THE BALSAMIQ NEST

Year

2017-2019

Type

Office Headquarters

Photo credits

Michela Balboni
and Federico Borella

Location

Bologna, IT

Client

BALSAMIQ Srl

With

Roberta Baccolini Architetto

Recognition

Dedalo Minosse International Prize for commissioning a building, selected for exhibition

Working from home was not yet a common practice when BALSAMIQ decided they needed a Headquarters. Their new office building, known as ‘the Nest’, is a home for all their staff, or ‘Balsamici’, be they based in Bologna or around the world. Their desire was to reinforce the feeling that no matter where they work, they are all ‘Balsamici’ and have a space in Bologna they can all be proud to call home, even if they rarely visit it in person. The design of the workplace began with the home office, and this was then extended to the headquarters so that all could have an equal work experience.

Although Balsamiq is a global company, it has its roots in Bologna. An existing 1960s building at the outskirts of the city has been transformed to create their new Headquarters. The design takes its inspiration from the Roman plan of the city of Bologna with the workplace seen a microcosm of the city using elements of the urban plan – street, piazza, porticoes theatre, bottega – to give structure to the communal spaces. The idea is that the headquarters design expresses the international outlook of Balsamiq but is rooted in its context.