Mix MixInteriors Interiors 191 186
February July2019 2018
PUREIS3 READY. SIT. GO!
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INSIDE UPFRONT 10 Perspective 18 Seven... 20 Forward Thinking 23 Material Matters 24 Deser t Island Desks 26 Proper t y Matters 28
SPOTLIGHT 37 Big Question 39 InsideSource E xclusive 4 0 The Dealer Repor t 42
ROUNDTABLE 66 CASE ST UDIES 72 Fora Borough 72 The Frames 80
RE VIE W 87 Stockholm Furniture Fair 87 Sur face Design Show 92
72 CASE STUDY – FORA
Coworking is more than just a trend - and businesses such as Fora are developing environments that make us wonder whether, if we turned back time, we'd choose to work in 'our own' traditional office. We take a look at Fora's brilliant new Borough location.
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L AST WORD 96 Criteo's Head of Workplace E xperience, Mike Walley
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The Big Question. InsideSource E xclusive. The Dealer Repor t.
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Upfront | Welcome
A WORD FROM MICK THE COVER The logo 'We’ve been inspired by colours and patterns that are set to be prominent in interior design this year, including coral, rustic golds and silvers, jewel tones, and scale-like geometric shapes – all of which hark back to the overarching trend of the year: nature.' www.interaction.uk.com
The cover From striking monochrome designs to exquisitely blended traditional patterns, Karndean Designflooring’s Heritage Collection reflects the opulence of period living and the boldness of contemporary trends. This versatile range creates a statement geometric look with a colour range that can be combined in any combination for a truly bespoke design. www.karndean.com
The workplace property market in London is booming! Apparently. 2018 showed more than impressive takeup figures – and forecasts for 2019 predict little or no signs of that slowing down (although we do have to take into account the obvious here). Fresh evidence of the capital’s thriving workspace market was brought to light recently, with figures showing that take-up in central London last year soared to its highest level since 2014. Property agents are forecasting that the boom in London’s letting activity will likely carry on into this year, as supply shortages and persistent levels of demand suggest little sign of a slowdown in take-up levels. London’s creative industry showed the strongest appetite for more workspace in the capital during 2018, with technology, media and telecommunication firms accounting for almost 30% of all take-up. Central London office take-up for the whole of 2018 reached 14.6m sq ft, which is 14% higher than
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the long-term average, according to research from Knight Frank. Coincidentally, it was also reported that a poll of 500 businesses in the capital showed companies are less optimistic about the city’s economy than at any time since 2016. However, the study, commissioned by the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, found that businesses were overall more positive about the economy in London than the rest of the country. So, London’s alright Jack – but what about the rest of the UK? Well, our regional correspondents (we don’t really have regional correspondents) report whispers of optimism. And judging by the bravado and enthusiasm of folk from all layers of the market at last December’s Mix Design Collective and Mixology North, I’d say optimism is still high. Let’s hope that optimism outlasts the average (very, very average) Brexit Secretary!
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TEN INTERIOR ICONS OF LONDON
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Willmott Dixon Interiors is one of London’s largest fit-out specialists. Whether we are creating new space for offices, universities and hotels or reviving historic landmarks, all of our projects follow a simple rule: Everything Completed with Pride
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Canon Row Our team is now transforming the five-storey former police station, taking out the small rooms and internal partitions so that we can reconfigure the layout and create modern office space ready for the next 100 years of use. Old Admiralty Building The famous backdrop to the Trooping of the Colour is getting a thorough overhaul. Our team is updating 23,000m² of space by taking away a warren of 610 rooms, transforming the grade two-listed building into an open-plan environment that fosters collaboration and enables flexible working. 7–8 St Martins Place Underlining our track record in hotels, we are delivering a high-end refurbishment for Page Hotel to convert an existing five-storey office block into a 136-room boutique hotel, complete with a fifth-floor restaurant. The development also includes retail and converting an existing Post Office. National Gallery Another iconic building and visitor attraction in the heart of London, we’re refurbishing Room 32 as well as parts of the existing basement and ground floor areas to deliver a modern, flexible work environment for National Gallery staff. 250 City Road We are creating the UK’s first nhow hotel, within Foster + Partners’ mixed-use development in Shoreditch. The nhow brand has hotels in Milan, Berlin and Rotterdam, and our work to deliver the 190-room hotel with restaurant, bar, gym and meeting rooms will add London to the list. Design Museum Our skill-set for refurbishing grade two-listed buildings transformed the vacant Commonwealth Institute into a new home for the Design Museum, adding galleries, learning rooms, a library and office areas across 10,000m² of space. In 2018, the museum was named European Museum of the Year. One Puddle Dock We delivered a full category A fit-out of this well-known building by Blackfriars Station, refurbishing the six-storey facility as new office space for Network Rail and other companies. The linear 1970s office now provides a bright, flexible workspace with a fresh, stripped-back and retro feel. Queen Victoria Street We refitted the 1895-built Bridge House to provide grade A office space close to Blackfriars Station in one of London’s most transformed areas. Our project included structural refurbishment, stripping out existing floor plates to increase the available area to 2,339m2. We also repaired the existing facade, returning the building to its former glory. Lincoln’s Inn Fields Our refurbishment of this grade two-listed, eight-storey building for the London School of Economics included creating two Harvard-style lecture theatres. We restored heritage areas, including damaged cornices using handmade moulds, and transformed the lower floors into generously lit, modern working and studying spaces. Victoria Street This bright new 9,500m2 head office delivers the Department of Health and Social Care’s vision of agile, flexible working space. Our category A and B fitout included a restaurant, conference facilities, meeting rooms, IT rooms and ministers’ offices. We have won numerous BIM awards and have since been appointed by the department for a similar scheme in Leeds.
Thursday 20 June 2019 Old Billingsgate London
ENTRIES ARE NOW OPEN • Enter your company, projects, Thursday 20 June products and designers
Old Billingsgate London
2019
• Entry is free and easy
• The deadline for entries is 5pm Friday 22 March 2019
Visit the website at mixology-awards.com www.mixology-awards.com
Upfront |
NEW SCITECH CHIEF Bruntwood, the Manchester property business, is to use Birmingham as a springboard to a nationwide expansion of its SciTech portfolio. The new science and technology development platform will grow Bruntwood’s portfolio from around 1.3 million sq ft today to 6.2 million sq ft in the next 10 years. The portfolio will extend from Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds into Liverpool. Bruntwood SciTech is a £360 million JV with Legal & General Capital. The landmark 50:50 partnership created the UK’s largest property platform dedicated to driving science and technology growth in regional cities. It owns and manages the largest portfolio of science and technology assets in the UK, including prestigious locations like Manchester Science Park, Alderley Park in Cheshire, Platform in Leeds and Innovation Birmingham. Exclusive interview with SciTech Chief Executive, Phil Kemp, on page 32w
OUT OF THE BOX Outgrowing their space at Bristol’s Boxworks, which inspired the company’s new name, Box Twenty, the Bristol based building services design consultants are on the move into a new and larger workspace. With the move coinciding with a company rebrand, the Box Twenty team engaged the Bathbased Interaction design and fit-out team to help provide a workplace that perfectly reflected the company’s new image and wider business goals. The new space is the ideal solution for Box Twenty’s flexible and ever-growing business needs: there is a choice of meeting areas, room to accommodate future recruits, and an overall
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MORGAN SINDALL CHALLENGES STATUS QUO Morgan Sindall Group wanted to create a unique environment that inspires creativity, supports collaboration, and above all, creates a destination workplace that lives and breathes its cultural values. The existing office space wasn’t supporting the company’s culture and wellbeing requirements, so a complete re-invention was needed to create an office that truly reflected the brand. The office design is based on the Group’s core values, with a strong focus on collaboration and challenging industry norms. These were embodied into an expertly engineered tree, which branches out across the office. Symbolically, the tree represents Morgan Sindall Group’s decentralised culture, as it branches throughout the office, representing the different industries the company has expanded into. Practically, it connects staff and sets the biophilic tone of the office, while re-defining the paradigm of what a head office can look like. Morgan Sindall Group truly believes that happy and talented staff are the key to its success – and so wanted to create a collaborative environment that encourages staff to think differently. A variety of meeting and collaboration spaces enable true activity-based working. Traditional meeting spaces are fully soundproofed and feature electronic booking systems so staff can
inspiring environment that will help to foster creativity and innovation. Key features include an attractive reception with feature wall, meeting pods, a vibrant colour scheme to match the new branding and Gadget – Box Twenty’s very own office dog!w
see when the space is reserved or available for a quick drop-in. Spaces were designed for pure casual and agile working; with a hot-desking bench encircling one side of the office, flanked by cafe-style seating. Collaboration is further enhanced with seats facing inwards towards the tree – ensuring staff feel connected and part of something bigger. Private spaces were key to efficiently enabling agile working in this smaller floorspace. These booths were specifically designed to provide a retreat from the open plan, somewhere staff could take a call, host a video conference or simply concentrate in private. The floorplate is arranged to provide staff with permanent desks the highest access to natural light, allowing them to work next to the windows – providing not only great views across the West End, but also ensuring they don’t suffer from glare. These traditional workstations are fitted with sit/stand desks, giving staff a greater choice of posture and movement throughout the day. Biophilia was an intrinsic part of the project design. From the timber tree centrepiece, to the handcrafted meeting room tables, the office creates a deep connection with the natural world. Employees feel a sense of serenity and calm in the office – a real retreat from the bustle of Oxford Circus below.w
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Upfront |
WORKPLACE MATTERS – REALLY MATTERS! We’re pretty sure everyone is clear that having a great workspace helps in attracting and retaining staff – but there is no harm is getting even greater confirmation of that. A new study of 1,000 UK office workers by fit-out firm Saracen Interiors has revealed that 41% of office workers say a modern workplace is a key factor when deciding to accept or reject a job offer, with 43% saying they’ve rejected job offers in the past due to employers having uninspiring offices. The study also suggested businesses should consider their workplace design when looking to retain the best talent, with 39% of respondents saying a dull office has been a key reason for leaving a previous position, and 22% saying they would actually take a 10% pay cut to move to a modern space. • 41% say a modern space is a key factor in deciding to accept or reject a job offer. •
66% of office workers are willing to travel further to work in a modern space. • 43% saying they’ve rejected job offers previously due to uninspiring offices. Of the office workers surveyed by Saracen Interiors, 50% said that, while job hunting, they research any potential employers to see what kind of workplace they have before deciding to apply for the role, with 66% saying they would be willing to travel further for a role in a modern workplace. When looking at the salaries of workers surveyed, there appears to be a trend, with 62% of those on more than £60,000 saying a modern office has been a key factor when accepting a job offer, compared to 47% earning £30,001-£60,000, and 40% for those earning less than £30,000. In addition, millennials are also heavily swayed by modern offices, with almost half (48%) saying they have rejected job offers due to lack of a modern workplace. 50% of millennials also said a modern office has been a key reason for them accepting a job offer previously.w
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PROPERTY MARKET MIRRORS FOOTBALL (NEARLY) London and Manchester are the UK’s best performing office markets, according to new data prepared by property agents. The capital city, with office take-up regularly topping 12 million sq ft, is by far the UK’s largest office market. But Manchester, with 2.8 million sq ft of take-up in 2018, is its closest rival. Other UK cities hover below 1 million sq ft, with the exception of Glasgow – which recorded takeup of 1.4 million sq ft in 2018, more than double its usual figure. Office take-up has been growing in Manchester for several years, and the pace is expected to be maintained in 2019. But the pace of growth in Leeds and Birmingham appears to have slowed,
with both cities recording over 1 million sq ft in 2017 but sliding back by around 25% in 2018. However, both Leeds and Birmingham agents point out that even the relatively disappointing 2018 performance was in line with, or above, medium-term trends. The big worry is in London, where coworking giant WeWork has cut back on its take-up and is expected to slow progress further in 2019. Japan’s SoftBank and its Saudi Arabia-backed Vision Fund were in talks to invest a further $10 billion in office space provider WeWork, but have since announced that they are scaling back investment to just $2 billion. Hmmm! For more on this see page 28w
COWORKING – ARE WE AT THE BEGINNING, MIDDLE OR END? Interesting times are afoot in the world of coworking, with most people having a view but few people agreeing where it lies on the product life cycle graph. We at Mix are going to put the subject in the spotlight for our next MixInspired event on 20th March, bringing together a wonderful panel with broad views that are sure to provide some food for thought for our design community audience. Whilst most businesses consider planning for two or three years is acceptable, commercial property leases tend to start with five years – usually more. Therefore it’s no surprise that there has been a significant rise in interest in coworking provision. Although we have seen an explosion in the provision of coworking space, especially in London, we are now starting to see the segmentation of coworking provision with options for all budgets. We are also starting to see the serviced office making a comeback and, perhaps most intriguingly, the interest taken by client occupiers as they plan their next workplace transformation.
Our expert panel of speakers includes Tim Yendell from RBS and Fora’s Katrina Larkin. Tim is Head of Workplace & Design at RBS and leads ‘RBS Choice’, the bank’s workplace programme, which is one of the central enablers for the transformation of RBS, driving workplace culture change through activity based working, financial and property portfolio performance and digital transformation. Katrina is the Co-founder of Fora, the leaders of the workspace revolution (see p72 for the review of the latest Fora location in Borough). Their first space opened in Clerkenwell in January 2017 and they now have five locations – with many more due to open in the next 12 months. MixInspired is open to members of the A&D, D&B and property community. Join us for drinks and nibbles plus some great networking opportunities before our panel explores the subject of just where we are in the coworking lifecycle and what we can expect in the next five years. www.mixinspired.com/events/march-2019.w
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Join Egger at Material Lab egger.com/material-lab EGGER’s decorative collection is now on display at Material Lab. A one stop shop for surfaces, the collection offers a cost effective solution without compromise. Visit the EGGER Specification team and discover EGGER’s wide range of products including laminate, MFC, edging and worktops. Just call in or book an appointment in advance at matlab@egger.com » Find us at Material Lab, Great Titchfield Street, London, W1W 8B
Upfront |
PANEL CRAFT With Mixology19 rapidly approaching, we thought we'd add to the anticipation by unveiling the industry experts who will be responsible for deciding who picks up this year's prestigious awards. Our brilliant panel will be split into two categories – Projects and Products – assuring that each judge is assigned to their particular area of expertise.
PROJECT JUDGES RHONDA CURLISS, GROUP CCO, LINESIGHT Rhonda is a leading provider of professional services and strategic support to the global construction industry. Prior to joining Linesight, her expertise spanned multiple disciplines including property development, construction, engineering and, most recently, architecture, where she held the position of Principal and Managing Director at HLW International. Throughout her career, Rhonda has worked across the globe generating tangible results by creating and evolving brands, and building cultures and environments that recognise people as a business’s greatest asset.
MARK SIMPSON, PRINCIPAL, BDP Mark started his career at BDP in 1985 – and as such celebrates 30 years in the design business this year. In 1993, he co-founded Amalgam, the multi-disciplinary kibbutz, working in retail and commercial interiors, exhibition, product and graphic design. Clients included British brand DAKS, the BBC and Sainsbury’s. Mark moved on to become Director of Interior Design at HKS Architects, winning the 2011 BCO National Award for Best Fit Out of Workplace for the Avon Cosmetics HQ, before returning to BDP in 2011, joining the 50 strong ID team. Clients include AstraZeneca, PwC, Cambridge Assessment, Land Securities, Shaftesbury Estates, Imperial College, Atrium and Poltrona Frau. Mark has judged all 13 Mixology Awards.
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TINA NORDEN, DIRECTOR, CONRAN Tina is an interior designer and architect whose diverse portfolio stretches across many contexts and continents, from hotel and restaurant design to high-end residential. She approaches every project brief by delving into its context and unique history to create timeless spaces that tell a story. Tina is currently working on two new Park Hyatt hotel projects in Jakarta and Auckland, for MNC Land and Fu Wah Group respectively, and has worked on the new IHG hotel brand, QO Amsterdam, and the Andaz Liverpool Street Hotel, London. Tina also led the design for Rüya, two Anatolian restaurants on the Dubai Marina and in London, Mayfair. She has been working with D&D London for over a decade, including leading on the design of the award-winning South Place Hotel in the City of London and German Gymnasium in King’s Cross.
ANDY WARD, CO-OWNER, RAW BROTHERS Andy Ward is one half of the RAW Brothers – experts in connecting brand personality to people and place. Their unrivalled blend of skills across branding and architectural interiors enables them to bring unique overarching vision to clients’ challenges. Andy has over 20 years’ experience in creating workplace strategy, working with leading UK and global brands including British Airways, Invesco and British Film Institute.
RICH WARD, CO-OWNER, RAW BROTHERS Rich Ward is the other half of the RAW Brothers – experts in connecting brand personality to people and place. Their unrivalled blend of skills across branding and architectural interiors enables them to bring unique overarching vision to clients’ challenges. Rich has over 20 years’ experience in creating brand environment strategy, working with leading UK and global brands including Skype, London 2012 and Euro Car Parts.
PRODUCT JUDGES TAHERA HAMMOND, GLOBAL HEAD OF WORKPLACE, INVESTEC ASSET MANAGEMENT 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.
CLARE JOHNSTON, PROFESSOR, ROYAL COLLEGE OF ARTS Clare is a textile designer and colour consultant for fashion and interiors. She is Professor Emeritus of Textiles at the Royal College of Art. Prior to the RCA, Clare was Head of Design at Liberty of London and Senior Designer at Marks and Spencer. Clare works with the Swedish School of Textiles and Hong Kong Design Institute as a visiting academic and advisor. She is a member of the British Textile Colour Group and committee member of TexSelect.
DAVID KOSKY, CO-FOUNDER, WORK.LIFE David is one of the Co-founders of Work.Life – a challenger coworking space based in London, Reading and Manchester. Before setting up Work.Life, he spent seven years in alternative fundraising for a variety of institutions, businesses and start-ups and was involved in investment deals totalling over $1bn. He has expertise in sales, fundraising and strategic growth for early stage businesses.
JIM MEIER, MANAGING DIRECTOR, DAY2 Jim has been a leading figure in the UK furniture industry for over 30 years. He founded Day2 in 2001 with a vision to establish an independent dealership committed to delivering market-leading customer service, and has led the evolution of the business into one of the industry’s most successful and creative organisations. The team’s success was reflected in being awarded the Mixology Furniture Provider of the Year for three consecutive years; 2015, 2016 and 2017.w
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Upfront |
INTERNATIONAL GROWTH London Legacy Development Corporation Planning Policy Decisions Committee has approved plans for a new commercial building at International Quarter London (IQL), the £2.4 billion joint venture development between Lendlease and LCR in Stratford, east London. Designed by architects Arney Fender Katsalidis (AFK), the building will provide 350,000 sq. ft. of new workspace across 22 storeys, with plenty of spill-out spaces for its occupants to work. Termed ‘third spaces’, this collection of additional workplace alternatives includes two sizeable roof terraces across levels 19 and 20, multiple lower level terraces and an active lobby, where the public is also welcomed in. Lendlease’s workplace and commercial development offering is renowned for the importance it places on designing-in health and wellbeing. Wellness and sustainability start before you even arrive at the building. There are great facilities that encourage its occupants to adopt more sustainable modes of travel into work. The aspiration is for Lendlease and LCR to work with AFK and the building’s occupants towards achieving BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ and a ‘Gold’ rating in the WELL building standards. The building design responds to how people want to work, encouraging them to leave their
desks and work in the fresh air, or just prompting them to move around and see more of their colleagues face-to-face. The ground floor retail and first floor leisure space will play a key part in that, aiming to attract people to the building who work at IQL as well as visitors and local residents, creating a diverse mix of people and a buzz of activity on its doorstep. Earle Arney, CEO at Arney Fender Katsalidis, says: ‘We are delighted to be working in collaboration with Lendlease and LCR to create the next addition to IQL. Our design for S4 is inspired by Stratford’s industrial heyday and associated railway architecture, while also respecting the significant buildings by RSHP that already exist on the campus. The new building creates a link
from the site’s heritage while also setting the scene for future buildings that will join this vibrant new quarter. Our design will be a robust and seemingly weathered addition to Stratford, enabling these visual ‘threads’ to connect past and future.’ Around 6,300 employees are now established at IQL with the FCA and Unicef moving their headquarters to the development over the summer. They join TfL who moved to their new building, 5 Endeavour Square, in September 2017. Construction of the third commercial building is in progress, with space already pre-let to Cancer Research UK and the British Council. Together they shall bring around 2,400 further staff to IQL when they move in late 2019 and early 2020 respectively.w
ease of use and simplicity of coordination in mind, Facet is offered in a range of practical greys, pretty aquas, silvers, zesty lime, acid lemon, burnt orange
and inky indigo. Facet has been designed for projects where clients might be constrained by a tighter budget.w
MILLIKEN LAUNCHES MULTI-FACETED COLLECTION Facet is the latest carpet tile collection to come from Milliken’s prolific UK design team. Fine lines converge to create geometric outlines out of which multi-faceted reflections emerge. There are three designs within the collection: Facet, Facet Accents and Facet Transitions. These three designs allow for flexibility, imagination and experimentation in laying out the floor plane. The Facet collection has been created using Milliken’s patented Millitron digital patterning technology. Using Millitron, patterns can be created to randomise across the floor, providing the opportunity for intriguing transition effects as well as suggesting movement and variation. With
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Upfront |
SHOWROOM SHUFFLE It has been 12 months of frenzied activity in Clerkenwell. The eyewatering costs don’t seemed to have dampened the spirit for having a showcase for furniture in the heart of Clerkenwell. Staverton – Soon to be their new showroom on 17-18 Haywards Place we are told from early in April 2019. Paul Edward, Staverton’s Managing Director says: 'We have worked with creative designer Giuseppe Boscherini to help us deliver an engaging space that will provide a full brand experience for all our visitors. Our investment in the new space is significant and reflects our very positive view of the UK office furniture industry over the coming years'.
RIGHT ANGLE BDP has made a strategic investment in Torontobased Quadrangle, one of Canada’s most respected architecture and interior design practices. The partnership will create a platform for continued international growth in key markets and sectors across Canada and North America. John McManus, Chief Executive of BDP, says: ‘Quadrangle supports our strategy to grow operations in the Canadian marketplace and greatly enhances our expertise and resources. The addition of a 200-strong studio in one of North America's largest cities will not only provide exceptional opportunities for our people, it will also enable both BDP and
Humanscale – Moved to their new Showroom on St Johns Street last year. Workstories – Workstories have kept their top floor current location and extended to two additional lower floors on Northburgh Street. We were made welcome at their successful official opening in earlier February. Alea/Luxy - New showroom on Clerkenwell Road. Sedus – Will be taking the showroom opposite BDP in Brewhouse Square. Hitch Mylius - Moving to a permanent showroom at Greenhill Rents (off Cowcross Street). Parkside – The architectural tile people are moving
to a beautiful new showroom on Sekforde Street. Sarah Holey from Parkside told us to expect something quite different from Feix&Merlin designed studio. Cannot wait for the opening. Assmann – To add to their Clerkenwell space, Assmann will be opening a significant showroom in Manchester, which is due to open by the start of May. Look out for other major brands joining the party. Autex – The terrific acoustics people, who made such an impact at our Mix Design Collective last December, have the keys for a new Old Street showroom. Designed by tp bennett, expect an opening in early May.w
Quadrangle to expand our services into new regions. BDP's collective grouping of professions design with a progressive outlook and a sensibility towards the creation of a sustainable and human environment. We are confident that our culture and ethos will be greatly enhanced by the addition of Quadrangle. We are also delighted to welcome four of Quadrangle's Principals to the BDP Group Board.’ Quadrangle Executive Principal, Anna Madeira, adds: ‘We are incredibly excited to join BDP. This partnership infuses our business with greater expertise, services and resources that we can offer to our clients, and it enables us to provide our staff with increased opportunities to work on diverse projects.’w
Above BDP - The Well Toronto
Upfront | Perspective
PERSPECTIVE Trevor Miles is the lead on Smarter Buildings, Real Estate and Facilities Management Consulting at IBM Global Business Services, UK and Ireland. Prior to joining IBM Trevor worked in management consultancy with PwC and as a valuation/investment surveyor at a leading private practice firm of chartered surveyors. Trevor is a longstanding member of the RICS Management Consultancy Executive Board, where he has led projects on change management and shared services.
What is the best thing about your role at IBM? There are several things that come to mind: Great colleagues – I’m privileged to work with some wonderful people, who not only know their stuff but are fun to work with and you can really learn from.
familiar with, for example, the building regulating the temperature, ventilation and providing alerts when a piece of equipment fails. However,
Innovation – IBM is well known for its contribution to advancing technology which currently includes things like development of artificial intelligence (eg. Watson) and other new technologies such as Blockchain and IoT. Invariably, the latest developments of this sort have applications in corporate real estate and the workplace, so we get involved in all of these and more. Clients – getting to know the individuals within the client organisation and helping them to make a leap forward in terms of what they are trying to achieve, using digital technology, is something that really excites me. This includes creating a roadmap of activities to get them from where they are now, to where they want to be, so it is practical as well as innovative.
using data and analytics, we are now able to go beyond this and focus on the experience provided to the user. This could include helping them to navigate and connect with colleagues or find particular features. It can help you by providing easy ways to operate meeting room equipment or book catering via an app or voice control. Behind the scenes, a cognitive building will be examining large quantities of data to predict, for example, when an air handling unit or chiller will fail, and can call an engineer to fix it before the problem manifests. It can also help manage the soft services by identifying areas that have had the most traffic and are likely to need cleaning, as well as other spaces that have not been used and guide the cleaning team accordingly. So this is what I mean about the building being self-aware, and therefore a cognitive building.
For the uninitiated, what is a Smart Building? Nowadays we tend to talk about cognitive buildings, as this brings in the sense that a building can be aware of what is going on and can make decisions on its own about how to respond to different situations. There are various aspects to this. Many we are already quite
For your clients, what is usually the main objective they are trying to achieve (eg. efficiency, cost reduction, environmental sustainability, performance improvement, organisation transformation or post-merger integration)? Clearly it can be any of these, but it is usually about efficiency and performance
improvement, with costs being one measure of that. Technology can normally play a significant part in this, but it’s not the whole story. As an example, we do a lot of work for FM companies. They are trying to become more efficient and to improve their financial performance, sometimes simply to survive. We can help this by implementing better technology or helping them get more value from existing tech, but typically my role is to stand back and look at the wider picture, to work out all of the other changes that are needed to support that, so that the overall project is a success. Normally lots of other changes are needed that impact on processes, as well as peoples’ job roles and responsibilities, and they may need to be trained in new skills and ways of working as a result. Often it goes further still, as they in turn have supply chain partners and subcontractors who also need to adjust. Looking back five years, how has the workplace changed and does it ‘feel’ different today? In 2014 there was a bigger emphasis on space use efficiency and less thought given to the occupant experience. Now we see occupant experience as one of the major drivers for projects. Clients have realised that wellness and employee engagement are important for productivity. So they want to provide more fun and stimulating workplaces for their staff.
This does feel very different from 2014 and I think it is a welcome change in emphasis. Is there a new fad, buzzword or trend starting to surface in your world? Agile project management thinking has become much more important – the idea that the workplace and the technology in it will continually evolve, rather than being static. In our technology projects, ‘agile’ has brought a great sense of energy and innovation in the way that we tackle programmes of work in small teams. Agile is very outcome driven and has far shorter cycle times so clients can see results much more rapidly and learn from them quickly, making changes where necessary. This is much more in tune with the rapidly changing world that we live in. I think this type of approach is helpful in thinking about the ongoing evolution of our workplaces and helps us to see that we can continually refine them, based on changing needs and learning from earlier changes. Who is the most inspirational person you have worked with? It’s hard to pick-out one, but my mind goes to Peter Vernon, who was my boss for a number of years at PwC and IBM. He taught me to approach problems in a very systematic fashion, to think big when necessary and to build positive relationships at all levels to get things done.w
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Upfront | Seven
SEVEN
Best Classic Design Duos With February being Valentine’s month, our thoughts turn to coupling up – but not as you might expect. They say that two heads are better than one, and in the worlds of art and design we’re inclined to agree. Like salt and pepper, rhubarb and custard, and pie and mash, collaboration can cook up perfect results. With this in mind, we asked Becky Pole, designer at leading flooring manufacturer, Tarkett, to compile the seven top creative design duos of all time.
3 1. Ray & Charles Eames Arguably the most iconic duo in the world of design, Bernice Alexandra ‘Ray’ Kaiser and Charles Ormond Eames’ work has provided the inspiration for many of the modern furniture pieces we know and love today. From the Eames Lounge Chair to the Chaise, and the extensive list of high-profile architecture projects in between, the trailblazing pair pushed every boundary to inform the future of the interiors industry. 2. Gilbert & George Gilbert Prousch and George Passmore are pioneers in performance art. Over the course of a career spanning 50-years, they have lived and worked together in the East End of London as a single artist. After meeting as students at Saint Martin’s School of Art in 1967, they have been the recipients of awards – most notably the Turner Prize in 1986 – and their work has been featured in a multitude of exhibitions – continuing to shock and astound audiences the world over.
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4 6 3. Sagmeister & Walsh Designed by Lucian R Ercolani and groundbreaking when first launched in 1958, the chair has distinctive curved bent plies reminiscent of the profile of a butterfly’s wings. The butterfly chair is one of Ercol’s most iconic designs 4. Kate Franklin & Caroline Till aka FranklinTill Kate Franklin and Caroline Till are the founders of FranklinTill – a futures research agency that works with global brands and organisations to explore and implement design, material and colour innovation. Their clients range from lifestyle brands to creative businesses, and through expert consultancy, innovative ideas are conjured up to truly provide cultural cut-through – whether through exhibitions, events or editorial. 5. Alexander Groves & Azusa Murakami aka Studio Swine The creatives behind art collective, Studio Swine, are Alexander Groves and Azusa Murakami. Teaming up in 2011, the couples’ work crosses sculpture, installation and cinema,
7 blending ‘poetry and research into immersive experiences’. Taking a unique approach to each project, the studio draws on cultural, historic and economic influences to form rich narratives. 6. Craig & Karl Craig Redman and Karl Maier are illustrators who may work in separate time zones – New York and London – but produce a single, collaborative output that is hailed for its bold, eye-catching style. With global clients including Google, Nike and Apple, and exhibitions of their work featured around the world, Craig & Karl’s colourful creativity succeeds in instilling joy in each and every onlooker. 7. Viktor & Rolf Specialising in avant-garde concepts, the iconic Viktor & Rolf fashion house was founded in 1993 by Dutch designers Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren. Aiming to challenge the traditional preconceptions associated with the fashion industry, Viktor & Rolf beautifully bridged the gap between couture and art, in fine, theatrical style.
Upfront |
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Mix 186 July 2018 | 21
This is where your story begins OUR NEW SHOWROOM IS NOW OPEN! — Workstories curates beautiful, affordable and quality commercial furniture from a global community. We love great design - but we love what it can facilitate more. We’re a team of passionate people dedicated to help you create with your customers a unique space to shape their own stories... Pop in and check out our new home in Clerkenwell! 13 Northburgh Street, London EC1V 0JP workstories.com
Upfront |
CULTURE CLUB Never one to over stretch himself, Steve Gale compares regional differences in work, life and the universe
Cultures lay down unspoken rules about acceptable behaviour, and they frequently carry more weight than professional aptitude
Steve Gale is Head of Business Intelligence at M Moser Associates. SteveG@mmoser.com
I
t’s a running joke in every part of the world. People from other places, usually nearby, are allocated silly but recognisable characteristics, and we dine out on rubbing it in. Absurd tropes survive the decades; English people like queuing and apologising, Welsh people break into song, Scots argue about the bill, Germans love detail, French burn tyres and throw cobble stones at the drop of a hat. Where do these generalisations come from, and is there a scrap of truth? I went to business school during the last recession to find an alternative to mainstream architecture (and failed), but took away two big things. One was financial engineering, which is to be expected, and the other surprising little nugget was about culture – both national and corporate. This second one turned out to be very useful to me. I am no financial engineer. The thing about culture is business owners and CEOs say it is valuable beyond measure. All corporate leaders that I have spoken to either say it is the life-blood of their organisation to be treasured above all else or, less often, it’s become an albatross that they cannot shake off or change. Either way, it is huge and never taken lightly. So now, when culture is mentioned, I take it seriously and want to hear more. I am a permanent student of the silent language of culture, looking for intuition behind the words. What happens when people describe their business? They speak through a filter of their culture, and then we filter it through our own prejudice. It is the kid’s game of Chinese whispers with high stakes. In Paris I ask French managers about their requirements while their new American owners listen. To say that the visiting Americans were bewildered by the legal necessity to consult with the unions about proposed plans would be an understatement of epic proportions. To them it threatened the fundaments of corporate decision making, and wastes time. For the French employees this was simply being fair, and was their voice in their working life. In India they respect hierarchy. People tend to avoid questioning those of superior rank, which can lead to some dead ends, but can also clear
logjams when instructions are issued from upstairs. But an open discussion is not the way, the cocktail of respect, laced with a bit of traditional, fear will douse any pesky time wasting challenges to authority. Rank will often suppress professional opinions. In Beirut I learnt that an agreed plan could be abandoned and another put in place with no consultation. People on the ground know best. A meeting is cancelled because we are driving 40 miles to meet a supplier for lunch instead – maybe we talk contracts tomorrow. Maybe. Ad hoc proposals are taken up with a vigour that feels downright unprofessional to more straightlaced players. But only a fool would question the Lebanese effectiveness at getting things done. Diplomacy is their natural constituency. On the subject of time, it takes a few hard knocks for westerners to accept that an appointment in an Arabic region is often more of a suggestion than a pact. Power relationships are not just implied but regularly exercised. Many flights and hotel bills have been sacrificed on the altar of middle eastern indifference to time. That is not how it happens in Germany. Social manners are another shark pool for business relationships. Take the automatic reflexes of conversation. In Italy it is not just okay to talk over someone, but a signal of active engagement and affinity. In Scandinavia anything less than a three second gap between utterances can come across as boorish or aggressive. In Japan active listening is an art form that requires tomcat growling of approval and interest while you listen and digest – polite silence signals indifference. Maybe the biggest gap between Anglo-Saxon ways and Latin culture is the status of personal relationships. Us Brits would not expect to visit a local authority to shake hands with everyone before lodging a planning application. But in France I found that nothing happened until I had done exactly that. Back in Blighty that would smack of corruption. I am scratching the surface, but cultures lay down unspoken rules about acceptable behaviour, and they frequently carry more weight than professional aptitude. Merit can come a poor second in this parallel universe. Watch and learn.w
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Upfront | Material Matters
MATERIAL
MATTERS
In this month’s Material Matters, the team of experts at Material Lab explore key design trends for 2019. www.material-lab.co.uk
Philipp Hainke The project Organico utilises traditional and renewable resources for the development of a new, innovative material. An adhesive, composed of calcium hydroxide and casein, is used to press hemp fibres into solid forms. Through extensive research, the optimal composition and structure was developed; a sandwich material with a cover of hemp fibre and a core of hemp hurds that is simultaneously stable and light. www.philipphainke.de
Tektura Urban Leaf by Tektura continues the trend of injecting biophilic design and natural hues into interiors. A stunning silhouette leaf print on rough-hewn texture creates a tactile surface that is perfectly suited for residential and commercial environments alike. www.tektura.com
Johnson Tiles Savoy Wall is a stylish range of ceramic wall tiles designed with a subtle surface effect, contemporary colour palette and textured featured tiles. Savoy Wall is available in 15 on-trend colours and two slim format sizes, along with a selection of co-ordinating fittings – all of which are available in a stunning gloss finish. Each tonal colour within the range combines perfectly, allowing for endless creative possibilities within any interior space. www.johnson-tiles.com
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The Copper Collection The Copper Collection offers a unique fabric made from pure copper metal thread combined with polyester or silk. The fabric combines the sheen of pure copper metal thread with the softness of polyester or silk. Born from production techniques developed specifically for the Copper Collection, the innovative fabric can be applied as wallcoverings, upholstery, cushions, and interior design projects. www.thecoppercollection.co.uk
Inspired by designs from the past. Designed for interiors today.
Introducing our new Heritage Collection featuring a range of four designs inspired by the tiled floors of grand Victorian and Regency villas and townhouses. From striking monochrome designs to beautifully blended traditional patterns, this new range features a 0.5mm wear layer, micro-bevelled edges and a choice of 12 colour variants.
T: 01386 820104 karndean.com/heritage2019
Featured floor: Lansdown LANS-03 and Prairie Oak SM-RL20
Upfront | Desert Island Desks
DESERT ISLAND DESKS
GLASSES
A JENSEN INTERCEPTOR
A BASKET
I can’t see a thing without them and have numerous pairs of essentially the same glasses from Cutler and Gross, which I allocate to most rooms in the house and the studio because I leave and lose them with tedious frequency. In an attempt not to have to buy more, I am thinking of investing in a gold chain, a la Larry Grayson…. which would be fine, of course, on my own, on an island, with no one else to pass judgment.
Hand built in West Bromwich and designed in Italy by Carrozzeria Touring. I am lucky enough to own a rather tired one. I could sleep in it at night and see the stars through that great big rear window.
I am a basket addict and collect them wherever I go. This one came from Vietnam and is used normally for taking chickens to market...they cut a hole in the side of the basket for the poor thing’s head to poke out. It would come in handy for all that foraging.
MY JAM
CIGARETTES AND INSTANT COFFEE
CRIME AND PUNISHMENT If I don’t read it now, there is no hope.
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I make loads of jam – and the best is cherry and raspberry. I have become rather fond of a soft set, and sticky fingers will be the order of the day.
A morning would be unimaginable without an over-milked coffee and a low tar.
Tel 01925 850500 Email info@sixteen3.co.uk
Mark Gabbertas, Designer, Gabbertas Studio
Mark is a leading British product designer. His philosophy is to create character through simplicity. 'This approach helps guide the design of products to have a lasting aesthetic,' he says. 'The design of an object is influenced by an appreciation of the commercial realities that surround it.' Mark has worked with the likes of Allermuir, Boss, Chorus, Gloster and Nomique.
A SOFA A shameless plug, but the Oran sofa is a cracker for putting your feet up after a hard day doing nothing.
TRACKS FOR THE DESERT ISLAND JUKEBOX: 1. Motel 77 – Clash EP. This is on repeat in the studio at the moment. And no one would be able to see me dancing badly to it. 2. Nina Simone – Who Knows Where The Time Goes. Obviously. 3. David Bowie with Pet Shop Boys – Hallo Spaceboy. Pet Shop Boys extended Mix. Something to chop wood to perhaps. 4. Midlake – Am I Going Insane. Just in case I am, which I will. 5. Tindersticks – City Sickness. To remind me of what I have left behind. 6. The Weather Girls – It’s Raining Men. The rather famous and unattainable Daisy Jenks put mine and my husband Hector’s wedding footage to this. It’s a giggle.
London Showroom The Gallery, 21-22 Great Sutton St. EC1V 0DY / Manufacture/Showroom Chesford Grange, Warrington, Cheshire, WA1 4RQ
www.sixteen3.co.uk
Upfront | Property Matters | Pipeline
COUNTING ON SUCCESS Property is basically a numbers business: whether its square feet or pounds sterling or yield percentages, its all numbers. Which is why the annual publication of big city office take-up figures gets the property industry so excited. David Thame does the maths.
W
ith most of the big cities now reporting their 2018 take-up figures, what do these particular numbers tell us? The answer is that some cities (Manchester, Glasgow) are clearly riding a wave, but for others (Leeds, Birmingham) things can only get better after 2018 turned out to be a big disappointment. And in London? In London, everyone is holding their breath as the tide begins to turn on coworking. So let’s begin our journey through the UK’s workplace markets in Glasgow. Glasgow’s office occupier market has just posted its most active year since records began, with 1.43 million sq ft of city centre space leased in 2018, according to figures from JLL. This is more than double the 627,000 sq ft recorded in 2017. Significantly, the 2017 figure felt fairly good at the time since it was more or less equal to the longterm (meaning 10-year) average take-up.
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Last year’s success will be difficult to replicate over the next 12 months given the unique circumstances which led to this record breaking year
Why the sudden surge? A cluster of big finance sector deals are responsible. These included Barclays 470,000 sq ft purchase at Buchanan Wharf, a major pre-let of 187,000 sq ft to HMRC at Atlantic Square and Clydesdale Bank’s 110,955 sq ft pre-let at 177 Bothwell Street.
It was an amazing year of pre-lets, and it is unlikely to be repeated, not least because of the lack of the kind of new in-progress office development that tends to inspire big pre-let deals. Alistair Reid, Director at JLL in Glasgow, explains: ‘Last year’s success will be difficult to replicate over the next 12 months given the unique circumstances which led to this record breaking year, he tells us. 'But even if the major pre-let deals,' such as Barclays and HMRC, are removed from the figures, 2018’s year-end total is still ahead of the five year average.’ Manchester’s story is the easiest to tell, and this year’s record city centre take-up of 1.7 million sq ft the most significant in the UK regions. That is because Manchester is now pulling away fast from the pack of 10 leading regional cities. The total office take-up in the city, including the city centre and the suburban and city-fringe office
Upfront |
ABOVE: 177 Bothwell Street
markets, is 2.8 million sq ft, putting Manchester in a special category of its own, a long way behind London’s 13 million sq ft, but some way ahead of the other regional cities. The Manchester Office Agents Forum say the 2017 figure is nearly 70% up on 2017, and beats even the previous high (of 1.3m sq ft in 2014). It is the fifth successive year the city has scored takeup over 1 million sq ft, suggesting a real change has taken place. Sizeable transactions included Amazon taking 89,500 sq ft, WeWork taking another 76,174 sq ft (their third Manchester base), HMRC taking a pre-let of 157,000 sq ft at 3 New Bailey Street and Booking.com announcing their new 225,000 sq ft base at Allied London’s Manchester Good’s Yard. MOAF expect the pace of deal-making to continue into 2019 with some big requirements still unsatisfied. Harry Skinner, Associate Director at Avison Young, says: ‘The performance of the market in 2018 clearly demonstrates that, despite the backdrop of political uncertainty, Manchester is going from strength to strength. Proactive landlords and developers who have been willing to invest in buildings to provide a quality product have achieved success.’
Mix 186 July 2018 | 29
Upfront | Property Matters | Pipeline
GLASGOW
It is a measure of the city’s success that the south Manchester business park market saw take-up of 790,000 sq ft in 2018, meaning that, on its own, it is larger than the entire Birmingham office market. Indeed, you could add Leeds and Birmingham and Glasgow together, and it would still come to less than Manchester. All of which is a bit of a disappointment for Birmingham and Leeds. Both saw take-up rise to just over 1 million sq ft in 2017, only to see it drop back sharply in 2018. Birmingham ended the year with 754,000 sq ft of office deals, 25% down on 2017 but roughly in line with the near-term average, which has ranged from 692,000 sq ft (in 2016) to 970,000 sq ft (in 2017).
The performance of the market in 2018 clearly demonstrates that, despite the backdrop of political uncertainty, Manchester is going from
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strength to strength
‘Office enquiries remain encouraging across a number of sectors moving into 2019. With scarcity of current grade A office supply, the delivery of the next generation of new build developments completing at Three Snowhill and Chamberlain Square, Paradise later this year will be well received,’ says Birmingham Office Market Forum (and JLL Partner) Jonathan Carmalt. Further north in Leeds, take-up tumbled from 1 million sq ft to 663,000 sq ft. However, the spin from the Leeds Office Agents’ Forum suggested what appeared to be a bad year was in fact a fairly good one. The figure was just a shade down on the five-year average of 667,081 sq ft and 18% above the 10-year average of 560,932 sq ft. Out of town, the figures were somewhat brighter, with take-up of 399,582 sq ft, a 24% increase on the previous year. Carter Jonas Associate Chris Hartness says: ‘2017 was an exceptional year for office take-up, which saw over one million sq ft transacted. If you take out the largest letting from that year’s total – 378,000 sq ft – 2018 was every bit as good, in terms of occupier activity.’
BIRMINGHAM
LONDON
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And finally, what of London? Take-up in London is remarkably healthy. According to CBRE, 2018 ended on a flourish with a Q4 take-up total of 3.9 million sq ft, an increase on Q3 of 13% (and to put this is context, that means London transacted in one quarter as much as the other four cities managed over the entire year). The availability of office space nudged up a little, to 2%, a sign that the market might be softening. But perhaps the most significant number in the London market comes not in the global take-up calculations, but in the requirements of one single occupier: WeWork. The coworking giant has
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been super-aggressive about the acquisition of London office space. This time last year, coworking was the big story, with Cushman & Wakefield reporting that, in 2017, central London saw 2.5 million sq ft leased to flexible workspace providers – a 190% increase on 2016. But 2018 turned out to be rather different: according to JLL, it halved its take-up from 1.2 million sq ft to just over 651,000 sq ft. Is this a sign that one of the major props underpinning the London office market is about to crumble? As we await the Q1 2019 data, due at the end of March, nobody really knows.w
0800 651 0001 | rigg.uk
Upfront | Property Matters | C-Suite
THE SCIENCE OF WORKSPACE 2019 will be the year UK office spaces get scientific. Not in the sense that designers get clever about particulate and chemical pollution (although they will) or because of Internet-ofThings linked mechanical and electrical systems (although they will). No, offices will get scientific in the sense that science will get done inside them. David Thame explores.
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ABOVE: Glasshouse at Alderley Park BELOW: Phil Kemp, Managing Director Bruntwood SciTech
U
ntil now it is the tech sector that has lead the way in the transition from boring old cellular office floorspace into super-cool light-touch hipster-enabled work hubs. But in the coming year hard science will make its breakthrough in many more of the UK’s city centre and city fringe office markets, and when it does a new venture backed by Legal & General will be there to take the lead. Bruntwood SciTech was formed last year after a £360 million funding deal between Manchesterbased landlord Bruntwood and Legal & General Capital. Nationwide, the new science and technology development platform, will grow Bruntwood’s portfolio from around 1.3 million sq ft today to 6.2 million sq ft in the next 10 years. The deal, which will create a £1.8 billion portfolio and represents the largest investment made in science and technology property assets in Europe, will pay particular dividends for Bruntwood’s home town. Now, according to SciTech Chief Executive Phil Kemp, they are planning to use Birmingham as a springboard for a nationwide expansion. Significantly, it is an expansion in which they currently have no UK rivals.
Some US operators, already practised in the sector, are known to be watching the UK but have so far sat on their hands. Until they move, Bruntwood is in command – and enjoying a first-mover advantage could be a massive plus in what everyone expects to be a rapidly-expanding market for city centre science space. ‘In the first instance we want to be in the cities where we already have a base – so Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds and Liverpool. But anywhere where there is a strong research university is of interest to us,’ Phil says. ‘L&G Capital’s ambitions extend across the UK. It’s not going to happen immediately but, over time and through our partnership, we will look as far north as Edinburgh and Glasgow and as far south as Bristol. L&G Capital are already active in Newcastle with Newcastle Helix.’
It’s not going to happen immediately but, over time and through our partnership, we will look as far north as Edinburgh and Glasgow and as far south as Bristol
Phil said it is early days outside the Bruntwood heartlands of Birmingham and Manchester, but exploratory work is already underway. Bruntwood is likely to follow into areas where either it, or its partners, already have strong interests. L&G’s three investment areas are housing as a whole, infrastructure, including green energy, and SME finance, with a strong focus on modular housing, which it is exploring in the same university-town markets. These are exactly the interests and locations that produce synergies with the SciTech property offer, Phil says. ‘We would be looking to have conversations in these cities – and actually L&G Capital may already be doing so. Its commitment and focus is broader than science and technology so they are in a wider dialogue. L&G Capital is involved with affordable housing and one of its partnerships is focused on modular housing in Leeds. It comes back to why it is the right partner for Bruntwood as a group because it cares about regeneration issues in our cities – and doing something about it.’ This will mean taking lessons learned in Manchester and applying them first in Birmingham, and then elsewhere. ‘It is the partnership approach in Manchester that we are looking to replicate – working with
ABOVE: Alderley Park, Cheshire
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Upfront | Property Matters | C-Suite
It is the partnership approach in Manchester that we are looking to replicate – working with city councils, universities and NHS hospital trusts in other cities/locations
TOP DOWN: Circle Square Manchester. Innovation Birmingham Campus. Manchester Tech Incubator
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city councils, universities and NHS hospital trusts in other cities/locations,’ he continues. ‘What we are doing with Bruntwood SciTech is taking what we have learned over the last 15 years in Manchester – which started with the initial purchase of Manchester Technology Centre. In terms of our history, that was the start. So what we have learned in Manchester in terms of our partnership with the city council, the two universities and the NHS hospital trust, we aim to replicate with a similar partnership approach in other cities.’ Phil is a big hitter with a strong background in the customer services end of the spectrum of business skills. He was formerly with serviced office giant Regus as Managing Director, Formats, and before that held a number of senior roles in the services, device and infrastructure divisions of Nokia, including being VP of the services business in China from 2010-2012. Birmingham will be the first big test of SciTech. Phil faces the complexities of melding the city council, the health service and several universities into a single team capable of delivering a new knowledge corridor. They also have the trickier problem of winning control of the relevant sites. Last year they acquired the 80,000 sq ft Birmingham Innovation Campus from Birmingham City Council. The move opens the way to another 90,000 sq ft of development. Now they are talking about acquiring the 9.9 acre Life Sciences Campus site in Selly Oak in a deal with
Birmingham University. The site is expected to see 580,000 sq ft of new science-led floorspace. ‘We plan to work with our partners and neighbours, Aston University and Birmingham City University, to develop the Knowledge Quarter together. 'There is a strong link with us providing facilities to support start-ups and spin-outs and for corporates or SMEs based at Innovation Birmingham who want to attract talent from the universities,’ says Phil. Similar moves are afoot in Leeds. ‘In Leeds the Innovation District comes very close to our Platform building and the fact that we secured DCMS funding for the Tech Hub on the bottom three floors of Platform, it made sense – let’s use Platform as a bridgehead back into the Innovation District, and help us with our relationship with the city council, the university, and the NHS in Leeds,’ Phil explains. Meanwhile, they intend to continue expansion in Manchester. ‘We’ve got as much growth planned here in Manchester in science and technology as we have in the other cities,’ Phil confirms. ‘We have a strategic plan for the ongoing development of Manchester Science Park, Citylabs, and Circle Square; we will be adding significantly to these campus locations over the coming years.’ Science has always been seen as a niche in the property market: sterile, wipe-down white box spaces inhabited by lab-coated experts. Not any more.w
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Spotlight | Dealer Report
SPOTLIGHT THE FURNITURE SPECIALISTS
THE ALPHA GROUP
THE BIG QUESTION 39 What is the strangest thing you have come across in a workplace?
SPOTLIGHT: THE DE ALER REPORT 4 0 Mix 191 February 2019 | 37
This is Positive Sound Tessellate Class A acoustic panels in 7 shapes, 4 fabrics and 133 colours.
20 Old Street Clerkenwell EC1V 9AB www.oceedesign.com @OceeDesign
Q
Spotlight | The Big Question
THE BIG
UESTION
Wh a t i s t h e st ra n g e st t h i n g yo u h a v e co m e a c ro ss i n a w o rk p l a c e?
ANGELA BARDINO, HEAD OF INTERIOR DESIGN, GRIMSHAW
STEVE TAYLOR, PROJECT DIRECTOR, PELDON ROSE
MARIA CHEUNG, HEAD OF INTERIOR DESIGN, SQUIRE AND PARTNERS
I was once asked to work an entire space for a client around a very large rice cooker. It was about 3ft tall. I could never find an explanation for why the whole of the kitchen space was designed around this rice cooker – it was really bizarre!
The weirdest thing I’ve seen in an office was, while working with a major investment bank, the owner – who was a wonderfully eccentric individual – had a cupboard full of voice changing Star Wars character masks. Apparently, he made sure that every new member of staff would wear one of these for at least half a day!
When we moved into our own office – The Department Store in Brixton – we found a stuffed duck whilst we were trying to set everything up and put the furniture into place. We had no idea where it had come from. Eventually, our boss in and said, 'Oh, I bought it. We were talking about 'Upstairs Downstairs' – because there is an upstairs bar and a downstairs facility – the whole goosey goosey gander thing'!
JOHN AVERY, DIRECTOR, LOM
TRINA MARSHALL, PRINCIPAL, HOK
JON RACE, MD, MCM
Last year I discovered a stash of valuable and (I think) quite historically important 19th century oil paintings in a disused executive shower. I won’t tell you where these were, but it was certainly quite a discovery – one of them was Umbrella editorial banner Mix Interiors February 2019.pdf 1 28/01/2019 8ft tall!
I was going to say that almost anything goes nowadays – so very little strikes me as odd. On a personal level though, while working with a large global technology client, I became aware that, after lunch, everybody would go and sleep 13:35:17 under their desk. They had all bought in their own pillows and duvets. This was routine – and here in the UK!
Umbrella editorial banner Mix Interiors January 2019.pdf 1 11/12/2018 19:36:00
One that really comes to mind was on one of our projects abroad, where smoking in the office is still permitted. This very high-flying senior exec – who was a heavy smoker – had an anteroom to his palatial executive suite, where he could shower and sleep etc, and in there was a treadmill complete with a customised ashtray!
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Spotlight | Exclusive
Inside Edge Here’s some exciting dealer news get the new year going. Last month, UK furniture dealer By Bailey announced joining forces with leading US-based dealer Insidesource to create a first of its kind global firm. The merger grew out of an opportunity to provide product and service continuity to clients with presence in both North America and Europe markets.
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LEFT Mark Bailey, Founder, By Bailey RIGHT Dave Denny, President, Insidesource BELOW Lisa Giordano, General Manager of Insidesource New York Office
T
he By Bailey studio was founded in 2015 by industry veteran, Mark Bailey, who saw a niche to provide higher quality solutions for private offices and meeting rooms. Insidesource, located in the heart of Silicon Valley, was established by Dave Denny to offer high-quality refurbished and used furniture in the 1991 economic downturn. Today, the company is one of the largest Allsteel (HNI) dealers and service providers in North America with East and West Coast offices in San Francisco, San Carlos, San Jose, Seattle, Connecticut and New York. So just how did the partnership come about? ‘It developed out of a need to provide a large, US-based advertising firm our services in London,’ Lisa A. Giordano, General Manager of the Insidesource New York Office, recalls. ‘We initially serviced a 100,000 sq ft floorplate for this particular client in New York. Because the CEO was so happy with our work, we were asked to handle their London expansion. With the opportunity to figure out how we would deliver the same seamless experience across the pond, I came to London and talked to a number of manufacturing partners who, as it turned out, all wanted control of the project and of our client. From experience, I knew that only a creative, hands-on approach would work. ‘As fate would have it, a referral from one of our US suppliers landed me at breakfast with Mark Bailey on my last day in London. Learning that Mark was part of the HNI family as the sole UK agent for Gunlocke
From experience, I knew that only a creative, hands-on approach would work
brought a natural synergy to the conversation. We talked at length and mapped out how we could partner cohesively. Essentially, the plan was to have Insidesource continue to manage the project and have By Bailey act as the feet on the ground for us in London.’ Mark, who guided Bene UK to success in the late nineties, with typical honesty, adds. ‘We very quickly realised how demanding the American client is from a facilities management perspective – it’s a land built on service! We could have started with an easier, smaller project – but this gave us the momentum to move things forward together.’ As time went on, opportunities organically materialized for both dealers to expand geographically and provide even higher service levels to American companies. It was essential that other Insidesource customers, like Pinterest, Pure Storage, GoPro have an advocate on the ground in Europe. It was not long before Insidesource and By Bailey realized they had both the experience and the program in place to take the successful project model and replicate it for other clients. Of the merger, Mark says, ‘Bringing these two businesses together represents something that is completely unique in the industry. It is unprecedented. My experience with European products, local currency, electrical codes, VAT and industry contacts ensures US-based companies have an advocate in Europe. It’s a dynamic approach that I think will allow business to flow both ways.’ This new model not only allows the newly-merged organization to offer a cohesive global service, it also allows the traditionally tech-based Insidesource
Bringing these two businesses together represents something that is completely unique in the industry. It is unprecedented
to diversify into other sectors. ‘Being in the heart of Silicon Valley and in Seattle too, tech has always been at the heart of what we do,’ Dave tells us. ‘This certainly allows us to move into other sectors as well as support tech companies in even more ways through their own rapid diversification. On the whole, it’s interesting and exciting. Business has traditionally been really localized. You don’t see a lot of people talk about being in multiple cities and in Europe. It can be difficult to take specific market success and repeat it somewhere else – it really needs an entrepreneurial spirit behind it. I believe we’ve got that. What’s really surprised me is how quickly our clients have embraced this concept – but they are global, so they get it. They trust us because they can see that we have the right people on the ground and are able to deliver.’ With projects in multiple business segments already completed in Europe, Asia and the Emirates, the concept has turned into a flourishing reality. Watch this space!w
Mix 191 February 2019 | 41
Spotlight | Dealer Report
THE DEALER REPORT For our annual look at the UK dealer market, we have once again handpicked a selection of the finest purveyors of furniture – asking them a range of questions, from personal successes through to Brexit.
Brookfield
ikon Furniture The Boss: Kevin Rawcliffe Geographical coverage: National & International. HQ: Manchester. Main brands you work with: Techo. Is the competitive nature of the market: more, less or about the same as ten years ago? As we are five years young, we are finding the market variable. We have clients who wish to invest in the right quality and aesthetics and then we have other clients who simply require a basic cost-effective solution – so two spectrums. Is the coworking trend positive? Coworking is positive to our business, however we are still finding that clients require identity within the environment; this gives the user a feeling of belonging. Is the recent growth expected to continue? Of course we all expect to grow and this will continue. However it is controlled and planned, I feel that there is a move for many clients to select an individual furniture company like ourselves and an independent fit-out company, thus having a more transparent offering.
Hunters Contracts The Boss: Gary Thomas Respondent: Stef Brennan Geographical region covered: We cover the UK and Europe and have recently completed projects in the UAE and Hong Kong. Which brands to you mainly work with? Knoll, Senator, Brunner, Humanscale, Orangebox, Vitra, Boss, Connection, Bisley, Interstuhl. Where is your HQ and other locations if relevant? Operations and Logistics – Dagenham Dock, affectionately known as ‘East Docklands’. London Studio – 46-47 Britton Street, Clerkenwell. Is the coworking trend positive for your business and if so, why? The coworking trend is positive for our business because it gives us opportunities to demonstrate our capabilities at finding cutting-edge furniture solutions for our clients. We aim to offer a
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fresh approach for every project, creating inspiring areas and maximising productivity, whilst promoting excellent wellbeing for their employees. The last five years has seen continual growth, do you expect it to continue? Ask me after March 29th! What is your biggest challenge as a business and why? Each and every client is different and every building is different too – so this requires that we adapt to every project. Our culture is the glue that holds our company together as we continually react and adapt to market innovations to embrace the biggest challenge our company, and industry, faces continual change! Name an emerging furniture brand that has impressed over the past 12 months? JDD – the UK furniture brand – has impressed us with their fantastic evolution of third space products.
Bespoke booths
Heatons Office Interiors The Boss: David Fielding Respondent: Mark Pearson, Business Development Manager Main brands you work with: We choose to not be specific anymore regarding suppliers. HQ and other locations: Our HQ is in Birkenhead, with other offices in Penrith and Congleton. Is the competitive nature of the market: more, less or about the same as 10 years ago? The
Spotlight | Dealer Report
THE LAST FIVE YEARS HAS SEEN CONTINUAL GROWTH, DO YOU EXPECT IT TO CONTINUE? The last five years have seen strong growth both at Day2 and in the market. Given the political instability at home and economic cooling further afield, we expect to see this plateau in 2019, and maybe fall back a little in 2020. We will of course keep pushing forwards! Guy Walsh, Day2 We are not seeing any slowdown in new enquiries, so it will come down to the quality of our tender submissions to ensure that our growth is maintained. We have invested heavily in personnel over the last year to maintain the standard of our project delivery. Our growth was rewarded last year as we were named ‘Furniture Provider of the Year’ at the 2018 Mixology North Awards. Mark Naisbitt, Ultimate (Commercial Interiors) Notwithstanding a crisis event (such as Brexit!) our opinion is that the broad market may plateau or contract slightly. Certain market sectors will continue
to present business opportunities, such as public and private sector de-centralisation from London, tech and global corporations expanding their European operations. Paul Hughes, Tsunami Axis
With so much uncertainty around and matters out of our control, we continue to be positive. We fully expect that growth will continue and accelerate. The market is buoyant and full of good people doing great things. Ben Jones, Source Development
Potentially yes, (ignoring the obvious no deal impact), the trend was or is still going in the right direction. The types of furnishings and increased frequency of refurbishment is helping this greatly. Additionally, clients are prepared to invest more when they can see direct benefits for their people and business. Paul Glaister, Workpattern
I would expect the growth to continue despite the current political challenges. Advances in technology continue to change the way in which we work and, as such, drive a more regular change to the physical office space. Providing the UK remains an attractive prospect for international businesses, there is no reason to believe that the market won’t continue to benefit from an ever increasing appetite to support employees with improved workspaces. While the residential market seems to be a little slow, the commercial property market is still showing a positive trend. We have certainly noticed growth within London, up north in Manchester and as far as Scotland. Jordan Fredericks, Saracen Interiors
Of course there is some uncertainty of the influence Brexit will have, but right now we feel well placed to prosper. In 2018 we delivered twice as many projects as the year before and we have a healthy pipeline of work planned for 2019, with lots of returning customers. We’re excited to see what this year brings. Mike McKeown, Tribe Furniture
market is obviously more competitive, especially with more dealerships opening offices across the UK, rather than just their ‘home’ market. Is the recent growth expected to continue? Yes. There is a need to continually strive to improve your output to a client. In doing so you can demonstrate to others your success , which breeds more success. We enjoyed our first ever £1m month of furniture order input in November of 2018 and, looking at our pipeline, expect many more of those this year.
Heartspace for pharmaceutical company Upholstery
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Healthcare
Marine
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Spotlight | Dealer Report
Technical help desk
24 Ltd
Love Your Workplace
The Boss: Ian Vardigans Geographical coverage: UK and Europe.
The Boss: David Blood, Director Geographical coverage: Predominantly London and the South East but we also have clients nationwide.
Main brands you work with: Senator, Allermuir, Orangebox, Boss, Connection, EOL, Frovi, Humanscale, Ocee, Poltrona Frau, Pedrali, CMD and Freewall. HQ and other locations: Oxford Circus, London. Is the coworking trend positive? 24 has purposely worked in a serviced office environment for the last 15 years, giving us the flexibility and shared resources you find and require, such as legal, media and HR support. This has given us a real insight to our clients who are going down the WeWork style route and how we can offer services accordingly. Name an emerging furniture brand: Whilst they are not an emerging brand, the new furniture designs from Frovi have been a refreshing addition to our portfolio, which are very on trend.
Main brands you work with: We pride ourselves on being completely independent, so we work with the brand that best suits the client’s requirements, budget and aesthetic.
it’s remained equally competitive over the past 10 years. We’ve defined what we are good at and actively want to work with the clients who share our values and understand the benefits of investing in their people and workspaces. Is the recent growth expected to continue? With the frenetic building in London and the South East I’m optimistic that the market will overcome the uncertainty of Brexit and grow over the next five years.
HQ and other locations: We’re fortunate to have a beach front warehouse and offices in (sometimes) sunny Brighton. Is the competitive nature of the market: more, less or about the same as 10 years ago? I think
Name an emerging furniture brand: We saw fellow Brightonians Dare Studios at 100% Design and we really liked their contemporary pieces. We also love bespoke furniture designers Baines & Fricker; they’re ones to watch.
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE AS A BUSINESS AND WHY?
Aviva Tower
Digital growth and transformation is our biggest ongoing challenge, and the acknowledgement that this is the new normal. We’re really focussed on this and are committed to adding value to our clients by integrating the best of digital with real life relationships and customer care Daniel Gray, Coexistence My biggest challenge was finding the right people. A strong team is fundamental to a successful business, so building a team who are driven, engaged and dedicated is everything. Mike McKeown, Tribe Furniture Brexit and the outcomes could become a challenge but this is hard to predict. We do know that, to remain competitive, we need to continue to identify manufacturers who can demonstrate their ability to create and bring forward-thinking products to market. Paul Mann, Penketh Group
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Hiring the right people is our biggest challenge. We’ve got a great team and finding additional people in such a specialised field is tough. David Blood, Love Your Workspace This must be to constantly look at emerging trends and bring them into our fold so that our clients are experiencing the best they can, and their expectations are exceeded. Kevin Rawcliffe, ikon Furniture The biggest challenge for any business is hiring and keeping the right people. Secondly, choosing the right supply partners, as you cannot work with a client successfully without having the support of a team and a supply chain that enables this to work consistently. The final challenge is to ensure we keep a strong, positive financial position as this is one of the first things that a prospective client will research when deciding who to appoint as their supplier. Ian Vardigans, 24 Ltd
www.morganfurniture.co.uk
Spotlight | Dealer Report
Morgan Stanley, Glasgow
Showcase Interiors
Office Furniture London
The Boss: Nigel Boreham Geographical coverage: We cover all the UK, have an increasing presence in Europe and participate in strategic worldwide procurement projects.
The Boss: Steve Fitch Geographical coverage: UK mainland.
Main brands you work with: Showcase is truly independent and works with all leading manufacturers. In the last financial year we purchased from over 400 suppliers. It’s a customer centric approach that clients increasing appreciate HQ and other locations: Our HQ is based in High Ongar, Essex, with a second office located in Old Street, London. What is your biggest challenge? Right now a poor government that hasn’t nailed the Brexit thingy! Name an emerging brand: Really hard to name just one, but I would say COR – their core range spreads across every part of a project, from working floors to client floors. They are a pleasure to work with and are always happy to work with the team to create the desired look and feel to meet design and client expectation. From where do you gather your product/brand knowledge? We invest time and energy with the suppliers, attending their knowledge sessions, trips to factories and visiting exhibitions. Knowledge from these is also shared amongst the wider team.
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Main brands you work with: Being an independent deale,r we represent over 250 quality, design-driven furniture brands. Due to current interior design trends, an average project for us will involve us working with at least 14 manufacturing partners. HQ and other locations: We are and always will be based in the heart of furniture land, Clerkenwell. What is your biggest challenge? Finding the right people is one of our biggest challenges – the furniture industry has been poor at bringing in fresh talent to this wonderful marketplace over the past 10 years. Having the right people on board with a commitment to customer service, a desire to learn and grow is fundamental to our continued growth. Where do you gather your product/brand knowledge? Experience, social media, supplier relationships, factory and showroom visits, A&D marketplace and, of course, Mix Interiors.
Incopro, QVS
UWTSD Library
Momentum Contract Furniture The Boss: PJ Statham Geographical coverage: UK wide. Main brands you work with: There are many brands in our portfolio for offices, hospitality and residential. Our biggest sellers include Senator, Pedrali, Andreu World, Manuel Larraga, Enea, B&B Italia and Meridiani. HQ and other locations: Cardiff. What is your biggest challenge: The single biggest challenge is the continual demand for the cheapest available furniture, often sourced from the internet and not all at suitable for UK standards. Not all designers appear to have time to understand what furniture is available and some seem happiest to pick whatever they already know. Name an emerging furniture brand: This is difficult as, while there have been some notable new appearances, there have also been some super new ideas from some of the bigger established brands. Pedrali, Akaba, Enea, Capdell and Iduna have launched some excellent new pieces, while I think that Morgan, Allermuir and Senator, plus Boss Design, have been at the forefront of British ideas. I do like Sancal’s own new fabrics too.
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Spotlight | Dealer Report
Think Furniture Café/ breakout space for Housing Association
The Boss: Tony King Geographical coverage: Focus on London, but UK wide with occasional forays into Europe for specific clients. Main brands you work with: We place a high value on our independence so work with a reasonable cross-section of manufacturing partners. HQ and other locations: Our main office is in sunny Margate, but we retain a small office in London. What is your biggest challenge: Knowing when to upscale or downscale investment in the company. Name an emerging furniture brand: No singular brand – I like what Rawside are doing but also like the ability of established brands such as Vitra to keep producing innovative products, such as Softwork.
Wagstaff
Coexistence
The Boss: Daren Miles Respondent? Bob Birkinshaw, Sales Director North
The Boss: Daniel Gay Geographical coverage: International.
Geographical coverage: Headquarters and corporate showroom in the heart of Clerkenwell, supported by seven regional offices across the UK.
Main brands you work with: One of our core values is honesty, which feeds the belief that we should make our recommendations based on our client’s requirements and brief. Design, function and cost are all considerations when we suggest brands as part of a project. Often, it’s the people who represent the brand that make it more appealing and their ability to add value where others might not.
Main brands you work with: Many premium brands including Orangebox, Boss, Vitra, Ocee Design, Brunner, Humanscale, Hay, Frovi and more. Regus Eccles
HQ and other locations: We’re based in Islington, North London, but have warehousing and delivery partners across the UK. Is the Coworking trend positive? We’re excited about the growth of coworking spaces and how they’re promoting change in the workplace and within the industry. The more forward-thinking companies understand that they need furniture that not only sets the right tone, but also functions well in this environment. They’re looking to businesses like ours to help them realise their vision. Name an emerging furniture brand: Brdr. Krüger aren’t a new brand, they were founded in 1886 by two brothers, Theodor and Ferdinand Krüger. Now 5th generation Krüger, they have reinterpreted their collection for a contemporary audience with the campaign ‘a new turn on tradition’. A beautiful example of this is their collaboration with Studio
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ARV Chair in Noma Restaurant Photographer: Joachim Wichmann
David Thulstrup and the ARV chair, designed for the new Noma restaurant in Copenhagen. From where do you gather your product/brand knowledge? It’s important to learn the stories behind the brands and have an in-depth understanding of manufacturing methods, so that we can give the most informed advice to clients. Factory visits, our relationships with established designers and our work with design schools also help us to stay on top of key trends and advancements in the industry.
LOCO BENCH MEETING, EATING OR WORKING
ELITE OFFICE FURNITURE UK LTD
Elite_Furniture
T. +44 (0)1405 746000 Head Office, Factory & Showroom T. +44 (0)20 7490 4909 London Office & Showroom
Elite Office Furniture LTD
www.elite-furniture.co.uk E. info@elite-furniture.co.uk E. londonshowroom@elite-furniture.co.uk
@EliteOfficeFurn eliteofficefurniture
Spotlight | Dealer Report
Source Development The Bosses: Ben Jones and Liam Woods Respondent: Ben Jones Geographical coverage: Scotland and where our clients take us. Main brands you work with: Kristalia, BuzziSpace, Brunner, Vitra, Ondaretta, Bralco, Mark, Sixteen3, Bene. Fiserv Slough
HQ and other locations: Edinburgh. Is the competitive nature of the market: more, less or about the same as 10 years ago? The quality of our competition is excellent and has not wavered over the past 10 years. We are continually improving to make sure that we are current and number one in our client’s minds. What is your biggest challenge? Keeping everything current. With a focus on the A&D community we need to continually be ahead of the game in sourcing what is innovative and fits for our clients' projects. Things change quickly in this industry!
Hunts Office Interiors The Boss: Egon Hunt Who is responding to this? Jemma Grace, Head of Design Geographical coverage: London to Birmingham. Main brands you work with: Steelcase, Brunner, Moroso, Vitra, Allermuir, Rawside, Bolia, Orangebox, and Frovi HQ and other locations: High Wycombe. Is the recent growth expected to continue?
Name an emerging furniture brand: Jonas Ihreborn.
With constant new trends emerging and the continuous development of our space, which
US Blue Chip
Penketh Group
demonstrates and promotes a palette of spaces including coworking, collaboration and regeneration areas to name a few, we are optimistic for the next five years, and look forward to being a part of and contributing towards this innovative movement in modern day working. Name an emerging furniture brand: Over the past year we have worked closely with Bolia, who have introduced a range of stylish, Scandinavian pieces draped in a calming palette of fabrics and textures. It has been a pleasure to be able to specify commercial grade products with an edge on residential design.
CEO/MD: Mark Penketh Who are we talking to? Paul Mann, Project Director Geographical coverage: Predominately the North West, but we have completed projects across the UK. Main brands you work with: Tender specifications can often dictate which products we sell, however we have relationships with over 100 manufacturers, with Bolia, Nomique, Steelcase, Sixteen3 and Ocee remaining popular choices. Jaguar Land Rover
HQ and other locations: We have a Manchester city centre showroom and our HQ is Wirral, Merseyside Is the recent growth expected to continue? We have experienced several years of continuous growth and with our 2019 Q1 pipeline, we are optimistic that this upwards trend will continue for some time. Name an emerging furniture brand: Prostoria – their approach to design provides young, ambitious designers with the freedom and time to explore ideas, resulting in an award-winning, eclectic product portfolio that boasts functionality and technological artisanship.
50 | Mix 191 February 2019
MSP Tech Incubator
Mi Chair and Switch 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.
Designed by Bruce high
Don’t be a stranger. Get in touch. You never know, it could be the start of something beautiful. +44 (0)1427 677 556
info@newdesigngroup.co.uk
www.newdesigngroup.co.uk
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Spotlight | Dealer Report
Amazon, Amsterdam
Umbrella Furniture
Tsunami Axis
The Boss: Matt Clarke Geographical coverage: UK & Ireland.
The Bosses: Mark Cawthorne & Rob Olding Respondent: Paul Hughes, Group Sales Director Geographical coverage: UK & Europe.
Caunton Engineering
Opus4 The Boss: Daniel Blackburn, Managing Director Respondent: Andrew Jackson, Marketing Director Geographical coverage: Nationwide. Main brands you work with: Senator, Allermuir, Orangebox, Sven, Frovi, Boss, Spacestor, Mobili, Creatif, Ocee, Gresham, Sixteen3, Vantage Spaces, Dieffebi, Quadrifoglio, Viasit, Narbutas, Hood Seating, 4D Creations. HQ and other locations: Stalybridge, Greater Manchester. Is the recent growth expected to continue? The irresistible force (workplace change for talent attraction) is at loggerheads with the immovable object that is Brexit. In other times, the detrimental, divisive effects of Brexit would almost certainly lead to a shrinking of the economy and, with it, a ripple effect, which would impact the commercial property sector. But we’re experiencing seismic changes to our market. Businesses understand that to attract and retain the best people, their workplaces need to be fit for purpose. Millennials and Gen Z's come into the workplace with high expectations, moulded by their experiences through the education system. We believe the momentum driving these changes will lead to continued growth for another five years. What is your biggest challenge? As we look to achieve incremental growth, we face the same challenges that any business would: maintaining healthy margins and cashflow, and balancing a workload of multiple projects. We are fortunate to have a brilliant team and haven’t had too many issues with attracting and retaining good people. We hope it stays this way.
Main brands you work with: Umbrella Furniture is completely independent and can work with any manufacturer on a project specific basis. Due to the credibility of our parent company, Wagstaff Interiors Group, we have direct relationships with the brands we work with and do not wholesale. Some of our bigger accounts sit with Vitra, Walter Knoll, Hay, Muuto, Knoll, Fritz Hansen, Brunner. HQ and other locations: 9 Brewhouse Yard, Clerkwenwell. Is the Coworking trend positive? Alongside the progression of technology, the coworking trend has allowed for a more flexible way of working, which has consequently provided us with the opportunity to offer our clients much more dynamic workspaces whilst integrating an array of soft seating and breakout furniture schemes. Is the recent growth expected to continue? Umbrella Furniture’s advancement into its 5th year has seen the company reach newer markets and its team flourish dramatically. Contrary to the ever increasing fears surrounding Brexit, we feel positive towards the years ahead and expect to grow in tandem with an ever-buoyant UK market. FCA Project
Main brands you work with: Herman Miller and a broad selection of British, European and worldwide manufacturers. HQ and other locations: London HQ and showrooms in Edinburgh, Manchester and Frankfurt. Is the Coworking trend positive? The coworking trend has definitely been positive for Tsunami Axis. Our coworking clients are seeking differentiation, creatively redefining the workplace and they are hungry for innovation and fresh ideas. These drivers challenge our business to not only stay in tune but to seek new ways and partners to meet evolving trends. Name an emerging furniture brand: WON Design from Denmark have impressed us with their costeffective product with high-design aesthetics, which offer a touch of elegance to those schemes with fairly modest budgets. They are continually growing and evolving their portfolio of ‘Comfortable Scandi’, carefully mixing style and finishes to differentiate themselves from the pack. From where do you gather your product/brand knowledge? Whether it be the design, sales, quotes and procurement or project management teams, everyone has insight into the innovative and essential in the marketplace. Our knowledge is built the hard way, with an exhaustive round of globetrotting to international design shows, constant dialogue with our myriad of suppliers and marketleading experts to quiz them on their take on market trends and using our excellent relationships with the leading design practices to understand what tomorrow might bring.
Mix 191 February 2019 | 53
Upfront | | Dealer Report Spotlight
Workpattern MD: David Wilkinson Respondent: Paul Glaister (Co-founder) Geographical coverage: North East.
Blackstone
Tribe Furniture The Boss: Mike McKeown Geographical coverage: We cover most of the UK but, on the back of our success over the past couple of years, we’ve been fortunate to gain opportunities to work on a number of projects across Europe.
Main brands you work with: Herman Miller, Orangebox, Vitra and Naughtone.
Is the competitive nature of the market: more, less or about the same as 10 years ago? Whist the trend has brought some direct opportunities, the culture and catalyst it has had in influencing corporates has provided a very positive impact for us and the industry generally.
HQ and other locations: Gateshead. We provided the workstations and all loose furniture/lighting for City Electrical Factors (Mixology North Medium Commercial Interiors project of the year 2018 for FaulknerBrowns Architects) and also provided all the workstations, loose furniture, lighting and accessories for the amazing new Tombola HQ in Sunderland, via Ryder and Ward Robinson.
Is the recent growth expected to continue? Potentially yes, (ignoring the obvious no deal impact), the trend was or is still going in the right direction. The types of furnishings and increased frequency of refurbishment is helping this greatly. Additionally, clients are prepared to invest more when they can see direct benefits for their people and business.
Main brands you work with: Tribe is an independent consultancy, which gives us freedom from manufacturer influence. This means we give unbiased advice on our unique understanding of the market. Having a broad and varied supplier base allows us to procure the right products based on our client’s business objectives, design, required function and budget. HQ and other locations: Clerkenwell, London. Where do you gather your product/brand knowledge? Our team are always exploring new, emerging products and brands. We always ensure that our weekly team meetings are held at showrooms, to help the team continuously learn about what’s innovative, whether it be a new piece of technology, material or item of furniture. In addition to this, we try to attend as many shows during a year as possible. In 2018 alone, we attended CDW, IMM, Stockholm Furniture Fair, Salone del Mobile and Orgatec.
CEF
Salt & Pegram The Boss: Dominick Pegram Who are we talking to? Thomas Muers-Raby, Sales Director Geographical coverage: UK and Europe. Main brands you work with: Salt & Pegram are innovative and independent dealers. We work with brands that excite, dream big and deliver. Many are the most established brands, but others are the small, unheard of, emerging talents HQ and other locations: Shoreditch, London. Is the competitive nature of the market: more, less or about the same as 10 years ago? Our industry is still fiercely competitive. We consistently
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look to our key strengths of creativity, passion and knowledge to keep us one step ahead. Is the recent growth expected to continue? Most people agree that we’re due a recession. Brexit, and its uncertainty, has made it very difficult to predict. What is your biggest challenge as a business and why? There are two. Firstly, the industry is very nuanced and complicated and we’re lucky to have people that combine commerciality with creativity, but this isn’t a given. Secondly, I am constantly Impressed by our team's depth of empathy and knowledge – but this is often undervalued by the market.
Boden
imperial Office
furniture
FreedomX • • • • • • • • • • • •
Anti-Collision Technology 650mm-1300mm Height Adjustment 2 Cable Tray Positions Supplied with Up/Down Control Switch Optional Memory Switch Various Accessories 120kg Evenly Distributed Max Load Capacity 36mm/s Adjustment Speed 0.3w Standby Power Available with Black, White or Silver Frame 18 MFC Board Finishes Extremely competitive price
Head Office: Imperial Office Furniture Limited. Bankfield Business Park, Quebec Street, Bolton. BL3 5JN
Showroom: 9 Portland St, Manchester. M1 3BE
Contact: Tel: 01204 364602 imperialfurniture.co.uk
Fax: 01204 381509 info@imperialfurniture.co.uk
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Spotlight | Dealer Report
Contract Furniture Group The Boss: Richard Bellamy Geographical coverage: We work with venues all over the UK. Main brands you work with: We provide furniture for a wide range of commercial venues including restaurants, bars and hotels. Over the last few years we have built partnerships with brands such as Greggs, Holiday Inn and Mercure, as well as working with independent venues across the country. HQ and other locations: We are based just outside Nottingham city centre in the East Midlands.
Princes Golf Club
Is the Coworking trend positive? The design of coworking spaces is more important than ever. They
need a coherent interior that creates a community for people whilst still feeling like they are in their own business space. Our bespoke furniture becomes crucial for this, allowing us to create personalised fittings to perfectly strike this balance. Name an emerging furniture brand? We’re massive fans of Torre 1961 and their furniture and, as such, have begun working much closer with them over the past few months. The design of their products perfectly matches what venues are looking for at the moment – a sophisticated, high-end look. The curved back design of their furniture, coupled with the high-quality fabrics they use, allows them to create a range of sophisticated chairs that suits a range of venues, no matter their function.
Ultimate (Commercial Interiors) Ltd The Bosses: Mark Hickey, Mark Naisbitt & Dan Platt Respondent: Mark Naisbitt Geographical coverage: We work nationally but have also recently completed a large furniture installation for a healthcare provider in Poland. Main brands you work with: Steelcase, Ocee, Nomique, Boss Design, Workstories, Guialmi, Ondarreta, Sedus, Connection, Alma, Luxy, Edsbyn, Senator, Allermuir, Knoll Mobili and Autex Acoustics. HQ and other locations: Our head office and showroom is in Silsden, West Yorkshire and we also have offices in Manchester, Newcastle and Liverpool. Is the competitive nature of the market: more, less or about the same as 10 years ago? The market is as competitive as before, if not more so, as dealers and FF&E providers are crossing over
into different commercial sectors where they may have not previously competed. For example, we have gained a number of project wins within the hotel/ leisure sector in the last three years. What is your biggest challenge? Getting the right people, market conditions, finding the right location. Recruitment is the biggest challenge we currently face – getting people on board with the same passions as the directors is not easy but, so far, we have got it right, most of the time. Name an emerging furniture brand: The launch of the NOS furniture system by Guialmi has changed how the traditional bench desk system can look and be utilised. With personalisation options and different footprints, we have seen great success with it over the past 12 months and expect further interest in the product in future months.
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Rapid Office The Boss: Andy Butler Respondent: Mike Hebron, Co-Director Geographical coverage: UK and Mainland Europe. Main brands you work with: We are an independent furniture consultancy established in 1980 and over the years have built trustworthy relationships with a number of manufacturers. It would be unfair to single out one or two. HQ and other locations: Our HQ is based on Essex/East London borders. Is the competitive nature of the market: more, less or about the same as 10 years ago? The market is as competitive as 10 years ago with more product choice than ever before. Rapid’s philosophy has always been to offer a first-class service not only at point of sale but also after, and we place a lot of effort and resource in this. We believe this retains our competitive edge in the market.
Visualsoft, Newcastle
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Upfront | | Spotlight
Day2 Interiors The Boss: Jim Meier Respondent: Guy Walsh, Design Director Geographical coverage: UK, Europe and the Middle East.
Sirius, Scarborough
Saracen Interiors The Boss: Mike Page Respondent: Jordan Fredericks, Marketing Manager Geographical coverage: UK nationwide. Main brands you work with: Frovi, Ocee, Task Systems, Connection and more. HQ and other locations: HQ is Aldershot, Hampshire with other office locations in London (Moorgate) and Manchester (Media City).
Is the competitive nature of the market: more, less or about the same as 10 years ago? The market has certainly got more competitive, not only from a dealer perspective but Design & Build as a whole. The construction sector suffered from a downturn in the economic markets and uptake of commercial office space was low. The last 10 years have seen improved market conditions and with that an increase in the number of competitors fighting for a share of the market.
Bureau
Main brands you work with: As an independent dealership, we like to keep an open mind when we approach new projects and we get amazing support from all our partners. In the last 12 months we have been particularly active with the likes of Vitra, Knoll, Haworth and Senator for systems furniture, Okamura and Interstuhl for task seating, as well as a broad spectrum of loose furniture brands. HQ and other locations: Clerkenwell, London and Doha, Qatar Is the competitive nature of the market: more, less or about the same as 10 years ago? The market is becoming increasingly competitive and, more importantly, the quality of our competition is increasing too. We constantly have to re-evaluate how we operate and the service we provide to ensure we continue to innovate and lead. What is your biggest challenge? Day2’s success has been built on the quality of its people, and recruiting the right staff into key positions is always challenging. The good news is we have added some great new talent to the team in the last 12 months and we are already feeling the benefits.
Trip.com Photographer: Renzo Mazzolini The Boss: Andy Russell Geographical coverage: United Kingdom. Main brands you work with: We are unashamed geeks when it comes to high quality, high impact commercial furniture and, whilst Bureau aims to maintain independence, we regularly specify market leading products such as Workstories, Knoll and Manipine. This being said, we have a dogged determination to constantly search for, discover and share breathtaking new ideas, inspirations and innovations. HQ and other locations: Our HQ is based in Edinburgh, but we will also be opening a stunning, 6000 sq ft showroom in Glasgow in the first quarter of this year. This, combined with our new London office and showroom in Whitechapel, in collaboration with
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new coworking brand X & Why, will give us fantastic coverage to deliver the best localised service to our key UK clients. Is the competitive nature of the market: more, less or about the same as 10 years ago? We see competitors get bigger and forget what made them great in the first place. We prefer to focus on what we can control. The bonds we make with designers, manufacturers and customers are authentic, genuine and long-lasting and so long as these partnerships are built around trust and respect, we will always set ourselves apart. From where do you gather your product/brand knowledge? Our exceptionally talented team travel the globe to bring the best of what’s out there to our partners and clients.
Name an emerging furniture brand: Whilst they might not be an emerging brand, I have really loved Viccarbe’s latest collections. The Aleta range by Jaime Hayon has character and sophistication and Patricia Urquiola’s new Burin tables offer an elegant solution to presenting power and AV in a pedestal base. Patricia Urquiola has also designed some excellent products for Haworth, which will enhance their visibility in the design community. Sports Direct
Spotlight | DealerUpfront Report||
IS THE COMPETITIVE NATURE OF THE MARKET: MORE OR LESS ABOUT THE SAME AS 10 YEARS AGO? Whist the trend has brought some direct opportunities, the culture and catalyst it has had in influencing corporates has provided a very positive impact for us and the industry generally. Paul Glaister, Workpattern . About the same. The market was very challenging 10 years ago and it is challenging today for different reasons. 10 years ago we were in the middle of a recession and there wasn’t enough work to go around, today there’s too much work available but not enough skilled tradesmen to carry it out. Ronan Higham, Pure Fitout For the mid-market, we think it is a lot more competitive than 10 years ago. Being able to offer both fit-out and furniture in-house is quite specialised and only a handful of companies do it well. As Design & Build contracts have become vastly more popular in the commercial office space – where one principal contractor will walk away with the entire prize – we have begun to see a large increase in traditionally steadfast furniture dealers suddenly teaming up with general builders/ developers to tentatively dip their toes into the interior design and fit-out market. We’ve also noticed the opposite is true ,where building contractors are actively seeking to partner up with furniture dealers (or ikea!) in order to be in the running. Phil Simmonds, Spatial Office Environments We believe the competition between dealers has always been strong. However, the real change between now and 10 years ago is the competition between manufacturers. The marketplace is more diverse than ever, with more niche businesses staking a foothold and with a much broader range of products. Andrew Jackson, Opus 4
Personally, I feel that the market is as competitive as ever. The consensus from my network is that the market is buoyant and there’s lots of work to go around. However, today’s market is one where the client is better educated, which leaves no room for compromise on design and quality. In turn, our industry has listened and become more professional. I believe the key is looking after hard-fought clients and delivering outstanding service throughout the processes, from conception to ongoing aftercare services. Mike McKeown, Tribe Furniture The industry has changed so much over the last 10 years and there’s definitely more options available to venues nowadays. There’s a bigger need for a wider range of furniture, with more and more venues beginning to focus on the design of their space by favouring high-end looks. As a result of this is that venues want more choice about what furniture they install to create their bespoke look. It’s no longer the case where there is a couple of furniture suppliers with a few pieces of furniture in standard colours – there are so many options available. Richard Bellamy, Contract Furniture Group We love a challenge and, since our move into Manchester two years ago, we have certainly seen our competition evolve and grow. Manchester is thriving and as more southern-based companies are recognising this, we expect that the competition will continue to be strong. Paul Mann, Penketh Group The market is constantly competitive – that element never changes What has changed is how price/cost is no longer the only determinant factor. Nowadays clients expect increased flexibility, creativity and a positive experience from start to finish. Mark Phillips, K2 Space I believe the market is as competitive now as it has ever been. Client expectations are changing /becoming more demanding in terms of response and lead-times and the ‘Amazon effect’ (get it cheaper and quicker) is slowing pervading the industry. Tony King, Think Furniture The market has become ridiculously competitive, with some sellers operating cheaply, happy to work on dangerously low margins and provide little in the way
of aftersales and service. There is also a race to the bottom in terms of quality and expectation; with some dealers offering really cheap furniture, customers think they can pay little for top quality, but we all know Ruskin’s observations on buying too cheaply. It is also important for customers to check that the furniture and fabrics meet contract standards. PJ Statham, Momentum Contract Furniture The marketplace has always been a competitive one and we would say it is about the same as it was 10 years ago, however, the role of the dealer has changed dramatically – 10 years ago a dealer could comfortably just represent a couple of brands but the eclectic mix of product specified on major projects today means we must be experts in the whole marketplace. Steve Fitch, Office Furniture London It’s a much more competitive market –there is an increasing requirement to demonstrate real value for money. Nigel Boreham, Showcase Interiors The market has become far more competitive due to the access to pricing via the web and increased use of e-bids as a purchasing tool. The internet has made it difficult to decipher quality and service and has combined to make the market more transparent, but has unfortunately passed a line, which has made business cost neutral to a certain extent. The internet has made it difficult to determine product quality and service and has the danger of just focusing on price alone. Ian Vardigans, 24 Ltd The industry has changed dramatically over the last 10 years, partly in response to market forces and partly out of necessity. It is the mother of invention after all, over-crowded and ‘unpoliced’ (some would argue the latter is still true). The result has been the emergence and rise of consultants (and pseudo or plastic consultants!) combined with an increase in D&B companies developing furniture ‘expertise’. This has led to a squeeze of the traditional ‘dealer’. I therefore believe that the market, or at least the market outside of D&B, is more competitive than ever, with the only winners being the client. Jon Odey, Sketch Studios
Mix Mix 191 February 186 July 2018 2019 | 59
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Sketch Studios The Boss: Jon Odey Geographical coverage: EMEA (and India). Main brands you work with: Fiercely independent, representing 95% of the market. Danske, Belfast
Alpha Office Furniture The Boss: Paul Black Geographical coverage: Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland and GB. Main brands you work with: Steelcase, Senator, Orangebox, Ocee, VS, Quadrifoglio, Nowy Styl Group and Hands.
HQ and other locations: London Bridge, Heathrow, Surrey and now 10 locations across Europe. How do you stay up to date? As a true consultancy business, product, brand, market and wider industry knowledge is absolutely imperative to Sketch. We are proudly and fiercely independent, so maintaining and developing our knowledge in all of these areas is key. Our staff represent us at all the major shows across Europe, including 90% of the smaller shows, in order
to experience first-hand what the market is up to. We also have a regular programme of ‘Lunch and Learn’ sessions and 'pop-ups' from manufacturers within our own space. We also invite suppliers from the furniture and associated industries to present weekly updates to our teams. These sessions also extend to our clients, consultants and any other organisation that we feel may impart knowledge and therefore benefit to our staff – from global leaders in IOT and AI, to having in-house WELL & FitWell APs. We also believe in sharing as much of this knowledge as possible with our clients and the professional world through our Lookbooks and RIBA and RICS approved CPDs. Also, having over 40 interior designers on our doorstep really helps us to keep up to date with the latest products and trends in the industry.
HQ and other locations: Our group HQ is situated in Belfast, and we are also present in Glasgow, Oxford and Dublin, where we also have our seating and steel factory. Is the competitive nature of the market: more, less or about the same as 10 years ago? I think it’s very similar in many respects. Alpha have never been in the business of being price focused, so I guess we have been a little removed from that aspect. However, we have seen an increase in the number of businesses coming into the space we compete in – and that has not only meant we have to work a lot harder to stay in front, but has also had the effect of continually keeping us on our toes and not resting on our laurels The Atrium, Edelman
Is the coworking trend positive? I suppose it is a positive, as we have seen companies and promoters of coworking being able to raise their aspirations in terms of overall look and feel of their spaces, which has allowed us to really get into the detail and proactively influence the end result. Is the recent growth expected to continue? Hard one to answer – especially with the ‘B word’ floating around! Alpha has seen substantial growth over the last few years, but it will be difficult to sustain at the current rate. However, as we continue to diversify and investigate new markets, we should continue to see growth as a group for the foreseeable future. What is our biggest challenge? I would say market conditions, without question. Our business is similar to the industry in that we tend not to have a lot of visibility of how we will be doing outside of around three months – and it’s difficult to seriously invest in certain areas that you don’t know to invest in until something hits you.
Rainbow The Boss: Tony Antoniou, MD Geographical coverage: Rainbow are based in London but deliver projects nationwide and even internationally. Main brands you work with: We work with many leading brands, including Humanscale, Vitra, Orangebox, Flokk, Rawside, Senator, Techo, Narbutas, Ocee, Boss, Karl Hansen, Bene, Morgan, JDD, Brunner, Arper and Allermuir. HQ and other locations: We are based in Alexandra Palace, North London. Is the competitive nature of the market: more, less or about the same as 10 years ago? Our industry, like all other markets, is much more competitive than it used to be; mainly because of the
NTT Workplace
internet. However, experience is vital when working on projects – and that’s why we continue to grow. Competition can be good as it makes us continually look at ourselves, the way we work, the way we present ourselves and at how we can improve – so I do enjoy it.
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Spotlight | Dealer Report
IS THE COWORKING TREND POSITIVE FOR YOUR BUSINESS AND IF SO, WHY? We believe the coworking trend is a very positive one; for the furniture industry it brings us all new opportunities, often of scale. In our experience, the furniture consultant is typically viewed as a strategic partner, aligned to the business needs of the coworking clients. This allows for stronger, long-term relationships to be built as the projects roll out. The lead-in times are typically relatively short, the budgets can be tight – but we all like a challenge, don’t we? Matt Davies, The Furniture Practice The coworking ‘trend’ has been positive for two reasons; one in that it has stimulated additional spend in the office sector and, secondly, it has promoted greater ownership of projects between our furniture and fit-out departments. Mark Naisbitt, Ultimate (Commercial Interiors) There are always emerging trends which, on the surface, can seem a threat, but which can also provide great opportunities. Clearly, if everyone switched from long term lease deals to short term, shared, coworking spaces, many Design & Build workspace firms would go out of business overnight. What we are finding is, that the majority of companies still want ownership of their own building (either owned outright or leased), but want to embrace the design concepts that agile and coworking bring. Five years ago, business owners asked us for ‘Google' style offices. Now they ask us for 'WeWork' style offices. Andrew Jackson, Opus4 We love working with innovative, fun and dynamic furniture brands. The coworking sector gives us the opportunity to challenge ourselves. The sector's drive to be talked about, different and to stand out is an ambition we champion – and we get real satisfaction from delivering something special. Andy Russell, Bureau Yes, definitely. Landlords are looking for new ways to market their properties to challenge the coworking phenomenon. More and more they are commissioning Cat A+ spaces: freshly refurbed, fully furnished, plug and play offices for growing businesses. That means that our client portfolio increasingly includes landlords as well as our core buyer, the tenant. Mike, McKeown, Tribe Furniture Mixed. Whilst coworking spaces may mean fewer single tenant occupiers – and we need those – our
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Tottenham Mews Photography, Marek Sikora
brand often mirrors those of these new businesses and has led to some very successful projects. Thomas Muers-Raby , Salt & Pegram Absolutely. When we started the business 10 years ago we considered calling ourselves 'Everything but the desk'. Not even sure if coworking qualifies as a trend anymore, it’s more of a mainstay of how work is done. As a result, we have evolved a comprehensive supply chain catering to the coworking environment. Ben Jones, Source Development The coworking trend has been very positive for Rainbow because not only has it allowed us the opportunity to help our clients understand and benefit from the new collaboration spaces, but it has made our projects so much more interesting and enjoyable to work on. Tony Antoniou, Rainbow Coworking has had a massively positive impact. It’s a great launch pad for start-ups, providing flexibility alongside opportunities for chance encounters and growth. This exciting, social work trend has inspired both users of coworking spaces and existing companies to implement and embrace unique, inspirational and productive workspaces. Jemma Grace, Hunts Office We’ve worked with some coworking providers over the past couple of years and believe that their focus on disrupting the sector and implementing change has allowed us dealers an opportunity to rethink how we design and furnish workplaces – and while we will lose work to tenants opting for coworking spaces over their own spaces, that’s just part and parcel of business. Mark Phillips, K2 Space Absolutely. The majority of our customers are more ‘design savvy’ than they have ever been, what with social media (hard and soft) highlighting the benefits. Its something that our clients bring to a brief almost immediately nowadays without the need for us to raise as a key point. Mark Pearson, Heatons Office Interiors The coworking trend has shaken up the industry for the better. It’s challenged us to stay on top of ever-changing interior trends, take on more of a consultative approach and put forward some seriously innovative solutions. David Blood, Love Your Workspace
K2 Space The Bosses: Mark Phillips and Geoff Osman Geographical coverage: The majority of our work is in greater London but we do deliver projects throughout the UK and also in Europe. Main brands you work with: We are fortunate to work with a wide range of brands, which allows us to offer clients a variety of options, styles and costs, but primarily we have strong relationships with Knoll, Senator, Vitra, Humanscale, Bene, Orangebox and Tom Dixon. HQ and other locations: We are preparing to move to an amazing new office in leafy, fashionable Barnsbury Square, where we will showcase our workplace capabilities, having outgrown our old space just a few minutes’ walk away on Liverpool Road – as you can see, we love Islington. Is the recent growth expected to continue? There is some uncertainty out there at present but we continue to be busy and are optimistic about the future. What is your biggest challenge? Keeping pace with change and futureproofing our business is a constant challenge, as is finding the right staff who are a fit for our business and team. Name an emerging furniture brand: Rawside have recently made a major impression. All of the K2 team are huge fans of their product range and love the look and feel – and also the fact that they produce locally in London. From where do you gather your product/ brand knowledge? Mix Interiors, of course!
Pure Fitout
HQ and other locations: Belfast, Northern Ireland. Is the coworking trend positive? The coworking trend has opened new opportunities for us to bring to life the innovative ideas of designers and create progressive workspaces. We’re increasingly pricing new projects for small companies and recently had the pleasure of completing the fit-out for the Tara Building, a three-floor creative hub in Dublin. Is the recent growth expected to continue? The industry has seen
phenomenal growth and shows no signs of slowing. We’re entering an exciting phase as more bars and restaurants take over the high street. This is good for business as there are an increasing number of one-off projects available and opportunities to expand into new markets.
Leading UK furniture manufacturer
The Boss: Ronan Higham, Founder & Managing Director Geographical coverage: Ireland, the UK and mainland Europe.
Biggest challenge: A lack of apprentices throughout the trades is proving to be the biggest challenge. Skill shortages due to lax training methods have caused labour rates to rise, making it difficult to competitively tender projects. To combat this, we run our own apprenticeships – and currently have seven apprentices in our workshops.
House Belfast
The Grayson
t 01685 352222
sales@triumphfurniture.com
www.triumphfurniture.com
Spotlight | Dealer Report
Car Finance 247
Spatial Office Environments
The Furniture Practice
The Boss: Phil Simmonds Geographical coverage: Nationwide (predominantly Manchester and the North).
The Boss: Ken Kelly Respondent: Matt Davies, Company Director Geographical coverage: The vast majority of our
Main brands you work with: Abox, Benchmarx, Bisley, Boss Design, BuzziSpace, Connection, Camira, Desso, Ege, Era Screens, Forbo, Frovi, Gravity Graphics, Humanscale, Inleaf, Interface, Johnson Tiles, Koleksiyon, Lignify, Mount Lighting, Muraspec, Muuto, Nomique, Orangebox, Sixteen3, Sven Christiansen, Tektura, Urban Planters, Waxman Ceramics, Wever Ducre. HQ and other locations: Altrincham, Manchester. Is the coworking trend positive? Absolutely. Through the use of clever design and modern technology, the coworking trend is a fantastic showcase of how adaptable workspaces can be to the needs of all its occupants and to the different types of work required to be performed. It’s also helping to support and promote design-led workplaces. Is the recent growth expected to continue? Yes – the pace of commercial property development in the North is outstanding and set to continue for at least another 5-10 years, fuelled on by what HS2, airport city and the coworking boom promise. What is your biggest challenge? One of our primary core values is to make an impactful difference to the working lives of the everyday office worker, by creating amazing workplaces for them to be mentally healthy and productive. Our biggest challenge is in getting business owners to understand that their workforce is their greatest asset and that they need to invest in the technology and their environment in order to get the best out of their employees.
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work is in the UK and Europe, with recent projects in Barcelona, Madrid, Amsterdam, Paris and Munich. In addition to this, we have completed projects as far afield as Dubai and the British Virgin Islands. Main brands you work with: As an independent, design-driven furniture dealer, our focus is on providing the widest range of suitable product options through continual development of our extensive supplier network, which currently consists of over 400 furniture and lighting brands. We work with all the significant brands you would expect, but our supply chain is evermoving and grows organically through collaboration with designers, project experience and trends. HQ and other locations: We were established in London in 1997 and moved to our current space on Pear Tree Street in Clerkenwell in 2015. We launched our Manchester office late last year. Is the competitive nature of the market: more, less or about the same as 10 years ago? The market does appear increasingly competitive – especially on the larger projects. Our supply chain relationships afford us the chance to be
very competitive; however, we know that the more considered clients are looking for much more than the lowest price when choosing their furniture partner. Best value is not necessarily the lowest cost. Is the recent growth expected to continue? Despite current uncertainty about the market and the economy as a whole, we remain confident in the near future and forecast continuing growth. As our team further matures in experience and size, we believe The Furniture Practice ought to have a very secure, positive future. From where do you gather your product/brand knowledge? We’ve seen lots of exciting new products and impressive brands emerging over the last few years, through annual trips to global furniture fairs and collaboration on projects with talented architects and designers. We take pride in the high level of furniture knowledge and product expertise that exists within our team, as well as the excellent relationships we’ve developed with our suppliers over the last 21 years. We have a strong team culture and share information about new products and trend insights through weekly training sessions and furniture fair reports. Currently we’re enjoying Nordic brand, Woud, for their simple, elegant designs and subtle details.
RFU, The East Wing
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Roundtable
The Transformation of Workplace Transformation
T
he Leesman index talks about the primary purpose of a workplace being ‘to provide employees with an effective work environment that supports productivity’. Is that correct? We wonder. To attempt to get to the bottom of this we invited a crack panel of industry experts to spend a fascinating afternoon at the Senator Group’s awesome Clerkenwell showspace. We start the conversation by asking a question that has been mulled over by design firms and clients alike for years: exactly how do you measure productivity?
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THE DISCUSSION Angela: The idea of productivity being measurable and the fact that a new scheme is not a guarantee of increased productivity is, I think, quite apparent – we’re all aware of that. There has to be support, change management and a shift in culture – there has to be a real intention to change before you can even start to think about measuring productivity. I think clients are now more aware of this and don’t see design as a quick fix. They understand that there is much more to it than that. Trina: I’d concur with that. We’d always suggest that change management is something that should be there up front and transgresses throughout the lifecycle of a project – and often ends with a formal post-occupancy evaluation. But it really does start with the brief – and if we, as designers, are not clear on what the objectives of the client are, whether they be something that can be measured in terms
I think productivity is important – but it’s not the only thing that’s valuable commercially to an organisation
Th e
Steffan: It is easy to measure some types of productivity – but then again it’s far more difficult to measure other types of productivity. I think productivity is important – but it’s not the only thing that’s valuable commercially to an organisation. Is it realistic to aim to create a workplace transformation and increase productivity? Maria: I think it is. If you were to take an extreme example where you imagine an office where everyone is working in isolation and they weren’t able to easily communicate with one another – and then you put the same group of people into an office where there is a bit more space and they are able to talk to one another, to communicate, then you would really be able to measure the quality and quantity of work produced. If you take our world of design, a huge part of productivity is generating
ble dta un Ro
of productivity or whether they are ‘softer’ in terms of cultural change or behavioral change – if we don’t set those objectives up front as part of the brief and if then we don’t articulate well enough what the design solutions are, when we come to do the POE, we won’t have a baseline with which to say, ‘We started here – and we’ve got to here’. So we’re quite clear that it does start with the brief. I think that when you talk about productivity in terms of something that can be measurable, FD’s and those responsible for the money are becoming increasingly concerned about trying to put a dollar or a euro on it. Actually, things such as absenteeism and presenteeism are easier ways to get a harder measure.
Roundtable
ideas. Doing the actual physical drawing/CAD work is of course the ultimate output – but the difficult part is the thinking part. If you can enable people to think and design together more easily, then that productivity becomes measurable. Jon: I think the word productivity has so many connotations in terms of the premise that you can measure it. You can measure stuff that comes off a production line but it’s far more difficult to measure increased productivity in a charity, for example. But at the end of the day, any intervention that we as designers give to our clients through design services should be attributable to some improvement in performance within that organisation – rather than anchoring it to the premise of productivity. To me, it’s about understanding what is the performance criteria that the client is looking to change – why do they want to affect the culture? In Association with
Roundtable
e l b a t d n u
Th eR o
Doing the actual physical
Trina: That goes back to my point about absenteeism/presenteeism – which is measurable. If you are absent then there is no productivity and there is no performance. If there is presenteeism then there is productivity but it is reduced because it is sub-optimal. I have seen strategies whereby, in order to be able to quantify the bottom line or what the impact of that poor performance is, the answer has been to look at the health of the workplace and then assimilating that back to whether or not the workplace itself is affecting things. Anibal: Also, you should consider how many opportunities we now have to collect this data – not just on your computer but also on your mobile phone. So you actually don’t have to physically collect this data now – you can utilise your workforce to collate all this information. Trevor: There are various proxies – and one of these proxies is employee engagement. There is research coming out now that shows that high level of employee engagement tend to be associated with very productive cultures and organisations. I’m sure that everyone around this table has had clients come to them and say that they want a workplace design that will help to increase engagement of employees within the organisation. I think this is an important thing – and the technology angle is that, by using artificial intelligence, there’s all sorts of clever analysis that you can do with the unstructured data. This can be as simple as offering an opportunity for employees in the workplace to comment on, in their own words, what they feel is
68 | Mix 191 February 2019
drawing/CAD work is of
course the ultimate output
– but the difficult part is the thinking part
Roundtable
I think we all need to really speak the language of these organisations and understand that the transformations they are going through are huge
good or not good about the workplace and then you can use a tool to analyse that and draw out common themes.
interesting process to help them change the way they work and change the way they are perceived. They now look at the workplace as a human space.
Steve: From our point of view, we do a lot of work in the financial sector and for those guys, before committing to a project, a speculative improvement in productivity is not enough. They want to know that they’re going to improve the value of their space or they’re going to reduce the cost of their space. Often, these guys do appreciate that there is a benefit to investing in their property. That creates a virtuous circle; at a strategic level they might be saving money and there will be financial benefits, which as a business they view as positive in terms of productivity. But by improving their space, you can also improve the human metric – so you can improve engagement, reduce absenteeism and create better space that everyone can be proud of. I think the financial sector is more acute in analysing the benefits – and when we do presentations to management they are often much more interested in graphs and spreadsheets than in sketches to be honest. The focus is very much on the business benefits. When we move on to work with their teams we can then engage our design skills – and get the best of both worlds. In the last 10 years there has been real change – there was a need for a cultural change in the financial sector and a need to restructure businesses. It has been a really
Steffan: On the subject of financial institutions, one thing I’ve noticed over the years is that they tend to respond much more to the risk of loss rather than the benefits gained. We recently pitched for (and won) a project for a large financial institution and the first slide in the pitch set out the risk – the risk of not doing this job. They were looking to reduce their footprint by about 25% and we calculated, using HL databases in that particular sector, in that geographical location, that the cost of each employee taking one additional sick day a year and the churn rate increasing from 14% to 15% was exactly the same as the annual saving they’d make from reducing the real estate footprint! After that, they told us that this first slide had won us the job. I think we all need to really speak the language of these organisations and understand that the transformations they are going through are huge. I worry that there are firms who simply don’t grasp this. Luke (Alemanno, The Senator Group): I have a similar scenario. I’m fortunate enough to work with a lot of clients from different market sectors across the world. We recently did a mock-up, together with two other manufacturers, and the other two were so far off base with regards to the product being specified. The client was trying to move into a brand
In Association with
Roundtable
Some tech firms now have unlimited holidays for employees. So you can still work when you’re on holiday – you actually never switch off!
new world of flexible working. What the other manufacturers hadn’t done was to look at the brief and realise that the product needed to work for seven and half hours a day, for a person to sit there, input data and take calls. What they were trying to do was to give them something bright, new and wonderful – that wasn’t actually going to work for the client. All I did was talk to the client and then offered something that was absolutely on point! John: I think it’s curious that, if you look at Google as an example, they have a lot of very bright people who work in very different ways from people who work in a bank. They need to think and work differently. Their peak performance might be at midnight. I think that sort of dynamic, laced into the premise of why you would put all these different settings into a building, is what you should be looking at – rather than, as we’ve perhaps seen in the past, that cynical perception that if you put everything into the building it will keep people there for as long as possible and stretch the working day. It should actually be about the working life – working where you want, when you want. Anibal: I echo that. Some tech firms now have unlimited holidays for employees. So you can still work when you’re on holiday – you actually never switch off! You don’t need to go to the office anymore. You can do everything virtually and you can pick where you work. I think this shift is really interesting.
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CONCLUSION We completely agree with Anibal’s final point. It is really interesting. With the culture of the ‘modern’ workplace so stretched – and the needs and aspirations of different sectors being so different, it’s almost impossible to say what the absolute primary purpose of workplace transformation should and will be. As Luke points out, some clients need products and space that will support more traditional ‘office working’ while, as many of our other guests suggest, the metric for calculating productivity is constantly evolving, as is the workplace itself. We’ve said it before (and we’ll say it again), it’s about people, wellbeing, happiness… w
Roundtable
THANKS FOR THE DISCUSSION!
Angela Bardino, Head of Interior Design, Grimshaw
Anibal Cruz, Associate, AFK Studio
With over a decade spent working in the interiors industry, Angela has been involved across a range of sectors including hospitality, arts and culture and, most recently, a focus on commercial fit-outs. Angela’s work is defined by informed materiality choices through detailed research and end user insights.
Anibal specialises in creating sophisticated, creative working environments to help attract and retain the best talent, for a broad range of businesses. His diverse portfolio extends to innovative design for commercial and hospitality interiors, and to developing sustainable designs projects in the UK, Middle East, North America, and Australasia.
Steffan Williams, Director of Workplace, Scott Brownrigg
Steve Taylor, Project Director, Peldon Rose
Steffan specialises in workplace strategy and has delivered agile working solutions for Sainsbury’s and Network Rail. Steffan has managed projects for clients including Deutsche Bank, Expedia, Unilever, Discovery Channel, DTZ and has vast experience working with financial institutions and media companies.
Steve is a Project Director at Peldon Rose, a leading London D&B company. He is passionate about creating spaces that connect with people and engage with their behaviours. Steve has over 15 years’ experience in the D&B industry and has successfully delivered a number of award-winning design and fit-out projects.
Trevor Miles, Real Estate & Facilities Smarter Buildings Consulting Lead, IBM Trevor advises clients on transformational corporate real estate and facilities management solutions. These are enabled by digital technology to address business objectives. He regularly speaks at conferences and has served on the RICS Management Consultancy Executive Board.
Trina Marshall, Principal, HOK Trina has more than 20 years’ experience guiding clients in optimising the operational performance and workplace experience potential of their portfolios. She’s committed to market leading design concepts such as biophilia and Inclusivity and assisting clients in decoding the strategic and practical application of them.
Jon Race, MD, MCM
John Avery, Director, LOM
Jon is a major advocate for using a knowledgeled, integrated approach to realise the potential of buildings, spaces and people. Whether working with a developer to increase the value of their asset or a CEO to bring about cultural change, Jon ensures that MCM continuously aligns to the purpose of a project and delivers responses that contribute to clients’ business growth.
John has led workplace architecture, interiors and strategy projects around the world, with a focus on financial sector clients. Recent projects include developing HSBC’s Global Workplace Standards, delivering a new HQ building for the National Bank of Oman and working with RBS Group to deliver workplace and portfolio transformation projects.
Maria Cheung, Head of Interior Design, Squire & Partners Maria is Director and Head of Interior Design at Squire & Partners. Recent projects include the practice’s award winning offices in Brixton, The Department Store, The Frames in Shoreditch and The Ministry of Sound’s first coworking members club, The Ministry in Borough.
In Association with
Upfront |
Fora Tops In the latter half of last yea,r the name Fora popped up in an incredible number of industry conversations. Whether we were chatting with designers, suppliers, manufacturers or a combination of each, people were eager to know what everybody else knew about this exciting brand. Apparently, this is the next big thing – with amazing expansion plans and a unique approach to coworking.
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Case Study | Fora Upfront Borough|
THIS PAGE: Level 5 events space
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Case Study | Fora Borough
S
TOP: Typical floor kitchen BOTTOM: Level 5 boardroom and library
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o we started to do a bit of our research and, as we were doing so, were approached by our friends at HASSELL, who wanted to know if we were interested in looking at their recently completed project for (you’ve guessed it!) Fora. Of course we said yes (without hesitation) and so we find ourselves ‘south of the river’ on this brisk, sunny morning. Founded by a global hotel management executive and a London experience entrepreneur, Fora’s mission is to redefine what the term workspace can mean. Co-founded by Enrico Sanna (former Global Head of Operating Assets at Deutsche Bank) and Katrina Larkin (Co-founder of The Big Chill Festival), Fora wants to reimagine the office experience by employing premium hotelstyle service and design, innovative technology and a curated approach to resident activity. Fora has, in partnership with Brockton Capital, acquired no less than 10 locations in the past 12 months. Owning its properties outright leaves the brand uniquely placed in the sector as it means it can offer a level of flexibility that is unrivalled amongst workspace providers. Fora’s spaces are designed to be the most inspiring, comfortable and productive work environments on the market. ‘Forget what you know about coworking; Fora is reimagining the entire experience,’ they say. ‘We call it ‘proworking’.’
Fora Borough has been described as the ultimate workspace, with an incredible location directly opposite Borough tube station. Every floor offers breakout space and a fully stocked kitchen, with views across London. We’re sold! Furthermore, as we enter the Borough space, we’re met by a delicious combination of smells from fresh coffee and baking – and a genuine buzz. A member of Fora’s concierge team immediately greets us (more about them later), asking us if we’re okay and whether they can help us in any way. Spotting HASSELL’s Felicity Roocke and Catherine van der Heide in the cool, open, ground floor lounge space, we gratefully decline any assistance. There’s so much going on here, with all senses being ‘attacked’ – in a very good way. We take a seat and a coffee with Felicity and Catherine (it feels wrong not to!) and begin by asking about the origins of HASSELL’s relationship with Fora. ‘We were working with Brockton Capital, doing marketing test-fits and due diligence – and through that relationship got to know Fora,’ Felicity recalls. ‘We were tasked with producing something here that was totally different – they didn’t want this design to look or feel like their original start-up philosophy, which was exposed brick, black metal frames and the café aesthetic that runs throughout New York, London – throughout the whole world now.
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Case Study | Fora Borough
RIGHT: Ground floor concierge FAR RIGHT: Level 5 terrace BOTTOM: Ground floor working lobby
‘Even though we do have some of those elements here, we had to redefine what that meant. So we looked at the design and the experience and tried to be light, refreshing – no low contrast, no black, apart from the restaurant, which is very much a different concept, designed by JLK to reflect the Borealis brand. We’ve used bold colours and introduced the local signature. Every Fora resident will find consistent fundamentals, while every arrival/social space or roof terrace space will have signature areas from the local area and the local community – so we used lots of colour here to represent Borough Market. They’ve got 14 locations on the go at the moment, so they are moving very fast!’ ‘They demand a high level of design throughout,’ Catherine tells us. ‘They also pay particular attention to the levels of service – they want people to walk in here and immediately belong.’ The Fora dedicated concierge teams work hard to make sure things run smoothly for all residents and their guests, with team members trained in partnership with L’École Hôtelière de Lausanne. We call that going above and beyond – and from what we’ve encountered so far, it certainly pays off. ‘They also have something called Fora Life – where they have partnerships with coworking around the world,’ Felicity reveals. ‘So if you are going to, say, New York, you can simply talk to a concierge and they can hook you up with a desk in one of their partner organisations. It really all is
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Case Study | Fora Borough
Project Team Client Fora Interior Design HASSELL designed to make your life easier – all you have to do is be brilliant at work! Everything else is taken care of for you. And they’re doing it really successfully. They have 100% occupancy here within six months of opening – and they didn’t have to work too hard to fill it. This has become their benchmark. The design principles here will carry through to other locations. ‘We really had to look closely at what we were doing with the design principles here. Originally this building shell had siloed transitional space, retail units, office lobby, revolving door, coworking – and never the blurring of amenities. A lot of the upfront thinking and talking – and this is something we’ve done for coworking environments in Australia and Singapore before – was to look to break down that transactional nature of space and create vibrancy, connected space and desirable space. This is something that hotels have done – where you have the entrance and lobby and café and restaurant all combining; there’s a real blurring of boundaries. It’s pretty basic stuff when you think about it, but it just doesn’t seem to happen that much here. We didn’t want that static reception. We didn’t want barriers.’ ‘This was very much the first test of the design principles – so we were constantly evaluating as we were doing the design presentation,’ Catherine tells us. ‘It was actually a really nice way to work.’ While researching Fora, we did notice that a couple of words we wouldn’t normally associate
Furniture Provider SCP
It was important that we dressed everything in this building in the right way. No-one here wants to work in a cold, corporate office with fluorescent lighting
with coworking came up again and again – wellness being very much to the fore. On-site wellness facilities here at Borough include a premium gym and dedicated personal trainers, while residents have access to a spectacular top floor lounge with impressive terraces and skyline views, and an amazing ground floor destination restaurant –Borealis – by restaurateur Soren Jessen (from where a number of those lovely aromas we spoke of earlier originated). ‘Up on Level 5 there is an events space – and Katrina curates a series of events,’ Felicity continues. ‘What they’ve also done is talked to the residents and asked them what events they’d like to host, so that interaction between residents start to happen.’
Flooring Bolon, Havwoods, Solus, Loughtons, Floor Story, Nanimarquina, Kasthall, Mutina, Forbo, Regupol, Gradus Surfaces Mass Concreate Furniture Carl Hansen, Normann Copenhagen, Menu, Billiani, Cappellini, Miniforms, Cassina, New Works, La Cividina, Fogia, Gan, Hay, Sancal, Novamobili, SCP, Segis, Tacchini, Saba Italia, Moroso, Karl Anderson, Andreu World, Petite Friture, Emu Storage Custom Joinery by Hicks Other Suppliers Radii Custom Partitions, Baux Custom Acoustic Rafts, Aleksandra Gaca Textile Design, Kvadrat
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Case Study | Fora Borough
BELOW: Level 5 Mezzanine Library RIGHT: Ground floor arrival
It really all is designed to make your life easier – all you have to do is be brilliant at work
The Client
Workspace provider Fora was founded by former Managing Director of Deutsche Bank, Enrico Sanna, and co-founder of The Big Chill Festival, Katrina Larkin. Fora provides beautiful, flexible and professional workspaces with hotel-like hospitality across Central London and Reading. Workspaces can be found in Clerkenwell, Borough, Reading and Fitzrovia. 2019 will see Fora spaces opening in Spitalfields, Soho and Southwark, with additional projects underway in Shoreditch and Ladbroke Grove.
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‘They also host parties – we’ve held our own functions here,’ Catherine reveals. ‘People can use the restaurant, so there’s a real mix of things going on, not just for the residents but also involving the wider neighbourhood and community. They do that really well.’ We head up to the aforementioned Level 5 space. In contrast to the ground floor, there is plenty of natural light, resulting in a bright, multifunctional facility that can be used for presentations, events and even private dining. There is, of course, state-of-the-art technology throughout, from secure superfast fibre Wi-Fi, through to the Fora app and residents’ platform. We’re also told that all the kitchens are fully stocked, while bathroom and shower facilities come complete with the finest wellbeing products. ‘This level has a brilliant two-sided terrace,’ Felicity reveals. ‘While, immediately below here is an outdoor workspace – probably the best workspace in the entire building, in the right weather! It has outdoor plug-in points and is so nice in summer.’ Moving back inside, we take the stairs up to a mezzanine level where we discover a real ‘hidden gem’ in the shape of the Reading Room. With bookshelves curated by Foyles, the facility allows
residents to escape and relax. ‘We were given this double-height void and I think this is a really nice way of occupying it,’ Felicity smiles. ‘It is completely private. I think the dressing is really important here, with cool LP covers on the wall and a functioning record player. Residents can borrow the books or just relax. I think this is one of my favourite spots. ‘It was important that we dressed everything in this building in the right way. No-one here wants to work in a cold, corporate office with fluorescent lighting – they want to work in a residentially-inspired hospitality environment – but a professionally curated one. That’s why, even with the finishes in the ‘office’ floors, we have ensured that the amenities, the lounge, the phone booths – all the sharing facilities – have great daylight, the right materiality and don’t feel enclosed or separated. We wanted to use signature elements that you won’t find in corporate spaces. We always want to do stuff that’s different. This is about producing a comfortable, authentic environment.’ And that’s exactly what’s been achieved here. From Borealis through to the Reading Room, this is an original, authentic coworking space. Would we want to work here? To quote some lads from London, ‘All day and all of the night’! w
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Case Study | Workspace
Frames of Mind You are probably aware of the changing face of the ‘hip’ borough of Shoreditch. Once seen as the über cool place where neighbouring City workers would never step into, it is now becoming known as an incubator for exciting fledging businesses – with tech very much at the heart of this transformation.
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 work spaces.
o be honest, we find it a much more exciting place now than when it was seen as ‘edgy’. Then again, we would – we do publish a workplace magazine after all! Therefore, we were extremely keen when Mixology award-winning design firm Squire & Partners contacted us to take a look at the latest flexible workspace in the heart of Shoreditch. An incubator within an incubator! Workspace Group’s The Frames is a bespoke development tailored to small and creative businesses in the district. The five-storey building creates 80,000 sq ft of flexible workspace for London’s new and growing companies, providing a total of 68 workspace and studio units to suit a variety of users, along with shared meeting rooms, breakout areas, tea points, cycle storage, shower facilities, a series of terrace spaces and a café. Influenced by the characteristic warehouse vernacular of the surrounding South Shoreditch Conservation Area, the building envelope employs a palette of brick, metal and glass. Following the curved line of Phipp Street, with a series of brick columns punctuated by corten-clad window reveals, the design emphasises the vertical proportions of the structure. The top two floors of the building are set back and feature twisted dark grey perforated aluminium fins, which reference the historical textile manufacturing history of the neighbourhood and double-up as solar shading. Interiors at The Frames were designed to create a relaxed and comfortable aesthetic in contrast
to the raw industrial finishes of the building. Inspiration was drawn from traditional trades in Shoreditch, which included press-printing and furniture making, as well as textile manufacturing. On entering the building, a striking mural by renowned street artist Mr Jago establishes a vibrant colourscape for the main ground floor reception, and acts as a backdrop to a folded perforated metal staircase. Named Aira Force Loop, the mural references Aira Force, a Cumbrian waterfall, and is an imagining of that natural feature within a designed urban space. The language of raw materials and finishes found on the exterior continues inside the building, with polished concrete floors, exposed soffits, Cortenclad lift cores and that striking steel staircase. A bespoke reception desk formed from raw polished steel with a dark oak top references the area’s industrial heritage – although this forms more of a concierge hub than traditional corporate reception. An open plan lounge for informal and social meetings is furnished with contemporary Scandinavian tables and seating, upholstered in grey or black textured fabrics with accents of orange and mustard to complement the artwork and the Corten steel of the lift lobbies and exterior. The twisted metal fins on the outside of the building are carried through internally to create subtle partitions between the different spaces on the ground floor. Beyond the lounge space is a working area that comprises both open plan space and private desk booths. The bespoke design of
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Case Study | Workspace
THIS PAGE: Private desk booths provide dedicated work zones within the open plan ground floor workspace.
the desk booths marries black stained ply with cork building authentic to Shoreditch, which appealed to lining, and provides focused personal work zones. the local market. Tables are metal framed, with reclaimed teak 'The island site presented challenges because it tops that will lighten over time, and seating is surrounded on all sides by roads and has curved includes the iconic Robin Day 675 chairs – and angled aspects to it. The architect team had to upholstered in a special edition grey fabric as consider where to locate the entrance to create an a nod to the textile impact for the building's history of the area. All users, but would also furniture in this space work on a practical level Workspace did want this to is moveable for flexible for deliveries and dropworking, functions and be an exemplar project – they offs. Placing the entrance presentations, with a on the straight aspect wanted it to be something drop-down presentation of the Phipp Street screen incorporated into special in their portfolio, and so elevation meant a larger, the ceiling design. open reception space. were willing to go the extra mile ‘Workspace Group ‘The Frames is Workspace Group's were great clients to first new build project, work with. The identity and presented the of the building was opportunity to do something a little different,’ Maria strong in the archiectural language and we were Cheung, Director and Head of Interior Design at keen to establish a joined-up aesthetic, which Squire & Partners, tells us. ‘They are well known continued into the interior. You’ll see perforated for providing commercial business units, but here metal fins from the facade used to divide spaces they wanted to tap into elements of the coworking on the ground floor, and raw finishes such as market – there are still individual units but these Corten used in the lift lobbies. In some cases we are supplemented with shared facilities throughout. chose to soften the palette slightly, such as using ‘The development is pitched towards creative concrete coloured tiles featuring Patricia Urquiola industries. From the outset we wanted to create a patterns.
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Project Team Client Workspace Group Interior Design & Architecture Squire & Partners Furniture Providers Dodds & Shute Flooring Suppliers Puur Floors Limited, Domus, Forbo Flooring, Rustoleum Surface Supplier Domus Furniture Suppliers Muuto, Heerinhuis, Bosc, Asiatic Rugs, Case Furniture, LampGras, Opus Magnum, Handvark, Vitra, Lightyears, Skandiums
by Coatworks
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Image: Model 107 shown in oiled teak wood with Dunes and Savanne leather
MODEL 107, 1956 Model 107 was designed in the 1950s and originally produced by Magnus Olesen in 1956. The details of the chair reflect the famous, classic design of the era – Danish Modern. The chair represents Ib Kofod-Larsen’s approach at its best: designing a slightly chunky, comfortable lounge chair yet adding an elegant and light edge to it.
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Case Study | Workspace
RIGHT: The building’s bull-nose profile marks the junction of Phipp Street, while vertical brick piers, C orten reveals and metal framed windows relate to the surrounding warehouse vernacular of the South Shoreditch Conservation Area.
'The client's ambition was for The Frames to be an exemplar project, and they were willing to go the extra mile to make bold choices. We shared the view that the design should avoid passing fashions to create something that would stand the test of time. Workplace Group had a set of guidelines for certain areas, but we were given freedom within those requirements to agree a strong concept outside of their usual model. ‘We decided not to be overly formal with the reception space – to create a welcoming space that doesn't present physical barriers for tenants and their guests. Introducing colour via a doubleheight bespoke artwork by artist Mr Jago and textured raw materials, we establish an identity and avoid a bland corporate aesthetic.’ Heading up the metal staircase to the first floor, we find a smart open plan breakout space with workspace units beyond. There is also a spectacular glazed bridge, which links to a glass walled meeting room – with the vibrant artwork extending into the room to create an amazing feature wall. What is amazing is that, the closer you get to the mural, the more vibrant the colours become – and this is no more apparent than in the glazed meeting room. ‘On the face of it, this looks like a very simple room,’ Maria points out. ‘It’s actually not a very big room – the glazing affords it a feeling of space. AV equipment is tucked away and we’ve intentionally used soft colours, timber finishes and warm lighting to create a domestic feel. The cupboards, which have trays and drawers you can pull out, were all made bespoke for this space. There are larger meeting rooms downstairs – but I think this is where you'd really like to bring your clients!' The design of breakout spaces on all work floors is also light and comfortable, with soft furnishings set against concrete finishes and low pendant lights providing intimacy in seating areas.
We wanted to create a building that was very much ‘of the area’ and for people in this area
ABOVE: Breakout space and tea points are provided on each of the working floors.
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Case Study | Workspace
The Client
On the upper levels, workspace units feature concrete floors and ceilings, together with whitewashed walls to create a blank canvas for tenants here at The Frames. Shadows cast inside the rooms through the external perforated fins add a layer of visual interest to the spaces, and change throughout the day with the movement of the sun. We have to say that the materials and finishes make a nice change from the predominantly white spaces we’ve become all too used to seeing. ‘There's a range of unit sizes,’ Maria tells us. ‘When we decided, quite early on, that we were going to go with an exposed finish, there was a lot of pressure on the contractor to execute it to a high standard – but they did a great job. The glazed screens to the communal walkways mean that
tenants have their own defined space, but feel part of something bigger at the same time.’ A strong graphic identity is used throughout the building to assist with wayfinding, created by Squire & Partners in collaboration with their sister branding company, Mammal. We take a quick look at the currently bare basement floorplates – but they are so good we assume they’ll soon be filled with more of Shoreditch’s hungry young businesses. The Frames isn’t just a coworking space. This is something else altogether. There is a sense of elegance and maturity that is often lacking from shared workspace facilities. This is a place where young companies can grow – and grow-up at the same time. w
Workspace Group PLC (formerly known as London Industrial PLC) was established in 1987 and has a portfolio of 18 small-unit, multi-tenanted estates. Today, Workspace is a FTSE 250 Real Estate Investment Trust, which owns 68 properties across 3.6m sq ft in London. Workspace provides a home to over 4,000 companies.
ABOVE: Soft furnishings contrast with the raw finishes of the breakout spaces, with low pendant lights bringing intimacy to the seating areas. LEFT: The double-height mural in the reception lobby is carried into the first floor meeting room to create a feature wall.
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Review | Stockholm Furniture Fair
Skål Candy There are many reasons why we love a trip to the Stockholm Furniture and Light Fair. One of these is of course Stockholm itself – a fabulous place to visit at any time of the year. Another is that it is so easy to cover and navigate. A third reason is that, every year, there is something worth seeing. Here are just a few of the standout product introductions from the 2019 edition.
Kinnarps
Flokk At this year’s Stockholm Furniture Fair, Flokk offered visitors the chance to experience the thoughts, challenges, and passions of a design team committed to sustainable innovation. Christian Lodgaard, Senior VP Products & Brands at Flokk, says: ‘Sustainable design is very much part of Flokk’s DNA. This DNA is unchangeable, it’s a key element with which we start when thinking about a new concept. It runs through everything we do no matter what product or brand the focus may be on.’ DNA is a concept developed in collaboration with design studio Hunting & Narud, and provides a unique insight into how sustainability is at the
core of all Flokk designs. Focusing on some of the key sustainable materials Flokk uses, the collection has been developed to enable design enthusiasts amongst you to see the extensive journey its products go through, from conception to delivery. Amy Hunting, Hunting & Narud Co-Founder, teases: ‘What are these chairs made of? Where do the materials come from? What is the basic DNA of the company? We believe there are a lot of untold stories within Flokk and we wanted to turn some of them into physical concepts, which you can see around you now. We’ve taken five beautiful raw materials which will hopefully start conversations about our resources and how we use them.’
Kinnarps gave their view on the future of workspaces, with the concept Next Generation Spaces Explored, at the fair. The Swedish giant asked the question: How will we work in the future and how will it affect the way companies and organisations design their offices? Kinnarps’ curiosity about the future was also reflected in their product development. During the fair, two major product introductions were presented. got an exclusive preview of Vibe – a new, large screen series with great flexibility. There was also the launch of a striking stained ash veneer in 11 inspiring colours. The colours match textiles, metals and other materials in the Kinnarps range. Kinnarps believes these new products meet both today’s and tomorrow’s demands for wellbeing and sustainability. ‘When we develop our product range, it’s not only about the needs of today, but also what will be required in the future. Flexibility, sustainability and the freedom of choice are important factors today, but we believe they will be even more important in the future”,’ says Jenny Hörberg, Director Global Range & Design.
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Review | Stockholm Furniture Fair
Camira As part of a very special collaboration, the textiles of Danish American designer Jens Risom have been recreated for the first time, with Camira faithfully reimagining two fabrics, Zap and Armadillo, for today’s commercial interiors. The original fabrics of the same name were designed and manufactured by Jens Risom in the 1960s, to complement the iconic furniture designs for which he is renowned. Paying homage to the colours, textures and tones of the original fabrics, Camira wanted to make Risom’s designs as relevant today as they were when they were first created. Designed to work together and separately, the two ranges bring new life to the uniquely exciting textile patterns. Working closely with the Risom family and FORM Portfolios, who manage the Risom legacy, Camira has been able to introduce these mid-century fabrics Atelier Chair TAF Studio to a2018 new audience in a new era. Abigail Bomford, Creative Director at Camira, said of the landmark collaboration: ‘Reimagining the fabrics of a design icon has been an incredible project for Camira. Not only were they such intriguing textiles, but having lain forgotten for such a long time, there was a commitment from everybody involved to making sure that we did justice to this key part of Jens’ legacy.’
artek.fi
Artek
© Artek 10/2018
The Atelier Chair, designed by TAF Studio for the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm, and Alvar Aalto’s Chair 611 from 1929, are separated by decades in design history, but united in spirit by Artek. At this year’s Stockholm Furniture Fair, the pair were presented side-by-side in a booth that playfully referenced the new webbing upholstery on the Aalto classic. Atelier Chair, with its slender proportions and geometric lines, pays homage to the Orchestra Chair by Swedish architect Sven Markelius, itself a tribute to Alvar Aalto’s Chair 611. For the fair, Aalto’s first modern chair was presented in a new palette of subtle duotone colours developed in collaboration with Dutch colour and textile expert Hella Jongerius.
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ATELIER CHAIR TAF Studio 2018
Review |
Offecct Font by Swedish designer Matti Klenell is a sofa system that has been developed for the new interior of Nationalmuseum, Sweden’s leading museum for art and design. Font is modern furniture for public interiors that will carry a part of the museum’s history with it as it reaches out to the international market. Overall responsibility for the museum’s new restaurant interior was given to Matti Klenell. Along with a group of designers, he faced the challenging task of merging the building’s 150-year history with a contemporary design language. When the time came to develop a flexible sofa that could easily blend in with the rest of the furniture for the restaurant interior, Matti chose to work with Offecct – and the result is Font. ‘Font is based on a simple form with a round backrest, which gives the furniture its graphic expression and character, and indeed also inspired the name. The challenge was to achieve the right height and softness, and also a construction that enables you to use Font in a context outside of the museum,’ Matti explains.
Fritz Hansen Fritz Hansen always seeks to push the boundaries of design - which is why it has now ventured into a new realm of design, launching the Christianshavn textile series – along with new lighting, accessories, and new colours for the iconic Drop chair. Christianshavn is a timeless collection of textiles. With the development of Christianshavn, Fritz Hansen wants to create its own colour universe and ensure that each textile is carefully created to enhance and complement every piece of furniture in its collection, giving them everlasting appeal. Sometimes all it needs is a drop of colour to breathe new life into a design icon – and the ever-popular Drop chair has been given a makeover with the addition of four new fresh colours that are sure to appeal to the next generation of urban customers.
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Review | Stockholm Furniture Fair
Fredericia Bolon Bolon’s latest collection –Diversity – celebrates variation, participation and inspiration, and in this special anniversary year for the company, it also celebrates seven decades of daring to be different. The collection includes three different patterns, Bling, Buzz and Bouquet, and comes in a total of 12 colourways. Diversity’s flowing expression binds the three designs together, even as the patterns vary. Given the collection’s carefully considered family of colours, Bling, Buzz and Bouquet can be effortlessly combined. ‘The collection creates opportunities to play with the patterns and give different floor areas of a hotel or an office space a distinctive look, without compromising on the overall impression,’ says Marie Eklund, Bolon’s CEO. The three designs are available in four base colours – grey, beige, brown or black – into which a selection of vibrant earthy hues, such as terracotta, aquamarine and pine green, have been woven in Bolon’s jacquard looms. Bling’s twisted, chain link pattern is large in scale and bold in execution. Bouquet’s floral motifs are inspired by watercolour paintings, featuring a melange of colour and gloss threads. Buzz is softer and more modest. It has a textile-like appearance with a slight shimmer, and comfortably covers large areas.
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In a world driven by the desire for personalisation, Fredericia’s Calmo offers all kinds of enticing options to customise a living space. This new sofa series has been developed by Hugo Passos, with clean lines and discrete curves. Available in an array of sizes, intrinsic to the Calmo concept is the choice of a chaise longue to incorporate at either end, a comfy chair or ottoman (or both) for a more expansive sofa setting – not to mention several loose, 100% down filled cushions for extra comfort; all kinds of elements and
components that can easily configure together. Signature details include the gentle, graceful curve of the inside of the armrests and a subtle, discrete seam that swerves from the inside to the outside of the armrest, ending at the back of the sofa. ‘I see this collection as a contemporary update of Børge Mogensen’s ethos – to produce functional, long lasting furniture for everyday life,’ says Hugo Passos. ‘I am very happy that we have created a relaxed, strong yet elegant sofa family that I hope people enjoy.’
Materia Alto is a versatile piece of furniture with the unusual sitting height of 630mm. The design is characterised by simplicity, as noticed in its shape and the flexibility with which you can combine a number of units to create larger arrangements. The undulating shape of its cushions, and the fact that the shape is visible from the inside and outside, further enhance the identity of this piece and show off its beauty from all angles. An additional extra is a pocket sewn into either end-piece to hold magazines or menus. Alto comes as an easy chair, two-seater, three-seater or corner sofa.w
Coworking - are we at the beginning, middle or end?
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Review | Surface Design Show
Barts and Minds The winners of the 2019 Surface Design Awards were recently announced at the impressive Surface Design Show, celebrating the best and most impressive use of materials in, and on, architectural projects from around the globe.
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he beautiful new Maggie’s Centre Barts was selected as the well-deserved Supreme Winner, capturing the judge’s hearts and minds. A beacon of design in the charity sector, the building – by Steven Holl Architects – was shortlisted in the Public Building Exterior category, gaining great acclaim from the judges, including Christophe Egret, who stated: ‘You really feel that a person dealing with cancer might feel elevated in this space. ‘A beacon in the middle of a hospital is really incredible. It has materiality and sensuality – its Maggie’s. It has everything.’ Sited within the grounds of St Bartholemew’s Hospital, the building is a vertical blend of materials. Light pours into the building through a matte white glass façade, which also creates a glow to the surrounding area after dark. Across 13 categories, entrants to the awards read like a ‘Who’s Who’ in architecture and design from around the world. The Aesop Flagship Store, by Clayworks & Snohetta, won the Retail Interior category. Noted for its exceptional use of a single material, the sweeping arches that define the space are finished in beautiful, tactile clay plaster. The colouring and texture of the plaster were chosen to relate back to the body and create a soft, human feeling for the skincare brand. The Lava Stone Shopfront took the judges by surprise in the Retail Exterior category, as it dawned on them that the project was a Nando’s restaurant. STAC Architecture created a handsome exterior using a 3D tile tessellated ingeniously to avoid the need to cut a single tile and avoiding any material waste. The tranquil Writ in Water project took the Public Building Interior award. Studio Octopi worked with Mark Wallinger on Writ in Water, which is an immersive space where visitors can contemplate around a reflective pool, with inspiration drawn from Clause 39 of the Magna Carta and the fundamental principles of justice it embodies.
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Taking the winning place in the Commercial Interior category, The Veil by Giles Miller Studio and Orms is a 17-metre solid brass sculpture embedded in an entranceway that allows light into the space and enables occupants to see out, while protecting their privacy by blocking the view in from the double height reception below. The extraordinary Morpheus Hotel, by Zaha Hadid Architecture and Isometrix Lighting Design, picked up the Commercial Exterior category. Two towers are bound together within an exoskeleton inspired by China’s traditional Jade carvings. A large structure made entirely of timber, the TED Theatre – created by Rockwell Group – scooping the Temporary Structure award, this temporary, demountable and portable theatre will be installed in the Vancouver Convention Centre. In the Sustainable Interior Surface category, Hewitt Studios’ project for SGS Berkeley Green was the winner. A large regeneration of a collection of run-down offices, stores, labs and workshops next to Berkeley’s redundant nuclear power station, the project has created a pioneering campus focused on renewable energy skills training. The winner of the Sustainable Exterior Surface category was Cultural Village by Kengo Kuma & Associates. Enveloped in the Portland Japanese Garden, the building’s custom metal roofing is single skin, non-combustible, with no reportable VOC content, 100% recyclable and contains postconsumer recycled content. There were two winners in the Light & Surface Interior category. Firstly, Morpheus Hotel, which created debate and all-round admiration across the panel of judges. Meanwhile, a central London branch of Gymbox, whose lighting was designed by Lightivity Lighting Design, shared the accolade. The design uses light throughout, for functionality in visibility, aesthetics, wayfinding and mood. Another category that had judges torn was the Light & Surface Exterior award. The lighting installation by Michael Grubb Studio in the Black
Prince Road tunnel is a visual nod to the Black Prince’s Ruby – one of the oldest parts of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom. AF Lighting’s Story Wall shared the win, with its simple and ingenious lighting solution. Story Wall is a lighting installation transforming a tunnel into a bright, safe and playful for passers-by. The winner of Housing Interior was Powis Cloud by Lily Jencks Studio. The project made smart use of materials to create a feeling of living up in the clouds. A simple, continuous curtain track creates a soft look and feel in the space In the final category, Housing Exterior, Mole Architects picked up the award for the Fijal House project. The fascinating use of serrated brickwork on the front elevation of this home was inspired by stone columns at the entrance to Ely Cathedral and an interpretation of Edwardian decorative brick. The Surface Design Awards recognise and celebrate the best use of innovative surface materials in architecture and design internationally. Launched five years ago, the awards have grown to become one of the most respected accolades in the design arena. The 2019 shortlist consisted of 43 projects from nine countries, with winners coming from the UK, USA, China, Canada and Sweden. w
Review | Surface Design Show
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1. Maggie's Centre Barts by Steven Holl Architects
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2. Aesoph Flagship Store by Clayworks & Snohetta 3. The Lava Stone Shopfront by STAC Architecture 4. Writ in Water by Studio Octopi and Mark Wallinger 5. The Veil by Giles Miller Studio and Orms 6. Morpheus Hotel by Zaha Hadid Architecture and Isometrix Lighting Design 7. TED Theatre by Rockwell Group 8. SGS Berkeley Green by Hewitt Studios 9. Cultural Village by Kengo Kuma & Associates 10. Morpheus Hotel by Zaha Hadid Architecture and Isometrix Lighting Design 11. Gymbox by Lightivity Lighting Design 12. Black Price Road tunnel by Michael Grubb Studio 13. Story Wall by AF Lighting 14. Powis Cloud by Lily Jencks Studio 15. Fijal House by Mole Architects
14 Mix 191 February 2019 | 93
Review |
SELECTIONS
Dams extends dining portfolio Dams, the office furniture specialist, have extended its range of dining seating for 2019, with the launch of the new Strut café dining chairs and Ziggy soft seating booths. Equipping the office with social furniture and re-thinking how space is currently used to create a bespoke quiet area can significantly enhance your team’s wellness. Not every business has space for a breakout area or quiet zone within the modern office environment, however you can still create social areas by making existing communal areas such as the office canteen or kitchen more welcoming with comfortable seating and more relaxed, domestic design. www.dams.com
Modern take on the hanging basket Office plants specialist Inleaf provided a contemporary take on the traditional hanging basket with this recent installation in a client’s kitchen and dining space. Healthy Epipremnum plants trail down from modern matt black containers, which are suspended with steel wires. Inleaf tells us it is franchising and has nationwide opportunities for people that want to run a profitable interior landscaping business. Territories are available throughout the UK. www.inleaf.co.uk/office-plants/indoor-hanging-plants/ https://inleaf.co.uk/franchise-opportunities/
Beautiful authenticity The desire to make Evola decorative panels ‘true to life’ sees the UNILIN product design team look to where it all begins – with the original. Meticulous attention-to-detail sees UNILIN Evola panels beautifully replicate natural materials. From the deep grain and knots of Nordic Pine’s rustic texture to the subtle, super-matt surface of White Birch, each décor is a true-to-life recreation of original materials. This realism is not only down to the experimentation of the design team, but also through using production technology to develop surface structures synchronous with the design underneath. www.unilinpanels.com
Biophilic and sustainable Inspired by nature and made from recycled materials, Scape is biophilic in every way. The new carpet collection from Quadrant is designed to mimic elements in nature, namely our native Treescape and dramatic Rockscape, which have inspired the nine patterns and shades. Rich in texture, the tiles are made using state-of-the-art tufting equipment and ECONYL, a nylon yarn regenerated from fishing nets and other ocean waste. www.quadmod.com www.quadmod.com
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Review |
SELECTIONS
Apollo brings the comfort of home to the office The Apollo range of task chairs, designed by Iratzoki & Lizaso, features a pleasing, softly-rounded shape that evokes simplicity, comfort, friendliness and wellbeing. Apollo addresses the need for workspaces that echo the comfort and wellbeing of home and promote a creative, collaborative spirit – places where constructive, transformational interaction, dialogue and exchange can take place. Ergonomically designed with intuitive controls and with a gentle environmental footprint, Apollo offers a softer, more comfortable office environment. www.verco.co.uk
The UK’s market leader in luxury vinyl flooring, Karndean Designflooring, is introducing a creative new collection featuring a range of exquisite designs inspired by the architectural tiled floors of grand Victorian and Regency villas and townhouses. From striking monochrome designs to beautifully blended traditional patterns, Karndean’s brand-new Heritage Collection reflects both the boldness of contemporary trends and lavish Victorian living. www.karndean.com/heritage2019
Minimalist kitchen sink with Integrity World leading quartz surface brand, Silestone by Cosentino, is adding to its popular Integrity by Silestone kitchen sink range with the new minimalist kitchen sink, Integrity Q. Standing out for its monolithic design, Integrity Q is created using a single piece of Silestone, giving it a minimalistic appeal. Measuring 41 x 51 x 17.5 cm and with an almost square shape, the Integrity Q model features small curved corners, resulting in a softened overall look. www.silestone.com
A beautiful balance of luxury vinyl and carpet tiles Fusion is the latest offering from the worldwide leader in innovative flooring, Tarkett. Bringing Tarkett’s high-quality luxury vinyl and DESSO carpet tiles together, the collection showcases the use of both materials, side-byside, to stunning and practical effect. The Tarkett products featured within Fusion have been handpicked by the design team to demonstrate how tactility and movement throughout commercial spaces can be influenced by experimentation with hard and soft elements. www.fusiondessotarkett.com
Heritage tile collection launched
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The Last Word | Opinion
PING PONG OR PRODUCTIVITY? I recently read an interesting piece that idly wondered if the reason we stay at work longer nowadays is because of all the other things there are to occupy us other than our actual jobs, muses Criteo’s Mike Walley.
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Mike Walley is Criteo’s Head of Workplace Experience EMEA
t’s a good question! We talk sagely about how, for the millennial workforce, personal and business lives overlap in a classic Venn diagram, and how we should support those sitting on the edge of the work/life balance with an enhanced workplace experience full of fabulous extras. But, I wonder whether the very best experience isn’t actually created by having a workplace that lets you be as efficient as possible and then ‘sets you free’ at the end of the day. There are an awful lot of distractions in the modern workplace and I am beginning to think it might be time to remove them all and, in the words of one leading tech company, ‘Get Stuff done. Go home’. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am not advocating a return to the bad old days of poor lighting, bad ergonomics and the weekly whip-round to fund another catering size jar of Mellow Birds instant coffee. No, we can still have beautiful offices that are light filled, biophilic and environmentally friendly – I just wonder whether they need to be chock full of things to distract us. I mean, honestly, I can distract myself in an empty room. I don’t need a ping pong table in the cafeteria to make it any harder to get things done. The thing is, individually, each addition is a good idea, but they have a habit of adding up. ‘Let’s have a dart board!’ Good idea. Coffee break and a quick 501. Then a pool table appears as well. One more coffee while we knock off a quick eight ball. Then, the cafeteria gets a ping pong table. Now things are starting to clash. I don’t mean with meetings or actual work. No, I have a massage, yoga class and a mindfulness session to fit in before this week’s social event in the bar. Now I will need to stay until midnight just to get my day job done. It doesn’t sound so great piled up like that. But, in the everpresent race to attract talent, we keep adding stuff to the list. The first day at a new job feels more like freshers week at uni. Should I join the Foosball league or the Pilates session? Sign
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up with the eco group or pick up litter in the street as part of my Corporate Social Responsibility? What do I do at lunchtime? So, how do we square this approach with the current focus on productivity? Particularly as all the books on effective working habits never seem to have ‘Play Sales VP at Ping Pong’ on the list. I believe it is time to focus on the workplace environment, not just the experience. The experience is important but, at the end of the day, it is a business, and while I want staff to enjoy their work and have fun, the object of the game is to do business and make money. Even the big players in tech, who led the ‘experience’ revolution, pay attention to how functional the space is before they make all the meeting rooms look like the inside of a submarine. Great Environment leads to a Great Experience. So before you buy the ping pong table, ask yourself a few questions: Are the work areas varied so I can focus when I need to without being distracted by the noise of others being collaborative? Can I easily collaborate with my team without disturbing those needing to focus? Are the meeting rooms functional with all the tools I need (video conferencing, TV screens, whiteboards etc)? Are they comfortable (lighting, airflow, acoustics)? Are there enough of them or is it a constant fight to find one when you need it? Are the ergonomics right (no upcycled, hand painted kitchen chairs instead of task chairs!)? Is everything in the building designed to make ‘getting stuff done’ as easy as possible? Now, before I start to sound too perfect, I have to admit that my workplaces have ping pong, Foosball and pool tables. They all seemed a good idea at the time, but I am beginning to reconsider. Foosball is the only one that gets used now the novelty has worn off – and I do wonder if a couple of meeting rooms wouldn’t be a better idea...w
Apollo *
Designed for Real People
*Success is no accident
+44 (0) 1494 448 000
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Capsule The new on desk power module from CMD that features a dual port Type A and C adaptive fast charger with LED indicators, 2x UK sockets with individual switches and resettable 3A thermal fuses and includes fixing clamps. Capsule also has 2 data blanks which can house a range of data keystones. CMD-LTD.COM/CAPSULE
Data keystone blanks Manually resettable 3A fuses
On/Off switch with LED indicators UK power sockets Type A and C adaptive fast charger with LED indicators
sales@cmd-ltd.com | +44 (0)1709 829511 | www.cmd-ltd.com