Curved walls, breezeways and gill-like openings “channel and intensify ” the wind to naturally cool this office in Jakarta, Indonesia, designed by local architecture studio RAD+ar.

Called Sagehaus Office Garden, the 2,000-square-metre building combines offices for a sportswear company with a publicly-accessible plaza and planted roof terrace.

RAD+ar said it approached the design as a process of “carving” out a solid block, creating a variety of shaded external spaces and breezeways that allow light and air to travel deep into the building’s plan.

RAD+ar has completed an office in Jakarta

“Sagehaus Office is a ‘dome for wind’, a reversed carved space designed to channel and intensify Jakarta’s gentle breezes through shaded, sheltered gathering and social spaces, creating a pleasant and safe environment for all staff activities,” said the studio.

“The enclosed breezeways between the blocks are designed for maximum comfort and interaction, offering spaces for groups of various sizes to engage and relax,” it added.

At the base of the office building, large arched openings lead into an open public plaza, which contains reception areas, an outdoor lounge, a kitchen and curved benches wrapped around planters.

Concrete and stone were used for the building’s exterior

The offices themselves are contained within the central section of the building. They are accessed via lifts and two spiral staircases, the largest of which partially emerges from a cut-out in the facade to offer natural light and air.

To the south, meeting rooms and workspaces have been pulled back from the building’s perimeter to make space for shaded balconies and pocket gardens, which sit off the circulation areas.

Facing north, a series of narrow gill-like openings help to draw additional light and air into the deep plans of the larger office floors.

“This layout fosters short connections within each floor, facilitating movement from conventional desks to meeting rooms, lounges, and leisure spaces within the building, all designed with democratic access and subtle variations across different levels,” said RAD+ar.

“Simultaneously, the design of the staircases serves as a focal point, encouraging use and providing a viable alternative to elevators,” it added.

The offices are accessed via lifts and two spiral staircases

Externally, the block has been clad in panels of pale brown stone, contrasted by pale timber carpentry of its interiors and the exposed concrete and white finishes of the building’s cut-out areas, such as the plaza’s archways, the spiral staircase and balconies.

Atop the building, a publicly-accessible roof garden provides both workers and visitors with views across Jakarta, with two low concrete volumes containing a gym and plant room.

Balconies and pocket gardens wrap around the facade

RAD+ar was founded by Antonius Richard in 2017. Its previous projects include a religious retreat in West Java, housed within a tunnel-like form of concrete and glass to create an “indoor-outdoor experience”.

Elsewhere in Jakarta, Space Available recently created a community centre crafted with 11 tonnes of plastic waste and Fffaaarrr completed a coffee shop with full-size tennis court.

The photography is by Mario Wibowo.

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