Multi-purpose room and coworking space

The social cooperative Il Germoglio develops personalized care, education, training guidance, and job placement projects, with particular attention to people in vulnerable situations. Its goal is to trigger positive change through relationships and innovative solutions, helping to build a cohesive community that is attentive to the needs that arise within the community.

"One must firmly believe in a sprout in order to one day rest in the shade of a tree."

Within the cooperative, the project Officine Ricicletta was created: a professional training pathway for people at risk of social exclusion, based on the recovery, reassembly, and sale of refurbished bicycles. This project, in addition to its social value, has a strong environmental commitment, as it promotes sustainable mobility and the reuse of materials that would otherwise become waste.

In this context, Plam Studio designed a Multi-functional Room, dedicated to emotional regulation, slow work, and group moments, and a Co-working Room, intended for the work of educators and support staff. The design of both spaces was based on a participatory, neuro-inclusive, and relational approach, resulting from a process of observation, research, and dialogue with workers and educators.

Both rooms lack windows facing outside. For this reason, the design aimed to reintroduce a symbolic connection to nature and give the spaces a sense of openness and lightness through materials, colors, wall graphics, and plants.

Birch wood formed the sensory and visual foundation for all custom-made furniture. It also served as a neutral and calming base upon which layers of color palettes were added to create neuro-inclusive spaces, reduce anxiety, and enhance people’s comfort.

In this space, the need emerged to accommodate three different functions:

• Decompressione emotiva
  A soft and welcoming area where individuals can retreat for a break from work or from particularly stressful emotional situations, away from noise and interruptions.
• Slow work
  A well-organized workstation inspired by a workshop setting, where people can calmly and without judgment learn key steps in bicycle repair.
• Meeting
  An area dedicated to small, medium, and large group meetings, where members of the cooperative can come together and exchange ideas.

In order to meet these requirements, furniture had to be designed that was durable, modular and movable so that it could easily adapt to changes in the space's layout.
The furniture was built by combining birch wood and metal profiles, and lockable wheels were added where needed.

The color palette of the multi-functional room supports emotional balance and clearly defines the different areas. Sage green, applied to the back wall, evokes a natural sense of calm; the soft furnishings upholstered in terracotta-colored fabric introduce warmth into the space, encouraging physical relaxation; while blue characterizes the workstation dedicated to slow work, fostering concentration.

In the decompression area, where tactile sensory experiences play a key role in promoting mental and physical relaxation, a series of sensory tactile cushions has been designed: the 'Brutti ma Buoni'. These cushions are characterised by their variety of shapes, textures and weights, and the fabrics, which are offcuts from upholstered furniture production, have been selected for their pleasant feel. The cushions can be stroked, squeezed and held in your arms or around your neck. You can also slip your hands inside them, providing gentle sensory stimulation that helps release tension, slow your breathing and restore a sense of well-being. The ‘Brutti ma Buoni’ foster connection and a sense of security, offering refuge when you need to feel content and at ease.

The room set aside for organisational work by educators and staff adheres to the same design principles as the multi-purpose room, while catering for different needs. It provides spaces for individual work and meetings, as well as an area for filing and a relaxation area.
A medium-sized table has been created for the co-working space. It is fitted with a mains power connection to supply power to PCs, and features a removable central partition with an interlacing pattern of stylised leaves to evoke the image of a woodland.
The storage unit has open and lockable compartments, while the seating area has a padded bench and a tall unit for the coffee corner.
The color palette of this space once again reflects the intention to create a neuro-inclusive environment that supports concentration and dialogue, using light and natural tones such as powder blue and sage green, known for their calming qualities.