A 45-metre plywood service wall for CITU.

A service wall designed as part of the office architecture

Citu had a clear vision for a modern industrial workplace with a strong and consistent material identity. The challenge was to maintain that direction across a long elevation while accommodating ventilation, doors, windows, appliances, storage and several different workplace functions.

The plywood wall was therefore not treated as decorative cladding alone. It became the organising structure for the office. Some sections conceal storage and appliances, others form work or seating areas, while doorways, window reveals and ventilation grilles are incorporated into the same visual composition.

One continuous elevation with several office functions

The scale of the project came not only from its 45-metre length, but from the number of different functions that had to be coordinated within the same fitted system.

• A lobby multimedia station with an integrated screen, refrigeration and storage
• Four kitchenettes with floating shelves and integrated appliances
• Two work areas with integrated screens
• Four built-in seating areas

• Multiple storage compartments with push-to-open plywood doors
• Window reveals manufactured from 24 mm birch plywood
• Internal bathroom doors manufactured from 24 mm birch plywood
• Plywood panelling fitted around the existing ventilation system

The completed wall operates as furniture, architectural lining, storage and a service enclosure. Bringing these elements together within one system allowed the long elevation to remain visually consistent instead of appearing as a collection of unrelated cabinets and fittings.

Birch plywood as the unifying material

Different elements were manufactured from 12 mm, 18 mm and 24 mm birch plywood according to their function. The plywood was finished with OSMO oil-wax, allowing the natural grain and light colour of the material to remain visible across the installation.

Material consistency helped the storage doors, shelving, work areas, window reveals, internal doors and wall panels read as one architectural system. The pale birch surface also works naturally alongside the exposed timber structure and visible industrial services within the building.

The four kitchenettes introduced a controlled contrast through FENIX NTM laminate finishes, while their plywood surrounds and floating shelves maintained continuity with the wider service wall.

Workshop manufacture and coordinated installation

The service wall was installed while other parts of the building were still being completed by different trades. Wherever practical, components were manufactured and prepared in the controlled conditions of our workshop before being transported to site at a later stage of the programme.

This workshop-first approach supported manufacturing accuracy and reduced the amount of detailed fabrication required within an active construction environment. Installation then focused on alignment, junctions and fitting the continuous elevation around the existing ventilation, windows, doors and surrounding building elements.

This is where a fully bespoke manufacturing process becomes particularly valuable. The furniture and panels can be developed around the actual architecture and service positions rather than being restricted by fixed cabinet dimensions.