Riverbed Technology

Authors’ Comment

Creating an ingenious space never depends only on the architects. The ingenuity of a space consists in the experience it offers to the user. The environment in which we work does not require innovation, but adaptation, courage and time to become an experience. People who use space are those who innovate, by living, creating and expressing themselves in that space.
Riverbed Technology is an American IT company that produces software and hardware focused on monitoring network performance, application performance management and wide area networks. With headquarters in Cluj-Napoca, the company seeks to build a strong connection with the city and the local community.
In the Riverbed space, the sloping walls make room for various trajectories and common spaces, marked by elevated platforms, where people can gather. The transitions between the two types of spaces generate an effect of dynamism. To create a sense of comfort, relaxation and familiarity, a number of "friendly" elements have been introduced that enrich the user experience, such as natural plants, various work areas, directional or ambient lighting.
The user experience results from the objects that populate the space. The meeting rooms are properly equipped and furnished with comfortable sofas, high tables and blackboards and are alternated within the space with quiet rooms to avoid repetition and provide diversity. A generous common space, with a capacity of up to one hundred people, can perform several functions, from the discussion area to the dining area.
The materials used in the arrangement amplify the perception of the space, and the visual experience is completed by the tactile one, by using various textures such as glass, metal, wood, but also velvet or natural leather. The floors mimic the appearance of grass, concrete and paved alleys, and the light distribution changes as the user moves through the space.

Text: Anca Rotar, Igloo Media