In designing Ben Line Agencies’ new office at Wisma LYL, the team did not encounter a tsunami of problems. But the issues that came up weren’t ripples in the pond either. For Ben Line, which is in the port services business, had specifically asked DB&B to create “an environment which is interesting but not over the top”. The team thus had to strike a fine balance – creating focal points without going overboard and carving out functional work spaces without being boring. A decision was made to use the company’s shipping connection 
to give the office a uniquely maritime identity.
Having set the compass, the team went full steam to design the reception lobby in the image of a ship. The sides of the walkway leading to the reception counter were adorned with the mimic handrails of a ship’s balusters and portholes. The breakout area, with its simple linear lines, were broken up with a splash of bright red glass, while a backsplash at the sink and a floating bar counter put the final touches to a cosy chill-out place.
Meanwhile, a gallery walkway was fashioned behind the porthole wall for walk-in customers to access service bars behind the office. And while the boardroom was all functional simplicity, the general work area and offices were partitioned with aluminium-framed glass panels to generate the linear lines that compensated for the exceptionally high ceiling. Kudos to the DB&B crew for giving the Ben Line office a touch of class and understated lustre.
Top – Bottom:
1. Portholes and timber floor give the Ben Line office a distinctly maritime look.
2. Thanks to these portholes, there’s no mistaking the nature of the job for whoever occupies this desk.
Source: Office Concept, 2010, Vol.3 No.2