Mix Interiors 193 - April 2019

Mix Interiors 193 188

October April 2019 2018

INSIDE

78 45 UPFRONT 10 Insight 21 Perspective 22 Seven... 25 Steve Gale 26 Material Matters 28 Deser t Island Desks 30 Proper t y Repor t 32

CASE STUDY – GEOMETRY

We're in leaf y west London to take a look at the impressive new home of global brand experience agenc y, Geometr y – and discover far more than we could have hoped for!

86 72

SPOTLIGHT 45 Big Question 47 Manufacturer Repor t 48

MIX INSPIRED 62 ROUNDTABLE 72

62

CASE ST UDIES 78 Geometr y 78 Revolut 86

L AST WORD 96 Criteo's Head of Workplace E xperience, Mike Walley

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76 Mix 193 April 2019 | 1

Upfront | Welcome

A WORD FROM MICK THE COVER The logo The logo is inspired by the beautiful, subtletoned fabrics on display on the cover – we wanted to texture it to complement them.

Each letterform has a different weight but is from the same family, with warped form to give it a low-fi cut-out effect. www.bdp.com

I have a confession to make – there was a moment (well, an hour or so, to be accurate), when I thought this issue might not make it to our printers! And it was all down to me (and ‘technology’).

Some of you will have been (un)fortunate enough to have, first-hand, experienced my hard-hitting, indepth journalistic style – and will therefore be all too aware that I use a digital dictation machine for all my interviews, case studies, Mix events coverage etc.

So, having picked up another four or five stories on said machine, I settled back and began the process of transcribing, turning all those wise words into editorial magic. Within five minutes, the dictation machine started beeping at me, asking for new batteries. Now, I’d had the foresight to buy some AAA’s the week before (from Desmond’s, my ‘quality’

local corner shop). They cost me £1. I was chuffed with that.

With new batteries fitted, I set off once more… until literally five seconds later, when the telltale beeping started once again. ‘Low battery power’, it said on the little screen. So I popped in two more – and five seconds later I got the same result. Bugger!

I’d broken my machine, I feared, and now could not access (more than) an entire issue’s worth of words.

Of course, as soon as I went to a reputable retailer and bought proper batteries, normality returned and I was able to get on with stuff.

The lesson is, don’t buy cheap. It’s a completely false economy.

Obviously, that doesn’t just apply to Desmond’s and batteries!

The cover Drawing on the close relationship between office layout and employee interaction, Forbo Flooring Systems' new carpet tile collection, Tessera Nexus, reflects the trend towards connectivity. Featuring a subtle linear base overlaid with a soft kinetic silhouette, Tessera Nexus is a refreshing alternative to the organic styling that currently dominates the carpet tile market – which, in itself, reflects the changing focus of the workplace.

Courtesy of Forbo Flooring Systems

BACK ISSUES Contact us to buy back issues: natasha@wearemixgroup.com

GET IN TOUCH Editor Mick Jordan mick@wearemixgroup.com Sales director Gary Williams gary@wearemixgroup.com Director David Smalley david@wearemixgroup.com Designer Tammi Bell tamzin@wearemixgroup.com Group managing director Marcie Incarico marcie@wearemixgroup.com Director Martin Mongan martin@wearemixgroup.com Business development manager Kate Borastero kate@wearemixgroup.com Events Ellie Fox, Hester Talbot, Georgia Bone, Natasha Nelson

2 | Mix 193 April 2019

Founding publisher Henry Pugh Contributors Steve Gale David Thame Mike Walley Address 85 Greengate Manchester M3 7NA Telephone 0161 946 6262

GET YOUR OWN! To ensure that a regular copy of Mix Interiors reaches you please call 0161 946 6262 or e-mail: natasha@wearemixgroup.com Annual subscription charges UK single £45.50 Europe £135 (airmail) Outside Europe £165 (airmail)

e-mail editorial@wearemixgroup.com Website www.mixinteriors.com Twitter @mixinteriors Instagram @mix.interiors Linked In Mix Interiors

Printed by S&G Print ISSN 1757-2371

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FEATURING THE LEGENDARY

Upfront |

FRESH LOOK FOR CLOTHWORKERS Finding a modern and vibrant flooring solution for an old building can be challenging, especially when the building needs to represent the creative talents of those inside. The University of Leeds encountered this specific challenge when looking to update the ‘dark and bland stairwell’ of its Clothworkers’ South Building.

The flooring in the building had remained the same for over 60 years and, unsurprisingly given the heavy foot traffic, was starting to show its age, with cracks beginning to appear.

Having been brought in by the University of Leeds to find a solution to updating the floor, architects Farrell & Clark were looking for a distinctive and vibrant design that could withstand the high traffic of a university building.

Ian Whalley, from Farrell & Clark, says the university ‘wanted to introduce visitors to the School of Design, by demonstrating its creativity as soon as they came through the entrance’.

As such, Amtico’s Signature collection was chosen to reinvigorate the building. A variety of bright colours were used to differentiate each floor and each stair riser was given the tone of the approaching floor level.

‘The multiple colours and laying patterns of the Signature collection, as well as the fact that the wear layer is greater than in other products on the market, all led to Amtico being chosen,’ Ian tells us.

From the University of Leeds’ point of view, the solution came with two significant benefits. Firstly, as mentioned, the flooring is designed to withstand high wear and has a 20-year warranty. Secondly, Farrell & Clark noted how quickly the flooring was installed, meaning the university wasn’t inconvenienced with long-lasting installation work.w

Tipi HQ, London

LOVE WHERE YOU WORK ‘Join the rental revolution’ claims the website of Tipi. Relatively new to the rental market, Tipi are making all the right noises and have recently relocated their HQ to the ground floor of one of their own buildings on Olympic Way, London.

Having built up such a strong reputation for providing innovative social spaces and stylish interiors across Tipi’s Wembley Park buildings, the team knew that it was important to reflect this in their new workspace.

The Tipi team appointed architectural interior designers, Fossey Arora, to assist with the hub creation. Design Director, Andrew Fossey, says: ‘Our first priority was to ensure that we designed an office that feels more like a home. It’s a space without barriers or walls that feels both stylish and comfortable, with a really relaxed vibe.

‘As Tipi is committed to openness, we’ve reflected that in the design, leaving surfaces raw and showing AC and lighting ducts – nothing is hidden! We’ve also gone for some quirky features, like the coffee caravan, to reflect Tipi’s sense of fun, but taken practical considerations into account too – hence features such as a dog

INK WELL

University of Leeds

10 | Mix 193 April 2019

Leading UK tile manufacturer, Johnson Tiles, has invested £650k in two new inkjet machines for its factory in Stoke-on-Trent.

To support the manufacture of its ceramic wall tiles, the British firm – established in 1901 – has made the considerable investment to enhance its existing processes.

The new machines guarantee faster production, making Johnson Tiles able to produce a world-class small format product portfolio more efficiently than anyone else globally.

Inkjet technology also combats many of the issues associated with traditional contact printing, most notably, helping to cut down on the volume of tile breakages.

This supports a more cost-effective manufacturing process due to the generation of

pen and a children’s play area. A veritable forest of trees and plants adds a soft, natural touch.

‘By aligning the new office with the innovative, modern nature of the Tipi brand, we were able to create something really special. Team members are inspired to come and work here, while residents – and would-be residents – can drop in any time and engage with our team in comfortable surroundings.

‘The traditional feel evokes a sense of security and confidence, while work lights over each station encourage a feeling of focus, reflecting the fact that the Tipi team will do things efficiently and quickly.

‘We’ve provided areas for group chats and meetings, along with quieter areas for privacy.

And for phone calls that require isolation, where better than to make them in an iconic red London telephone box? For larger, private meetings, The Tower on the first floor provides space for decisions to be made. The rainbowcoloured glass windows aim to make those meetings more joyful, as well as providing a beacon on Wembley Way after dark.’ w

New inkjet machine at Johnson Tiles

less waste. Also, thanks to a higher resolution print, inkjet also offers greater creative scope and design versatility.

Ultimately, the investment benefits all stakeholders involved, from the customer to the environment.w

ACTIVE CHOICE. DYNAMIC CONTROL.

BOSSDESIGN.COM

Birchwood Park

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Based in Warrington, Patriziamanaged Birchwood Park is one of the largest out-of-town business destinations. Established for over 20 years, it has businesses ranging from startups to global corporates and is currently home to more than 165 companies and 6,000 employees.

It is a key site in the Cheshire Science Corridor Enterprise Zone and one of the UK’s largest hubs for the Nuclear Services Industry.

The site contains over 800,000 sq ft of development land with outlined planning consent.

EngineRooms is the result of a brief given to DV8 Designs, the Birchwood Park based architectural and interior design practice, established by Lee Birchall back in 2006. The aim was to create an all-day meet, eat and work space, whilst promoting collaboration and wellbeing among its 6,000 occupiers. This new social space combines the relaxed ambience of a hotel business lounge, the sociability of a coworking space and an ultra-modern food hall. During the redesign, over 200 existing chairs were donated to local charity organisations and churches, including Birchwood Community Youth Centre, Davenham Methodist Church and for use in a local food bank.

Where design leads change, this reinvigorated work space provides a rallying call to businesses to work flexibly, efficiently and socially.

A-frame tables and flexible, zoned working spaces mean that a focused strategy session can be easily turned into a social get together, and the ‘street food’ style outlets have an independent feel to suit meat eaters, gym fanatics and flexitarians; and include a pizza oven imported from Italy, which is perfectly positioned for team rewards.

Managing Director of DV8 Designs, Lee Birchall, said: ‘With the EngineRooms we wanted to design an innovative and inviting new destination where ‘doing business’ can be made as easy, as sociable and as enjoyable as possible. As Birchwood Park occupiers, our team had the insight to make this exciting new space work in a practical and user-friendly way and we’re so proud to be a part of it. I’m from Warrington so I’m delighted to see such a forward-thinking business destination located here – this is a major opportunity for the area.

The EngineRooms is the first of its kind, a place to be inspired and where work/life balance is achievable. We’re excited to see it attract even more talent and businesses from all over the UK.’w Birchwood Park

Upfront |

NEW TAUNTON HEADQUARTERS FOR THE UK HYDROGRAPHIC OFFICE

Nutritionalist Kate Cook

FOOD FOR THOUGHT Milliken kicked off their 2019 wellbeing events by inviting leading nutritionist Kate Cook along to the Clerkenwell showroom to share her knowledge and experience on eating for vibrant energy.

Kate has been leading the wellness revolution for several years; she is a Harley Street nutritionist, international speaker and author. Her nutritionist training informs her philosophy that factors beyond diet, such as mental attitude, happiness, fitness, time management and sleep, are necessary to the holistic mix that creates a healthy, happy workforce. She has helped a number of leading institutions, including The Bank of England, Skanska and ConocoPhilips.

Guests enjoyed an entertaining, hard-hitting and inspirational session. Kate's aim was to shine a light on why we have all become so confused about eating and what to do about it. How can we put eating for vibrant energy at the centre of both our own lives and those working in the buildings we design?

Here are just a few of Kate’s thoughts: Instead of listening to conflicting advice, get back to trusting your own instincts; reconnect with your body and listen to its messages.

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The food industry is frequently consulted on government health policy and lobby against recommendations to reduce sugar in our foods or the introduction of a sugar tax.

Sugar is four times more addictive than heroin.

Most important is balancing blood sugar levels, which is achievable through a combination of diet, sleep and exercise.

Avoid ‘sweet, fluffy, white food’ and instead eat ‘thick, fibrous, protein based food’. w

Some more good news for both our public sector colleagues and our own commercial interior sector – a public sector-sponsored body embracing and investing in creating a great working environment. The UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO) collects and supplies hydrographic and geospatial data for the Royal Navy and merchant shipping, to protect lives at sea. Based in Taunton, it works with other national hydrographic offices, focusing on global standards of hydrography, cartography and navigation.

A design team consisting of architects AHR, engineers Hydrock, cost consultant Mace and main contractor BAM collaborated on the 11,000 sq m office building, providing the organisation with a bespoke headquarters that includes high spec office space, staff restaurant, gym and meeting facilities.

The project represents a cultural shift within UKHO’s way of working, prioritising collaborative and agile workspaces for the 850 staff. The brief was for a building that cultivates collaboration and provides a modern way of working with the ability to accommodate future business needs.

Arranged around a dramatic 800 sq m atrium, the building accommodates 700 desks across flexible floorplates, which are broken down into 10 smaller neighbourhoods, with a range of work settings including team tables, scrum areas, height adjustable desks and quiet work zones.

Adam Spall, Regional Director at AHR, said: ‘The UKHO’s aspiration was for a ‘one team’ culture. Our design for the new headquarters has accomplished this through the use of generous staircases, open balconies and wide bridges, which create physical and visual connection between all parts of the building, resulting in an impressive sense of openness for such a large facility.’

The design concept took inspiration from the hydrographic office’s work, following the theme of ‘Seabed to Surface’ with images of strata, contours and water currents influencing the aesthetic design throughout.

Jo Funnell, from the UK Hydrographic Office, said: ‘I am delighted with the outcome of the project and the standard of the building. The collaboration between all parties has been the key to the project’s success. The new environment will support smarter ways of working at the UKHO, using new technology and modern office practices, which is hugely exciting for our business.’

Outstanding levels of natural daylight, thanks to the glazed atrium and generous 3.5m ceiling heights, help reduce the need for artificial lighting.

Hanging from the highly glazed roof are sinuous timber baffles, which reinforce the visual concept whilst providing perfect acoustic control, diffusing daylight and eliminating glare.

The project was successfully delivered within an ambitious timescale – completing exactly three years since initial design work began in January 2016. The whole project was modelled to BIM Level 2, with detailed inputs from the BAM supply chain ensuring that all the exposed services were fully coordinated.w

UK Hydrographic Office

Britain, public sector net borrowing, % of GDP

STAT OF THE MONTH

When we are right, we earn.

Public sector borrowing requirement PSBR PSBR - the government's budget deficit in a particular year. (the difference between money from taxes and what it spends)

When we are wrong, we learn

Source: Office for Budget

QUOTE OF THE MONTH - VIJAY KEDIA

Fiscal years ending March

Responsibilityw

Mix 193 April 2019 | 13

Upfront |

GLOBAL HOTSPOTS FOR LONDON OFFICE INVESTMENT

Bureau

EVANS RANDALL INVESTORS COMPLETES IN MIDTOWN Private equity real estate business Evans Randall Investors has worked with central London development manager CORE and John Robertson Architects (JRA) to create an entirely new building. Bureau is designed to appeal to the growing demand from diversified occupier sectors for office space within the 2,500-10,000 sq ft size range, with the original 1980s building stripped back to its concrete frame.

40% of Bureau is under offer to a multi-national company and owner of major consumer brands, which is planning to relocate its UK headquarters.

The building is the culmination of Evans Randall Investors’ three-year development strategy for 90 Fetter Lane and in line with its reputation for reinventing tired and out-of-date offices.

Kent Gardner, CEO of Evans Randall Investors, said: ‘As its name suggests, Bureau was conceived as a place where business gets done but also, based on our team’s own experiences, we wanted it to be a place that is welcoming and appreciates why you are coming there to work.’

To develop the Bureau brand, Evans Randall Investors has also collaborated with Hingston Studio, whose clients include Rolls Royce, Dior and Paul Smith, and brand strategist Simon Turnbull, who has worked with hotelier and developer Ian Schrager and brands like Absolut Vodka.

Tech plays a central role in the project, with Bureau being one of the first privately owned office buildings in the UK to adopt real-time facial recognition software to actively ‘recognise’ and welcome its guests. Evans Randall Investors has worked with biometric identity management company, QikID Services, to develop the QikDETEKT software for the space.

In line with the latest workspaces, JRA has created cycling storage capacity of 130, a maintenance station, 13 shower cubicles and a drying room to support a more environmentally healthy way of getting people to work.w

14 | Mix 193 April 2019

In the aftermath of the vote to leave the EU twoand-a-half years ago, plenty has been written about the future global standing of the UK. Many naysayers suggesting London will be particularly hard-hit by the economic fallout.

Naturally, like with any change, there will be an adjustment period. But new research proposes London will continue to attract the interest of occupiers and investors alike.

Commercial property specialists, Savoy Stewart, explored Knight Frank’s The London Report 2019 to prove London is prospering and to consider the global powerhouses choosing to invest in the capital – giving a good indication that, past the impending result on Brexit, the market will continue to thrive.

Savoy Stewart found that London saw greater volumes of commercial real estate investment than any other global city in 2018 – with over £16 billion of transactions. Likewise, in 2018, 14.8 million sq ft was let in the London office market; the highest level since 2014 and 15% above the long-term average.

Work in London has remained buoyant too.

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), in the two years following the referendum, the capital’s workforce grew by 278,000 jobs on a net basis. The information and communication sector accounted for 26% of these new roles, while the financial sector has seen close to 6,000 jobs created since the vote, disproving some concern over job loss and relocation.

Centring on investment, its reasonable to say foreign capital remains key. Over 80% of acquisitions were driven by overseas purchasers in 2018.

But who is investing? In 2017, Greater China held the highest source of London office investment, at 42%. This was followed by homegrown investment (UK; 16%) and healthy acquisition from Germany (10%) and the US (7%).

In 2018, London office investment in Greater China dropped by half, bringing the total to 21%.

This is perhaps to be expected following capital controls imposed on outbound investment in this region. Homegrown investment grew by 1% (UK; 17%) amid a drop in investment from Germany (4%) and the US (6%).

Encouragingly, despite a fall in investment in certain areas, we can see a significant increase in emerging markets. Notably, London office investment in South Korea grew from 2% in 2017 to a prosperous 16% in 2018. While investment in Singapore grew from 1% in 2017 to 9% in 2018.

• London office investment is falling in Greater China and Germany.

• London office investment is rising in South Korea, Singapore and Israel.

• The London office market saw more investment than any other global city in 2018.

• Since the EU referendum, London’s workforce has grown by 278,000 on a net basis.

• In 2018, 14.8 million sq ft was let in the London office market, the highest level since 2014.w

Source savoystewart.co.uk analysed research by Knight Frank, to illustrate the source of London office investment in 2017 compared to 2018.

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Upfront |

FUTURE OFFICE: NEXT GENERATION WORKPLACE We’ve been fortunate enough to get a look at the very latest book designed to help provide some clarity into the ever-changing world of workplace.

The new book, by AECOM, looks at the impact of technological change on the future of work and workplace.

Digital disruptors are reshaping the way we work, yet too many workplaces are designed with little thought for the future, says the global infrastructure firm. The rise of agile working is already influencing office design, with a growing trend for a mix of space types that encourage today’s diverse workforce to meet, collaborate and socialise. With new technologies likely to make collaboration and individual work even more efficient, workplace design must consider supporting infrastructure early in the design process. The subject is explored in Future Office: Next Generation Workplace Design by Nicola Gillen, workplace market sector lead for Europe, Middle East and Africa at AECOM. Planning for future disruptors is challenging, as the time lag between the design and handover of a building is often many years, with technology constantly moving forward. According to AECOM, office buildings therefore need to be highly adaptive, enable technological change and be easily reconfigured for changing user needs.

New technologies, such as voice recognition and sensors, will help future offices adapt to their users’ needs. These types of technologies will

personalise environmental conditions, learning people’s individual preferences for lighting and temperature levels, for example. Voice technologies will take minutes of a meeting and dispatch lists of agreed actions to the participants. The installation of sensors is relatively inexpensive if carried out during construction, but is difficult and more expensive to retrofit. Workplace designers and developers need to understand how these changes will impact future workplaces, says AECOM. Sensors will also gather data to enable more efficient building operation. This will require a more in-depth understanding by workplace designers of exactly what owners and tenants want from their building, argues AECOM. Architects and engineers will need to become more adept at understanding data about building and people performance.

The future office will make much greater use of data science and the design process will be ongoing, with feedback loops from live environments influencing the next design.

‘The world of work is changing, but workplace design is slow to catch up,’ Nicola Gillen explains.

‘To stay ahead and play a role in designing the offices of the future, workplace designers need to keep a constant watch on new trends and developments. Retrofitting down the line is much more costly, so workplace designers need to become more adept at spotting and planning for disruptors that are going to change the way we work and use offices. Many of the offices of the

future are being designed now. Work is leaving the building, following people wherever they go, so designers will need to become anthropologists and data scientists to keep up.’

People will always be an organisation’s most valuable asset, with the needs of building users must remain at the centre of workplace design, AECOM considers. Designers need to focus on who buildings are for and what those people and organisations want to achieve, as well as how building-supported technology can help them achieve it.

The book discusses the impacts of technological changes on the future of work and workplace. This collaborative work of 12 experts in their fields, led

by Nicola Gillen, also includes fascinating case studies from around the world.w

LUXURY FLEX / PEAK FLEX Is flexible workspace about to undergo a luxury re-think or are serviced offices inevitably a low-cost product? David Thame talks to the Chief Executives of two upscale operators to find out. See more on page 32. Meanwhile, have we reached Peak Flex?

Has coworking drunk all the free beers it can handle after a massive expansion in 2018? David Thame talks to the decision makers, and discovers the answer is…maybe! See more on page 37.w

NEW BRAND FOR FLOORING SOLUTIONS IVC is a new brand for flooring solutions in corporate and office, retail, hospitality and leisure, housing, education and healthcare projects.

The commercial division of IVC Group – part of Mohawk Industries and Europe’s largest manufacturer of carpet tile, LVT and sheet vinyl – IVC designs and manufactures its floors in Belgium.

Formerly producing floors under the Moduleo (commercial) and Itec Contract Floors brands, and now with a range of carpet tiles, IVC comes with

a proven track record in the commercial arena, offering architects, designers, fit-out companies and contractors a single source for their flooring needs.

David Bigland, Managing Director of IVC Group UK, explains: ‘We used to work with separate brands for each commercial product line. Bringing our entire project flooring range under a single umbrella allows us to strengthen our position as a reliable, innovative, all-in-one partner for the architecture, design and specification communities.’w

London Executive Offices

Mix 193 April 2019 | 17

London SE1

Upfront |

Monmouth Coffee Company, London

COFFEE HOUSE The interiors group for Sheppard Robson, ID:SR, has overseen the design of Monmouth Coffee Company’s new offices, roastery and production spaces, transforming seven railway arches in Bermondsey, London.

The project involved close collaboration with Anita le Roy – the founder of the coffee company – and her team, as well as selected suppliers and craftspeople.

The result is a new home for the company, founded in 1978, that was one of the first coffee companies to bring sustainably sourced, high-quality coffee to London. Monmouth’s new 1,304 sq m space brings together all of the brand’s operational facilities, including the office and amenities for the team. The project also includes space for two new, larger roasters, as well as training facilities and a new shop space, which will be open to the public on Saturday mornings, and forms part of a local network of like-minded food businesses.

The expansive industrial nature of the railway arches has been preserved, with the underside of the arches lined in white functional corrugated steel to create a light, clean environment for both food preparation and high-quality office space. The natural separation created by the arches allows the range of spaces to be zoned, separating production areas from the quieter office space.

The office area is enclosed to create a range of work settings, from workstation clusters to quiet meetings rooms and flexible work settings. Helen Berresford, Head of ID:SR Sheppard Robson, said: 'The inherent qualities of the arches immediately lent themselves to creating industrial spaces but were also surprisingly adaptable, allowing us to create engaging workplaces and weave together an unusually broad mix of uses.

'Rather than fight the grit and the texture of the fabric of the arches, we have tried to celebrate it, adding moments of finesse and quality to lift the overall experiences of the spaces. Working closely with Anita and her team, we wanted to help create an environment for the Monmouth brand to grow, whilst maintaining its culture and commitment to creating fantastic and ethically sourced coffee.' w

18 | Mix 193 April 2019

NORWEGIAN WOOD Our friends at The Collective were barely able to conceal their excitement when telling us about their latest collaboration. They assured us that the products were amazing and that the story behind them every bit as remarkable – and they weren’t wrong.

The company in question is Eikund, whose neverseen-before collection of furniture classics has been unearthed from Norwegian design archives – and is now available in the UK for the first time.

The story behind this exciting collection goes back to 2015, when Eikund founders Morten Hippe, Frode Tingbø and Jørgen Tengesdal spent the best part of a year treasure hunting across Norway, rummaging through attics and archives to find a number of the country’s hidden furniture gems.

Eikund succeeded in their quest to bring to light these lost classics and have now reproduced long-

Krysset lounge chair

Fluffy lounge chair

lost pieces such as the Krysset chair, designed in 1955 by Fredrik Kayser, and the Evja table, designed in 1958 by Torbjørn Bekken.

Indeed, Eikund has painstakingly picked products from well-loved Norwegian designers such as Torbjørn Afdal, Arne Halvorsen, Bent Winge, Sigurd Resell and Arne Tjomsland, as well as Kayser and Bekken.

We also discovered that Co-Founder, Partner and CEO, Jørgen Tengesdal, spent more than a decade playing professional football in Norway. He played for Viking, Lyn and Tromsø, participated in U-national team matches and European Championship matches. He tells us that football has given him useful experiences when it comes to building teams and demanding the best of himself and everyone around him.w

BLURRING BOUNDARIES We are witnessing a hugely exciting shift in boundaries between workplace, hospitality, education and residential; a variety of radical approaches to regeneration and development, BDP’s Amy Simpson tells us.

Flexible environments, which blur the lines between home, work and play, can transform for a variety of individuals, start-ups and commercial practices. So how will this blurring of boundaries impact the future of commercial design?

It may look like PwC Frontier, an ‘Experience Centre’, which brings together business strategy, digital technology, customer experience and design.

Developed to be comfortable yet hardworking, indifferent to regular change, it includes a Virtual Reality Lab, high-spec workspace, and an open plan area for a diverse set of activities.

Transformative schemes, such as the Galway Docklands, merge office with retail and hospitality.

Galway Docklands re-establishes the city as a business and cultural hub by attracting forward thinking companies to reactivate this former shipping yard and the wider local economy.

This approach strikes a chord with trends in education, retail and housing. The ability to connect anywhere means we can also work anywhere. We are increasingly looking to interior architecture to offer greater flexibility to facilitate our needs and ambitions.

Enlightened education clients have been embracing spaces that are more akin to the workplace to promote a ‘festival of learning’ culture.

We designed MakeSpace for UCL, a multidisciplinary research hub for those interested in the made world.

Variants of this model are becoming the future of education as universities fulfill their role as places where students can work across disciplines and engage with commercial partners in industrystandard surroundings.

Charles Eames said, ‘Design is an expression of purpose’ and, as designers, we have our role to play to inspire our future scientists, engineers and designers. Through the clever design of space and structure, we can re-imagine building types and spatial models to create truly progressive, adaptable places with maximised potential for all users.

Amy Simpson is an Interior Designer at BDP and in the Class of 2017 of the Mix 30 under 30. Look out for this year’s 30 under 30 in our May issue w

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Upfront | Insight

REDISCOVERING OUR PURPOSE - PART 2 In the second of a new series of insights, Spacelab Founding Partner Nathan Lonsdale takes a frank and honest look at how he and the team were working – and how a change in culture has led to a brave new world.

Building a tribe Today, we (Spacelab) have a culture built on trust. Our better ways of working have come about because people feel empowered and encouraged to push boundaries. We work on the ethos that if you don’t try, you’ll never know. Everyone screws up sometimes, and that’s okay – if you’re always learning. We trust people to make the right decisions, and this includes how they manage their time. Everyone at Spacelab has unlimited holiday, so they can find the best work/ life balance for them. It just makes sense.

Communication and collaboration within Spacelab are the best they’ve been. We always favour face-to-face, and we’ve said goodbye to internal email (heaven!). We use another app, called Slack, to keep in touch with each other, and we don’t send work-related stuff out of hours or at weekends, unless urgent.

People don’t feel they have to be seen in the office. We’re now there 7.8 hours per day, on average. That means people have 10 hours – more than a working day – back each week to do what they want to do.

I’d be lying if I said this transition had been all plain sailing. It’s been messy and challenging at times. Not everyone was comfortable with our departure from traditional ways of doing things, and we wished some good people well as they chose other paths. This was sad and scary, but as we’ve got smaller, we’ve become more nimble and agile, which has allowed us to get ahead of the game.

Better still, the togetherness of everyone who has stuck with us, or joined since, is clear to see.

Never more so than at our first Lab Fest, where we took our tribe to a sustainable yurt village for a spectacular summer party, complete with live band, steel drum workshop and cocktails.

We've rediscovered why we're here. We've realised we can be happy, do meaningful work and shape our future

Creating space to make a difference A year ago, we shared our vision of how with heart, soul and belief, we now have something better than we’ve ever had.

We’ve rediscovered why we’re here. We’ve realised we can be happy, do meaningful work and shape our future. We don’t have to be bound by someone else’s rules or spend our precious time ‘land grabbing’ projects and chasing fees. Instead, we’re creating fantastic spaces, which are making a difference. We’re also helping a local food bank, working with the innovation team at homeless

charity, Crisis, and using our resources to empower communities to make positive change through The Lab Foundation – our Community Interest Company.

We want to revolutionise how people use and view space. It’s not about the designer. We’re here to design great spaces that solve problems, support individuals and help them achieve more.

Now there’s a great buzz in The Lab (our own amazing space), we’re getting brilliant client feedback, and we’re having our best ever year financially. To top it off, last November, we were proud to be named Interior Design Practice of the Year at the FX Awards.

One of the big beliefs I’ve always had is that Spacelab is not about the founders, the bosses – it is about the people we work with, it’s about the team. Our team is really young and they are so good – I’m really proud of them.

We’ve achieved all of this with fewer people, working less but with purpose, freedom and trust.

Even a simple Northern lad like me can see there’s a message in there somewhere.w

ASOS, Greater London House

Mix 193 April 2019 | 21

Upfront | Perspective

PERSPECTIVE Devinder Bhogal is the Head of Workplace Strategy at Deloitte and is responsible for delivering Deloitte’s occupier strategy across the UK and Europe. Devinder specialises in implementing new ways of working, which both inform and challenge property decisions, while aligning the firm’s evolving workplace requirements.

What has been the best thing about the 1 New Street Square project? The best thing about the 1New Street Square project was getting the opportunity to work with over 100 Deloitte colleagues, all working across a variety of different teams to deliver this project, from real estate consulting to our sustainability team. Seeing our collaborative effort come together when over 5,000 people moved into the building in Summer 2018 was a particular highlight.

What, if anything, would you change in retrospect? I would have increased the level of engagement with the business, in order to build more awareness of the need for behavioural change. Understanding and adapting to change was vital to implementing our new ways of working and is still required for continued success.

What is your role at Deloitte? I am the Head of Workplace Strategy for Deloitte, managing the UK and Swiss portfolio – so my role involves overseeing a team of strategic workplace consultants who work on a number of Deloitte’s workplace projects. This involves defining space requirements, understanding the business needs, designing the spaces to accommodate these aspirations and managing the adoption of new ways of working through our change management team. Most recently this was the ‘Creating Spaces’ programme which saw the creation of 1 New Street Square, but we manage a vast number of projects across our estate.

22 | Mix 193 April 2019

What is the biggest challenge for you and your team? The biggest challenge we face is accommodating Deloitte’s growing headcount in our current London campus. We work to promote and support the firm’s agile working strategy and we have increased the provision of flexible working positions to maximise the efficiency of our space.

In your experience, what is the biggest change in workplace transformation? The biggest change is the decrease in the need for ‘traditional’ work settings, namely desks. In 1 New Street Square we have provided 2,000 core and 1,500 flexible working positions, to suit our agile workforce. This has created a shift in having minimal options on the working floors to provide our people with the choice of 10 different work settings, including individual focus booths, touchdowns and sit/stand desks. With a growing headcount, our staff working in an agile way was vital to the way our building was designed. As well as traditional and flexible positions on the working floors, unassigned work spaces can be found in ‘The Mix’ on Level 12 and ‘The Landing’ on Level 7, promoting collaboration between service lines and flexibility among our workforce.

Hypothetically, what piece of technology would make your life easier and more efficient (real or not)? An app to help occupiers of our buildings identify where available work settings are. As our people hot desk, users sit in different types of work settings and in different locations every day. We have this

facility in the building, but an app that staff could use whilst they are on their way up to the working floor, to help identify a free desk for the day, would be really valuable.

What is the one thing you would change when working with architects and designers? Physical distance between teams can often be a challenge. Projects would run more smoothly if we could all work together from the same location but, in reality, for 1 New Street Square, teams were dispersed across the UK. We find Skype calls and video conferencing invaluable in helping to overcome these barriers and to work together efficiently as a team.

Can you share with us a lesson learned and, hopefully, never repeated? Bring the business implementation leads into the project earlier – their input was invaluable and they were vital in promoting and embedding change within the business.

Who is the most inspirational person you have worked with (in any role)? A service line representative who challenged us as a project team, significantly pushing us to deliver an enhanced working environment.

In terms of workplace, what do you think others get wrong – and Deloitte gets right? Deloitte has put sustainability at the top of our agenda with 1 New Street Square.

We’re the first corporate occupier in London to achieve both BREEAM Outstanding and WELL Gold, leading the way in workplace sustainability for

the environment and our people. On moving into 1 New Street Square we provided 6,000 KeepCups to staff and removed all paper and plastic cups, and the building provides cleaner air, fresher water and better light for our people. Deloitte has put wellness at the heart of the building’s design; we created a tech-free haven on the 12th floor called The Retreat, where employees can go to take a break and switch off, along with a Mental Health and Occupational Health Suite.

Where do you like to work within 1 New Street Square? If I’m working alone for the afternoon and need time to focus, I like to work from one of our flexible work settings on the 12th floor. This might be an individual workspace or even a beanbag! From the 12th floor we have a fantastic view of the London skyline, from St Paul’s to the Shard, and the terrace provides a break for fresh air. If I know I’ll be collaborating with my team for most of the day, we might choose one of the working areas surrounding a Microsoft Surface Hub, allowing us to collaborate effectively with those in the room but also those beyond our physical environment. w

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Upfront | Seven

SEVEN Fascinating Facts About Drums When we asked our friends at Viasit International to come up with something a little leftfield for this month’s ‘7’, they took us at our word! They have taken Viasit’s multi-award winning (including a Mixology award!) Drumback chair as inspiration for the feature. Martin Ballendat’s design stretches the cover fabric – similar to a drumhead – over a back component made from polypropylene. So, here are some amazing facts about drums. Drumroll please…

1

Drums are the world’s oldest musical instrument and, while the technology in drums has improved over centuries, the basic design of the drum has remained virtually the same for thousands of years.

2

The oldest drum to be discovered is the Alligator Drum. It was used in Neolithic China, and was made from clay and alligator hides.

The Alligator Drum was often used in ritual ceremonies, and dates back as early as 5500 BC.

3

Drums played a major role in medieval and Renaissance Europe. The snare drum and its relatives were used in the infantry to send coded instructions to soldiers. They were also used in ancient Africa and India to send messages over long distances between villages.

4

The longest recorded drum session/ marathon by an individual is 122 hours, 25 minutes and was accomplished by Kunto Hartono in Malang City, Indonesia from December 27th 2011– January 1st 2012. That’s one way to spend your New Year’s Eve!

6

Drumming is genuinely good for you!

It burns more calories in a half hour than cycling, hiking, and weight lifting in the same amount of time.

7

The world’s largest drum kit has 813 pieces and took 36 years to build. It takes 15 hours and four people to put it up and a whole hour to hit each individual piece. The kit was created by Dr. Mark Temperato – who is still aiming to expand it to 1,000 pieces!

5

The longest drumroll is a mind-blowing 8 hours 1 minute 17 seconds and was achieved back in 2012 by Christopher Anthony at a shopping centre in California, USA.

Mix 193 April 2019 | 25

Upfront |

AUTHENTICITY Now here's something we didn't expect to see – M Moser's Steve Gale tells us he has learned about humanity from the tech firms!

I A workplace for such an enterprise is more than a static environment, it is a vehicle to carry people and their dreams into the future

Steve Gale is Head of Business Intelligence at M Moser Associates. SteveG@mmoser.com

26 | Mix 193 April 2018

n the recent past I visited the headquarters of a global software company. My guide pressed a button, the electrochromic glass cleared to reveal a six foot server rack, flashing LEDs and rivers of neatly tied cables in that lonely space.

We both shrugged, and I stifled an obvious question. This was the showcase for a burgeoning software house, a confident player in the new world of cloud computing and the rack was someone’s idea of showing what it looked like. The thrust of an entire business was interpreted in comical form. A bit like promoting a pharmaceutical company by sticking a bottle of pills on a pedestal.

It perfectly reflects our problem in the design sector of creating workplaces for businesses that operate in the metaphysical world of software. How can design help these firms head into the future?

The well-worn language of workplace design works, up to a point, but beyond this, fresh thinking is needed. Our old friends of efficiency and effectiveness are not enough when your products are invisible and customer service evolves by the minute.

The dichotomy of computer processing – and its wonder – is its ability to manipulate big ideas by writing code in ordinary words, arranged in zillions of manicured lines. Limitless complexity is built from basic components, fastidiously connected. Huge thinking is implemented with microscopic detail and perseverance. This is a contradictory zone of iron discipline and open creativity.

A workplace for such an enterprise is more than a static environment – it is a vehicle to carry people and their dreams into the future. It needs to be robust because it will hit difficult terrain, but also light because acceleration and manoeuvrability mean survival. But, beyond these practical aspects, it must nurture the creative parts.

In addition to purpose and intense discipline, tech firms demand support for thinking outside their current world, and the way we do this is still evolving.

For these companies, adventure and innovation are equally important.

Now we are dealing with drivers well beyond efficiency and effectiveness. Like culture, or personality, the DNA of creativity and innovation is hard to define. We are dealing with human characteristics – and quite difficult ones to assess.

When a tech business says that coding skills are only part of the job and it needs certain personality traits, like creativity and team working, what should their workplace look like?

This sort of firm may see huge value in the right lobe of an employee’s brain, such as creativity, vision and empathy, as well as the obvious ability to resolve engineering problems. Maybe they want disrupters, pioneers or collaborators in the same people. Our design solutions will support their activities, but they must also appeal to emotional intelligence at the same time. Beyond the solo working, group interactions, focused tasks, social and introverted behaviour, there is the subtle language of authenticity, reflecting a sort of communal psychology, a culture perhaps.

For example, if personal interaction is good for innovation then the social elements of design will play a key part. Easy in a start-up, but more challenging as the business grows. Does the community evolve into a town and then a city, or does it try to be a matrix of interconnected villages?

Can we express these ephemeral attributes, like ambition, confidence, freedom and trust? If we find a way, we will build much more than an effective container for the business – we will build an environment that represents the business and what it wants to be, resonating with its values, and appealing to people that share them.

To be successful it will need to be authentic – a fake will be instantly discovered.

Bringing humanity into the physical workplace is what our clients are asking for, because it is good, even essential, for business. Tech clients might be in the forefront, with others close behind. It is our industry challenge.

We need to have more imagination than the server rack.w

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Upfront | Material Matters

MATERIAL

MATTERS

In this month’s Material Matters, the team of experts at Material Lab focus on texture and pattern inspired by nature. www.material-lab.co.uk

Inspired by organic corrosion and tarnishing, Johnson Tiles launch Oxide Three stunning colour options across three large format sizes makes Oxide the natural first choice for virtually any flooring and wall application. Designed to capture the organic oxidisation process, the range creates a contemporary feel in commercial and residential environments alike. www.johnson-tiles.com

Tektura stylise woodgrain to create an almost floral design Tektura unleashes a unique organic design with Burl. Drawing inspiration from woodgrain, the pattern is transformed into a flowing and almost floral design.

Available in four neutral hues, this fabric-backed vinyl wall covering is hardwearing and suitable for a plethora of applications. www.tektura.com Liquid metal coatings from weathered Rusted Iron Metal Monkey Design offer limitless design options when it comes to liquid metal coatings. Rusted Iron is just one of the surface finishes available as designers look for imperfection in our age of mass production. The corroded iron aesthetic can be applied to any shape, creating an industrial feel with a sense of history. www.metalmonkeydesigns.co.uk

Sensitile harness light to create a range of engaging surfaces SLANT Wave-Glass by Sensitile unleashes a dynamic play of light in any space through imprints of natural phenomena etched into a crystalline substrate.

Combining SLANT patterns with glass cladding creates a modern light-filtering material with a strength that belies its slender profile. www.sensitile.com

28 | Mix 193 April 2019

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Upfront | Desert Island Desks

DESERT ISLAND DESKS Douglas Taylor-Saunders, Principal, Unispace Douglas is Principal at Unispace, working across the European region. He joined Unispace's London studio having worked

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I was gifted my Leatherman almost 20 years ago now – and I use it all the time. It’s helped me out in plenty of interesting situations!

I am a true petrolhead. If I’m not at a track day with friends, I can be found in Germany at the Nürburgring. I’d have to build myself a track around the island, and would have to take the Caterham.

as an Associate Director, Project Leader and Workplace Commercial Lead across clients such as Land Securities, Derwent London, The Crown Estate and Diageo. Here's what Doug would bring with him on his elongated desert retreat.

30 | Mix 193 April 2019

HAMMOCK

A DOG

Chilling out in a massive hammock on a desert island, listening to the sound of the waves lapping on the sand, would be bliss. If I didn’t have one, I’d have to try and build one.

We have a mixed collie and gun dog called Kimi.

He is incredibly smart (and soppy), but would be a great companion and hopefully could catch some food!

Tel 01925 850500 Email info@sixteen3.co.uk

CAST IRON SKILLET You can cook almost anything with one of these. From cooking a slow curry, to barbecuing steak.

I’m not sure if it’s my cooking or the flavour cooked into the pan, but every time I use it, the taste gets better.

KINDLE I love to read – and pretty much read anything. Day to day, I usually have an audiobook going, but with all the free time I will have on the desert island, I’d load that kindle up.

TRACKS FOR THE JUKEBOX: 1. Samurai – Jazztronik. This is my motivational track. When this is on, it helps me get going with whatever I need to do.

2. Sky, Can you Feel Me – Raphael Saadiq. Kelly, my wife, introduced me to Raphael when we first started dating 12 years ago.

His voice has rested my soul ever since.

3. To Build a Home – The Cinematic Orchestra. A song that grounds me to the importance of my family – Kelly, Scarlett, Constance and Farron. My rocks.

4. Ernie – Fat Freddy’s Drop. My friends, Ben and Angie, introduced me to them in NZ years back. Whenever I listen to them I am teleported back to that magical part of the world.

5. Ghostwriter – RJD2. My old house buddies, Paul and Zoe, enveloped me with a plethora of unknown artists to me back in the early noughties: DJ Shadow, Cut Chemist, UNKLE, Lemon Jelly. I have them to thank for my now eclectic ear.

6. Sultans of Swing – Dire Straits. As a kid growing up, my parents always had music playing at home and in the car. Dire Straits was their go-to tape, closely followed by Phil Collins and Fleetwood Mac.

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Upfront | Property Report

PEAK FLEX So was that it? The flexible workspace boom, born late 2016, expired spring 2019? According to some close observers of the serviced office sector that jokey but brutal up-summing is maybe not too far from the truth, David Thame tells us.

T

here is a modest body of evidence that all is not entirely well. Already this spring Regus-owned IWG revealed a profits fall and plans to close some of its UK offices. Earlier, in February 2019, the Regus subsidiary running the 71,000 sq ft business centre at Heathrow Stockley Park applied for voluntary liquidation after it emerged it had not paid any rent since the start of October 2018.

And its not just Regus/IWG with some serious thinking to do. WeWork, the barnstorming poster-child of the coworking revolution, suffered a sudden jolt of financial reality in January 2019 when Japanese funder, Softbank, decided to slash its investment. According to the Financial Times, the value of the investment plunged from $16 billion in late 2018 to $2 billion.

Meanwhile, a flood of new entrants to the coworking and flex-space market has left everyone wondering how they can compete for customers in such a crowded market. This reporter discovered how deep the crisis was on a

Above WeWork, Coeur Marais - Common Areas

32 | Mix 193 April 2019

mid-week morning in Manchester: one coworking operator had taken to leafletting passers-by to drum up business.

Birmingham is probably the best place to measure the market. That is because growth in serviced and flexible floorspace has been rapid but, so far, without the turbo-charged effect of a WeWork presence. WeWork is understood to be close to taking three new hubs in the city, including 96,000 sq ft at Brindleyplace, with further outlets at Snowhill and Paradise Circus.

Is Birmingham excited? Well, er, not very.

Charles Toogood is Birmingham-based National Head of Offices at agency, Avison Young, and he says the mood is fairly cool.

‘The city is probably less excited than Manchester or London,’ he says. 'Maybe that is because we have more professional occupiers, who don’t much use coworking, and Manchester and London have more creatives and media, who do?’

Charles says a wave of acquisitions and new openings by serviced and flexible office operators have gripped the city. But once WeWork has landed, and the Office Group has chosen a spot, he reckons that market will be saturated. ‘There isn’t scope for much more. The atmosphere is

Meanwhile, a flood of new entrants to the coworking and flex-space market has left everyone wondering how they can compete for customers in such a crowded market

already very competitive, the longer-established centres will have to invest and upgrade to compete, and they will drop out of the market if they don’t. Whilst the question for the newcomers is how they weather a period of over-supply of flexible floorspace.

‘The challenge in Birmingham will be how to make it pay if they are charging up to £400 per desk per month, but have to pay rents of £30 per sq ft. It is difficult to see how they square that.’

As if that wasn’t bad enough, traditional landlords are now getting in on the flexible workspace act – and unlike the WeWorks of this world, they do not have the same financial pressure to balance leasehold rent and flexible monthly charge.

Above WeWork, Ginza Six - Common Areas

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Upfront | Property Report

Above WeWork, Dalian Lu - Common Areas

‘Bruntwood have launched their Made & Managed brand. Legal & General have launched their Capsule brand. They can do this very costeffectively because there is no middle man. The landlords have woken up to this,’ says Charles.

Andrew Berry is Associate in the office agency team at Cushman & Wakefield. He says that, whilst occupier appetite for flexible workspace shows no sign of drying up, the supply-side market could have peaked.

‘It’s either a peak or a plateau, but either way I doubt there is scope for more new entrants to this market,’ he says.

‘This is a changing market – we’re probably at the top of the property cycle – and this means entrants to the serviced sector are joining at the highest prices. At the same time as they are paying top prices, occupiers want value for money along with amenities and coworking options. The outcome is that landlords are responding to this interest in serviced and flexible space, and that means less space for flexible office providers.’

Andrew says that the coworking revolution has largely done its job, because flexible is the new normal in the office leasing market. And if you can get flexible directly from your landlord, why go to the middleman of a flexible office provider?

‘You can look at the numbers and say total serviced office occupation will rise in cities like Birmingham from around 7% of floorspace to as much as 20% of floorspace, but at the same time we’re seeing a change in everyone’s mentality

34 | Mix 193 April 2019

This is a changing market – we’re probably at the top of the property cycle – and this means entrants to the serviced sector are joining at the highest prices

and the boundaries between flexible and normal floorspace are blurring all the time,’ Andrew says.

He also predicts a backlash against the sometimes confusing pricing structures of the flexible operators. ‘There are pitfalls to serviced office,’ he warns darkly.

So we have reached Peak Flex? Hugo Denee is Managing Director of Squarstone Growth, who have a £225 million UK office portfolio, which they are hoping to grow by another £100 million in the next 18-24 months. Recent acquisitions include the brutalist Mountbatten House, Basingstoke, due for a £20 million conversion into a 160,000 sq ft office hub.

Hugo says the secondary office market is indeed changing thanks to serviced and flexible workspace, but that landlords of all stripes (not just serviced office operators) will benefit.

‘Everything is shaped by the emergence of WeWork, who forced landlords to put more amenity into their office buildings, and by the desire of tenants to make their offices as exciting and interesting as possible to attract and retain staff.

How places look really matters these days,’ he says.

‘But there are problems with the flexible operators. For instance, we have our Manchester office in a WeWork hub and it looks cool on the outside, but inside it is really awkward. We have a small windowless box and, whilst the free beer is great, do you really want your office to smell like a student hall of residence?’

The solution is short leases in well-designed office buildings, marketed by Squarestone as the ideal solution for any business that feels it has very slightly out-grown the flex-space offer of WeWork and its imitators.

‘Flexible offices is a lovely solution for some businesses, but it soon gets expensive. So we offer all the things flexible workspace offers, from cafes, breakout zones, nice furniture, booths, really good cycling hubs so you can store and fix bikes and change and shower without having to do it all in the disabled toilet…that’s what we offer,’ says Hugo.

Maybe this adds up to The End of Flex. Or maybe it just means the property market has learned its lesson from WeWork and the office market will settle down? As the UK economy faces increased risk of a slow down in 2019 and 2020, and flexible operators find their business model tested to destruction, we will soon find out. w

Above Squarestone Growth's Mountbatten House, Basingstoke

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Upfront | Property Report

LUXURY FLEX London Executive Offices has no doubt as to what they mean by ‘executive’. Their mission, as demonstrated in the gorgeous fit-outs at 38 London hubs, is to be luxurious. Top-end serviced and flexible office floorspace gets no better, they hope. David Thame explores.

A

t this point readers might pause and reflect because, until recently, the whole point of serviced office space was a cheery pay-as-you-go approach, which offered users a chance to trim costs to the minimum, rather than inflate them to a luxurious maximum.

Of course, occupiers could buy the most expensive add-on services and amenities, but the ethic was value-for-money not money-for-luxury.

So is there space for a high-end product in the increasingly crowded world of flexible floorspace?

London Office Executive CEO, Jason Leek, is certain there is a market for his 760,000 sq ft of splendid floorspace.

‘People are willing to spend money in order to differentiate, and to ensure a compelling proposition for the market. We would rather spend more, on location and on our product, to deliver something that we know will be in high demand,’ Jason says.

‘Right now, our focus is on enhancing the assets that we have, and investing in our existing estate. Our investors completely back us in that: they understand that customer experience is what makes or breaks an office environment.’

And good customer experience costs money, something LOE occupiers understand, Jason continues.

‘Our clients can tell the difference between something done at low cost and something done properly. From ergonomic sit/stand desks to iPad-controlled coffee machines, you need to invest in the customer experience to give clients what they want. Yes, we could spend less money, but we know our market, and we know that experience will always win in the long term,’ he explains.

So whilst the commodity end of the serviced office spectrum suffers from oversupply and fears of Peak Flex choking off the market, the luxury end is insulated. Or so the argument goes.

‘We simply do not see anything approaching crisis in the sector,’ says Jason. ‘We are seeing year-on-year growth in demand, more enquiries and more new business leads. LEO has been around for more than 20 years, and we’ve been

100% 90%

Coworking: Not So Big, After All? 80%

80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30%

Our clients can tell the

20%

difference between something

10%

done at low cost and something

0%

done properly

21% 13%

Hybrid

Coworking

Serviced office

Graph data JLL's report Disruption or Distration?

Flexible Workspace: Transforming Real Estate Below London Executive Offices

Mix 193 April 2019 | 37

Upfront | Property Report

Graph data: JLL's report Disruption or Distration? Flexible Workspace: Transforming Real Estate

through the whole economic cycle before. The pace of growth in the market will change over time, of course, but in both directions – that’s the economy for you.

‘What’s new is the number of players in the market, but we see that competition as a good thing: it separates out those who provide a good service, so ultimately it benefits our clients. Not everyone has a sustainable business model, and those that don’t will not thrive.

‘Fundamentally, the serviced sector is here to stay because it gives occupiers what they want.

If you’re an SME who doesn’t know where you’ll be in 15 months, never mind 15 years, flexibility is a core business need. The average length of stay for our clients is three years, and fully one-third change their size requirements when they renew with us, underlining the business need.’

Most serviced floorspace is cheap and cheerful and standardised, but we offer something premium

Above Fora, Fitzrovia, London ©Hufton+Crow

38 | Mix 193 April 2019

Europe's Love Affair With Flex?

700,000

4,000,000

600,000

3,500,000

500,000

3,000,000

400,000

2,500,000 2,000,000

300,000

1,500,000

200,000

1,000,000 100,000

500,000 2010

2011

2012

2013

New openings (sq m)

Now take a walk across central London and meet Enrico Sanna, co-founder and Chief Executive at Fora. Fora say they provide a premium service, which it distinguishes from the luxury offer of LEO. The business has six sites launched in London and Reading. This time next year, Fora will have doubled its representation. Enrico’s hospitality industry background is the key to their approach.

‘Most serviced floorspace is cheap and cheerful and standardised, but we offer something premium, and we are able to do that because we own the buildings we operate in,’ says Enrico. ‘If we own the building we can strip them out completely, we do not have to compromise.’

The result is that mechanical and electrical services, ventilation, lifts and other facilities are installed to a higher standard, says Enrico. In a normal landlord-owned block they would be installed to meet average user requirements, and Enrico argues that flexible working is far from average.

‘Here’s an example: look at the ventilation. In a normal office you have occupation at the rate of one person per eight or nine square metres, so the ventilation is set accordingly. But in serviced offices it might be one person to every five square metres, and if you had normal ventilation it would be stuffy and airless. The same goes for

2014

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Total flex space stock (sq m)

overworked lifts, and everything else,’ he explains.

With the residual value of the property on the balance sheet (meaning they can always sell-up and recover their costs), Fora can take larger risks. Hence the premium offer.

Enrico says that, with the right customer offer, the London coworking scene can still grow.

‘Some consultants are talking about it growing to become 20-30 per cent of the office market, but there will only be growth among the serviced office providers with the scale and capital deploy to take advantage of the growth, because – make no mistake – operating serviced offices is an expensive game,’ says Enrico, who predicts mergers and acquisitions in the serviced office sector as the weaker and poorer operators go to the wall.

Enrico says that owning their buildings means Fora is ‘twice as resilient’ as some rival serviced office providers. ‘I don’t know how some of them will survive if we come to the end of the economic cycle. Some of them will not survive, there will be quite a clean out, but a number of operators will be alright and Fora will be one of them. We are here to stay,’ he says.

The up-scale end of the serviced office market is making bold claims. But if it can survive where others fail, it will most definitely have proved its value.w

Create your AirWave Highly configurable modular seating solution, ideal for creating unique, comfortable spaces.

www.protocoluk.com

Upfront | Property Report

To unlock more Grade A office space we need to revise its definition Colin Wood, Director, Turner & Townsend

W

hen it comes to the office market, it’s always going to be about Grade A. But when it comes to delivering that space, the UK’s scorecard is currently more of a D-minus, Colin Wood, Director at Turner & Townsend, tells us.

The supply of Grade A offices has been waning for some time now and the continued unpredictability surrounding Brexit has only exacerbated the problem. Landlords and developers are exercising caution towards investing in commercial stock across the UK, further slowing the flow of new schemes coming to market, widening the gap with growing occupier demand and pushing rents higher.

There isn’t one single – or simple – solution to this shortage.

Instead, we need to see a fundamental shift in the way we approach commercial office development at all levels of the market – from the requirements of occupiers, to the ingenuity of landlords and commitments of planning policy.

With supply thin on the ground and rents notching up, occupiers need to be thinking more carefully than ever about location – or rather, relocation. London office vacancy is at a near 15-year low according to CoStar Group, and employers are increasingly seeing the benefit in having back of house operations and support services in lower cost cities. The Government’s championing of the Northern Powerhouse and Midlands Engine has helped encourage businesses and their staff that there is life beyond the capital. The Government Hubs Programme is also leading the charge with the transfer of departments to various regional cities, and a commitment to move a thousand civil service roles out of London by 2022.

But wherever they are, occupiers today need to be maximising their space. This includes introducing more flexible, agile working patterns and freeing up permanent desks. This should be informed by research and data on work habits. Occupiers need to be investing in and implementing technology solutions such as sensors or WiFi scanning to analyse how a workspace is being used and how to operate it more efficiently.

Similarly, it’s only by grasping the revolution in the way people work and what they now expect from the workplace that we can

40 | Mix 193 April 2019

boost supply by re-modelling and refurbishing existing ageing stock appropriately.

The rapid rise in coworking space has certainly challenged traditional commercial landlords and developers to look again at their own offer. Occupiers now want more communal areas to help foster collaboration and knowledge sharing, and more amenities to attract and retain employees. They also want office space that reflects the values of their organisations and employees – and wellbeing and sustainability are high on the agenda, reflected in the rise of the Well Building Standard and FitWel certification.

Landlords need to enhance the environmental performance of existing lower grade office space to attract the next generation of occupiers.

Crucially, the landlords of tomorrow recognise that what marks Grade A out from the crowd is the improved user experience. It’s technology that allows smoother access to all parts of the building, facilitates better connectivity to colleagues, and ultimately helps businesses operate more efficiently.

Given the extent of the shortage in the market, it’s important we see a consistent policy response too. There have been some steps in the right direction, including the draft City of London Local Plan pushing for an extra two million square metres of additional office space by 2036. But Government legislation and local authorities across the country need to be encouraging Grade A office development by including greater allowances for commercial space to be built within local plans.

Furthermore, there should be policies in place to prevent investors from simply purchasing existing offices and leaving them to degrade, capitalising on the buoyant demand in the marketplace and knowing they can easily let the space without refurbishment.

It’s only by taking a multi-faceted approach that the lack of Grade A office space in the UK can be addressed. Local authorities, occupiers, developers and commercial landlords all have a vital part to play in ensuring we have the right, high-quality workspaces that we need for businesses and their employees to thrive.w

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Upfront | Property Report

Same Again, Landlord Rob Gregory, Managing Director, Oktra

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he relationship between the landlord and fit-out contractor is rarely without complication and has matured very little over time, Rob Gregory, Managing Director at Oktra, tells us. Leading up to the signing of a lease, the discussion between the landlord and the tenant’s agent will be followed by a discussion post-signing with the fit-out contractor and landlord.

Each party has its own priorities to fulfil during the initial stages and all will act based on what will benefit them the most.

The tenant’s interest is to agree the lease but, more importantly, to set up their business and start using the space quickly. The fit-out team has similar interests to the tenant and wants to establish a programme and begin work on site. However, the landlord’s primary interest is to have the lease signed quickly in order to start accumulating rent as soon as possible, with little or no interest in enabling a quick occupancy for the tenant.

Typically, landlords will hire a third party to advise them when giving their consent to the fit-out proposals. This usually takes between 4-6 weeks to approve; Oktra, however, has been known to expedite this step, acquiring consent in less than a week.

This is achieved by both early dialogue with the landlord and robust planning. Landlords are not motivated to act quickly at this stage, in the same way as tenants and fit-out contractors are, as it does not benefit them directly. During this process, there needs to be a flow of steady communication between the landlord and tenant to ensure the lease is signed and the tenant feels informed and secure with the agreement.

The rise in take up by coworking providers has increased the drive to move to the new space faster and have discussions with the landlord prior to a lease agreement. We are experiencing

42 | Mix 193 April 2019

more tenants like WeWork, who are experienced with the leasing process and keen to use the space as soon as possible. There is an increased interest in spaces left in raw (shell and core) condition that require both Cat A and Cat B fit-outs before occupancy.

Tenants are looking to take on the Cat A refurbishment themselves, which in turn is inciting a more developed relationship between the fit-out contractor/tenant and the landlord.

As with most new offices, they are focused on maximising the use of space, compacting more people per sq ft. This is having significant consequences on building services, which are not usually designed for a larger number of people. Equally, the higher occupancy has an impact on other compliance matters, including the number of toilets and means of escape provision.

These two matters were previously a landlord matter but now need to be considered by the tenant. A new fit-out will need to consider the wider aspects of the building, like fire strategy and escape routes, to ensure health and safety requirements are met. This is presenting more challenges for landlords/tenants to overcome, which is bringing tenants/fit-out contractors closer to the landlord to achieve the common goal of making a building work for the tenant.

For landlords, their best course of action is to keep up with tenant trends and what they may want from the fit-out. It is important to be aware of the diversity between each tenant in order to adapt a space that can accommodate anyone. It is beneficial to all parties to start having discussions earlier, prior to the lease agreement, in order to further the relationships.

Although technology and coworking have helped to evolve the landlord/tenant relationship, greater developments could take place with enhanced communication at an earlier stage.w

BERTIE A movable stool weighing just over 5 kg

#dh40 40 years of furniture

Davison Highley London, Lower Ground Floor, The Old Brewery, 16 Brewhouse Yard, Clerkenwell, London, EC1V 4LJ www.davisonhighley.co.uk

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+44 (0) 207 871 1089

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CICERO Collaborative Chair

Design: Orlandini Design

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Spotlight | Manufacturer Report

47 THE BIG QUESTIO N Aside from endlessly discussing Brexit and sacking all politicians, what would you do to suppor t manufacturing in our sectors?

48 Â MA NUFAC TURER REPO RT

Mix 193 April 2019 | 45

Crafting furniture for 80 years 1939 - 2019

Knightsbridge Furniture 191 Thornton Road Bradford BD1 2JT 01274 731900 sales@knightsbridge-furniture.co.uk www.knightsbridge-furniture.co.uk

Q

THE BIG

UESTION

WILLIAM O’BRIEN, MANAGING DIRECTOR, SVEN CHRISTIANSEN Change the Apprenticeship Levy to a Training Levy, and permit funds to be used flexibly for any appropriate training. While the principle of encouraging training is sound, tying the levy to apprenticeships makes it both very restrictive and very bureaucratic – which has led to the very low take-up of the scheme, especially amongst SMEs. Allow employers to use the funds for training that best meets their needs.

Spotlight | The Big Question

A s i d e f ro m e n d l e ss l y d i s c u ss i n g Bre x i t a n d s a c k i n g a l l p o l i t i c i a n s, w h a t w o u l d y o u d o i f y o u w e re i n c h a rg e o f s u p p o rt i n g m a n u f a c t u ri n g i n o u r s e c t o r?

ABI EDWARDS, SENIOR BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER, TMJ INTERIORS

JULIAN JOWETT, DIRECTOR, ELITE OFFICE FURNITURE

I'd go right back to basics, starting with education in schools. Encourage young people to seek careers in manufacturing, not just stop-gap careers but jobs for life! Inspire young talent to pursue vocations in all sectors of manufacturing.

TMJ’s apprentices have proven to be the foundation of our evolving management team and an essential part of our growth strategy; forming our 'Grow Your Own' policy.

It’s simple, practice what you preach. UK manufacturing is repeatedly considered one of Britain’s greatest assets yet, as it stands, we see very little being done to protect our heritage and our future. Over the years we have continually seen government procurement authorities favour overseas suppliers. These authorities should be supporting the use of their own, recognising the environmental benefits as well as the economic benefits.

JESSICA MARSHALL, MARKETING MANAGER, TRIUMPH FURNITURE

CHRIS SCOTT, MANAGING DIRECTOR, DAMS

ALISTAIR HIGGINS, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, ALLGOOD PLC

I would create a minimum wage, and standard of working across the world, meaning: 1. All countries would be rivalling Denmark to be top spot as happiest country!

I’d like to see more encouragement to invest in modern manufacturing facilities. I’m not specifically talking about grants or subsidies (although that would be great!) but in the UK there is often a fear around modernisation.

Raising the awareness, supporting through consultation and training can often make the process to invest easier and strengthen our sector. The other obvious point is to encourage people to support UK manufacturing and buy British – not just in the private sector but also compulsory for government procurement.

I would seek to impress upon the government and our education sector the crying need to inspire our young people to pursue careers in this most exciting, challenging and fulfilling of sectors. There is a deep-seated lack of societal interest in, and validation of, manufacturing or engineering as worthwhile activities. Without this, the skills and investment, which support industrial success in Germany or Japan, cannot flourish here.

We therefore need a sustained programme of communication in schools and universities, which elevates these careers to the same level as the services sectors, in which we excel.

2. Importing to our home country would decrease – reducing unemployment and the global carbon footprint, and helping individual economies as pricing would be more balanced globally.

Win/win!

Umbrella editorial banner Mix Interiors April 2019.pdf 1 29/03/2019 19:44:37

Umbrella editorial banner Mix Interiors April 2019.pdf 1 29/08/2019 19:43:00 C

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Mix 193 April 2019 | 47

MANUFACTURER REPORT For this year's report, we've hand-picked a diverse selection of leading UK and overseas manufacturers, who have allowed us to take a look into their production, innovation and development. As you'll see over the next dozen or so pages, these insights are every bit as diverse as the companies themselves.

GRESHAM

M

anufacturing is grubby, done by old men, in terminal decline and without investment (there’s nothing like a good cliché or two!). Our time with Bolton-based furniture manufacturer, Gresham, is a perfect example of this clearly not being the case.

Manufacturing in the UK is at something of a crossroads right now. Like most major advanced economies, it is a natural process of moving from heavy manufactured goods to service economy.

In the UK in 2017, GDP was just over 18% from manufacturing and over 70% from the service sector.

What remains constant is that those companies who are creating a product that has a high perceived value are winning. Having tight control over the production factors is key. Gresham is one such company.

In 1976, the year the UK and Iceland ended their Cod War and the Sex Pistols first shocked middle England, Gresham was founded.

Gresham, like its MD Julian Roebuck, gets on with things in a quiet and efficient way. In what some would say is typically 'Northern', Gresham has made its mark while going somewhat under the radar.

Five Year Plans After a couple of years working for Gresham in business development, Julian led a Management

48 | Mix 193 April 2019

Buy Out (MBO) in 2008. The next five years included the financial crisis and, more importantly, years of strife created by the good people in the financial services. Julian’s own admission is that this was a difficult and challenging period of time for the company. However, as their balance sheet of £33m turnover shows today, they not only survived but have since gone on to thrive.

The second five years for Julian were focused on analysing the business and making changes that would create a business ‘fit for the future’. With the senior management team and ‘work council’, they assessed the workflows, analysing the processes and bottlenecks.

One significant investment was to replace the four older edge banders (machine used to cover the exposed sides of materials) with a more efficient one.

This was repeated with the saws, while the most recent investment included a biomass heating system (the carbon in biomass is part of the natural carbon cycle; while the carbon in fossil fuels is not), which provides heat for the factory, offices and powder coating units. Solar panels are also evident across the factory and the wonderfully named ‘package on demand’ machine, more

commonly associated with Amazon and Staples, which makes light of the most awkwardly shaped dispatches. A state-of-the-art powder coating machine completes a huge investment for the firm, this particular piece of wizardry allows painting to be done in a much shorter time and cuts cleaning time significantly, allowing colours to be altered without significant interruptions and notably with a tiny amount of waste.

Whilst most of the production is for its standard range, Gresham has recently housed its bespoke team in a large workshop, which most would envy. A cadre of apprentices supports the team on what is becoming a very significant part of Gresham’s offering.

Customers have also changed. Historically, universities and colleges were Gresham’s focus but,

The Figures: Current staff: 267 200,000 sq ft, with additional 125,000 sq ft.

2018-2019 T/O: £33m MD: Julian Roebuck

as the commercial workplace has changed, so has the world of education, demanding better solutions more akin to what their students will encounter in the real world. Whilst Gresham has a very strong and loyal following in HE and FE, with the help of high profile external product designers, such as Craig Jones and David Fox, its commercial clients are also growing. We are told to watch out for more exciting developments in the next six months.

Similar to many furniture manufacturers, much of Gresham’s business goes through the dealer route but Gresham has a very strong record of gaining business directly and through tender processes before the dealer is engaged.

The Next Five Years Julian is a canny businessman who has overcome some significant challenges since the MBO in 2008, but his measured and stoic approach, along with the five-year plans, have served him and the team well.

The focus that Gresham has on investment to help both commercially and environmentally is evident and will put the business in a good place to achieve Julian’s plan to grow to a £50m company in the next five years. That’s no small feat, but if you get to meet him you are likely to have a similar view to us. You wouldn’t bet against him.w

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Spotlight | Manufacturer Report

SPECIALIST JOINERY GROUP

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he name Specialist Joinery Group has been associated with some of the UK’s most high profile workplace and coworking projects – but who are they and why have they been named Mixology Manufacturer of the Year not once but twice?

Nestled quietly in the rolling hills of Mid Ulster, this jewel of a company are known for their friendliness and family orientated culture, as well as for their beloved joinery work. For over 31 years, the company has been firmly established as the major local employer in the market town of Maghera. Their arrival in the London workplace strategy market in 2010 has been disruptive and lauded by many as a refreshing new era, quickly surpassing existing tier one suppliers to take the top spot on tender lists.

Operating from an unrivalled 145,000 sq ft green manufacturing facility, which is powered by sustainable heat and solar power, the Group deliver projects for main contractors and are specified by architects for works across the UK, with a select list of global client relationships.

The new facilities boast a staff wellness centre and gym, which is open 24 hours per day, in addition to breakout spaces, meeting rooms and on-site restaurant, catering for all of the company’s HQbased staff on a daily basis.

So what does make SJG different from other joinery manufacturers?

‘We are a bespoke manufacturing company, with collaboration at the heart of our service model,’ MD Ciaran O’Hagan tells us. ‘We have over 31 years’ experience in providing joinery products for commercial interiors and we also now have standalone group companies offering glass, metalwork, installations and solid surfacing, which are key components for commercial interiors projects.

We’re lucky enough to have been over to Specialist HQ, and it’s certainly an impressive place. ‘Our facilities are unrivalled in the UK market,’ Ciaran proudly says. ‘We have invested over £5million in our capability and capacity in the last 18 months, positioning Specialist Joinery Group at the forefront of bespoke joinery manufacture and in the UK market.

We continue to grow the specialisms that we offer beyond traditional joinery work. Client needs are ever-changing and unique to each project. Therefore, we are challenged to stay ahead of the market by

50 | Mix 193 April 2019

The Figures: Current staff: 220 Facility: 145,000 sq ft Founded: 1988 MD: Ciaran O'Hagan

Spotlight | Manufacturer Report

anticipating changes in materiality, engineering, integration and styles. We spend a lot of time with the design community, asking designers and architects what they want to see in the future and then taking that message back to our team. It is my challenge to provide a seamless process and perfectly engineered product as per their requirements.

We ask Ciaran about exciting sister brand, Specialist Glass. ‘Specialist Glass are big in the specification market at the moment,’ he says. ‘They are winning not just because of product quality, but also because of their flexible service and ability to translate concept design into technical solutions.

What they do is very neat and the quality is superb.

Their products range from standard back painted glass, to complex architectural laminated wire mesh glass. They spend a lot of their time with key architectural and design practices, developing design concepts into one-off project specials – anything from bespoke ‘crittall’ screens to glass art!!

What does Automation mean for the business – and does Ciaran fear that craft skills being

left behind? ‘Everyone loves to ask me about the impact that automation is having on craftbased manufacturing and it is a very interesting conversation,’ he considers. ‘My answer is different to most, as I speak as someone who has completed a City and Guilds apprenticeship and managed our machine shop – so I have a unique take on things.

As a company, we look at automation and robotics as a way of enhancing our capability and capacity to deliver the most challenging and intricate bespoke joinery within demanding timescales. However, we are resolute that we cannot erode our craft skills development programme within the company and that it must be a twin-track approach. We champion craft skills development. Why? Because we must always be able to achieve things from a first principles basis – ie. with hand tools, technique and flair; as you grow and develop, it is this fundamental knowledge that helps you form the basis of your problem solving skills.

In the past 12 months, we have welcomed another seven apprentices to the Specialist Academy

and introduced a new City and Guilds accredited NVQ 2 & 3 training programme. This has been a great addition. Our Leadership and Development Programme is now in its second year and has been rolled out across the business. It is centred on furthering our values-based culture as we continue to grow our team.

Let’s talk about specific manufacturing investment. ‘As well as the increase in our manufacturing space, key additions to our capability have been the introduction of the Sprayline, additional CNC, beam saws and automatic veneering plants,’ Ciaran tells us. ‘Alongside this, there have been software installations and bespoke programmes written to fully digitise the manufacturing environment. This is a complete capital investment totalling £2million, which sets the scene nicely for where the organisation is going in the next 3-5 years.

And where is that? ‘Growth! We have our eyes set on growth – and this is by no means an aspirational target. It is a case of how much and by when. The group ambitions are supported by an extensive land bank, rich skills-base, automated manufacturing, stronger-than-ever order book, sound financials, a deep empathy for our customers and commitment to helping our clients achieve their goals. This is our secret; listening to the customer and delivering to commitment.’w

T: 0161 402 3340 W: www.opus-4.com E: hello@opus-4.com

Mix 193 April 2019 | 51

Spotlight | Manufacturer Report

DAVISON HIGHLEY The Figures: Current staff: 41 (7 office, 4 sales 30 Factory) 25,000 sq ft, with 5,000 sq ft of storage 2017-2018 T/O: £4.4m.

MD from 2014: Toby Davison Consecutive revenue increase since 2014

52 | Mix 193 April 2019

T

hirty or so miles northwest of London lies High Wycombe, about as far as imaginable from the concrete and bustle of the Capital.

In the Chiltern Hills, High Wycombe was once the chair making capital of the world – a title held until relatively recently. The Windsor chair was the most famous product of the trade, one of several different styles of regional chairs, such as the ladder back, which was developed in the 18th century to satisfy the market created by the labouring and artisan classes.

High Wycombe grew from a handful of manufacturers to 150 by 1875, making an estimated 4,700 chairs a day. As tastes changed and production moved both overseas and to other parts of the country, big furniture names left the area, including: G-Plan, Glenisters, Parker Knoll and Ercol. Today, along with Verco and William Hands, Davidson Highley remains one of the high-profile firms still producing world-class products.

When we caught up with Davison Highley, it was clear that not only do they have a proud heritage, they are a modern business with a reputation for handmade quality furniture for the commercial workplace.

The business’ origins were rooted in London as far back as 1929. Founded by Marshal Davison, they moved out of London during WWII and later, under the new leadership of Barry Davison, found their current home in Piddington. So, in 1979 – the year that Margret Thatcher came to the throne – Davison Highley as a brand were born.

For the older readers, the first major piece was in 1981, with the Classic sofa and armchair range bringing together the brand’s upholstery and frame expertise.

For many years, Davison Highley were synonymous with individually customer-focused pieces of furniture, making over 70% bespoke pieces, with the remainder being from the standard range. During this period, Toby Davison, son of Barry, was the Production Director. When Toby took over the leadership in 2014 he realised that, to maintain their reputation for craft, they had to ensure their model was commercially fit for the next 40 years, creating a business based on design, price point and sustainability.

Davison Highley spent their time listening to the market, particularly the loyal A&D following, adjusting the range to make it relevant and desirable. They

were also perfectly in time to take advantage of the changing nature of the commercial world. Gone were the £1,000 desks and in were beautiful booths and sumptuous fabrics that you would recognise more from the world of hospitality than the workplace.

Whilst Davison Highley were not the only ones to take advantage of the significant shift in workplace design away from ‘hard’ and into ‘soft’, they were sure to move quickly to confirm their market position. Whilst their ‘standard’ range now makes up their majority of production and ‘bespoke’ the smaller percentage, they have made sure they have flexibility through their tailored solutions. Asked for an example, we were told how they reduced the height of their booths by 100mm to fit a client’s office that had a natural level around the entire space.

One of their best selling products is the highsided Skylon work booth, which illustrates the changes in the last five years at Davison Highley.

The company’s products have changed, the workplace has changed and so have their conduit to market; the demographic of the A&D market has also changed, and their knowledge grown exponentially, often being central in choosing fabrics for most pieces. The other key route to market, through dealers, has changed beyond all recognition in recent years, both in terms of their services, their involvement in the process, but also the considered feedback to help product design. We were told to look out for the new Eevie chair and sofa range, which was a direct result of market feedback.

Spotlight | Manufacturer Report

Balance is key to any manufacturing process and Davison Highley are clearly on the side of quality, but at the right price. Getting the right balance between great value products and environmental impact is one for all manufacturing to consider. Davison Highley’s choice of frames is FSC sourced WISA-spruce plywood, giving them both flexibility and strength using robust 18/25mm ply. The choice of metal, when used, is aluminium and their glue is water-based.

Over the years, Davison Highley have built up a supply chain where all their components are sourced from within a 40-mile radius, whilst few companies will be 100% immune from Brexit, Davison Highley have clearly helped their cause from an environmental and transportation cost point of view.

Over the last five years, Toby and the team have built their collection and reputation. Their biggest challenge as a business is being perceived as a high-cost, bespoke manufacturer, when in reality they produce approximately 80% standard and 20% bespoke annually. The next five years may just be the most exciting, as more and more companies realise the true value of this jewel of a family manufacturer in the Chiltern Hills.w

We produce all our work to the same level of quality, whether it’s a standard product or a bespoke project – and what you see in the showroom is what turns up on site

Upholstery

Aviation

Hospitality

Office

Automotive

Healthcare

Marine

Yarwood Leather has you covered. www.yarwoodleather.com

+44 (0) 113 252 1014

sales@yarwoodleather.com

Spotlight | Manufacturer Report

STEELCASE The Figures: Founded: 1912 Current staff: 12,000 President & CEO: Jim Keane Revenue: $3.4 billion (FY19)

54 | Mix 193 April 2019

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ot all manufacturing innovation comes from the ‘kit’ that makes the furniture. When you’re the global leader, you can even develop specialised innovation centres.

Established as the Metal Office Furniture Company, its very first patent was for a metal wastebasket, intended as a safety measure for office workers – in crowded cities where fires spread quickly, replacing wicker with steel was a lifesaving innovation.

Founders Peter M Wege, Walter D Idema and David D Hunting built the business in Grand Rapids, Michigan – a city then known as ‘The Furniture City’ because of its many wood furniture manufacturers.

By 1919, the company began to establish its dealer network, making desks, cabinets and other products available nationwide. Officially known as Steelcase Inc. from 1954, the company grew globally and executed the largest single shipment in the industry in 1973, providing over 400 truckloads of furniture for Chicago’s Sears Tower. Today, Steelcase is the number one furniture manufacturer globally, boasting brands such as Coalesse, Designtex and our very own Orangebox in its portfolio.

In 2017, Steelcase opened its new Learning + Innovation Centre in the heart of Munich, capping

a multi-year planning effort and bringing together employees from across the region in an amazing 14,400 sq m space designed to promote learning and spark innovation.

As organisations recognise the importance of face-to-face interactions and shift back to centrallylocated business hubs, Steelcase opened this new facility to propel growth within its own organisation – and to give customers a first-hand look at how space can impact work.

This development comes at a time when leaders and organisations worldwide are focused on staying ahead in a disruptive economy. To stay competitive and effectively innovate, organisations must become more agile and speed up the flow of information and cycles of learning to take risks and make better, faster decisions.

‘Creative work and innovation happens when trust is built. So, we designed a place where people could come together from all over Europe to build relationships, learn, fail and grow together,’ says Jim Keane, President and CEO of Steelcase. ‘We believe this is central to innovation, but it’s not just for us – it’s for our customers too. It gives them a place to experience real work as it’s happening and to see how space can support and accelerate business results.’

Spotlight | Manufacturer Report

The centre brings together over 230 employees representing 25 different nationalities from groups previously dispersed throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Munich’s geographic centrality, superb infrastructure, transportation capabilities and thriving design scene contributed to the site selection, enabling Steelcase to create a primary space connecting people in pursuit of learning and innovation.

We wanted a place where people could come together to build trust, collaborate and learn. All of these activities propel new ideas and different ways of thinking to help us grow

The Campus A diverse, international team of experts, including Henn Architects from Munich, Patrick Jouin and Manku Design from Paris and the Steelcase Design Team, designed the three-building campus.

Features include a centrally located WorkCafé, which provides a dynamic space that revolutionises the traditional corporate cafeteria. With a coffee bar, barista and an eclectic collection of settings spread over two levels, the WorkCafé is a place for workers to interact, work or take time to socialise and rejuvenate.

Steelcase’s executive team is located near the WorkCafé, on the first floor in an open plan space, where people constantly pass through and meet. Its location and informal design makes the executive team more visible, encouraging frequent interactions with employees and visitors and helping leaders stay closely connected to the business.

Cloud-enabled technology throughout the campus allows ideas to travel from space to space and make it possible to include remote participants from around the world in the innovation process.

A virtual reality tour provides visitors a look at product development and gives them fresh ideas for their workplaces.

An ecosystem of interconnected and interdependent environments has been purposefully designed to support the needs of both individuals and teams by bringing them together and seamlessly integrating the technologies they need in order to work efficiently.

Multiple informal spaces throughout the centre and several specialised classrooms promote collaborative and individual learning. A distancelearning classroom and video conferencing rooms ensure learning happens both globally and locally throughout the day.

‘We wanted a place where people could come together to build trust, collaborate and learn. All of these activities propel new ideas and different ways of thinking to help us grow,’ Jim Keane adds. ‘We’re excited to have Munich be the heart of innovation for Steelcase. Not just for Europe, but for everywhere.’ w

Mix 193 April 2019 | 55

New for 2019 imperial Office

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Fresh Seating

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Spotlight | Manufacturer Report

KI

F

ounded in 1941, KI (Krueger International, Inc) remains employee-owned and has grown to become one of the world's largest, most respected furniture manufacturing groups.

KI’s EMEA headquarters and showroom in Central London are supported by an established network of manufacturing facilities and distribution partners across the UK, Europe and the Middle East.

The manufacturing sector was the catalyst for enormous social transformation during the first industrial revolution. Now, as the fourth industrial revolution (4IR or ‘industry 4.0’) takes off, it seems the tables have turned. In a world that demands agility, flexibility and collaboration, manufacturers are having to reinvent themselves to stay competitive.

Traditionally, manufacturers were overhead-heavy, with fixed production processes that relied on producing high volumes of products over a long period to help reduce high capital expenditure.

Now, technology allows us to redefine the concept of mass production and ‘minimum order quantities’, making customisation realistic, affordable – and expected – at a much smaller scale.

Technology and innovation don’t just affect what we produce. They impact how, and why we produce it. Reducing environmental impact and creating circular economies can’t be side-lined anymore, by anyone along the value chain. New software enables far greater optimisation of materials and process when producing flexibly. New materials, enhanced production processes, sophisticated logistics and buyer expectations are all playing a role in reshaping manufacturing for the 21st century. The production line still exists, but it no longer resembles Charlie Chaplin in ‘Modern Times’, punching out the same widget over and over.

It has always been true that ‘one size doesn’t fit all’, but it has never been easy to deliver it. Striving towards this has long been a core tenet of KI’s manufacturing philosophy. This is reflected in our ongoing investment in design innovation rather than traditional manufacturing facilities. In Europe, KI has a distinct advantage of being supported by a large parent company, yet we maintain the agility of a local producer, with the benefits of having a diverse supply chain. Enjoying the best of both worlds, this allows us to work with multinationals as well as being relevant locally as a partner for co-creation, rather than simply a supplier of furniture.

Our in-house design and engineering team’s combined expertise leverages our investments in product modelling and specification CAD infrastructure, in order to better develop new products and bring them to life. Whether working alongside a customer on a specific project or developing a new line of products, the team has access to our established network of manufacturing

The Figures: HQ: Green Bay, Wisconsin Current staff: 3,000 approx.

CEO: Dick Resch Group Managing Director EMEA: Jonathan Hindle 2017-2018 T/O: £650m approx.

Mix 193 April 2019 | 57

Beauty meet function We’ve designed our LVT and Carpet Tiles to work together seamlessly – with no transition strips. Because we like to think of the floor as a blank canvas, allowing you to make your space unique. Hard surfaces, soft textures, and endless pattern and colour combinations – all you need is a vision.

Level Set Textured Stones - Cool Polished Cement, Radial - Rays, Signal, Vertex

See our new LVT ranges, and get inspired at www.interface.com/lvt

Spotlight | Manufacturer Report

Advances in 3D printing and laser cutting, for example, have made rapid prototyping and small-batch manufacturing possible

partners all over the world – not just our parent company’s extensive facilities in the USA. Advances in 3D printing and laser cutting, for example, have made rapid prototyping and small-batch manufacturing possible. Improved material yield and waste reduction save cost and reduce environmental impact. The flexibility of our dynamic supply chain allows the team to form new partnerships with companies, offering the latest innovations as and when they arise, quickly and cost-effectively, without the need for us to make expensive capital investments.

This model of manufacturing is very much the norm in aerospace, automotive and consumer electronics – it is about time the furniture manufacturing industry caught up. The British furniture industry in particular must do so for a number of reasons. ‘Buying British’ should not be dismissed as nativism; it makes a lot of business sense, too – especially if the appropriate investments in technology, skills, innovation and infrastructure are made to support it. It is this investment that will drive competitive advantage, rather than lower labour costs. Even in traditional outsourcing destinations, rising wages are eroding their competitiveness so they too will be quickly looking to adopt more progressive ways of manufacturing.

What’s more, longstanding arguments against offshoring still stand – having a robust manufacturing base close to customers helps alleviate supply shocks and currency fluctuations.

Importing products adds shipping costs, increases carbon footprint, and compromises day-two service and support. This is particularly pertinent in the context of circular economies, which are becoming an important consideration for many buyers. Without this capability, KI would not have been able to deliver on extensive refurbishment programmes, such as last year’s project with PwC to support their agile workplace strategy. Through efficient logistics and manufacturing processes, we were able to repurpose over 2,000 lateral file storage units into lockers – minimising environmental impact whilst helping PwC make significant cost savings compared to replacing the units with new furniture.w

Mix 193 April 2019 | 59

Spotlight | Manufacturer Report

TOP 25 MANUFACTURERS

I

f you're anything like us, you love a good list! Here, we've listed the Top 25 North American and Top 25 European office furniture manufacturers.

Although our research has been pretty thorough throughout this report, we cannot guarantee 100% accuracy with the figures - but we hope it gives you some understanding of the standings and, indeed, the size and scale of this vital sector of the market.

Please note that these positions and turnovers were realised in 2017 and may well have changed since then.

Source: Office Republic's 'The 50 biggest

office furniture manufacturers in Europe and North America', September 2018.

60 | Mix 193 April 2019

Company Name USA & Canada

Revenue in Million €

Revenue in Million €

Company Name EU

Steelcase

2,614

474

Vitra

Herman Miller

1,964

432

Kinnarps

Haworth

1,673

320

Poltrona Frau

HNI

1,414

318

NowyStyl Group

LA-Z-Boy

1,113

292

Ahrend

Knoll Inc

888

206

VS

Global Furniture Group

862

196

USM

Kimball

577

190

Sedus

KI

560

158

Senator

Teknion

431

151

Bene

Flexsteel Furniture

404

150

König+Neurath

OFS

431

143

Flokk

Humanscale

215

138

Dauphin Group

Virco

189

137

Interstuhl

AIS

146

129

Martela

Jasper Group

131

129

Lienhard Office

Kewaunee scientific corp

119

116

Majencia

Exemplis

94

112

VDB Group

Bush Furniture

86

108

European Furniture Group

CF Group

86

107

Profim Sp.zoo

Group Lacasse

86

106

Assmann

Trendway

86

97

Isku

Tennsco

73

96

Bisley

MTS Seating

67

95

Wilkhahn

Inscape

64

95

Topstar

RANK

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MADE IN

BRITAIN

Above Left to Right: Tim Yendell, Head of Choice & Design, RBS. Katrina Larkin, Co-founder & Head of Experience, Fora. Mark Bott, Head of Serviced Offices, Colliers International. Stewart Whiting, Head of Product, Storey

Sponsored by

Coworking: Past, Present and Future Over the last few years we have seen an explosion in the provision of coworking space, especially here in London. Our session explored the rise of coworking, looked at where it is in its lifecycle – and also how it is likely to evolve and change the future.

It was (genuinely) standing room only as the cream of London’s design community joined us at Milliken’s fantastic Clerkenwell showspace for our first MixInspired event of 2019. We would, of course, like to say a huge thank you to our MixInspired sponsors – Milliken and Arper – and a special thanks to Milliken for allowing us take over their space once again.

62 | Mix 193 April 2019

Review | MixInspired

O

ur expert panel comprised Katrina Larkin, Co-founder & Head of Experience at Fora, Mark Bott, Head of Serviced Offices at Colliers International, Stewart Whiting, Head of Product for Storey and Tim Yendell, Head of Choice & Design at RBS. Here's just a snippet of what was a fascinating and enlightening session – beginning with our guest panelists introducing themselves to our audience: Katrina: I’m co-founder of Fora – which has six spaces operating across London, plus one in Reading. By the end of 2019 we’ll have 12 spaces.

We call ourselves ‘proworking’ – we draw a lot of inspiration from coworking, but even more so from hospitality.

Before that, for a little context, I hadn't worked in the workplace arena previously – I started a festival called The Big Chill, I ran that for 1617 years, I had three bars, I had a record label, brought out books…I’ve always been about culture and communities and people – and completely separately and randomly, but something that has been incredibly useful when it comes to my work with Fora, I also run a retail store.

I started a festival called The Big Chill, I ran that for 16-17 years, I had three bars, I had a record label, brought out books…

Mark: I work for Colliers International – we’re a global property consultancy, working with landlords, corporate clients and London-based domestic clients as well. I helped set up a serviced office department, which was a new service line for us. We had clients coming to us saying that they needed to implement this into their strategy – they needed flexibility, agility and wanted to attract staff for the new projects and office locations they’re working in.

Stewart: I’m Head of Product for Storey, which is British Land’s flexible workspace business. We launched a couple of years ago. We’re slightly different from coworking in the sense that we really target businesses that are between 20-70 people, who are maybe a few years further on in their journey and require a space that’s a little more managed and has an element of flexibility – yet still very much feels like their space, represents their culture and works in the way that they need to work as an organisation.

Tim: I head up Choice & Design at RBS. Translated, Choice is the group’s activity-based working programme that increases flexibility across our population and supports people

Mix 193 April 2019 | 63

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Review | MixInspired

throughout this transition. The design part is that I’m responsible for the built environment at the bank. We’ve undertaken recent partnerships with coworking organisations such as RocketSpace – we co-designed their facility in Angel, and we’re now developing our own version of that for our own people.

We ask our panel what factors have led the market to look beyond the traditional serviced space?

I think historically, if you look back, the serviced office was no different from a corporate office space – albeit the rentals terms were different

Tim: From my own perspective, it’s about the quality and the creativity of the space that’s being provided. I think historically, if you look back, the serviced office was no different from a corporate office space – albeit the rentals terms were different. What we see with coworking is dynamic space, there’s a range of services, there’s a sense of community and the technology is probably a lot better. That has created quite a compelling and attractive offer for people to buy into.

Katrina: I completely agree with that. For me, a serviced office really meant selling a desk space.

Coworking, prowoking, what we all do now, is we’re selling an experience – an environment. A desk might well be at the centre of it, but you’re wrapping all the facilities that people in London expect around it – especially today. People expect quality coffee, they expect a personal trainer, they want convenience and they want a better flow to their day.

It’s a bit like retail, which has changed dramatically over the past few years, in order to survive. I know from my own store that I have to take into consideration that 60% of people coming into my space at any one time are not walking in to buy a product – it has become part of their leisure

Mix 193 April 2019 | 65

Review | MixInspired

You actually need to do something different in order to protect your talent – and maybe this is the answer to that

time. So I have to adapt to make sure that I can keep them in the store for as long as possible. It’s about all those ‘sticky’ factors, such as the music and the smells, which we’re also bringing into our coworking spaces now.

Stewart: I agree with all of that. It’s interesting how that is really changing expectations for everyone – everyone is suddenly aware of that. Businesses have come to expect these things and people are far more aware of these spaces. They’re in the media much more than they were and they are becoming more and more aspirational. Workplace culture is also becoming more important – we know this. People are looking to create these experiences for their employees – it is no longer enough to simply provide a desk and somewhere to sit. You actually need to do something different in order to protect your talent – and maybe this is the answer to that.

Katrina: Also, you need to consider the shared economy. We have a new generation now that doesn’t expect to own things. We don’t own record collections or CD collections – we’re quite happy to have a much wider catalogue of music that we just have access to. It’s that accessibility that is absolutely driving coworking. I can have a more enriched day – but I don’t have to own the boardroom or own the gym. As long as I can have it when I need it.

66 | Mix 183 April 2018

Review | MixInspired

Stewart: The idea of space as a service absolutely learns from other environments and other sectors – and is really starting to come through now.

Tim: Through our collaboration with RocketSpace I think we learned some important lessons around what was important to an organisation that was trying to attract people to that type of facility. It was about community, it was about collaboration and learning, it was about technology, it was about great coffee, like Katrina said, and it was also about choice; choice in terms of the types of space you could inhabit, how you could inhabit and use them – and being part of a wider community was undoubtedly important to people. We’ve taken a lot of ideas from RocketSpace (and we had some other things in play) and because we’re working in what is an incredibly competitive market for talent, we knew that we had to do something different for our people. Different generations are coming in and technology has changed – therefore you can liberate people from this slavish adherence to the desk and get them to work in different ways. We’re really thinking about the space and what it’s doing for our people – about why they’re coming in; they're coming in to collaborate.

Mark: The terminology has changed – and I suppose the terms serviced office, coworking, flexible workspace and managed space are all fairly interchangeable. The biggest differentiator is that coworking has the cellular suite, the private offices, but it also allows other companies within the building to interact with one another – and that’s what our clients want. They want to attract the best talent. We’re working with a corporate client who's currently setting up an office in London. Because they want to attract the best talent in their market, they need the best building, with the best amenities.

It’s no longer acceptable to be in bland space with no showers, no breakout space, no F&B on site. This is the expectation of a new generation.

The other angle we’re now looking at with our corporate clients is for them to potentially take touchdown points within coworking centres in strategic areas in the City – so they can reduce their corporate footprint and also allow their staff to allow flexibly, in a choice of different locations – so they have this element of freedom.

What is very important is the robust infrastructure of being in a coworking space, if it’s within a Fora or a British Land space. That’s certainly at the forefront – but having all those amenities is also right at the forefront. w

Mix 183 April 2018 | 67

Review | MixInspired

Our Partners' View

Arper is delighted to partner with Mix Interiors for this MixInspired panel discussion, where industry experts share their unique perspectives about how workspaces are developing and evolving.

In the past decade, we have seen a major shift in the way businesses and people are approaching the working environment. Following the increasing influence of younger generations, technology and speed of change, there is a growing demand across sectors for casual and flexible spaces that blur the work/life boundary.

A new coworking revolution is on the rise and it is led by businesses, ranging from start-ups to large multinationals, driven by a shared vision of the advantages brought by this workstyle.

Of all the interesting viewpoints shared by the panel, the one that particularly resonates with Arper is how, unlike traditional corporate offices and shared offices, coworking spaces are becoming more and more human-centred, immersive experiences, designed to support wellness and to engage the senses.

Coworking spaces are designed to meet the needs of our contemporary lives, and the panel discussed how the driving factors behind this format are not only related to a greater flexibility and comfort, but, above all, to create a sense of community and collaboration.

Members of coworking spaces feel part of a community – a tribe. They share common core values and enjoy learning and growing together. They live fluidly and shape their worlds in creative and expressive ways.

As work and life continue to blur, we believe that humanistic spaces with sensory design, emotional quality and intelligence have a significant impact on everything, from wellbeing to fulfillment and productivity.

Soft spaces awaken the senses. Wellness and style are performance. At Arper, giving shape and sense to human experience is essential to everything we do.w

It’s always a pleasure to work with Mix Interiors.

The MixInspired events bring together the most interesting and knowledgeable individuals in our industry and that certainly leads to a fun evening and an insightful discussion.

The latest MixInspired event proved that we are really only just scratching the surface of the coworking movement. We’ve always had the idea that coworking spaces are synonymous with start-up businesses, sharing the costs and infrastructure of a communal work space, but with the rapid increase of coworking spaces in major cities, it was interesting to learn that the format can also be successfully adopted by large organisations. With London trailblazing the movement, we can start to see what makes a coworking space effective and appealing. A top line conclusion is that successful coworking spaces are underpinned by understanding the occupants, how they work and putting their needs first.

As a founder member of the WELL Living Lab, Milliken has a vested interest in wellbeing in the workplace. As a large, corporate organisation ourselves, we have a responsibility to not only manufacture products that contribute to a healthier and happier workspace, but to also understand how the occupants of a space work most efficiently and at their happiest. As technology evolves, we’re seeing a desire to work more flexibly and collaboratively.

The shackles of being bound to a desk are loosening and workers are wanting the choice to work independently or collaboratively whilst still feeling like they belong to a community. Have we seen the death of the desk as we know it, as Mark Bott from Colliers predicts? Let’s watch this space! It’s certainly an exciting time for workplace interiors, especially with health, happiness and wellbeing at the forefront of the conversation.w

Mix 183 April 2018 | 69

Digital Transformation

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IN THE WORKPLACE As a perfect introduction to our Round Table discussion (starting on the next page), Dale Sinclair, Director of Digital Transformation at AECOM, takes a qualified look into the future of the workplace and the technologies that will help shape that future.

What will be left for us to do is the harder, more creative stuff

Dale Sinclair is Director of Digital Transformation, AECOM

A

lthough technology has always been influential in shaping the workplace, its effects have never been felt as profoundly as they are today. For example, although the shift from paper to computers and onwards to flat screens defined space standards and new furniture solutions, these tweaks followed a wider transformative trend away from cellular offices to more open plan areas, driven by the need for businesses to leverage their estates more effectively.

Similarly, more recent workplace initiatives, such as the increased uptake of agile working, aim to reduce further estate costs per head and increase business efficiency and success.

In AECOM’s book, Future Office: Next Generation Workplace Design, published by RIBA Publishing, we look at the growing influence and reach of technology in shaping workplace environments.

Chapter four focuses on how digital solutions that enable increased mobility will change where we work and the role of voice technologies in the workplace of the future. Chapter 10 considers how digital transformation will transform the way we design and deliver workspaces in the years ahead.

A core goal of technology companies is to make us as mobile as possible. We can argue that once we can work anywhere, we will work in new and different ways as our businesses move to support teams located well away from prime office space. But, as armies of freelancers will already attest, while local cafes offering free WiFi enable you to work outside the office and home in a busy, companionable environment, they are not suitable for private business calls or for videoconferencing across the globe. We suggest that more locally-based spaces, such as community centres, designed to support new technologies, will become part of a company’s network of flexible workspaces as we move away from single office locations. This shift, in turn, will change what we do when we engage with our corporate hubs.

Of all the nascent technologies on the ascent, we see voice as one to watch. Many of us already have voice-activated devices at home, capable of answering queries, playing music on command or ordering the shopping. The era of manual minute taking will soon be gone as we turn towards tools, such AI-driven Watson, which can instantly transcribe meetings into multiple languages. The conundrum in the slow metamorphosis from cellular to open plan is that, in this context, open plan becomes neither suitable nor relevant in the face of voice-orientated software and the associated changes it will deliver to the way we work. If it’s inevitable that voice technologies will be prevalent in the future, then the environments we create will need to accommodate and include more spaces for using these tools effectively.

Greater consideration will also need to be given to the increasing automation of routine tasks at work. What will be left for us to do is the harder, more creative stuff.

As a result, more and more of our offices will need to shift from being spaces where we craft emails and reports, to become collaborative hubs more akin to speaker corners or recording studios – environments focused on facilitating team working and generating creative solutions to the complex problems and challenges that remain. One radical solution suggested in our book is a virtual meeting room that comes to the conversation rather than the more traditional way round.

Imagine it, you’ve bumped into a colleague in the corridor and your informal chat turns to a pressing business idea. As you start to discuss possible ideas, your workplace tech enables you to call a ‘room’ to the meeting – essentially an acoustic bubble, on call to provide a suitable environment for wherever you are, and whatever the task.

In summary, we predict an exciting, but very different tech-enabled workplace of the future.w

Mix 193 April 2019 | 71

Roundtable

Workplace 2030

(or is it really still Workplace 1930?)

W

ho predicted coworking?

Who thought that health and wellbeing would have such a systemic impact on workplace design?

Well, we did, to be honest. To a degree, at least. The reality is that the ever-changing world of workplace transformation is, indeed, everchanging. Just not that rapidly!

Think about it; Google’s first groundbreaking workplaces were first conceived in the last century (and, by the way, they worked for Google – just not for those businesses looking to replicate the model). Similarly, Frank Duffy and DEGW’s vision for the future office wowed people back in the 1990s.

Today, we’re still seeing a lot of those ideas embraced in ‘forward thinking’

72 | Mix 193 April 2019

projects. And they still work for a lot of organisations.

Furthermore, we saw businesses start to adopt business lounge ideology for their client meetings. As those original business lounges have evolved, so the corporate world has followed. Revolutionary? Not really.

However, a look at the case study features in this issue will show that things do continue to change and innovation is very much alive and well.

Cultures continue to shift at a similar rate to technology, while the physical space often lags behind.

There is now a new breed of business leader who has a very different view from those who are now in the 50s.

So what is the next big thing – and who is going to come up with it?

Roundtable

Work is people gathering together with some kind of common purpose, and that hasn’t changed – and never will change

THE DISCUSSION Working with our wonderful sponsors, Specialist Joinery Group, we’ve gathered together a panel of industry experts at Investec’s fantastic London headquarters to discuss where the workplace is likely to be heading in the next 10 or so years. In line with our intro, however, we begin by reflecting what has really changed in the world of workplace in the past 20 years.

Kevin: There are key things that we’ve changed in the past 20 years. We’ve broken the desk tether – so no longer are we tied to our desks. Then there’s exponential resilience on technology – does anyone remember Y2K when the whole world was going to come to an end? We’re relying on the cyber security systems even more now, which we have to put in place to stop other people from taking our platforms down. Information is more readily available – we can even tap into apps now to do the work that we used to do. We’ve increased the campus sizes of the large corporates, who have sprawled and consolidated – and are now sprawling again. Then there is the gig economy, zero hour contracts, renewable energy – we had our first wind farms back in 1991 but have only really started to make that work in the last 20 years

– while the attitude towards workplace has changed thanks to the tech companies. Then there is inflation – the price of beer 20 years ago was £1.98!

Brian: Can we also look back at what hasn’t changed? Work is people gathering together with some kind of common purpose, and that hasn’t changed – and never will change. The physical proximity of people coming together to achieve something, tables and chairs, whatever that looks like – that’s the constant. All the other things – artificial intelligence, technology, virtual working, sustainability, wellness – nibble away at this, but fundamentally work and workplace has not changed since Frank Lloyd Wright designed the Larkin Building in Buffalo in 1927.

Nic: If you ask the question, ‘Why do we even come to work? Why do we all come to this one place?’ Despite people bemoaning their commutes, this is the one thing that will stick – and it can be difficult to answer those questions at times. Personally, and I know this is probably not the proper thing to say – and I do genuinely embrace technology – but the experience of Skype and those types of technologies is just miserable.

In Association with

SPECIALIST JOINERY GROUP

Roundtable

Brian: That could get better – and will get better.

Nic: I know it will get better but I don’t like the experience – and I’m not even sure why I don’t like it. I do know that I want to be with people. We’re social beings. The reason the human race is so popular is that we’re able to organise ourselves into groups in order to achieve things. When you think about it, one of the greatest punishments in prisons is to be isolated – that’s considered to be one of the worst things you can administer to someone. There is a need for people to come together.

Ian: All of the technology we use to communicate hasn’t diminished the amount of business travel that still goes on. I have a good friend who works for one of the big business travel companies and he thought that the advent of Skype and improvements in technology for video conferencing would have a massive impact on his business – but it has not changed things. Nothing can replace people getting on a plane, making that effort – even if it is for just a short time – and meeting people face-to-face. You can’t replace social interaction.

Anu: The USP of WeWork is really about connecting people and communities – and now a lot of corporates are also starting to look at that as a possible model.

Nic: You’re right – it’s all about bringing people together. Actually, if you look at a WeWork floorplan, it’s the same as a Regis floorplan – it’s just lots of little boxes!

Adam: We used to talk about 2020 being some landmark date – I don’t know what happened to that! I remember there being a big fanfare about 2020 as being some kind of line in the sand – a divide between the past and the future of workplace.

2020 is now months away – and I don’t think anything really has changed. People still go to their office, they still sit on a task chair, with a computer and a desk. Then they go to a meeting and whether that’s physical or digital, they still take notes with either an iPad or a pen…so really the function of work hasn’t changed since people first came together in larger quantities to do mainly mundane tasks inside rather than outside. Of course, things have changed around the outside of all this – and I think Brian put that really well. I don’t think that’s going to change. Community is the only real reason people get up in the morning. The financial aspect of going to work is less important now than the purpose or the community – and those things really need people to come together. I think that HR is a bigger driver in workplace than either design or technology. We have to remember that most people who go to work every day sit in a really bad office.

We’re lucky that we’re connected to London or Paris or Manchester, where people have choice and have great places to work – but this is the tip of the iceberg. The world that we all live in is alien to most people. Maybe the biggest change is that people don’t want a 9-to-5 anymore and businesses have to be adaptable.

Brian: I think there will be little incremental changes – and video conferencing will get better and people will be able to work remotely, which is great, and we will be able to form teams and work across time zones and continents – but this will never replace the workplace. WeWork can obviously see this. Those billions that are being invested is an investment in an understanding that people still have to get together.

I think that HR is a bigger driver in workplace than either design or technology. We have to remember that most people who go to work every day and sit in a really bad office

74 | Mix 193 April 2019

Roundtable

Tahera: For me, you need to combine emotional intelligence with the social interaction – that’s what we should be focusing on more right now. Social interaction is of course a good thing – but it needs to be the right social interaction within a workplace.

We have people here who have little EQ but are very intelligent – and we don’t always get that bit right. So you can have the best workplace but, in my view, if you don’t have that EQ then the standard of the workplace means nothing.

Ciaran: There is a balance between EQ and IQ in every workplace. I appreciate that Investec’s business is on a global scale, but even in our firm (we’ve 220 staff) we have to work hard to create an inclusive culture, which makes room for everyone to perform at the highest level. We have a real mix of great people.

We’ve found that, over the last four years in particular, because we’ve invested so much in community days, team building and staff development, we have been able to help our team develop exponentially. It’s about bringing people along on a journey. We want to retain our staff – so we try to see the world through their eyes. It looks very different for people, therefore – as an employer, a designer, a contractor – you’ve got to create workplaces and management structures with this flexibility and ease of adjustment in mind.

Kevin: I’ve actually got mixed views on this. I’ve got two sons – one is 24 and one is 20 – and they are very different in their approaches. The 24-year old totally embraces working collaboratively – his whole group has embraced working closely together, collaboratively. The 20-year old is studying

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Roundtable

aeronautical engineering and they do pretty much everything remotely. They do everything through a screen, they are spread around different parts of the country and they are looking at various engineering solutions in this way. I think we’re seeing a new generation coming through that is very adept at and very happy to work remotely. They don’t look for the social interaction that I did – or even the slightly older generation did. I think something happened just between those four years.

Anu: We all come from a particular generation and all of our views and our assumptions are that this will carry on. I work with a lot of millennials and even the generation that follows them – and their views on life, work, what’s important to them is very different from my generation, for sure. The way we manage is based on what we’ve seen from generations before us – and that’s having an impact on every other generation. Right now we’re seeing four generations in the same workplace, so we shouldn’t just look at it from our perspective. If we were to have younger people in charge, I’m sure they’d have a different outlook.

Brian: I’m not so sure it’s all about a generational divide – it’s more about the different personalities involved.

Tahera: I agree. We talk about designing workplaces for different generations, but I know that there are days, and I know my colleagues here feel the same, when I want to come in to work and have a laugh and a bit of banter – and then there are days when I want to be quiet and reflective. That’s just a human thing.

Adam: The generational thing is just marketing nonsense. There’s always been different generations in our workplaces. The differences are that now, because people have to work longer, there is a greater spread of generations.

Brian: Actually, the fastest-growing demographic in the workplace is the older generation. This isn’t about millennials – it’s about the aging workforce.

The challenge is to design for diverse personality types and different generations – but the major challenge is designing for personality types.

76 | Mix 193 April 2019

I think we’re seeing a new generation coming through that is very adept at and very happy to work remotely.

They don’t look for the social interaction that I did – or even a slightly younger generation did

CONCLUSION Given the nature of this discussion, should we have attempted to do this whole session via Skype?

Absolutely not – and we’re 100% sure our esteemed guests would agree with us. It’s fascinating to see that much of the afternoon’s conversation centred around the fact that, fundamentally, the physical workplace has not changed over the past couple of decades – and is unlikely to change greatly in the next decade. What really has changed is workplace culture (particularly in our major cities) and attitudes. A one-size-fits-all approach simply won’t cut the mustard in 2019 – and certainly won’t work for businesses come 2030. Technology will continue to push boundaries – but will it push us off our task chairs? We’ll just have to wait and see.w

Roundtable

OUR GUESTS

Adam Strudwick, Principal, HLW International

Tahera Hammond, Global Head of Workplace, Investec

Kevin Mulligan, MD, BW: Workplace Experts

Brian Szpakowski, MD, IA Interior Architects

Adam is a Principal at HLW, leading the studio and working on projects across Europe, with a global focus on design technology. Adam aims to do good work for good people.

Tahera is a workplace professional responsible for a global portfolio spanning five continents, covering 250,000 sq ft for 1,100 colleagues. Tahera is passionate about providing a positive and memorable (for the right reasons!) experience to all those who interact with Investec Asset Management offices and ensuring the company’s workplaces feature in strategic discussion as a forethought.

Kevin is the newly appointed Managing Director at BW Interiors.

He brings with him 6.5 million sq ft of multidiscipline fit-out experience on behalf of main contractors and a global Investment bank. Kevin's success is credited to ATD and collaborative delivery of many of the most complex schemes seen in the UK. Work/life balance? Afraid not although he is a skipper who competes in offshore/transatlantic sailing races.

Brian has a 25-year career in workplace design, working with Michael Brill, Gensler, Pringle Brandon and Broadway Malyan.

He is currently Managing Principal for the London studio of IA Interior Architects, the world’s largest architectural practice dedicated solely to interior design. Brian has been responsible for the design and delivery of numerous workplace projects around the world.

Ian Morrow, Construction Director, Mace Interiors

Anu Chatterjee, Director, AECOM

Ciaran O’Hagan, Managing Director, Specialist Joinery Group

Nic Pryke, Design Director, Oktra Over the past 30 years, Nic has gone from cabinet maker to Design Director of a leading workplace design and build firm.

He understands the value in this area of interior design, as it has such an impact on people’s lives and how they work. Every day Nic continues to be impressed by his design team's innovation, creativity and ability to produce unrivalled concepts.

Ian is the newly appointed Construction Director at the international consultancy and construction company, Mace.

Having held senior positions at BW and Overbury, he brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to this role.

Anuradha is an interior designer with commercial acumen and creative flair. Entering the industry after being a leader in business for 15 years, she comes with bags of client experience and pragmatism.

Trained as a management scientist and then an interior designer, Anu is able to execute design ideas with precision and rigour. A strong communicator, she has a passion to co-create with clients, suppliers and team members to create exceptional spaces.

Ciaran is the Managing Director of family business, Specialist Joinery Group, a bespoke joinery and fitted furniture contractor that specialises in workplace strategy and luxury projects across Europe. He is obsessive about client experience and product quality, and really enjoys staying involved in projects from concept to completion. Ciaran has a passion for farming and good shoes – they can take you anywhere!

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Shapeshifting One of the very best things about what we do as an editorial team is being able to find those absolute ‘wow’ moments. These rarest of beasts can, of course, come in all shapes and sizes. What we weren’t quite expecting (apart from the fact that we’d be pre-warned that we were about to experience something quite special) was that we’d encounter a genuine ‘wow’ from what is essentially, on the face of it at least, a nondescript white room. But more about that a bit later. In the meantime, let us set the scene for you. We’re in west London, just a couple of minutes’ walk from Paddington station.

Our destination is the remodelled working home of global brand experience agency, Geometry.

Case Study | Geometry

Image: The Flagship

T

he Westbourne Terrace space sits within smart ‘Georgian’ townhouses, which from the leafy street, could be home to, well, pretty much anything and anyone. It is only as we enter the shared reception space, which is currently being refurbished by BDG architecture + design, that we get a real sense of business activity. Heading up to the third floor, we immediately get a glimpse into the world of Geometry.

Working in collaboration with Geometry’s Executive Creative Director, Elspeth Lynn, BDG architecture + design has developed a workspace befitting a cutting-edge, forward-thinking agency – and Director, Tony Knight, is on hand to introduce us to both the scheme and to Elspeth.

‘The old workspace here failed to provide a brand relevant experience for the Geometry team or their clients,’ Tony explains as we admire the bright and brilliant mix of digital marketing and glazing that forms the entrance here. ‘Originally, this was a solid wall with horrible double doors here, a very narrow corridor and another set of double doors – which is typical of most of the building.’

‘This has been designed to look and feel like a classic storefront,’ Elspeth tells us. ‘We wanted the visibility of the glass, along with the digital panels, which allow us to contextualise and personalise when someone enters. It’s a real welcome for our clients.

‘We did spend a good deal of time thinking about how we could make our clients feel what it is we do when they walk in. I’ve worked with agencies where the clients walk in, you take them through to the boardroom and then you switch on a powerpoint – and the clients have no idea what it is you do until they see the powerpoint. We wanted our clients to understand what we do as soon as they walk in – hence the digital panels, the lit cabinets, the point of sale material etc. Companies often underestimate the power of the threedimensional space.

‘This has been quite a journey for us. We’ve had a really good working relationship with BDG – it’s been full disclosure, open and honest all the way.'

Mix 193 April 2019 | 79

Case Study | Geometry

Image : European Management Area

Our clients want to host their meetings here and it’s simply a great space for our people to work in

Project Team Client Geometry Architecture BDG architecture + design

‘We first looked at this space in 2014, before Elspeth worked at Geometry,’ Tony reveals. ‘The premise, with Geometry only planning to be here for 18 months, was to undertake a light refurbishment relevant to their short-term requirement.

'In response to this, we had designed what would have been a great space but, due to the building being Grade II listed, in a conservation area, we couldn’t be cutting slabs (even though we wanted to). However, for a variety of reasons, this scheme never happened.

'Fast forward a couple of years, the opportunity to refurbish this space came about once again.

This time we worked alongside Elspeth – their ECD – who was a great advocate in driving forward the refurbishment.

'We all knew that, with the number of people here, connectivity across the floors was the key driver for Geometry, who had been working in a space that didn't support what they do.

‘So when this came live again, we knew we had to react really quickly. We really didn’t want to miss another opportunity with Geometry.’

‘We went from three floors to two floors,’ Elspeth

80 | Mix 193 April 2019

takes over. ‘The senior management was sat on the 5th floor – it was all very Mad Men, with big glass offices. We really felt a loss of culture through that.

‘So even though we’ve effectively reduced our space by a third, people actually feel as though we have more space now – thanks to the way it has been configured. Furthermore, the management team is now very much a part of the wider team culture – and our clients really want to come in here now.

‘That is a big part of the transformation for us.

Our clients want to host their meetings here and it’s simply a great space for our people to work in. I think it also says a lot about who we are – previously clients might have doubted our ability to use technology and do great work in the modern retail arena. They certainly don’t doubt us any longer.

‘I don’t think many companies necessarily know how to brief architects well. They don’t understand how space works. I think we were really lucky in that this is a perfect example of chemistry overriding process. Tony and the team were great to work with – and I couldn’t imagine working with many other architects in the way that we were able to with Tony.’

Interior Design BDG architecture + design/ Elspeth Lynn Furniture Dealer The Furniture Practice Flooring Suppliers Interface Surfaces Suppliers Corian Furniture Suppliers Albion, Brunner, Icons of Denmark, Kartell, La Palma, Modus, Morgan, Muuto, USM, Vitra Storage Suppliers Spacestor Other Suppliers FUTURE Designs (lighting), Buzzispace (BuzziFelt), Rawside (Metalwork)

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Case Study | Geometry

THIS PAGE CLOCKWISE FROM RIGHT: Euclid Café, reception, entrance, Parallel Bar OPPOSITE TOP TO BOTTOM: Collaboration carts. View from lounge through to workspace

One of the key focuses for the team, we’re told, was to bring together the elements of a revitalised workspace with a new brand, artwork and innovative business offer of ‘The Flagship’.

The new space certainly allows visitors to feel a sense of what Geometry actually does, and for the staff to feel proud to come to work (and, as our hosts said a little earlier, to invite those clients to come and see and experience the space).

Experience is quite an important word when talking about the new Geometry home. At the heart of the third floor is the aforementioned ‘white room’.

Obviously, it is an awful lot more than that. The Flagship is an innovative retail environment. This immersive space allows brands and retailers to prototype, test and trial technology that influences shopper behaviour and purchase decisions.

82 | Mix 193 April 2019

Featuring over 15 types of technology inside a unique 3D, floor-to-ceiling projection space, The Flagship can recreate no less than 140 immersive shopping environments and experiences. If you need to navigate supermarket aisles, browse in a corner shop, a DIY store or even a petrol station forecourt, you can do so, all from the comfort of this incredible space.

Geometry CEO, Michelle Whelan, says of the facility: ‘The best way to innovate for growth is to experiment. The Flagship brings us unique insights into fast-changing customer behaviour, helping us deliver stronger creative, effective business solutions for our clients. It’s the closest thing to reality that exists today.’

The Flagship focuses on crafting seamless digital and physical shopper experiences for the

new retail landscape, currently being shaped by the likes of digital-first companies such as Amazon.

Debbie Ellison, Head of Digital and Flagship champion, observes that, according to Google, the omnichannel shopper is worth at least three times that of the single channel shopper, so the ability to seamlessly merge physical and digital retail is critical if brands are to differentiate and drive growth. ’Our tech partnerships will constantly evolve to make sure that agency insight, creativity and capability all remain future-focused,’ she reveals.

This really is innovative, fascinating stuff – and most definitely provides that ’wow’.

There is also plenty to turn the head outside of The Flagship. We’re still trying to work out how, despite losing effectively a third of the space here and being assured that nothing has been taken out

Leading UK furniture manufacturer

The Client

Founded in 2013, Geometry is the world’s largest brand activation and shopper marketing agency.

Geometry has 80 offices across 56 markets.

Geometry clients include Coca Cola, Emirates, Danone, Unilever, Nike and Philips.

Over 250 winners and shortlists globally in 2018.

t 01685 352222

sales@triumphfurniture.com

www.triumphfurniture.com

Case Study | Geometry

TOP TO BOTTOM: View from reception, private offices, reception space

The Flagship brings us unique insights into fast-changing customer behaviour, helping us deliver stronger creative, effective business solutions for our clients. It’s the closest thing to reality that exists today

84 | Mix 193 April 2019

or reduced in terms of meeting or working space, so much has been integrated. Tony simply smiles when we suggest it must be incredibly smart planning.

‘Our new café space has been incredibly popular,’ Elspeth points out. ‘People weren’t used to having a café space before – and we’re finding that more and more people are using that as place to go and work. They don’t want to feel as though they are chained to their desks – and we don’t want them to feel that way either. People do want a space that belongs to them – a place to put their stuff and know that it’s safe – but everyone should have at least one alternative work setting as well.

We’ve configured this so that everyone has access to those alternative settings – there’s always somewhere else for you to go and work here, taking in consideration for different personalities and different types of work. We’ve made sure that people can go to quiet spaces when they need them or can simply sit on a sofa or go to the café to work. This is a company of 240 people – and not everyone wants to work in the same way.’

These alternative settings – be it banquette seating, sofas, booths etc – are cleverly appointed alongside the smart, open working floors. There has also been a great deal of biophilic design added to the two working floors, as well as elegant finishing and eye-catching decoration. Then we wander past a couple of beacon-enabled mannequins, which are designed for visual merchandising, enabling customers to receive details of the clothes displayed on the mannequins through their smartphones. Smart mannequins!

The Geometry scheme has now been shortlisted for a BCO award. We can absolutely see why. w

Y B E ND

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GT H

GET CREATIVE WITH PLYWOOD. IT DOESN’T COST THE EARTH.

86 | Mix 191 February 2019

Case Study | Revolut

Global Account Considering what this magazine is all about, you might be quite surprised by how infrequently we’ve featured workplaces in and around Canary Wharf. There are reasons for this, of course. Firstly, and most importantly, there are many sensitive financial institutions based there who don’t want journalists of any shape wandering through their hallowed halls.

T

This Page: Bespoke perforated metal fins on the exterior of the building are also used inside, as a device to provide separation between social and workspaces.

his is a real shame for us – not least because we’re genuinely interested in how the major financial institutions are going to respond to the ever-changing dynamics of the workplace and to the threat of innovative new kids on the block. On a personal level, it’s also a shame because we’ve really grown to like the area.

So, on what is a perfect pre-Spring afternoon, we find ourselves wandering through Canary Wharf and heading down towards the pier and the river, where we find the new home of one of those aforementioned ‘new kids’ – Revolut.

Revolut is one of the current leaders in the FinTech market and has grown substantially since being founded in 2015. When we say grown considerably, we’re talking about a business that, in just four years, has attracted some four million customers, undertaking more than 250 million transactions and has a total value of over £25 billion. In four years!

The firm was founded by CEO Nikolay Storonsky and CTO Vlad Yatsenko. In a former life, Nikolay was a trader with Credit Suisse where he experienced first-hand the astronomical fees applied to foreign exchange transactions. Then there was a lightbulb moment – fast forward to today, and Nikolay has reinvented the way in which we spend and transfer money abroad.

Prior to co-founding Revolut, Vlad spent 10 years building financial systems at tier one investment banks. Vlad has been at the forefront of Revolut’s award-winning technology, helping build a next generation banking experience.

The company required a fresh new space, which celebrated their rapidly growing business, and turned to ThirdWay Interiors to challenge the conventional ‘corporate’ workplace in the heart of this financial hub.

We meet with Chad West, Head of Global Marketing & Communications for Revolut, and ThirdWay’s Rameez Raja, who was the lead designer here on the 4th floor at Westferry Circus.

Taking a seat in the large, open, central breakout space, we begin by asking Chad about Revolut’s real estate history. ‘We were previously on Level 39 at Canary Wharf, so it’s quite a leap from the white walls and desks of an incubator space to this! We were mixed as to where we wanted to be. A lot of our people don’t live out here – but we didn’t want to be ‘another start-up in Shoreditch’.

We quite liked the idea of a tech start-up company being in the middle of all the big banks. There were also practical considerations – we have a lot of partners, vendors and regulators nearby. We were also looking at Liverpool Street and the City, but what really tipped it in the end was that Canary Wharf Group were very keen to keep us here. They are trying to create a real FinTech hub here, so they were very good at giving us good rates, special deals etc. We also knew that, if we continued to grow and wanted a bigger space, there were options to expand here – we can expand into the space directly below, which is ideal.

‘The only negative about moving into here was that there was simply so much to be done. We had to start from scratch effectively.’

Mix 193 April 2019 | 87

‘This was shell and floor,’ Rameez explains, ‘which was good in one way because we were able to design it alongside the developer.’

‘We always liked the industrial look and knew we wanted concrete and metal – so when we saw the exposed ceilings and the concrete pillars, we felt it had that natural industrial feel that we were looking for,’ Chad continues.

‘It’s quite exciting to be working on a space that is still organically growing,’ Rameez adds. ‘Revolut are currently working on their own rebranding, so we’re gradually introducing that into this space in terms of the finishes, the colours and the artwork.

‘This open central space is how they want to work and connect. You can see people just hanging out here, working on their laptops, having informal meetings etc. Revolut really wanted a single floorplate – they wanted everyone to be together. When they first came to us they were only 40 people, so when they first moved in here it felt empty. Now it’s full – and we are already talking about bringing in extra desks.

‘Revolut is a FinTech business – and this intentionally looks and feels more like a tech business than a bank. The financial companies are now trying to compete with the tech guys for talent – but the traditional financials are quite a long way behind this, certainly in terms of technology.’

88 | Mix 193 April 2019

‘We are a tech business,’ Chad tells us. ‘Everyone who works here is from tech – none of us have a financial background and we’re still doing finance better than people who do have financial backgrounds. You won’t see suits and ties, you won't see bureaucratic process and layers of red tape – we’ve got a very free, autonomous culture.

Our people are extremely driven and hard working.

You go to most banks and they’re empty by 5.30pm. It’s just a job for those guys. What we’re building here at Revolut is a billion dollar company – and everyone here has equity in the company.

There’s a real culture and attitude here that other companies just don’t have.

‘There’s genuine flexibility to how we work here.

There are some people who don’t like mornings, so they come in late and work late into the evening.

That’s one of the great things about Revolut; you fit your life around your work. As long as you get your work done, you can work how you want to – and that goes for everyone. The culture here is simply way different.

‘The space we were previously in was simply depressing – even though everyone was still buzzing and loving what the business was all about. It felt like a call centre – with grey carpets and rows of desks. A good office space reflects your culture. When you’re asking someone to

Everyone who works here is from tech – none of us have a financial background and we’re still doing finance better than people who do have financial backgrounds

Case Study | Revolut

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Case Study | Revolut

spend 12-13 hours a day in a workplace, imagine The result of this collaboration is a fresh, the difference that makes to them when it’s a unique space that goes hand in hand with great location. That’s why we’ve brought in cool the new direction that the Revolut brand was sofas, breakout spaces, beanbags, state-of-thelooking to move towards. The brief, we’re told, art kitchens…we want people to feel happy and was for ‘an Italian-chic style that boasts raw yet healthy, and it’s also a massive appeal whenever sophisticated elements’. The colour scheme is we bring external people primarily monochrome, in. When we interview to enhance the industrial people, they want aesthetics, whilst pops to work here! We’re We quite liked the idea of a tech of colour, incorporated now inundated with into furniture and fabrics, start-up company being in the refine the design. The community tech groups who want to host their ceiling was left exposed middle of all the big banks events here – and, like to promote the building’s I said, it’s a massive core and sprayed black boost for the people who in the central breakout already work here and area, deliberately for attracting new people.’ allowing this space to differentiate and separate So how did Chad and the team first connect from the rest of the floorplate. with ThirdWay? ‘We had a few out to tender,’ Chad Including fun elements to the newly designed recalls. ‘Most of them gave us the usual spiel. From office, which align with the new direction the our perspective, ThirdWay was the company who brand is moving towards, was a key part of the was most proactive in terms of proposing solutions project. We find a number of eye-catching bespoke based on our culture and what we stand for. Other neon signs, set in unique concrete blocks, while companies were more focused on telling us what a brilliant feature wall, created from newspaper they’d done for other people!’ cuttings of global influential leaders and

Project Team Client Revolut Interior Design ThirdWay Interiors (Rameez Raja) Furniture Provider Tribe Furniture Flooring Suppliers Interface, Forbo Flooring Systems, Tarkett, Bolon Surface Suppliers Kabe, Camira, bespoke joinery

by Edward Williams Furniture Suppliers Workstories, Humanscale, Hitch Mylius, Norr11, New Design Group, Connection, Orangebox, Narbutas, Spacestor Storage Supplier Spacestor Other Supplier Resonics

This Page, Top Down: Teapoint and breakout area (also serves as bar area). Workstations beneath Revolut neon brand messaging

Mix 193 April 2019 | 91

Case Study | Revolut

inspirational people, acts as a backdrop to the ‘Never Settle’ neon sign in the breakout area.

‘The branding really brings the space to life,’ Rameez tells us. ‘These guys really understood the importance and value that it would bring to the project.'

Other key parts of the project include black metal Crittall windows throughout, a high-bench reception/concierge desk, a fantastic kitchen area, with very possibly the longest breakfast bar we’ve encountered and flexible furniture solutions, which allow various areas to be multifunctional.

The main working areas lie at either end of the floorplate, and are cleverly aligned and screened from the buzz of the central breakout space. When Chad mentioned that the culture here is free and non-hierarchical, he wasn’t kidding, as we spot Revolut’s founders busily working in the heart of the open workplace. No ivory towers here.

As we say our goodbyes, Chad points out the vending machine in the lobby, which on closer inspection is actually a Revolut card vending machine dispenser. Welcome to the future of Canary Wharf! w

TOP DOWN: High bench, agile working area. Flexible plug and play workstations and booth seating with Revolut neon brand messaging

The Client

Revolut Ltd is a UK financial technology company that offers banking services including a pre-paid debit card, currency exchange, cryptocurrency exchange and peer-to-peer payments.

The London-based start-up company was founded by Nikolay Storonsky, a former trader at Credit Suisse and Lehman Brothers, and Vlad Yatsenko.

With the help of more than 630 staff members, Revolut has welcomed over four million customers across Europe since being founded in 2015.

92 | Mix 193 April 2019

Mi Chair and Alto Table by Cambridge Park

We’ve been doing meeting tables for years at Cambridge Park. What we don’t know about designing and manufacturing amazing tables of all shapes and sizes, frankly isn’t worth knowing. So, what we’ve done is taken all that table knowledge and created a fantastic meeting room chair! Obvious really. It’s available in lots of options, from high-back four-star swivel base with adjustable height and auto return, to a medium-back version with a cantilever frame. We also offer an (almost) unlimited choice of upholstery and the ability to powder coat the arms and base. It’s also very comfortable. Which is handy, because it is a chair after all.

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Carpet fibre with improved DNA INVISTA, maker of Antron carpet fibre, has launched a new nylon fibre with built-in, long-lasting soil protection. Appearing on carpets towards the end of 2019, Antron Lumena DNA fibre is designed for the most effective and efficient clean, helping to reduce the cost of carpet ownership. With built-in soil protection, Antron Lumena DNA eliminates the need for topical treatments that wear off with time, so it stays looking good and remains easier to clean for longer. Alongside this, Antron Lumena DNA’s solution-dyed colour is stain- and fade-resistant, while the fibre’s multi-hollow square cross-section enables improved soil release and soil-hiding capability. www.antron.eu

Cork Wall Tiles in Surprising Forms Designed by famed interior designer, Marco Carini, Bebop is a brand new design in Granorte’s 3D Forms cork wall tile collection. Using an imposing black agglomerated cork, Bebop is a statement wall finish, designed to work in combination across two panel sizes and three different thicknesses. Mixing between the combinations catches the light, causing shadows and highlights, which add an extra dimension to the striking black cork finish. With Corkguard water-based protection from water and stains, Bebop is not only beautiful but functional too. Using cork’s excellent acoustic and thermal benefits, Bebop is an enduring wall tile that is natural, renewable and sustainable. www.granorte.co.uk

Inleaf delivers maintenance-free vertical greening Looking to bring biophilic design to your spaces, but want to avoid the maintenance? Inleaf’s artificial green walls are the ideal way to add impressive, premium greening to your vertical spaces. Unlike many alternatives, Inleaf’s green walls panels are UV-stable to prevent discolouration in sunlight and, crucially, are made from fire retardant materials. This means they can be safely installed in indoor spaces within building regulations. www.inleaf.co.uk/artificial-green-walls/

Clever carpet tiles for CDW Premiering the perfectly imperfect pattern of Fluid&, modulyss will be exhibiting at Clerkenwell Design Week for the second time this year, showcasing its large range of stunning carpet tile collections in Project at St James Church. Also unveiling comfortBack, a 90% recycled content PET felt backing, which improves underfoot comfort and absorbs wear, the Belgian manufacturer is underlining its growing position as one of the UK’s leading carpet tile companies. www.modulyss.com

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Review |

SELECTIONS

Harness the elements with Wilton Carpets Fractured Earth, designed by Kath Swift for Wilton Carpets, is a collection ready to remind us of our primal connection to the earth, with its expressive designs capturing elemental power for a series that uses bold combinations of pattern and colour to extraordinary effect. In combinations of slate grey and ocean blue, through to lava red and desert sand, the designs have a wonderful abstract effect that will empower the interiors of hospitality and leisure locations with a striking base for interior schemes. www.wiltoncarpets.com

Dare to be different Comfortable and informal, Sven's Happy Rocker brings a little ‘me-time’ to the workplace and puts a smile on everyone’s face. Sit back and enjoy the soothing movement of this restful rocking chair, specifically designed for foyers, breakout and social areas. The gentle recline enables relaxing and healthy movement through a distinctive design realised with a combination of advanced CNC machining and craft skills. Combine the sustainable ply frame, faced in light oak, with plain or buttoned upholstery, or a choice of emoji expressions! www.sven.co.uk

Stay true to Life with UNILIN Evola Through a development process that examines the detail of original surfaces, UNILIN Evola brings decorative boards that look and feel true to life. The UNILIN Evola collection is available in 168 different decors in HPL, melamine and edging tape. With realistic decors and authentic embossed textures, in combination with a surprising palette of solid colours, the collection offers lots of creative freedom. www.unilinpanels.com

Two sustainable alternatives to real concrete flooring Concrete is a highly destructive material that’s more fashionable than ever.

Quadrant tells us it knows how important sustainable design is to its clients and partners – and can offer two friendlier alternatives. Salto, a loose-lay LVT, is designed for busy spaces, its distinct concrete aesthetic created using highdefinition digital prints and structured surface textures. Corkrete, meanwhile, is a stunning interpretation of concrete, with all the acoustic and insulating properties of cork. www.quadmod.com

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The Last Word | Opinion

COMPUTER SAYS...

FAR TOO MUCH? Criteo’s Head of Workplace Experience EMEA, Mike Walley, is no Luddite – but admits that a number of digital 'innovations' leave him scratching his head and asking whether they really are worth the hassle.

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Mike Walley is Criteo’s Head of Workplace Experience EMEA

96 | Mix 193 April 2019

ot a day goes by where I'm not contacted by someone encouraging me to take a perfectly ordinary business process and make a computer do it. Digital Transformation is the term they give it. But, being part of a highly customer focused team, I am always dubious about the constant drive for automation and self-service systems. Now, before I go further, I need to point out that I am not a technophobe nor Luddite, but I am a great believer in the old adage, 'Just because you can, does not mean you should'.

My favourite example of this is from a company specialising in voice-activated control software. They licensed their software to a coffee machine manufacturer, who wanted to make a voice-activated coffee machine. They proudly delivered the prototype back to the software company and, having plugged it in, all the software engineers gathered excitedly around it.

One brave soul stepped forward and shouted 'Latte' at the machine. It sat there. It hummed. Everyone stared at it. It stared back. It did not dispense coffee.

'We only licensed the German codex,' an engineer pointed out, 'you just spoke Italian'. 'Kaffe mit milch' shouted the brave soul. Still nothing. Just then the coffee man arrived, having been outside, parking his car. 'You have to press the button before you speak,' he said, slightly out of breath from running up the stairs, 'it puts it into listening mode.'

25 engineers stared at him incredulously. He looked around somewhat nervously, 'What?' he asked. Someone replied, 'You have doubled the number of actions it usually requires to get a coffee.'

There was a collective sigh of disappointment and the previously excited crowd melted away, leaving the coffee man alone with his over-engineered coffee machine.

The crestfallen coffee man left shortly afterwards, with his machine tucked back into its box – and he never returned.

The manufacturer realised there was no value in adding voice recognition tech to this particular problem and quietly canned the project.

Now, whilst this is (hopefully) an amusing story, it does still hold truths today. We need to think carefully about the benefits any Digital Transformation may bring and the effort involved to introduce it. The big word to watch out for is...

Integration. Many new systems, like room booking systems or occupation monitoring systems, require integration with existing infrastructure. This will then bring you into contact with the IT department.

The largest single block to technological development in the corporate world, is the IT Department.

Before the helpdesk team beat down the door to my room and drag me out, I must qualify that remark by saying it is our fault. Us. The users. We have become so dependant on the infrastructure that we will not tolerate any disruption of service.

The slightest failure of tech results in howls of outrage and a cloud of fault tickets. Have you seen a teenager’s face if you tell them the home WiFi has failed? It's just like that.

The result is that we have made the IT department so risk averse that it takes a lot of careful preparation and trials to roll out any new tech infrastructure.

But let's assume you have determined that the transformation is warranted, and that you have carefully developed the roll-out with IT and executed the delivery faultlessly. Job done?

Not quite. Have you worked out how you have to change operations to ensure the transformation actually takes hold? I speak as someone who has enthusiastically introduced new technology only for it to wither and die because it added to the workflow without increased benefits. Or the extra effort was greater than the benefit achieved. Or, worse, nobody was sure what the benefit was supposed to be, got bored and wandered back to the old way of doing whatever it was.

I recently installed a space management system that promised to revolutionise the way we monitored desk usage.

What we had not counted on was the number of internal relocations taking place at HQ. It was so high that it practically required a full-time person to keep the system up to date. We had spent months working on some really clever data integrations, protocols for regular updating of base information and a truly funky interface with an in-house messaging app that allows you to type in a name and it will show you where they sit – but what we had not worked on enough was the daily workflow and how that would develop.

The whole plan wobbled – until we worked out a new workflow plan for the team. Now it runs really well and noone is stressed.

Just ask yourself three questions. Do you really need it?

Does it warrant the integration effort? Have you thought about what it will take to keep it running? This should keep all your Digital Transformations exciting and successful.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a coffee machine to shout at.w

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