Designed for Connection and Innovation

IndieBio SF Office

Client/Specifier: IndieBio
Vertical: Workplace
Location: San Francisco, California

Product: Ekoa in Essential
Installation: Walls
Scale: 280 SF

Impact

CO2 sequestered

equivalent annual carbon uptake

The design challenge

IndieBio’s new San Francisco office brings together early-stage biotech teams in a highly collaborative environment designed to accelerate innovation. The shared amenity space needed to do more than function as a break area—it had to actively support connection, conversation, and informal idea exchange across disciplines.

With a full bar, adjacent shelving, and nearby beverage stations and appliances, the space balances hospitality with research-driven work culture. The design challenge was to soften the utilitarian edge of a high-performance startup environment while maintaining a modern, focused aesthetic.

Material solution

Ekoa in Essential was selected for the wall surfaces behind the bar and shelving system, introducing a grounded, organic counterpoint to the sleek material palette of the space.

Its subtle tone and natural grain help temper the more industrial and functional elements of the amenity zone, while reinforcing a warm, contemporary backdrop for social interaction. The material’s durability makes it well-suited for high-touch areas where daily use and circulation are constant.

Experience in the space

The shared amenity area feels open, modern, and intentionally social. The bar wall—wrapped in Ekoa—anchors the space visually, giving it a sense of calm definition without interrupting flow or transparency.

As people move between conversations, coffee breaks, and informal meetings, the Essential finish contributes a quiet warmth that helps the space feel less transactional and more communal. It supports moments of pause within an otherwise fast-moving, innovation-driven environment.

Sustainability & healthy interiors

In a setting where teams spend long hours building science-forward companies, material health plays a critical role. Ekoa supports low-emission interior environments with ultra-low VOC content and certifications including Red List Free and Clean Air GOLD.

Made from rapidly renewable flax fibers and plant-based resins, it provides a lower-impact alternative to conventional interior surfacing—aligning with the broader ethos of biotech innovation rooted in improving systems at a fundamental level.

Installation & detailing

Ekoa was installed across continuous wall surfaces behind integrated shelving and the bar structure, creating a cohesive architectural backdrop for the amenity space.

Careful panel alignment and clean detailing around built-ins, appliances, and service points preserve a refined, uninterrupted surface—supporting both durability and visual clarity in a high-use environment.

Outcome & impact

A modern, hospitality-inflected amenity space that supports connection at the center of a biotech innovation hub. Ekoa in Essential helps ground the environment in warmth and material calm, balancing performance with a sense of ease—encouraging conversation, collaboration, and everyday moments of pause within a high-energy workplace.

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