The challenge
Wallapop, a pioneering Spanish start-up challenging the way people buy, sell and share, sought to create an innovative hub for its staff in Barcelona materializing the brand’s credo and its conscious approach to sustainable consumption.
The new headquarters needed to address the latest workplace design trends while embracing a more human-centered and resource-efficient approach, incorporating some of the key principles of the circular economy.
The outcome
A catalyst for the brand’s vision. A virtual flea market embodied into a versatile workplace experience that emulates the fast-paced environment of Wallapop’s platform to respond to the company’s constant growth and evolution.
With a unique narrative strategy that brings their circular ethos and customer experience to life, the physical design immerses staff in a creative office environment that mirrors both the online purchasing journey and the street market look & feel. Agile workflows, flexibility, and modular design dynamics seamlessly integrate within a sustainable, innovative atmosphere crafted from upcycled furniture and repurposed items, primarily sourced from the Wallapop platform.
Discovery
How to bring the Wallapop experience to life?
Wallapop is a digital marketplace where people browse and discover unique products. Working alongside the client we identified the key drivers sustaining this commercial relationship that would eventually define how the workplace experience would be:
- A playful, experience-driven workspace that evokes the same sense of discovery and excitement users feel when finding a product on the Wallapop platform.
- A tribute to Wallapop’s history and collective upcycling vision.
- An adaptable, future-ready environment designed to evolve; supporting the company’s growth within the tech ecosystem.
Ideation & design
Limited but effective resources
Inspired by Wallapop values of sustainable consumption, efficiency and diversity, we envisioned a flexible workplace embracing an upcycling strategy; both in terms of the smart re-use of a wide variety of second-hand furniture and building materials, and the low-level interventions of the existing spaces.
The upcycling approach
We conducted a thorough analysis of the existing elements in the office to seamlessly integrate them into the renewed space, in sync with the new working dynamics.
Upcycled furniture, greenery and materials—primarily purchased from the Wallapop platform—were cleverly incorporated into the new look & feel, strengthening bonds with the local community throughout the scouting process.
Street market–like stalls for multiple experiences
Inspired by the spontaneity of the street market (where users explore categorized “stalls” to search products, compare, negotiate and exchange), we organised the workspace to evoke those same dynamic interactions. Different atmospheres ranging from traditional, adaptable modular workstations to transit zones and purposefully hidden or visible areas encourage informal encounters and collaboration among the teams and clients alike.
Skins for maximum functionality & agility
Across the different floors, the design offers high versatility, enabling quick and diverse spatial configurations through the introduction of a modular, permeable skin concept. Storage units seamlessly transform into writeable surfaces while dual-sided panels made from textured, translucent materials can be used from either side, creating both connection and privacy according to the changing needs. Additionally, the meeting rooms are complemented by breakout spaces of various sizes, catering to diverse collaborative dynamics.
Wayfinding & brand design
Branded signage elements, arranged to echo the online navigation experience and the users’ interactions and conversations during the purchasing process guide staff and visitors intuitively through the space, ensuring that key areas and activities are easily recognizable.
Wall graphics, posters, paintings, and repurposed second-hand furniture empower the team to embrace more diverse, conscious, human-centered and sustainable practices.
Conclusion
Igniting a culture of continuous change
Through the efficient use of available resources, Wallapop’s workplace successfully embodies the brand’s conscious vision of a more human approach to consumption. The result is a future-proof, adaptable office designed to evolve with the emerging working needs. This dynamic project delivers coherence in every detail, reinforces the company’s mission, and demonstrates that a sustainable environment, crafted with upcycled and second-hand furniture can be as feasible as impactful.
