NFC Signage in Spaces Westerpark
Custom signage in the recently opened Spaces Westerpark connects the area to a variety of curated music.
ABOUT THE PROJECT
Co-working brand Spaces is known to have beautifully designed office spaces around the world: The office layouts, design furniture and styling elements all come together to create an atmosphere for work with wellbeing in mind. A subtle element is the bespoke background music experience that masks ambient noise, improves privacy in the spaces, and nudges the energy throughout the day (from a laid back setting in the morning, to a more energising setting in the afternoons). Music curator Tymon Bijlhout (kollekt.fm) is the dedicated “Playlist DJ” and handpicks all songs that can be heard over the speaker systems in open spaces.
This project is the next evolution of ‘music for the workspace’ and is more catered to needs of the individual (instead of background music in shared open workspaces). Kollekt.fm designed 9 playlists that go along with specific areas, working styles and tasks. Members of the newly opened Spaces Westerpark can find playlists everywhere around the building. Silent areas are equipped with playlists that can stimulate productivity and improve your focus. You can find music for unwinding and mindful activities in sound-proof booths, or get energised by timeless euphoric songs that have a ‘can-do’ quality to them. And much, much more.
The playlists can be activated by a fun and novel interaction: tapping custom signage with your phone magically opens playlists on Spotify (The interaction is similar to how you can use your phone to pay wirelessly when you do groceries). The signage is supercharged with wireless NFC technology and was specifically designed for Spaces Westerpark. The signage, referred to as ‘playlist tiles’, are expected to launch in offices around the world early 2022.
Topics: Co-working, atmosphere design, signage, music for productivity, NFC.
PLAYLISTS & CURATION
A total of 9 different playlists can be found on-site at Spaces Westerpark. Below is a selection of some of these playlists.
Became popular under the name “Study Beats”. It features jazz instrumentation over very calm hip-hop beats. The overall vibe can be a bit melancholic. In the Study Beats genre, many songs have a very lo-fi finish: this means there is often a lot of vinyl noise and static noise that can be heard as an intentional element throughout the song. For Spaces curated music we did not want this, because it can be distracting and a little bit hard on the ears when played over headphones. We specifically curated the Jazzy Beats songs that have a clear audio quality and that don’t have too distracting jazzy elements.
Songs with stripped down acoustic instrumentation and soft vocals that always remain in the background.
This is part of the repertoire that is also played over the speaker system. In the offices, songs are scheduled (and shuffled) to regulate the energy in the open areas. The day starts with positive and calm (but not sleepy!) songs in the morning. The energy in the room increases at 11:00 and the music experience gets more vocal without ever being intrusive. After 16:00 songs get even more uptempo and get a grooving and uplifting vibe that energizes members for the last hours of the workday.
LINKS
This project is a collaboration between design and architecture agency BS;BP, music agency kollekt.fm and Spaces Westerpark.
