Architecture and design are the art of the local, the language of people whose cultures are inherent to place. While on the Company of Friends Roadshow -- Fast Company's search for what's next in the West -- social capitalist Heath Row visited Space, a design consulting firm with eight locations in such countries as England, Japan, the Netherlands, and the United States. Working with clients such as Coca-Cola de Mexico, GE Capital Corp., and Probursa, Space is changing the look of office space in Mexico. Row spoke with Juan Carlos Baumgartner, managing director of Space's Mexico City office.

Workspace Sends a Message

'Corporate interior design is relatively new in Mexico. Before we opened this office two years ago, no one in Latin America was trying to solve business problems with design. Architects designed houses, buildings -- not interiors. Corporate spaces weren't designed at all. Our goal is not to design rooms but to make tools that help companies work better. We look at how the workspace can help the company become what its leaders want it to be. In the end, space is a tool. Architecture is a language. You are communicating with people. The way you feel about where you work is how you feel about your company. You can transform an organization with its space.'

Start With Abstraction

'Most corporate spaces here don't look 'Mexican' anymore. But we still concentrate on elements of Mexican design. We are more concerned with light and color than interior designers are in the U.S. We also try to be more conceptual in terms of time and space. When designing interiors, you need to look at the abstract, not the physical. There will always be budgets and schedules, but if you have a good concept, you're almost there. A good concept ties everything together.'

Distribute Design

'Depending on the skills of our people, we separate work among the company's 150 designers and eight offices. Certain offices occasionally specialize - and we distribute the work accordingly. In Mexico City, we're known for our skills designing in 3-D. Because you go through the process of building the space before you even start construction, you see problems before they occur.'

Coordinates: Juan Carlos Baumgartner, baumgarj@workplayce.com ; Space, http://www.workplayce.com