OXIA Business Center – Interior Spaces

Creating a Contemporary Workplace Ecosystem

Located in Sofia, OXIA Business Center is a 4,000 m² workplace environment that brings together a reception lobby, café, coworking spaces and four office floors within a single cohesive experience.

Developed for Bernard Investment Group and designed in collaboration with Planing Architecture Studio, the project represents nearly a year of design development, coordination and execution support. Rather than approaching each floor as an independent workspace, our goal was to create an integrated workplace ecosystem that supports the diverse ways people work, meet, collaborate and connect throughout the day.

The result is a contemporary business environment that balances functionality, flexibility and comfort while responding to the evolving expectations of today’s workplaces.

Designing Alongside Construction

One of the defining characteristics of the project was the close integration between interior design and the construction process itself.

The interiors were developed in parallel with the execution of the building, requiring continuous coordination between architects, engineers, contractors, consultants and the investor team. Throughout the process, numerous design decisions were refined and adapted in response to technical requirements, construction progress and project developments.

This collaborative workflow demanded flexibility, clear communication and problem-solving at every stage, ultimately allowing the design to evolve alongside the building and ensuring a seamless integration between architecture and interior environments.

A Workplace for a Diverse Professional Community

Unlike traditional single-tenant office environments, OXIA Business Center brings together a diverse mix of users within a single building.

Several office floors are occupied by individual companies, while others operate as flexible coworking environments managed by Work Hub. This diversity required a design approach capable of supporting different organizational cultures, team sizes and workplace expectations while maintaining a cohesive experience throughout the building.

The design balances flexibility and identity, allowing individual spaces to function independently while contributing to a shared architectural and interior language across the entire development.

Spaces Designed for Modern Work

The project was conceived around the idea that contemporary workplaces should support a variety of activities rather than a single mode of work.

Across the building, users can move between open workspaces, meeting rooms, coworking areas, focus zones, informal lounges and social environments depending on their needs throughout the day. The ground floor reception and café create an active and welcoming hub for both tenants and visitors, while the upper levels provide a range of work settings designed to support productivity, collaboration and wellbeing.

The coworking environments developed for Work Hub further expand the building’s flexibility, creating spaces that can accommodate both established teams and more dynamic ways of working.

Together, these diverse environments contribute to a workplace experience that feels adaptable, engaging and future-oriented.

Comfort Through Design

Beyond aesthetics, the project places a strong emphasis on user comfort and everyday experience.

A carefully selected palette of materials, textures and finishes creates a warm and professional atmosphere throughout the building. Custom-designed furniture is combined with products from leading office furniture manufacturers to achieve a balance between functionality, durability and visual consistency.

Special attention was also given to acoustic comfort through the integration of acoustic treatments and sound-absorbing elements across key areas of the project. These interventions contribute to a more comfortable working environment and support the varying levels of privacy required throughout the building.

Integrated planting, soft materials and carefully considered lighting further enhance the quality of the spaces, creating environments that feel both productive and welcoming.

A Cohesive Identity Across Four Office Floors

While each floor accommodates different functions and workplace scenarios, maintaining a unified identity across the entire building was a key objective.

Natural materials, refined detailing and contemporary forms create continuity between spaces while allowing individual areas to develop their own character. Throughout the project, particular attention was paid to proportion, materiality and the relationship between architectural elements, furniture and lighting.

The design draws inspiration from contemporary workplace and hospitality environments, creating spaces that support professional activity while encouraging interaction, comfort and a sense of community.

Collaboration as a Design Tool

Projects of this scale are built on collaboration.

The successful realization of OXIA Business Center was made possible through the close cooperation between Bernard Investment Group, Planing Architecture Studio, the consultant teams, contractors and all project stakeholders involved throughout the process.

By aligning architectural vision, technical requirements and user experience goals, the project evolved into a workplace environment that is both highly functional and distinctly contemporary.

The Result

After nearly two year of design development, coordination and implementation support, OXIA Business Center has become a dynamic workplace environment that serves a diverse professional community.

By bringing together private office environments, coworking spaces, social hubs and collaborative areas within a single ecosystem, the project creates opportunities for both focused work and meaningful interaction. It reflects the changing nature of contemporary workplaces while demonstrating how architecture, interior design and coordination can come together to create environments that are both functional and inspiring.