London studio APA Architects has created a set of collaborative offices for credit card company Barclaycard at its headquarters in Northampton, England, which are designed for a specific way of working (+ slideshow).
APA spent 10 weeks transforming the office into what Barclaycard has named a CoLab space, ripping up the old carpets and up-cycling existing furniture pieces.

The studio's intention was to create an environment of "rawness and robustness", which workers could use while working in groups on technology projects and other business initiatives using a methodology called Agile.
"The Agile method of working follows a completely different flow diagram to standard processes, it also actively encourages evolution," said APA.
"To support this the designers created a physical framework to define spaces relevant for the individual and the group daily dynamics."
A series of wood- and metal-framed partitions break up the space into more intimate zones for project teams.

The frames are in-filled with whiteboard panels ? also mounted on existing walls ? which employees can use for jotting down ideas.
"In the CoLabs small teams are brought together, allocated a team area, appoint a project owner, name their project using cinema-style signage and within a 30-day 'sprint' complete their task," APA said.

The floor-to-ceiling panels also section off private meeting rooms of various sizes, where groups can present their projects. Elsewher...