Paternoster Office
TEAM: Georgina Vernon
Irish
Ignition Architecture, San Francisco
A paternoster office is a building comprising multiple belts of various sized office compartments that move slowly in a loop; up, around, and down a central core, without stopping. Passengers can step on or off at any floor they like, or move onto an adjacent compartment traveling in the opposite direction.
Upon arrival to the paternoster office, the passenger can seek out their designated office compartment by navigating the central core, or wait on one level for their compartment to arrive. The paternoster office denies any passenger immediate gratification.
The outlook from an office compartment in the paternoster office is constantly changing, as each compartment slowly moves position in relation to another. The different office disciplines throughout the paternoster office will be revealed, and then removed, from the view of the adjacent office compartment. The paternoster office experience is continually changing.
Each office compartment in the paternoster office enjoys a moment in the sunshine, a moment in the shadow, a moment at the top of the building, a moment in the basement. The paternoster office engenders equality.