employees the freedom to choose where, when, and how they work.

In the project, where energy efficiency is a priority, LED technology is chosen, with a focus on balanced and human-centric lighting design. Technical lighting products are complemented by decorative lighting. The molecular-shaped lighting installation in the townhall area, designed by Mimaristudio, is particularly noteworthy. Another standout feature is the linear technical lighting products that surround the curved form of the core with the same shape.

Key Products 

Acoustic Technical Panels – BASF Basotect

Acoustic Decorative Panels – STUA Satellite, Feltouch Make up

Modular Carpet Tiles – Shaw Contract (Stone Tile, Formation Tile, Fragment Tile, Fragment Colours Tile Sage, Mortar)

Modular LVT – Shaw Contract (Nordic Tile), Ecolay

Glass / Glazing Walls – Rota Bölme (Perspekta)

Contract & Loose Furniture – Steelcase, Vitra, Sedus, Moroso, Arper, USM, Kinnarps, Connection Turkey, Nurus

Technical Lighting – Lamp 83, Barrisol

Decoraitve Lighting – Secto, Diesel with Foscarini (Rock), Foscarini (Big Bang), Panzeri (Ypsilon), Akomo (Bean A), Zero Lighting (Block pendant)

Counter Tops – Cosentino (Arcilla Red Suede HybriQ / Cala Blue Suede HybriQ / Uyuni Chromica

Fabrics – Camira

Custom Millwork Panels – Yıldız Entegre (VT-297, SML 068, SML 828, YT Z33)

Sliding Door System – Dormakaba

Tech Solutions

• In the “Townhall zone and Collaboration zone”, the system setup included an LG 110” display for visual output, Sennheiser ceiling microphones for video conferencing, and EXTRON products for A/V automation.
• In the “meeting rooms” the solutions featured LG and ViewSonic monitors for visual display, Logitech Rally Bar series for video conferencing, and Barco ClickShare CX series products for wireless presentation.
• In addition, Logitech Tap Scheduler was integrated into the system to manage meeting room reservations efficiently and enhance scheduling visibility across the workspace.

Overall Project Results

BASF Turkey’s new Istanbul office is a brand-new project that reflects future work trends, emphasizing functionality and sustainability. It is a physical manifestation of the hybrid working model and offers a space not just for work but also for living, designed for the use of more than 200 employees.

At the end of the entire process, the project received full approval from the client—not only as a workplace, but also as a living space—thanks to its approach that reflects the employer’s innovative, environmentally conscious, and vibrant corporate identity, with a strong focus on employee happiness and motivation.

Main Contributors:

Meet the Design Team

Mimaristudio

Onder KUL

Ayca AKKAYA KUL

Photography

Architectural Photographer – Gurkan AKAY

Architectural Video – Yucel ÖZEL