Harmony, functionality, respect for the structure’s antiquity, and an element of surprise guided the design project. Clients enter XAPO from the main square to the bay, now a reception area. Shallow pools flank either side, adding a counterbalance to the structure’s lack of height and lending luminosity to a dark space. At night, laser beams crisscross the pools and reception area – an added bonus for the public, who can view the installation from the square outside.
To the right, and entered via the original stones arches, is the XAPO ‘bank’; a number of automatic tellers where clients can manage their cyber currency transactions. Behind this is the boardroom, featuring a kitchenette and lounge area. The far end of the bay opens out onto a walled patio, originally a gun powder storage facility at the base of a defense tower. With a garden wall and BBQ area, the patio is conceived as much for leisure as work, or occasions when the two activities combine. The offices of XAPO HQ are clustered around the patio, partitioned by glass screens for transparency and fluidity.