Merge OTR were tasked with designing an optimum work environment for advertising agency, MullenLowe Singapore.

Moving out from their 150 Cantonment home, MullenLowe Singapore seeked a new place to house their various business core groups under one roof. An old 4-storey student hostel at 90 Eu Tong Sen Street was selected as the prime location for MullenLowe’s overflowing creative personalities, surrounded by rich local heritage in the Chinatown region.

Existing corridor walls and wooden entrance doors are painted in lilac white, while green structural I-beams within the office are painted black to form a clean grayscale canvas for a colonial-style look. MullenLowe Group’s iconic octopus logo served as the main inspiration for the use of sheer black against an industrial palette of stone, concrete and timber. Instead of a conventional entrance space with a reception counter, we went with the café-cum-hospitality approach by placing the communal breakout space right at the entrance. Visitors and staff alike immediately walk into a lounge space with a bar counter and banquet bench seating that serves as a cosy holding area and staff breakout from the main entrance. This feature space is often used by staff for work as well – a delightful optional work environment that adds variety to their daily workflow from small informal discussions to focused groups. All the various core business groups are situated in a single office space behind a series of meeting facilities, ensuring opportunities for integration and communication between them.

Designer: Merge OTR

Photography: Marcus Lim

12 Images | expand for additional detail