Until now, the office has been treated functionally, within a fixed framework. Assigned seats for each employee, enclosed meeting rooms, and large executive offices that emphasize authority. It is a picture that mirrors a vertical organizational culture exactly as it is.

But as ways of working centered on autonomy and collaboration have taken hold, space too is shifting toward flexible, open structures. Elements like town halls, shared desks, and lounges are not mere interior decoration; they function as devices that design a communication-centered organizational culture.

Space has now become a language that reveals what kind of culture an organization aspires to. So how, then, has the SPACEBASE team designed spaces like these?

The Belief That Space Creates Culture

SPACEBASE does not view the workspace simply as a backdrop for getting work done. We believe the workspace becomes the premise that shapes the attitudes and relationships of the people who work within it. Who sits where, who runs into whom often, even how a conversation begins. We believe these small, repeated details are precisely what create an organizational culture. The structure of a workspace, where members spend all day, ultimately influences their language, their attitudes, and even their sense of teamwork.

SPACEBASE applies this belief to its own organizational culture as well. We work around roles rather than titles, and we call every member a 'Designer.' Regardless of seniority or experience, the most junior person is determined by the order of joining, so it is not unusual for someone with ten years of experience to be the junior. It naturally happens, again and again, that a newcomer who joined earlier guides a more experienced colleague through the work process. This structure dismantles the hierarchy of 'who gets to speak first' and creates a culture where information flows freely.

Meetings sometimes begin not in a designated meeting room but from a story that spilled out like casual chatter. In an atmosphere where anyone can throw out an opinion, a plan can develop on its own. SPACEBASE experiences this flow firsthand and works in its own way. A horizontal structure cannot exist by declaration alone. For such an attitude to operate in everyday life, the space itself must first be designed that way.

That is why SPACEBASE's designers work within flexible structures rather than vertical hierarchies. Because they are people who have experienced culture through space, they can propose practical structures so that autonomy and connection come alive in our clients' organizations as well.

Spatial Design That Invites Horizontal Communication

This philosophy is naturally reflected in most of the spaces SPACEBASE has designed. The most representative space is the town hall. The town hall for 'Samjeomsam,' a platform offering tax-filing and refund assistance services, was built using movable tables. Reflecting the nature of an organization with frequent external meetings and small gatherings, it was designed so the shape of the space could be changed freely depending on the situation. When needed, the tables can be connected to serve as an event space where many employees gather together.

Meanwhile, one side of the town hall for CLO, a 3D fashion design software company, features tiered benches, creating a structure where dozens of people can sit at once to hold meetings or listen to presentations. What stands out is how carefully the layers of seating were adjusted to keep things comfortable even when many people are present. Beyond simply accommodating large numbers, the design invites scenes of people naturally gathering together to seep into daily life, letting you feel the detail in the space.

Instead of closed-off partitions, SPACEBASE pursues circulation paths where chance encounters happen naturally. Between meeting rooms and work areas, we place semi-open lounges and community spots well suited to brief conversations, so that connections between teams carry on within the flow of the space. Rather than dedicated areas used only by certain roles, we design spaces where every member can move about and linger freely, so that horizontal relationships form naturally.

The Process of Space Becoming Culture

The workspace SPACEBASE aspires to is not a 'place to stay' but a 'place you want to stay.' Even in a single café-style lounge for quiet immersion or a break room for a short rest, there lives a question about 'how it will be used.' It goes beyond a structure for simple rest or focus; it is a design tuned to the rhythms and senses of the people who work there. What matters more than lavish decoration is whether the space is actually used well. That is why SPACEBASE's projects always start from observation and interviews of users, and ample research.

As a result, these details reveal the organizational culture in a way you can 'sense' with your body, without it having to be spoken. The brand's attitude blends naturally into the space, and members come to feel a sense of belonging within it. SPACEBASE designs the flow in which space creates attitude, and that attitude in turn leads to culture. A culture that operates through structure and experience. That is the direction SPACEBASE seeks to create through space.

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Spatial Design, the Foundation on Which an Organization's Culture Grows

Organizational culture cannot be summed up in a single sentence, nor does it take root through declaration alone. For a culture to grow naturally, the structure and environment that suit it must first be in place. Only through the process of people forming relationships, moving, and staying together within a space does a unique organizational culture finally take shape.

Beyond a simple office, SPACEBASE designs structures where ways of working, attitudes, and a sense of relationship can live and breathe. Within the spaces created this way, members build a culture for themselves. A culture accumulated not through declaration but through everyday experience holds the power to last for a long time.

*Photos provided by the SPACEBASE team