Mix Interiors 195 - June 2019

Mix Interiors Interiors 195 186

June July2019 2018

INSIDE

74 UPFRONT 10 BIM 18 Seven 20 Steve Gale 24 Material Matters 26 Deser t Island Desks 28 Proper t y Insight 30 Proper t y Horse's Mouth 34

58 78

SPOTLIGHT 39 The Big Question 41 Public Sector Repor t 42

ROUNDTABLE 52 CASE ST UDIES 58 NatWest 58 Sygnia 66

↑ NATWEST

We're in the Cit y of London, where a genuine workplace revolution is taking place. Take a look at NatWest 's' amazing new coworking-st yle facilit y.

52

CDW RE VIE W 74 30 Under 30 Review 74 CDW Review 78 Umbrella Event 98 Planet Event 100

L AST WORD 104 Criteo's Head of Workplace E xperience, Mike Walley

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Upfront | Welcome

A WORD FROM MICK THE COVER The logo 'We have taken the curved corner geometry of the product to create a bespoke bold and contemporary logo. Yellow provides a complementary splash of colour against the monochromatic backdrop. We used a similar concept to create the Orms logo, rendering the ‘O’ of Orms as a perfect circle. Circular geometry throughout creates a bespoke logotype.' www.orms.co.uk

During Clerkenwell Design Week I was fortunate enough to be asked to host this year’s Umbrella + Friends talk (you can see the full review on p98).

Having discussed what we could do to ‘mix’ things up a bit, the Umbrella team gave me the green light to have a bit of fun and present my industry ‘pet hates’ to a (very obliging) panel of workplace specialists.

Our panel guests were great sports, providing plenty of contention and even more laughter throughout the session. Once we had finished, we got together with our hosts and chatted further about those workplace philosophies and processes that really irk us. Then someone asked, ‘But what about turning the ‘hates’ into ‘loves’ – what about the philosophies and ideas that you all really like?

All went quiet. I broke the silence by conceding that

I found it relatively straightforward to come up with a dozen or so ‘hates’, but I’m struggling to even think of a couple of ‘loves’ and certainly to justify them to our assembled experts and professionals.

I’m not sure what this says about us! I wondered whether it was a British thing – and then realised that one of our panel was Australian and another Texan! Maybe it’s a design/property thing? Or maybe it’s just as simple as the fact that there are, and always have been, far more stupid ideas than smart ones. It is that one smart idea, however, that can transform businesses, bank balances and lives.

Never worry about having useless ideas. Keep striving for that moment of genius – it’s in there somewhere!

Speaking of good ideas, I’ll see you (well 1,000+ of you at least) at Mixology.

GET IN TOUCH The cover The Beauty of Senator's SetMe Leg isn’t only skin deep. The intelligent and innovative system means It can be quickly and easily reconfigured to meet the needs of any user.

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Editor Mick Jordan mick@wearemixgroup.com

Events Hester Talbot, Georgia Bone, Natasha Nelson

Sales Director Gary Williams gary@wearemixgroup.com

Founding Publisher Henry Pugh

Director David Smalley david@wearemixgroup.com Designer Tammi Bell tamzin@wearemixgroup.com

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

Group Managing Director Marcie Incarico marcie@wearemixgroup.com Director Martin Mongan martin@wearemixgroup.com Editorial & Marketing Executive Chloe Petersen Snell chloe@wearemixgroup.com Business Development Manager Kate Borastero kate@wearemixgroup.com

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Contributors Steve Gale David Thame Mike Walley Address 85 Greengate Manchester M3 7NA

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Upfront |

The Hoxton Portland

FINE FETTLE Perkopolis

PERKS OF THE JOB Chameleon Business Interiors has expanded its overseas portfolio by completing a full office refresh with Canadian perks company, Perkopolis. The refresh, for which employee health and wellbeing was paramount, has seen Perkopolis move into a 4,300 sq ft office space that was specifically designed by Chameleon for the company’s needs and brand personality.

The focus on health and wellbeing in the workplace meant the company prioritised the importance of incorporating as much natural light as possible within the office, to keep the team feeling fresh, as well as boosting creativity and concentration levels. A café style space encourages socialising and conversation, and internal meeting spaces provide the team with areas that spark creativity when working on new projects. This aligned with both Chameleon’s and Perkopolis’ key values, reflecting on how they provide services to their clients.

Morgan Marlowe, Founder and CEO at Perkopolis, said: ‘Refurbishing our office has been a huge milestone, and was the perfect way to celebrate 20 years in business. It’s such an opportune time to have our brand showcased in a space that fits our personality, and we look forward to hosting our vendors, suppliers and partners, as well as business events in the future. Our new space is so inviting – the best part is that, when guests walk in, they all love it!’

Founded in 1998, Chameleon Business Interiors is a specialist in office refurbishments, relocations, redesigns and fit-outs, and provides a complete range of interior design and contracting solutions for commercial office interiors, including space planning, workplace analysis, furniture supply and installation. As well as UK offices in Hull, Birmingham, Leeds and Newcastle, the firm has also expanded to Toronto, Canada.w

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Fettle has worked in collaboration with Ennismore to design The Hoxton Portland, the sixth hotel in The Hoxton portfolio, located on the site of a former 1920s theatre in the US city’s historic Chinatown. Fettle was appointed to design the public areas of the hotel, including the restaurant, cocktail bar, lobby, apartment style meeting space and coffee shop. Ennismore Design Studio completed the design of the bedrooms, rooftop bar and basement.

The hotel is a combination of a 1920s theatre and a new build tower, which houses the hotel rooms. The older part of the hotel features heavily textured wooden columns, old plaster finishes and simple cement board wall cladding, sitting in contrast with the clean and industrial newer building – the combination underpinning the Hoxton Hotel House style.

The architectural palette of the hotel is subdued and natural. Half-century old timber columns reference the industrial nature of the city,

with colourful mid-century seating and patterned Robert Allen fabrics reflecting the city’s vibrant arts and cultural scene. The overall feeling is one of warmth and homeliness, generated by the layering of different textured materials and lighting designs.

Tom Parker, Founding Partner of Fettle, commented: ‘When approaching the design, we took inspiration from the city’s rich history as well as its current diverse culture and wanted to marry the old and the new parts of the building together. We have created a space which really tells the story of its location and one which we hope guests will feel inspired as well as comfortable. The Hoxton Portland marks our second major project in the USA, and we are really proud of the finished result.’

Fettle’s studios in London and Los Angeles work collaboratively across all projects, which include the Marylebone Hotel London, The Draycott in Los Angeles and the Hoxton Hotel Portland.w

THE SURREY EFFECT ‘Creative congregation’ is the latest buzzword for the criteria that helps people choose where to live and work. Also known as ‘The Shoreditch Effect’, this trend reflects that, increasingly, people make this decision based on factors including busy high streets full of local shops, aesthetically pleasing buildings and approachable neighbours. Surrey’s leading business centre, Fetcham Park, is proving popular with businesses from the county and beyond in the wake of this new trend, providing flexible premises as well as a range of lifestyle services, attracting a flurry of clients to the prestigious location.

Fetcham Park’s House Manager, Kate Ainsworth, commented: ‘We love the concept of creative congregation as the phrase sums up Fetcham Park perfectly.

'Since 1999, we’ve offered modern businesses a space to thrive while respecting the heritage and character of this unique building. At every stage we have catered to the ever-changing technological needs of our clients. We like to describe this as mixing heritage with modernity.’

Fetcham Park

Tucked away in leafy Surrey, Fetcham Park is an award-winning Grade II listed house built in 1705.

After centuries as a private home, in 1999 it became a business centre and has provided private event hire and serviced offices ever since.

Offering a variety of contemporary serviced office space, breakout spaces and a range of lifestyle services, including fitness classes and car valeting, Fetcham Park’s six acres of landscaped grounds offer a space to talk through creative ideas while taking a serene stroll with a client.

The house was designed by William Talman, with murals by Louis Laguerre, whose work can also be seen at Blenheim Palace and Chatsworth, and gardens originally landscaped by George London.w

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Upfront |

Storey Club

TELLING STOREY’S Storey Club is the latest addition to British Land’s flexible workspace brand, Storey. With everything from additional meeting rooms, private dining spaces and impressive event and workshops spaces, Storey Club provides a distraction-free shared workspace that enables Storey customers and others based at Paddington Central to work, network, dine, play, learn and create under one roof.

Gensler has been working closely with the leading UK property developer to design the new space, providing strategic consultation, project management and interior design and architecture services, helping define how the spaces need to function to serve an ever-evolving workspace market.

Nestled in the urban oasis that is Paddington Central, Storey Club has been designed to make the most of natural light. Huge windows connect the inside to the outside and the many biophilic touches, from the conservatory with its hanging garden to the feature wall in the urban retreat, create a space that is both relaxing and inspiring.

Members can spread their time across Storey Club’s multiple areas, which include an all-day café and a swanky music room, numerous flexible meeting rooms with the latest technology, a beautifully designed kitchen area, perfect for hosting events and socialising, and finally an urban

retreat that oozes relaxed sophistication, providing an ideal spot for drinks with clients and colleagues.

Storey provides flexible and customisable office space for scale-up businesses employing between 20-70 people, providing them with the flexibility to brand and adjust their own space, whilst not having to commit to a long-term lease. It is also marketed to large corporate users who are looking for flexible space or to house a distinct project team with its own identity.

Philippe Pare, Design Director at Gensler, says: ‘Storey Club is a sophisticated and relaxing atmosphere in which to conduct business and entertain colleagues and clients alike. We’re very proud of the work delivered by the workplace, consulting and branding teams here at Gensler, and we look forward to continuing our collaboration with Storey on future projects.’

Stewart Whiting, Head of Product at Storey, said: ‘We are really excited to be launching Storey Club at our Paddington Central campus. This new concept is the natural evolution of Storey and a new way of providing both our Storey and campus customers with extra space from which to work, meet or dine, on a completely flexible basis. We look forward to rolling the concept out to British Land’s other campuses over the next 12-24 months.’ w

Delight carpet tiles by modulyss

MOUNTAIN HIGH Bringing unexpected turns and tricks of light, the Delight carpet tile collection from modulyss has been used in the full Cat B fit-out of the new London headquarters of Black Mountain, a data technology company.

Specified by The DSGN Studio, the strong organic design of Dawn ensures the operational hub of the space has a floor that delivers flair and peak visual interest. A sophisticated response to the mixed metallic trend, Dawn dazzles in its alluring looks.

The DSGN Studio has used this design to great effect, using the deep grey of Dawn 57M for a highly textural tonal look. Adding in a dash of the mono-colour loop-pile Millennium Nxtgen 965 in meeting rooms, the look successfully breaks up individual areas of the space while bringing a unified colour palette for a sophisticated look.

Against flashing accents of acid yellow and lime green on partitioning and furniture, the tiles deliver an assured base for the rest of the interior scheme.

The DSGN Studio’s Benjamin Dudley comments: ‘We looked for carpet tiles that would give flair, interest and design intent to the space but that also weren't overpowering.' w

MAGIC CARPET

Shaw Contract Dubai Office

Shaw Contract has opened a new showroom and office in Dubai, UAE. Located in the Dubai Design District (d3), the new space offers an opportunity to showcase the company’s product portfolio and meet with clients and aligned dealers to discuss their flooring project needs.

Shaw Contract is the first international flooring brand to have a dedicated showroom in the d3 design hub, where aspiring designers start out and learn their trade, and where local talent can work alongside international design, art and fashion houses.

Regional Vice President MEA, Christopher Champlin, says: ‘This is an exciting step for our business in Dubai, the UAE and in the MEA

region. We look forward to welcoming our customers and being able to work with them to realise exciting flooring designs in our new space. The d3 location is home to a broad range of creative businesses and local talent, and Shaw Contract also looks forward to being part of this blossoming design community in the region.’

The company is currently displaying a specially selected combination of leading carpet tile and resilient flooring collections throughout the new showspace. These include the award-winning Haven and Inside Shapes carpet tile collections, the colour foundation collection, which is made in the UK, and concrete + composed Rigid Core LVT, a new and innovative resilient flooring solution.w

Mix 195 June 2019 | 13

Upfront |

FORMER DIRECTORS DISQUALIFIED

Alsager School

INNOVATIVE DEVELOPMENT AIDS PUPIL WELLBEING An innovative £320,000 development at Alsager School in Cheshire has provided schoolchildren with a renewed sense of health and wellbeing, allowing a space for students to enjoy fresh air, whatever the weather.

Yorkshire-headquartered Access North Build was tasked with the design, build and installation of a sleek ETFE canopy to enclose what was previously an open courtyard. The pioneering solution, a lightweight steel space frame, is the first of its kind in the UK and was erected to span the quad, thus enclosing the area beneath.

Alsager School Site Manager, Matt Harris, explained: ‘Fresh air plays a pivotal part in the wellbeing and health of people of all ages. Creating a space which allows students to ‘go outside’ while providing protection from the elements – including rain and solar shielding – is key to supporting their development.’

The greatest challenge for the project was the location and layout of the outdoor space, which was enclosed by existing buildings on all sides. As a result, the superstructure – which is over 400 sq ft in size – had to be assembled in the school car park before being carefully manoeuvred over the establishment and precisely into position on the pre-installed locating bolts.

Access North Group Managing Director, Berenice Northcott, added: ‘This type of ETFE enclosure provides an extremely beneficial space for organisations within the education sector, where student wellbeing is crucial. Additionally, the new ETFE canopy has a design life of 70 years providing it is regularly maintained, but if the time comes when it is no longer required, the ETFE membrane and steel space frame are recyclable, extending the environmental friendliness of the build with the circular economy in mind. The new roof has transformed a previously under-utilised area into a light and airy multifunctional space, resulting in a positive impact on staff and pupils.’w

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Three former directors of office fit-out companies have been disqualified for their involvement in illegal cartel behaviour.

The bans follow a Competition and Markets Authority investigation, which led to five firms being fined £7m back in March.

Fourfront, Loop, Coriolis, ThirdWay and Oakley were fined after Jones Lang LaSalle Inc. (JLL) brought their conduct to the CMA’s attention under the its leniency programme.

The firms were found to have participated in ‘cover bidding’ in competitive tenders, colluding on the prices they would bid for contracts.

Robb Simms-Davies, a former Director of Bluu Solutions Ltd, Bluuco Ltd and Tetris Projects Ltd, has been disqualified for five years.

Trevor Hall, a former Director of Cube Interior Solutions Ltd, has been disqualified for two years and six months, while Oliver James Hammond, a former Director of Area Sq. Ltd, has been disqualified for two years.

All three were directors of their respective companies at the time of the illegal cartel activity

and contributed to a number of the competition law breaches.

Simms-Davies contributed to 12 breaches affecting contracts with a total value of over £13.5m.

Hall and Hammond each contributed to two breaches. In the case of Hammond, the affected contracts were worth over £4.3m. The contracts in the case of Hall had a total value of over £1.2m.

As a former director within the JLL group (Bluu Solutions Ltd, Bluuco Ltd and Tetris Projects Ltd are part of the JLL group of companies), SimmsDavies would have been immune from director disqualification but had his protection withdrawn because he did not submit to a voluntary interview with the CMA. Contiuous and complete cooperation with the CMA’s investigation is a condition for leniency.

The undertakings disqualify the trio from acting as directors or being involved in the management of any UK company.

The CMA is continuing to investigate whether to seek the disqualification of other individuals in this case. w

NG SEALS NOTTINGHAM DEAL Commercial property specialist, NG Chartered Surveyors, has brokered the first pre-let deal at one of Nottingham’s most prestigious new office developments.

Private banking and wealth management company, Brown Shipley, has signed a lease to take Unit 1 Edwalton Business Park, which consists of nearly 6,000 sq ft of Grade A office space.

NG’s Richard Sutton says: ‘This exciting development is a long-overdue addition to Nottingham’s office market. Everything about the project is of the highest quality – from the location, through to the design and the specification, all focused on securing the highest calibre of occupier, such as Brown Shipley.

‘It’s testament to both the quality of this multimillion pound development and our market knowledge that we were able to secure a pre-let to Brown Shipley, and we wish them every success in their new home. We’re already engaged in talks with other occupiers of similar pedigree, who have been looking for new, high quality office space and have been frustrated at what Nottingham has had to offer.’

Edwalton Business Park is Nottingham’s first speculatively built Grade A office development for a decade and the amount of excitement the project has already generated is testament to the pent-up levels of demands, adds Richard. NG Chartered Surveyors is working in conjunction with joint agent Meaures & Co and architect Rayner Davies.

When completed, Edwalton Business Park will offer just under 24,000 sq ft in four self-contained offices. The two-storey buildings will be of high architectural merit, set within landscaped grounds and will provide ample car parking. The offices will feature full-sized receptions, raised access floors, air-conditioning, fibre broadband connectivity, mezzanine meeting rooms, photovoltaic panels and low-energy LED lighting. w Edwalton Business Park

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Upfront |

BDG architecture + design

BDG IN THE BIG APPLE BDG architecture + design has announced the opening of its new studio in New York, which supports its expansion into the North American and Latin American market.

This exciting new move supports an increasingly global portfolio of dynamic clients including Lego, Nike, Sony and WPP. The studio opens with a number of projects across North America, under the creative direction of BDG’s Global Chief Creative Officer, Colin Macgadie, with Kelly D. Powell and Rebecca Wu-Norman as BDG NY Studio Leads. Architect Kelly has previously held key design and management positions within leading architectural firms such as IA Interior Architects and Perkins + Will, and Rebecca, formerly of M Moser, is a designer and artist with a multidisciplinary background.

Gill Parker, CEO of BDG architecture + design, says: ‘I am thrilled to announce this new studio.

It is the latest evolution for BDG as an expanding global force in the workplace sector. People, place and purpose are at the heart of all our projects, creating environments that actively support and encourage collaboration and independent thinking for the betterment of the individual and the organisations in which they work.’ w

STAT OF THE MONTH 65% of children now entering primary school will hold jobs that currently don’t exist.

Source: World Economic Forumw

Work is the greatest thing in the world. So we should save some of it for tomorrow

QUOTE OF THE MONTH - DON HEROLD

16 | Mix 195 June 2019

FOUR CANDLE To celebrate Hakwood and CDW’s respective birthdays, an interactive installation was erected during this year’s Clerkenwell Design Week, highlighting the achievements and key people leading up to this anniversary year.

The interactive The Beauty of 40 Decade Candle installation, designed by Shape London, consisted of four facades, each boasting 40 moveable pieces, topped by an illuminated ‘flame’. Inspired by birthday party games, the Candle encouraged visitors to engage, play and enjoy.

Acting as a beacon across the week’s festivities, the structure was illuminated both day and night, using materials to reflect daylight and LED lights during the night. Perspex mirrors could be rotated to transform the entire Candle into a reflective column, simultaneously dazzling St John’s Gate with light whilst also camouflaging itself into the surroundings.

Visitors to Clerkenwell were encouraged to interact with the Candle by swivelling its tiles, changing the dynamic and aesthetic of the

Interactive Hakwood installation at CDW

structure. An element of fun was incorporated with a game of pairs built into the installation, with a different material on each tile face to create an ever-changing aesthetic. The use of timber on one face, with Hakwood staff members overlaid, created the game of pairs, whilst the mirrored side allowing the user to become part of the installation.w

SAVILLS ACQUIRES KKS Savills has announced the acquisition of leading workplace consultancy and design studio, KKS. The acquisition will create a new UK-based client service for the international real estate advisor, providing a strategic link to enhance its occupier services, landlord leasing, mixed-use development, and building and project management offering, to deliver an all-encompassing solution, focused on creating a better occupier experience.

Established in 2004 by CEO Katrina Kostic Samen, alongside partner Caroline Pontifex, KKS now employs 26 members of staff. At Savills, Katrina will assume the role of Director, Head of Workplace – Strategy and Design, in addition to continuing her position as President of the British Council for Offices (BCO) until July this year, remaining thereafter as BCO Immediate Past President. Caroline will be appointed as Director, Workplace Experience.

James Sparrow, CEO of Savills UK and EMEA, comments: ‘This is an incredibly important and strategic acquisition for our business that will see Savills and KKS come together to create a new workplace centre of excellence, offering a comprehensive end-to-end solution for our clients, from inception to completion.’

Jeremy Bates, EMEA head of Occupational Markets at Savills, says: ‘This acquisition is directly driven by future workplace trends, challenges, opportunities and demands. There is an obvious synergy between the two businesses and we are thrilled to welcome Katrina and her team to Savills.’

Left to right: Jeremy Bates, Katrina Kostic Samen, James Sparrow, Caroline Pontifex and Simon Collett.

Simon Collett, Head of Professional Services at Savills, adds: ‘By fusing best-in-class real estate advice with a best-in-class design and delivery capability, this new service line will focus on providing superior client value and success, as well as giving Savills a market-leading competitive advantage in the workplace arena.’

Katrina Kostic Samen, CEO of KKS, says: ‘The growth and success of KKS is a reflection of the passion of our team, who are constantly driving to deliver a first class client service and push the boundaries to embrace new innovations. The occupier is the heart and soul of any building and, in Savills, we feel we have found like-minded people with the energy and motivation across a global network to take the occupier experience to the next level. We are very much looking forward to collaborating and innovating to redefine the workplace and build better performing communities for occupiers.’w

Mix Design Collective In association with:

Back for 2019 - Bigger & Better Three days of immersive commercial interior design showcasing: • Workplace • Hospitality • Residential Witness cutting edge products within amazing design-led experiences curated by leading international A&D practices Register your interest as a delegate, designer or product partner at

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Upfront |

Model World BIM. There’s that buzzword again! It might sound harsh, uninviting and miles away from the creative vision of an interior designer, however, BIM can be an umbrella to an inspiring world of technology that supports and influences design – let’s call it ‘digitalisation’! Diane Butterworth, Design Director for Diane Butterworth Ltd, guides us through the model.

Creativity v Reality There is an ongoing debate as to whether Building Information Modelling is hindering the creativity of an interior designer. BIM provides designers with a constant real-world checker. It can inform you that a 5ft concrete sculpture is too heavy for a mezzanine floor or that a specific wall cannot be removed because it is part of the core building structure. Some may view this as blocking imagination, whereas others recognise the benefits BIM can command to ensure an accurate design is produced at the early stages of a project.

Product designers and manufacturers have revelled in the government’s introduction of BIM Level 2 and have supported interior designers by producing high quality, data-rich 3D models that resemble their products. We all know that a rendered image of an area is a representation of what the reality could be (not a duplicate), however, generic models are becoming a thing of the past. The models and visuals used in floor layouts are now generally an accurate representation of the specific items a client will purchase, even down to the same material finishes.

Enhanced Features The introduction of integrated collaboration within software packages, such as Revit Architecture and third-party document sharing platforms, allow interior designers to work on a project alongside other professionals to achieve the ultimate design solution. It is surprising to think that we live in a world where communication is literally at our fingertips, yet it is only just becoming an international standard for all contractors to collaborate from stage one and continue throughout the project.

One huge benefit of data embedded models within a project is the intelligence they provide to those who may not be so familiar with an item’s capability. A wall-hung item might not be attached to the appropriate wall structure correctly, or perhaps a furniture item hasn’t been given the correct amount of clearance zone. A clash detection report would highlight this before the design proceeded to the next stage and certainly long before installation, where an error could be costly to rectify.

Software developers are continually adding smart features that aim to assist designers in their project proposals, such as the newly added ‘Path of Travel’

18 | Mix 195 June 2019

in Revit Architecture 2020: a two-click solution to calculate the walking distance from A to B, which automatically considers routes where partitioning, doorways, and furniture may be in the way. This would primarily be used for emergency escape routes but could also be used to assess general building circulation.

The enhanced features in software packages like Revit Architecture do not replace the creativity of an interior designer but aim to highlight areas that may have been overlooked in previous projects and identify solutions for the future. The construction industry has made a commitment to digitise all government projects, and although interior designers may not place themselves within this category, the roles between all those responsible for producing work are combining to work towards a common goal.

Workplace Analysis Extensive analytical research that observes, records, and questions the function of a space can help to achieve a tailored solution. The analytical research could be used to find out how many users work at a desk for a set period, thus calculating how many fixed desk positions are required within an office. Or, perhaps, the north corner of your building is reported as rarely being used, therefore you could convert this into a quiet area.

Interior designers can use analytical data to aid them in their design process to produce concepts that provide better functioning spaces and directly reflect the client’s activity movements within their current office environment.

Design Communication Technology has allowed 3D visualisations to become second nature when communicating a design concept. It’s a fantastic tool that has now become an expectation among clients. Although visuals have become easier to create, they now work harder than ever before, since BIM is able to give an image

context by integrating it into a whole building project rather than being split for visualisation purposes only.

Views, including 3D, are not isolated. For example, if a chair is changed in one view, this will be reflected across the whole project, including 2D plans, elevations and item schedules with no swapping of software.

An interior designer’s role is more important than ever. The images and plans created by them relate to a multitude of other documents that will assist with processes beyond their input, from product ordering to installation.

Longevity of Design An interior designer’s role is to create functional and visually attractive spaces for the intended purpose.

A well-designed space should last for its intended lifecycle. Whether it be 1 or 10 years, it is important to keep a detailed record of the space, furniture, and finishes to ensure the environment is maintained correctly and can withstand the test of time.

Often a space will deteriorate due to lack of maintenance, however, BIM eliminates this issue by storing all building assets in one singular file called a Common Data Environment (CDE). The CDE is accessible by the correct individuals and easily transferable for the relevant communities to ensure everyone has the information to repair, replace, and maintain all building assets.

Summary Creativity is the use of imagination to create something unique and you are not bound by what tools you can or cannot use to achieve this. However, interior designers can use BIM to aid the design process and use it to log and communicate a design concept. BIM does not limit creativity, instead it advises, checks feasibility, and stores information throughout a projects journey, from initial design concept to building maintenance.w

Upfront | Seven

7

things about the 2008 financial crisis

Over 10 years ago, on 15th September 2008, the world read about the most significant bankruptcy in history. Lehman Brothers, the fourth largest investment bank in the US, collapsed. The result was the loss of 25,000 jobs and, more importantly, the start of a chain reaction across global markets that led to arguably the worst financial crisis in history. Connection’s Oliver Ronald provides a bit of perspective…

1

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EARLY WARNING

THE BELIEF IN BRICKS AND MORTAR

COLLATERALISED DEBT OBLIGATION

The first warning of the danger of mortgage-backed securities and other derivatives came on February 21st, 2003. That’s when Warren Buffett wrote to his shareholders, ‘In our view, however, derivatives are financial weapons of mass destruction, carrying dangers that, while now latent, are potentially lethal’.

Before the crisis, real estate made up almost 10% of the US economy. The US Government was happy that the property market would continue to prosper. The US Federal Reserve decided to significantly lower the Federal Funds Rate, which meant that more people could get their mortgages approved even if their credit rating was questionable (subprime mortgages). Believing that property was as safe as houses AND interest rates would stay low, both borrowers and lenders believed they were on to a winner – even when things started to go wrong. The Federal Reserve attempted to slow down the housing market with over a dozen interest rates hikes between 2004-2006 – but it didn’t stop. What happened next was key: House prices began to fall, federal interest rates went up and those on interest rate only mortgages where often lured with lower rates for the first two years. The banks were keen to reduce their risk.

After the lenders (not just banks) approved the loan, they were sold to an investment bank. The investment bank would then ‘bundle’ these mortgages to other parties (pensions, derivatives) to invest in Collateralised Debt Obligation (CDO).

The collateral part of the name comes from the promised repayment of the loans. The CDO is a derivative and has long been used by the stock market, as the name implies it ‘derives’ its value from the core asset. But why did the banks take this route?

1. It moved any risk from their books to someone else’s.

2. It gave them more money to get back on the mortgage lending trail.

3. It gave the banks more products to sell, boosting share prices and of course bonuses.

So, were the banks cautious when they saw things going wrong with the housing market? No, they carried on and were less disciplined in adhering to strict lending standards, knowing they could offload the risk.

20 | Mix 195 June 2019

4

ANTHONY BOURDAIN For the best, and most entertaining, insight into how the financial crisis of 2007-2008 was triggered by the United States housing bubble, watch The Big Short.

It also contains a cameo from the world’s coolest celebrity chef, now sadly deceased – Anthony Bourdain.

He likens the banker’s repackaging of bad loans to resell to his management of ageing stock in the kitchen…’Being the crafty and morally onerous chef that I am, whatever crappy levels of the bond I don’t sell, I throw into a seafood stew. See, it’s not old fish. It’s a whole new thing!’

Upfront | Seven

5

WHY WAS THIS SO BAD? Whilst the Federal Reserve believed they were trying to slow the speeding market down by increasing the interest rates, they undoubtedly led to a less than safe landing – in fact, a crash.

At that time, most economists thought that, as long as the Federal Reserve dropped interest rates by summer, the housing decline would reverse itself. It was not fully appreciated, in the murky world of credit swaps and securitisation, just how big the subprime mortgage market was.

6

7

AND THE EFFECT ON US NOW?

HAVE WE LEARNED? The good news is that subprime mortgages don’t exist – actually the do, but in a different name, the cleverly disguised ‘non-prime loans’, to borrowers struggling with their credit. Whilst most of the complex securitisation and credit-default swap and other such tools have gone, there is a growth in collateralised loan obligations. A friend of the CDO, these are used for ‘companies’ with low credit ratings.

Whilst the banks have tightened their standards (as many businesses will have witnessed post-2008, when the horse had bolted) some non-bank lenders have not. In the US, those non-bank lenders who typically lend to those with lower credit scores account for half the mortgages issues.

Design

What caused two of the biggest political upsets in recent times?

From 2008, earlier in some cases, most of the world endured a period of austerity. Crucially, however, that austerity affected people in different ways, often depending on where you lived and worked. What is clear is that it was felt most by those least able to afford it. The American dream was to have greater wealth than your parents.

The financial crisis changed all that. So whilst all those with the financial clout made clever knockdown price cash investments during the recession, many with negative equity and a less than rosy future were feeling less positive. Up popped Messrs Trump, Farage and Johnson (Boris), with a promise to lead us to the Promised

Management

Delivery

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Land. Whilst other factors have led to the rise of the deep community and family divides in the UK and the US there is little doubt that the financial crisis of 2008 played a significant part in our current state of the nation.

And jail time for those masters of the universe that helped cause millions of households to lose jobs, their savings and their homes? No. In fact.

With the single exception of Kareem Serageldin of Credit Suisse.

Upfront |

DESIGN GUILD MARKS ANNOUNCED

Knoll – Newson Aluminum Chair by Marc Newson

A total of 22 designs from the Furniture and 2D categories, representing the domestic and contract markets, have been awarded the prestigious Design Guild Mark for 2019.

T

he Design Guild Mark is awarded by The Furniture Makers’ Company, the City of London livery company and charity for the furnishing industry, in order to drive excellence and raise the profile of British design and innovation.

Now in its eleventh year, the Mark recognises the highest standards in the design of furnishings in volume production by the finest designers working in Britain, or British designers working abroad.

Rodney McMahon, Chairman of the Design Guild Mark, commented: ‘The variety and quality of designs applying for the Design Guild Mark always makes for an interesting judging day and, this year, we were pleased to meet many new designers and companies willing to put themselves forward.

The insights of our judges, and the challenging questions that they pose, ensure that the award of a Design Guild Mark is something to which to aspire.’

Judge Helen Berresford, Head of ID:SR, comments: ‘The diversity of entrants shone through, with a wonderful eclecticism in craft, materials and manufacturing processes on show as well as approach to ecological responsibility.

As the world of work, life and play blurs, so did the ideas of the entrants, with many pieces adaptable

Bisley – BOB Allermuir – Oran

enough to be useful in many different contexts without compromising their purposefulness, design quality, or indeed their commitment to pushing the wellness agenda forward.’

Fellow judge Corinne Pringle, Director at tp bennett, says: ‘The Design Guild Mark offers a fabulous opportunity for designers to showcase their creative thought process, which goes into any product. Working collaboratively with other specialists in the development of their ideas to bring together a marketable solution within their industry is often a challenge! The Design Guild Mark recognises the importance of creativity and development of solutions in new ideas.’

‘This years’ winners provided a refreshing mix of clever ideas, beautifully crafted details and creative

Capdell – Panel Chair by Lucy Kurrein

Allsteel – Rock by Rainlight Studio

22 | Mix 195 June 2019

solutions on how to live, work and relax,’ adds Joanna Biggs, Director at GA Design. ‘It’s always a pleasure to be involved in the process and I hope the results will inspire more unique and innovative entries next year.’

The 2019 Design Guild Mark recipients included the Ori Guest Bed, designed by Catherine Aitken and manufactured by Another Country, Oran designed by Mark Gabbertas for Allermuir, William Lounge Chair and Ottoman, again designed by Mark Gabbertas for Gloster Furniture, Oxbow Lounge Chair, designed by Namon Gaston and Peter Holmes for Namon Gaston and Peter Holmes, BOB, designed by Paul Kelley for Bisley, Panel designed by Lucy Kurrein for Capdell, Rock, designed by Yorgo Lykouria for Allsteel, Isla, designed by Tom Potts for Lyndon, Barrel, designed by Philippe Malouin for SCP, Bure Collection, designed by Steven Owens for &Bespoke and Newson Aluminum Chair, designed

by Marc Newson for Knoll International. w

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Upfront |

NOT A REAL WORLD, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT IT MEANS This month, M Moser's Steve Gale looks at 'homification'

Kitchens look a bit domestic, tables and chairs are selected from John Lewis

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

24 | Mix 195 June 2019

A

s a ‘knowledge worker’ your week will see you in the office for more than a third of all the hours you are awake.

Over a career of 40 years this really adds up, and we know that getting to and from work also puts a big dent in the hours that are left.

This is one reason many companies want to make the experience a bearable one, maybe even pleasurable. They understand the arithmetic above, and believe a great workplace is good for business.

Generally, the design profession has evolved from the dogma of activity-based working. Things have become more nuanced. Boardroom vision is beginning to ask for space that is more than just an effective setting for production. It is common to hear suggestions that the workplace should be a home from home, and that employees should look forward to being there, and possibly even have fun.

What can this actually look like? A lot will depend on the organisation’s attitude to employees and how it is interpreted, and this is rarely in the public realm.

The customer is the subject of a mission statement for a modern business, not the workers. It would be a novel mission statement that said 'we just want our employees to have a good day, and do a decent job while they’re at it.'

But behind the scenes these aspirations do get airtime when the workplace is being commissioned, and unsurprisingly it is usually in the tech sector where the talent war is hot. Recruitment is often focused on young people who are starting out and might have patchy home lives, maybe sharing, moving frequently, and dictated to by what they can afford.

Employers try to place themselves in the shoes of their workers, and make informed assumptions about what employees would like, what makes them happy and energised. I often wonder why they don’t just ask them, but that is rare, and maybe understandable.

You need to pose these questions very carefully to

avoid creating a wish-list that cannot be delivered, so we get safe bets like ping pong and pool tables – everybody likes those!

The efforts to make work life bearable are more subtle than this. The workplace is actually becoming more like a home, not like one where people actually live, but a sort of show home. Deliberately or accidentally the design profession is picking up on elements that remind people that life exists outside the office, where comfort, colour, scale and texture is valued and things have personal meaning.

It is tricky to get this right. You cannot personalise space that is used by many people, so ideas from the hospitality sector bleed easily into the workplace.

Rugs and sofas turn up among the carpet tiles, planting becomes more ambitious, bookshelves appear in odd places, and lighting is warmer rather than just purposeful.

Reasons behind these concepts vary. Sometimes there is explicit recognition of the fact that work takes people away from their personal space, so we partially replicate imagined homes. In some regions employers know that the cost of living precludes generous personal space and so they provide a substitute in the office. In many cases the work environment has areas curated to be what employees might like to have, not how they actually furnish their rented apartment. Kitchens look a bit domestic, tables and chairs are selected from John Lewis, donated board games appear on a coffee table.

This trend is one way that employers try to appeal to their most valuable constituency. It is not the same as the cradle to grave all-caring environment delivered by the tech mega-brands, especially in Silicon Valley. It goes beyond providing perks like sleep pods, bike loans, massages and free food – it is an effort to make people psychologically comfortable, and respected as more than a useful asset. Done well, the effect can be humanising and memorable.w

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Upfront | Material Matters

MATERIAL

MATTERS

In this month’s Material Matters, the team of experts at Material Lab focus on design-led texture and sustainability. www.material-lab.co.uk

PRIN LONDON French-born Ariane Prin’s work comes out of experimentation and her desire to create new form and utility out of commonly disregarded waste materials. The RUST and RUSTILES ranges are created by mixing metal particles, originating from key cutting and other metalworking workshops across London, with gypsum and acrylic. No two items or tiles can be the same; each being made by hand and the metal dust oxidation giving a unique texture, colour and intensity. www.prin.in

3FORM 3Form turn colour and pattern on their heads with a dichroic interlayer, resulting in an everchanging design aesthetic. 3Form Solar is a high performance eco-resin that is suitable for a wide range of applications, from partitioning to feature walls. The iridescent and textured effect is inherently tactile and creates an engaging surface that is bound to excite. www.3-form.com

GRANORTE Rusticork from Portuguese manufacturers Granorte is perfect way of injecting nature and natural hues into any interior. This incredibly textured product achieves a unique 3D effect that is perfect for feature areas and as unpredictable and unique as the trees themselves. Rusticork also has a great sustainability story – this cork product is natural, biodegradable and recyclable. www.granorte.pt

26 | Mix 195 June 2019

I-MESH I-MESH is an innovative material created for both internal and external applications. Its physical, technological and formal characteristics, together with its high aesthetical potential, means it is eligible as a proper architectural material. The versatility and flexibility enable specifiers to be creative with furniture, partitioning, lighting and scenography.

Lightweight and strong, I-MESH is a multifunctional material that can be shaped to a variety of specifications, while also offering environmental sustainability, recyclability and energy saving. www.i-mesh.eu

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Upfront | Desert Island Desks

DESERT ISLAND DESKS

Atul Bansal, Owner, Sheila Bird Group Atul Bansal, the Co-founder of the Sheila Bird Group, epitomises his motto, ‘Love what you do’, and breathes life and love into every one of his projects. Known for his magnetic energy, his creativity and frank and honest approach, he understands the effects workspaces have on teams and a business.

28 | Mix 195 June 2019

IPAD

UNIVERSAL SIM CARD

You’ll often find me doodling on my iPad. My creative mind needs to be occupied so, on a desert island, I’d need a solar powered iPad. My Apple pencil would be close at hand too, but I’d maybe set about creating the eco-island limited edition, crafted from driftwood. Apple, please take note.

I need my universal SIM card, made by ‘Martians on Mars’, so that I could carry on doing and creating lots of secret things!

SHARP KNIFE

INGREDIENTS

I’m a lover not a fighter, but a sharp knife would be essential, mainly for cooking with – but it could turn out to be a handy survival tool too!

While we’re on food…my four key ingredients, to make anything and everything I cook taste like it’s worth eating, are chilies, lemons, ginger and garlic.

Don’t ask me what fish I’d wrestle with to serve with my ingredients – that’s another story.

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EMPTY WHISKY BOTTLE I’d need an empty whisky bottle, so I’m reminded of what I’m missing out on when it’s gone. I could wait in vain hope of some passing pirates to top me up.

SATSUMAS Food. Obviously. There’s no greater, refreshing source of vitamin C than the humble satsuma. So, a tree that grows unlimited easy peel satsumas please.

PEGGIE I would take my daughter's sausage dog, Peggie. She loves me unconditionally and would be great company.

TRACKS FOR THE JUKEBOX: Nina Simone – My Baby Just Cares For Me – Just in case I get lonely.

Gypsy Kings – Bamboleo – Great track to dance to among the satsuma trees.

Susan Boyle – I Dreamed A Dream – Because it proves anything is possible and dreams can come true.

Lady Gaga – I’ll Never Love Again (from the film A Star Is Born) – It’s the best film I’ve seen this year! And because it made me cry.

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Property | Insight

REITS If you want to know how the office market works, follow the money. And nobody has more money than the Real Estate Investment Trusts. But, as David Thame reports, REITs are cautious players, keeping a lid on the office market Above 100VS Exterior

O

Above Forth Street, Newcastle

30 | Mix 195 June 2019

bviously not all office developers are the same. But the REITs, responsible for some of the biggest ticket office schemes in the UK, are the 'differentest' of the lot.

REIT stands for Real Estate Investment Trust, a concept imported into the UK from the United States in 2007 after years of campaigning by the property industry. The overwhelming majority of property companies that qualify to become REITs have converted because REITs are tax-efficient in a way that a normal PLC could never be.

Simply put, REITs do not have to pay corporation tax on the profits they make on renting properties, in return for a promise to distribute 90% of that rental income to shareholders. They pay out in the form of dividends, which are then judged by the tax authorities as property income.

This is the solution to a problem that dogged property companies with big portfolios: dividends from property companies tended to be low and therefore relatively unattractive to investors. That in turn was connected to the problem that, for big property businesses, the value of their portfolio (net asset value) is almost inevitably greater than their market capitalisation (eg. share price multiplied by

number of shares). The gap between how investors value the company (market capitalisation) and how the economy values the company (net asset value) opens up a world of potential headaches.

REITs also overcome one of the big disadvantages of open-ended property funds, a problem the aftermath of the 2016 Brexit vote revealed. At its simplest, this is the difficulty that faces any fund when investors want their money back quickly, a mighty headache for a fund based on the very illiquid asset of bricks-and-mortar.

REITs don’t have that kind of problem because you can sell your shares easily, whenever you like.

REITs don’t have that kind of problem because you can sell your shares easily, whenever you like

Property | Insight

The one golden rule is that REITs must be mainly property investors, not developers, but in practise that doesn’t make much difference: REITs happily buy newly-built offices – and developers know this.

So their influence is felt – even if REITs are not themselves the developer.

Today, most REITs are heavily focused on the industrial sector, where the keenest returns are to be made and the competition to buy assets is correspondingly fierce. Meanwhile REITs focused on the retail sector (Hammerson and British Land are cases in point, hurt by the recent Debenhams debacle) are having a torrid time as high street woes continue. For the modest crop of REITs with a strong interest in the office sector, 2019 is turning out to be sweet.

British Land is the owner of London’s Broadgate campus, and has recently signed 303,000 sq ft of deals, including 21,000 sq ft to global advertising giant, McCann Worldgroup.

British Land is seeing demand from a wider mix of occupiers at Broadgate as the momentum behind the campus’ evolution accelerates ahead of the arrival of the Elizabeth Line at Liverpool Street in 2019. Typical of a REIT, they are thinking long-term.

But a REIT is not in the market for glory. Rather, it is there for income. Aberdeen Standard’s UK Commercial Property REIT makes the point nicely, because they invest in everything. Their £1.45 billion portfolio is slightly over-weighted to warehouses (46%), while retail accounts for 35% and offices around 25%, of which around half is in London offices and the other half is divided between

£m

% of net assets

Industrial

567.6

46.2

Retail

427.9

34.9

Offices

300.6

24.5

Leisure/Other

156.4

12.8

Total Property Portfolio

1,452.5

118.4

Above UK Commercial Property REIT Net Asset Value analysis as of 30 September 2018 (unaudited)

Interior Design

Application of BIM Level 2

Visualisation

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Property | Insight

South East offices and regional offices. The balance of their portfolio is hotels and cinemas.

Will Fulton, Lead Manager of UKCM, explains: 'We have talked for some time about the importance of income to drive returns, both from earnings and by growing or improving income to feed into capital appreciation.'

But how to generate the reliable income their shareholders demand? Partly they are trading existing assets (like the £73 million sale of the Soho office block at 15 Great Marlborough Street) in order to buy into higher income areas like warehousing. Partly by re-letting offices at new hot rents (like the new NatWest in Swindon, let at a rent 8% ahead of expectations).

For REITs like this, offices are a modest and fairly conservative bet, without the massive upside gains of investing in warehousing, and without the frightening downside loss of buying the wrong shop on the wrong high street.

But they are not an exciting bet – logistics or hotels offer much more – and that explains why the surge of speculative office development we might have seen since 2016 has, largely, failed to happen. REITs are just not the kind of organisations to go racing after mid-rank returns.

Above Forth Street, Newcastle

DATA DUMP •

The economy in the North West is expected to grow by 2.1% in 2019, making it the fastest growing UK region this year. Greater Manchester’s reputation as a boom town has been reinforced by a projected economic growth rate of 14% over the next five years, well ahead of the UK average of 11%, Savills reports. (1)

•

Investors will move into the office market because prime yields remain stable at 4.75%, attractive compared to London's West End (3.75%) and other European city markets such as Milan (3.5%) and Barcelona (3.75%). (2)

•

Knight Frank has been looking into the medium-term trends for the London office market and warns that international investors will play a yet greater role. They highlight rising interest from investors

in Australia and Israel, for example, in addition to persistent demand from Asia, Europe and North America. Overseas investors already account for over 40% of the current pipeline.

•

•

32 | Mix 195 June 2019

Expect more hotel development, says JLL, who reports global investment in the sector holding steady at an impressive US$68 billion. Europe will not see the massive surge in interest now being experienced in the Middle East and Asia, but the volume of new room completions will remain stable. (3) Also from JLL, Europe-wide office fitout costs show that London, Paris and Dublin remain by far the most expensive locations. Costs are Euro 157/sq ft, Euro 153/sq ft and Euro 167/sq ft respectively.

(4)

A blessing or a curse to the office market?

Hard to say. But they introduce a very steadyas-she-goes element into a sector that has sometimes had a buccaneering swagger – and that can’t be a bad thing.w Top UK Office REITs (with market capitalisation) Land Securities £6.2 billion British Land £5.1 billion Derwent London £3.6 billion Great Portland Estates £2.1 billion LondonMetric £1.2 billion UK Commercial Property Below The White Building, Reading

1.

2.

3.

4.

£1.2 billion

0800 651 0001 | rigg.uk

Property | Horse's Mouth

FROM THE OVAL OFFICE

Office developers are learning new words and new ways to work, as they try to fit into a changing market. David Thame talks to Oval Real Estate Co-founder, James Craig, about car parks, office blocks and reactivation.

P

Top down Arthaus (photo: Tom Bird).

Fazeley Social (photo: Tom Bird)

34 | Mix 195 June 2019

roperty developers are not what they used to be, if what they used to be was leatheryskinned deal-makers plonking down office blocks without a thought for local feeling.

These days, most developers would die of shame if they thought they were ignoring local context. The words ‘sense of place’ and ‘respect for history’ trip off their tongues with the ease that ‘net initial yield’ and ‘full-repairing and insuring lease’ did for their predecessors.

Among those leading this transformation of the office property world and, in the process, turning it into a sophisticated upcycling and re-activation tool, is Oval Real Estate Co-founder James Craig.

Oval is typical of the new breed, and a name to watch. Formed in 2013 by James and Nick Prior, with backing from institutional investors, Mayfairbased Oval mix old-fashioned asset management with the creation of bespoke property portfolios to suit their clients’ needs (the latest is 27 Job Centres, which will provide the new owner with a nice but niche medium-term income). But they also do funky office development – and it is fascinating.

‘We’ve been looking at schemes around the UK with the aim of repurposing buildings,’ James explains. ‘A good example is multi-storey car parks.

‘The second building I ever built in Birmingham was a car park on the Hagley Road, and about 18 months ago I was at a meeting in an office on the Hagley Road and looked out of the window and saw the car park being pulled down. So I went away and asked the architects, ‘Is it possible to

build multi-storey car parks in such a way that we can repurpose them? Can we take the slabs out, remove the ramps, maybe create event space on the roof?’

James has the justly-famous Peckham Levels in mind. The inspiring 197,000 sq ft south London venue, comprising seven levels of multi-storey car parking, has been redeveloped by Make Shift, the socially conscious property development business. Carl Turner Architects crafted part of the 197,000 sq ft building into stunning workspace.

According to James, the lessons he’s learning about multi-storey re-use could and should be learned more widely. Rather than build to demolish, why not build to re-use?

‘Radical interventions can bring older buildings back to life, but new development today needs to give the possibility of life beyond the building’s

Above Fazeley Gallery

Radical interventions can bring older buildings back to life, but new development today needs to give the possibility of life beyond the building’s first purpose

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first purpose. So, for instance, in Birmingham we own a building called The Bond. During its life it has been four things: a bonded warehouse, an ice house, the factory where HP Sauce was made, and now it is offices. Four different uses in what has always been a great building, and that kind of constant repurposing is a great thing,’ James says.

James is trialling many of his ideas in the city where, since 2017, Oval has been accumulating a 15-acre portfolio of land and buildings in the rapidly gentrifying Digbeth area. This is a

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Property | Horse's Mouth

w

What people want is changing, and it is happening so fast as a function of technology, changing working patterns and gender in the workplace

neighbourhood with substantial long-term potential, sitting as it does on the doorstep of the Birmingham Curzon Street HS2 train station.

‘We see no reason to invest in London, and lots of reasons to invest in Birmingham. Office occupancy in Birmingham is among the best I’ve known in my career, and when office buildings in Birmingham have struggled it is because they delivered the wrong product,’ James insists.

‘What people want is changing, and it is happening so fast as a function of technology, changing working patterns and gender in the workplace. There are so many parts to this and the property industry’s job is to make sure we don’t price people out of Birmingham workspace. That is a responsibility of development – to make sure Birmingham’s affordability continues, so that Birmingham can attract a wide spread of people,” James considers.

Rapid change always causes tensions, and it can easily end up destroying neighbourhoods.

Gentrification is notoriously guilty of erasing the very local peculiarities that drew people to the area in the first place.

According to James, sensible developers need not pose a risk. ‘We all know how change can bring value for some people, and stress for others, and we know there is a lot of responsibility. We see Digbeth as an antidote to the city centre – it

36 | Mix 195 June 2019

Above: The Arch (photo: Tom Bird)

is absolutely the antithesis of everything you find on Broad Street and at Brindleyplace. It is a very different part of the city. As landlord to 500 tenants in Digbeth, ranging from international design agencies through to someone who makes sculptures out of old taxis, we’re very conscious of that eclectic tenant mix, and it brings a grain to what we do and will inform how we work in Digbeth over the next 10-15 years.’

James is refurbishing the Digbeth portfolio step by step. The latest project is the office conversion of the 13,000 sq ft Portland House, Floodgate Street. It comes as work nears completion at the Wilds, an 11,000 sq ft warehouse now ready as workspace or collaborative floorspace, which is due this summer, and the 8,000 sq ft Floodgate Factories, currently being ‘reactivated’ as studios.

James insists that going with the grain is the only way to make sense of the neighbourhood and the buildings. The sense that Oval is a custodian, rather than a mere landlord, is very powerful and reminiscent of the landed estates that control so much of central London.

This brings the stability needed if changing a building’s purpose is to be sustainable.

‘Gentrification should not be at the expense of locals, and we shouldn’t get too expensive so it threatens tenants who have been there for a long time,’ James concludes. ‘I feel those responsibilities very acutely in Digbeth. Some of our business tenants have been there for 25 years, since the days when most people wouldn’t go to Digbeth for love nor money.’

Cherish the past, but look to the future? With more office developers like Oval entering the market, this could soon be the motto of the UK workspace scene.w

Property | Insight

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Spotlight | Public Sector Report

SPOTLIGHT

PUBLIC SECTOR REPORT

47

THE B I G Q U E S TI O N

What can the commercial sector learn from public sector workplace transformation?

Mix 195 June 2019 | 39

Jeans CARPET TILES

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Spotlight | The Big Question

THE BIG

UESTION

FRANKO COVINGTON, ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL AND SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, HKS The public healthcare sector is having to rapidly adapt to changes in funding mechanisms, which in turn will change their methodology for redevelopment. As PFI is no longer an option, NHS Trusts are having to think of new sources of capital. One potential solution is using their estates to generate income to fuel future development. Designing for adaptability is key to unlocking this potential, allowing a flexible forecast of clinical, research, workplace and other types of uses.

CHRIS AGER, DIRECTOR, IDEA The Cabinet Office has been steadily moving through the gears, laying the groundwork for the transition to the GPA’s centrally-managed property model. This has seen the adoption of ratio working as common practice and an understanding that workplace can be anywhere, provided the right tools are in place. The public sector provides a foundation for delivering transformation programmes on the strength of a universal philosophy (generally) that efficient public spending should be at its heart – not always the cornerstone of commercial sector work.

Umbrella editorial banner Mix Interiors JUNE 2019.pdf

Wh a t c a n t h e c o m m e rc i a l s e c t o r l e a rn f ro m p u b l i c s e c t o r w o rk p l a c e t ra n s f o r m a t i o n?

TERRY GUNNERY, DIRECTOR OF DESIGN, STRATEGY PLUS, AECOM As the design world becomes more digital, gathering and applying data will be essential to ensure efficient design, construction, maintenance and day-today use of an office estate. Government Hubs are leading with digital tools – BIM significantly – across their workplace transformation programme nationally to strengthen collaboration between the developers, the array of designers and consultants, and contractors throughout the project life cycle to provide insight, to empower civil servants and ultimately manage the assets dynamically.

ROSIE HASLEM, DIRECTOR, SPACELAB The public sector drive to demonstrate the value of investment in workplace projects means that there is not only an appetite to do things properly in the first place (user engagement, robust data-driven strategies, sensible programmes), but to also measure the impacts of change through post-occupancy evaluations. The insights gleaned from these enable ongoing optimisation as a space is lived in – and can provide wider learnings for other projects.

GRAHAM SHAW, MANAGING DIRECTOR, WILLMOTT DIXON

MAX STEWARD, MANAGING DIRECTOR, BW: WORKPLACE EXPERTS

I’m always impressed by the vision public bodies have in giving new purpose to old property no longer fit for use. They deliver a sense of ‘place’ by creating flexible, less formal spaces that have a coworking feel, and drive wellbeing. The sector knows its investment will attract new people and business, thereby revitalising local economies. Taking a longterm view on the positive impact of workspace transformation when they make an investment in creating new space is something we can give public bodies huge credit for.

We should remember that agile working began in the public sector, although it was called hot desking then (see Working Without Walls by Frank Duffy). The public sector is much better at the front end with pre-occupancy studies and planning design, leading to far fewer changes to initial schemes in the build of projects. In my experience, the public sector is also better at post-occupancy studies, to learn from experiences and to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of the scheme.

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Spotlight | Public Sector Report

Public Image By way of an introduction to our annual Public Sector Report, we asked Alexandra Houghton, Head of Consultancy & Strategy (Partner), at leading multi-disciplinary property partnership, Carter Jonas, to tell us about the key issues currently facing the public sector.

W

orkplace transformation in the public sector is primarily driven by cost pressure – the colocation of departments, local authorities and other public bodies is encouraged in order to reduce the need for office space. As a result, the government has sold over 1,000 properties since 2014. Although financial savings are the main driver, the initiative also has the benefit of improving workplaces for staff, and positive impacts on efficiencies, retention and recruitment, although this can take some getting used to for the staff.

There are other ways cost pressure is impacting government real estate. Looking ahead, the government plans to condense workspace further, by reducing from 86 sq ft to 65 sq ft allocated per employee. It is also relocating elements of the workforce outside of London in order to capitalise on lower rents – for example, the HS2 headquarters in Birmingham.

However, the public sector also needs to consider other factors, including the accessibility to skills and workforce, and the wider business case for remaining in the capital – such as proximity to stakeholders, as is afforded by a Whitehall location.

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Spotlight | Public Sector Report

ROYAL OPERA HOUSE OPEN UP Completion Date: September 2018 | Location: Covent Garden, London

Respondent: Stanton Williams – architects on the Royal Opera House Open Up project.

What part did you play in delivering the scheme?

Architects.

Who was the key person/people from your organisation? Alan Stanton (Director), Paul Williams (Director), Rawden Pettitt (Associate Director), Tom Shell (Associate).

Who was the key person/people from the client side? Alex Beard (Chief Executive, Royal Opera House) and Sarah Younger (Open Up Project Director).

What were the key objectives set by the client?

To create a world class second theatre for the Royal Opera and Royal Ballet alongside the historic auditorium; to create new facilities and spaces to enhance the experience for audiences around performances in both theatres and to invite a new daytime audience to connect with the extraordinary

world of ballet and opera, often for the first time. The client was keen that, at all times of the day, the Royal Opera House building should be a place to glimpse the remarkable forces at play behind the scenes; a place to relax and have a coffee, lunch or a drink in the midst of the one of the world’s most beautiful opera houses, a place to see artists at work and a place to showcase its guiding principles of excellence, theatricality and curiosity.

What was the biggest design/cultural challenge?

Carving out the new spaces posed considerable design and engineering challenges as the Opera House remained operational throughout the threeyear construction period, with construction going on around 996 uninterrupted performances.

Client Comment: 'By night the Linbury Theatre comes alive with performances to match the quality of the world-renowned main stage. This flexible space has already been the setting for a film festival, numerous ballet and opera shows – with all performances selling out with the theatre space receiving plaudits to match performances. During the day the refurbished foyers and terraces are now a bustling, vibrant space filled with the curious, the casual visitor and cultural enthusiasts.'

Can you sum up the greatest transformational element? The Linbury has been transformed from a cramped and uncomfortable studio theatre into a state-of-the-art artistic laboratory, making the Royal Opera House the only one of the five great opera houses in the world with a second house.

Mix 195 June 2019 | 43

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Spotlight | Public Sector Report

MINISTRY OF JUSTICE Name of Government Department: Ministry of Justice Completion Date: August 2018 | Location: Canary Wharf

What part did you play in delivering the scheme? iDEA was the Lead Designer. This is one of four MoJ National HQ Projects that formed part of a wider remit to deliver the MoJ National vision and consolidate its estate.

Who was the key person/people from your organisation? Design team: Chris Ager, Harry Collett and Charlie Hayes.

Who was the key person/people from the client side? Andy Mills and Ian Pearce.

What were the key objectives set by the client? We have been working alongside the Ministry of Justice to refresh and improve the working environments at four headquarters buildings in London and Leeds. This has been core to the MoJ National programme to deliver Smarter Working and a more streamlined, effective estate.

We developed a complete Workplace Design Guide in collaboration with the MoJ estates team, which could be applied to all MoJ sites, including satellite offices. The guidelines comprise work settings, furniture, graphics and manifestations, fabrics, finishes and wayfinding iconography. This delivers consistency between each site and provides a menu to tailor and scale the impact relevant to location.

10 South Colonnade is part of the Government Property Agency Hubs programme. MoJ occupies the 3rd floor in an agile space that supports transient staff working between 10SC and their flagship building in 102 Petty France.

Our main objectives: • To re-use but refresh as many of the existing facilities as possible, from teapoint locations to meeting rooms. The design guidelines could then be applied to existing core elements to save on cost.

• To provide an office landscape that reflected the values of the MoJ Smarter Working programme, and supported the on-going cultural shift across the organisation that has seen them dramatically reduce their office footprint over the last two years.

• To ensure a consistent aesthetic and create a benchmark for implementation of the new MoJ identity across the whole of their estate.

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To create a vibrant workspace, striking the correct balance between muted desk areas and colourful support settings.

What was the biggest design/cultural challenge?

• Ensuring the design catered for the array of teams that relocated to Canary Wharf from Westminster and capturing any special requirements the teams had within our design proposal.

• Capturing the variety of team identities without creating a ‘mishmash’ of branding across an open plan floor.

•

To create an environment that promoted visibility between teams and encouraged sharing of settings and cross-disciplinary interaction.

Can you sum up the greatest transformational element? The culmination of effort from the Smarter Working programme, the MoJ Estates team and our designers to deliver an agile space that reflects MoJ values and delivers more efficient serviceable office space. It has provided the client with an opportunity to showcase its new identity and design guidelines on a large scale across one large floorplate, setting a national standard and benchmark for all of its future projects.

Client Comment: : Mike Driver, the MoJ’s CFO, has commented on the success of the 10SC project at the vanguard of the MoJ’s exciting new transformational programme. The work continues successfully in its HQ building at 102 Petty France.

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Spotlight | Public Sector Report

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UNIVERSITY OF LONDON Name of Government Department: Department of Education Completion Date: March 2018 | Location: London

What part did you play in delivering the scheme? Spacelab carried out in-depth research, developed the workplace and design strategy, and acted as the interior designers and architects on the project. Based on the outcomes of our research, we have completely transformed the previously dark and underused space on the lower ground floor, into a light, welcoming and modern workspace that fully supports ‘activity based working’ and reflects the building’s rich history in every detail.

What were the key objectives set by the client? The University of London was looking to re-envisage the function of its home in the Grade II listed Senate House, and turned to Spacelab to formulate the design strategy. The brief was to consolidate non-teaching teams from across the organisation (over 250 staff) into one space within the lower ground floor – an underutilised space previously used for storage. The project represents

46 | Mix 195 June 2019

a milestone in the development and use of Senate House as an academic hub for the university and its member institutions.

The key objective was to create a unified and future-proof space that would facilitate ‘activity based working’, to provide choice, and increase productivity, knowledge transfer and collaboration within and between teams.

The new space also needed to work in harmony with the existing fabric of the historic Senate House, maintaining the integrity of the building to ensure it met the strict requirements of English Heritage.

What was the biggest design/cultural challenge? Previously teams were segregated across the campus, with no sense of ‘togetherness’ and nothing connecting them together. One of the key aims of the project was to bring all the teams together into one space, helping to increase productivity, knowledge transfer and collaboration

within and between teams, as well as creating a sense of community. To achieve this, and help the shift towards agile working, we engaged with the teams throughout the process, involving them in the design as well as helping them to rethink their traditional behaviour patterns and siloed working.

Can you sum up the greatest transformational element? We used our unique spatial analysis tool to bring to light the current – and potential – spatial qualities of different areas of the lower ground floor.

From this we identified an opportunity to open up and transform the external, non-utilised courtyard into the buzzing heart of the workplace, feeding into and connecting the surrounding spaces. A faceted structural glass roof covers the courtyard – snaking its way from one side to the other and making a key architectural statement, which is visible from all floors of the building, seamlessly marrying the historic building with this modern intervention.

Spotlight | Public Sector Report

THE CHRISTIE PROTON BEAM THERAPY CENTRE Name of Government Department: NHS | Completion Date: August 2018

What part did you play in delivering the scheme? HKS Architects were architect, lead designer and lead consultant.

Who was the key person/people from the client side? Jason Dawson – Head of Capital and Estates, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust.

What was the biggest design/cultural challenge? Reducing patient anxiety of the potentially intimidating treatment process by creating an environment that facilitates human social norms. As patients will be treated for a period of up to eight weeks, five days a week, we wanted to create an environment where patients could interact socially. The main waiting space is centred around a kitchen/café to assist in this natural human tendency to share one’s experiences in a comfortable environment.

What were the key objectives set by the client? To design and deliver a first-of-its-kind facility for the UK, implementing some of the most advanced technology applied to healthcare. To create an environment that nurtures patients’ health, both through the intended clinical functions and also through the architecture and interior design of the facility.

Can you sum up the greatest transformational element? Much of the facility is housed in a bunker – therefore being able to bring natural daylight into the space was a huge challenge.

The benefits of daylight to both patients and staff is immense in a cancer treatment facility and so, through careful placement of the spaces, no office or public space is without ample daylight.

Who was the key person/people from your organisation? Franko Covington – Lead Designer, Jessica Karsten – Project Architect.

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Spotlight | Public Sector Report

HM GOVERNMENT Name of Government Department: Government Property Agency.

Completion Date: July 2018 | Location: London

Client Comments: What part did you play in delivering the scheme? AECOM provided Workplace Strategy, Interior Design, MEPH and Cost Management services for all RIBA Stages, this also included fulltime site presence during the construction phase.

Who was the key person/people from your organisation? Terry Gunnery, Mike Kinney, Paul Latham, Ron Patel, Martin Kellett, Laura Usher, Mariko Raouf, Atepheh Amid, Rory Haughian, Rob Baker, Illan Santos, Sam Wrangles.

What were the key objectives set by the client? This project realises the key objective of the Government’s new estates transformation programme, which is the delivery of agile working multi-department ‘Hubs’, and is an exemplar of the modernisation of the civil service and the successful upcycling of an existing building. It is a very big idea indeed – a national ‘smarter working’ revolution, and a transformation of how and where civil servants work.

A key objective and challenge is doing more with less – a shift from a complex and expensive estate to a shared and flexible model. Moving from Westminster to Canary Wharf has realised enormous savings.

When choosing a location for the first Government Hub it was very important for staff to be able to have good access to public transport. Canary Wharf was the perfectly connected space, and GPA further supported staff by enhancing cyclist facilities and initiatives, to encourage low carbon transport options.

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This also represents a major contributor to wider Government objectives, such as localism, sustainability and reducing pressure on the transport system.

Another key objective was to support Government HR attraction and retention strategies; employee wellbeing is central to the GPA vision – people’s experience of work was central to the process and to the solution.

Best-in-class working environment has increased staff morale, retention and is attracting new employees through its flexible and stimulating workscape, including the array of amenity spaces GPA and the eight Government Departments have embraced smart working – the floor layouts provide multiple spaces to work depending upon the task, giving staff greater choice over how and where they work.

What was the biggest design/cultural challenge? The biggest cultural challenge was bringing eight different Government departments together and providing individual departmental design/brand expression, whilst maintaining a set of design standards and overall consistency.

The biggest design challenge was producing a cohesive interior architecture for the whole building, and making use of the very large, very deep windowless spaces on the former banking dealer floors, from their previous use on levels 1 and 2. These spaces are now very well used as a conference suite on level 1 and restaurant café/club lounge on level 2.

‘It’s great to see public and private sector staff rubbing shoulders here in Canary Wharf. This hub is one of 14 across the country already announced, which will use cutting-edge design and innovative technology to deliver smarter public services that reduce vacant space across the Government Estate.’ – Oliver Dowden, Minister for Implementation ‘More than 2,000 of our London-based people are already benefiting from the facilities the Hub has to offer, including modern, flexible workspaces with great IT and excellent transport links. Bringing our teams from across London together in Canary Wharf is already showing the benefits of collaboration and modern ways of working.’ – Steven Boyd, HMRC's Estates Director

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Spotlight | Public Sector Report

UK HYDROGRAPHIC OFFICE Completion Date: January 2019 | Location: Taunton, Somerset

What part did you play in delivering the scheme? Architecture and landscape design was

by AHR. Interior design was by AHR and Steer Design.

Who was the key person/people from your organisation? Adam Spall, Regional Director, AHR. Who was the key person/people from the client side? Jo Funnell, UK Hydrographic Office.

What were the key objectives set by the client? The client brief was to encourage a ‘one team’ culture, create a sense of collaboration and openness in the workplace and increase staff retention through a focus on wellbeing.

UKHO required a robust, futureproof approach to sustainability in support of its environmental commitments, including BREEAM Excellent. The new HQ required a sense of scale and grandness reflective of the UK Hydrographic Office’s status as a world-leading geospatial information company.

What was the biggest design/cultural challenge? The building supports a cultural shift within UKHO’s ways of working towards a more open plan, collaborative environment.

Our design prioritised collaborative and agile workspaces. The interior design strategy provides a gradient of activity types with breakout and social spaces within the atrium, collaborative and agile workspaces around the balcony edges and individual desking towards the perimeter.

Open balconies and bridges create physical and visual connection between all parts of the building, with the central atrium’s generous staircases leading to wide bridges, providing access to two symmetrical wings.

Importantly, the occupants are encouraged to engage with the atrium as they move around the building, providing stimulation and creating encounters between colleagues.

Can you sum up the greatest transformational element? Our design has created a workplace that is far more conducive to new ways of working. The environment places significance on increasing the ability of staff to work collaboratively and provide them with choice, all within a healthy environment that heightens productivity. Importantly, our design encourages the ‘one team’ culture within a building that is responsive and caters for everyone’s needs.

The workplace transformational elements throughout have stemmed from the design team’s ethos to aspire to a very high level of specification in all areas, and to always exceed the ‘minimum standard’ to ensure that the building meets the organisation’s needs far into the future.

The results of this ethos are evident, with the building providing outstanding levels of natural daylight, exceptional acoustic control, an impressive sense of openness and remarkable level of connectivity for such a large facility. Employee wellbeing is prioritised throughout, within a highly sustainable, low energy building.

Client Comments: 'I am delighted with the outcome of the project and the standard of the building. The collaboration between all parties has been the key to the project’s success. The new environment will support smarter ways of working, using new technology and modern office practices, which is hugely exciting for our business. The design and quality of the building is something we can all be very proud of having delivered in Taunton.' – Jo Funnell, New Build Project Manager, UK Hydrographic Office.

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Roundtable

What have we learned in the last 10 years?

T

he basic ingredients of daily life have stayed (pretty much) the same for decades, in a way that our grandparents would no-doubt recognise. Being born, educated and going to work... relatively little has changed – they’re just ‘dressed’ differently today. Aren’t they? Maybe not.

Younger generations (together with advancements in technology, of course) continue to push the boundaries of how, where and when we work. Workplace designers are increasingly being freed/challenged (depending upon how you want to look at it!) to create agile, flexible, functional space for a whole host of generations, personality types and changing roles. So what are we starting to see in workplace transformation that is so different, innovative and sustainable – and how has the past decade informed those decisions?

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Roundtable

THE DISCUSSION We’ve gathered together a panel of industry experts – who have escaped the hustle and bustle of CDW for a couple of hours – at Workstories’ fantastic Northburgh Street showroom. We settle into the calm of the impressive boardroom and, despite the stream of visitors heading through the showspace, focussed on the job in hand. We begin by asking our panel to name something they take for granted today, that their parents or grandparents would not have experienced.

Mike: Google Maps – how on earth did we cope with out them? I can remember wandering around, never far from an A-Z! My family’s business was in the motor trade, and we used to sell a vast amount of A-Zs. I still have one in the car, to be honest.

Kristoff: The thing I take for granted the most are communications. I grew up with a rotary phone – if your finger slipped, you had to start all over again!

I remember my mother being so excited when we got a touchtone phone. It blew her mind. Now I don’t know whether to look at my LinkedIn, email, text, WhatsApp, Slack…there are so many modes of communicating. It’s sped things up – but it’s definitely double-edged because you can’t really escape it. In saying that, it’s been great for us, as a start-up business, to be in touch with people across the world, instantly.

Natalie: I was going to say Google Maps, but I also think that social media has changed things – being able to keep in contact with people over such a long period of time, in different countries and being able to maintain those relationships and friendships.

Dieter: This is fairly topical! My folks were from small northern towns and I recently discovered that my mum was restricted from an education. They felt that women shouldn’t have an education and they stopped them from taking their exams – they locked them in to stop them! That was quite consistent in a lot of those small northern towns at the time.

What we’re learning is that, if you give people choice, there’s a lot more that they’ll

Pernille: The thing we really take for granted now is good coffee!

Jamie: For me, it’s travel and the ability to book a flight and fly off anywhere at any time. Also, I now have all the information I need about where I’m going at my fingertips – rather than just booking something on Teletext!

Stefanie: The thing we all take for granted is simply consumer goods. My mum is Czech – she grew up in communist Czechoslovakia – and anything she wanted, she had to queue for. If she wanted shoes, for example, she would queue for them and hope that they still had some shoes. Today, you can order anything from the Internet – and can get it delivered within hours. As a result of this, I do think that this has made us extremely wasteful.

Anna: I’d say food. We can now have any nationality’s food at any time. Everything is so much more international now.

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Roundtable

Linzi: I think this relates to what a number of people here have been saying – instant gratification. It is a real challenge for all of us, because we’re so desperate to have everything on demand – we can’t imagine a time when we weren’t able to. I have a 16year old son and it’s really challenging when he says, ‘I want this and I want it now!’ That consumerism has completely taken over – and I constantly bore him with stories of, ‘When I was growing up…’

So, what have we really learned in the last 10 years? If anything...

Mike: I think there is a lot of push for change – from one side, into the other side. I’m still trying to work out does design change a business for business’ sake – because everybody I try to ‘inflict’ this upon complains. I ask myself whether we’re doing the right thing. I’ve spent the last couple of months explaining to my bosses what activity based working means. I then talked to an extremely intelligent workplace strategy person – and she qualified what I was talking about by pointing out that this was non-territorial activity based working and broke down the difference between the two.

My head was spinning – and I simply thought, ‘Everybody’s just going to complain that they haven’t got their own bit of space’. I can see the business case for it. I can sit in front of the CFO and point out that I can probably save him upwards of $15 million a year across the portfolio – that makes perfect sense. Then I sit with business leaders and the people team, and they focus heavily on attraction, retention and keeping people happy – and they start to shake their heads. It makes me wonder exactly who I’m supposed to be looking after. Of course I have a responsibility to the business, but I’m also tasked with building and running workplaces that set us apart from the competition and attract and retain and excite the best talent in the business. There are days when I think the best way to do that would be to build a workplace where everyone has his or her own office in the building. We’d make such a big noise!

Kristoff: One of the things that is really interesting now is that it is really difficult to quantify how much productivity you have at your desk – because that is the place people know where to find you. You can put on headphones or put a little flag up to let people know that you are busy or doing focused work, it does not matter, people simply won’t adhere to that and will interrupt. If you are in a different type of

54 | Mix 195 June 2019

space – we’re building a library right now, for example – and there is an architectural cue, a social contract in place that says you should be quiet, and left alone.

So we’re creating lots of different types of spaces.

The idea is that, yes, you do have a desk – but it will be considerably smaller than you had before, with fewer bells and whistles – but what you do have now is choice. What we’re learning is that, if you give people choice, there’s a lot more that they’ll put up with. They can go somewhere else – do something else. It’s a pretty remarkable thing that happens when people aren’t forced to stay in one place.

Anna: We’re working with a bank right now and they have a mandate from their head office in the Middle East that the CEO and the directors will have offices – but the UK CEO does not want an office.

He doesn’t want to be isolated. So, what we’ve done is to adapt his office into a meeting space and he also has a desk by his PA – where he’s going to sit.

Kristoff: That’s clever – well done!

Dieter: We have a big legal client in the South West who, as part of their USP in terms of recruiting, is that all the partners get their own office – and they now say that this has become a struggle to recruit younger people because they don’t want their own office. So, they’re now in the process of changing that.

Roundtable

If you’ve got someone at the head of the company who wants presenteeism and doesn’t want to trust people, you’re never going to change that company culture

Mike: I do think that we’re right at that moment where the people who are writing the cheques have got one idea and the guys we’re writing them for have got another idea. Our CEO was a great advocate of the ‘Yahoo’ concept – everyone should be in the office – until someone pointed out to him that the person who put that in place at Yahoo got fired and the company very nearly collapsed. Now my CEO is a brilliant man.

He’s very old school and still doesn’t want to talk about culture – he wants to talk about money.

Stefanie: We’re all looking at activity based working, new ways of working for the good of the people – but there is always the motivation to save money and save real estate for your clients. The natural progression, therefore, is to give people flexibility, to shrink things down and to make people get out of the office – and that requires trust. You can’t do any of what we want to do, moving forward, if people don’t continue to move forward in terms of trust.

That’s the thing that I think has changed the most in the past 10 years – or 20 years, maybe. If you’ve got someone at the head of the company who wants presenteeism and doesn’t want to trust people, you’re never going to change that company culture.

Anna: Offices don’t change – people tend to revert back to standard behaviour. We have to change the spaces they work in to adapt their behaviour – and that then develops the culture.

Linzi: I think this is a generational thing. I’ve noticed that, in our own office, the graduates starting work with us are much more open to working anywhere.

They happily move away from their desk – everyone in our office does have a desk and there are a lot of other spaces where they can to work too – but they choose to move away. I wonder if this has got something to do with their educational establishments. As educational environments evolve and become more collaborative, students are less likely to do individual, focused work in the library – instead they are more likely to be team working with their fellow students. So I think that is breeding this different way of working. I wonder what kind of managers these younger ones will be?

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Roundtable

Always try to get that disgruntled person on the steering group! If you win them over, you’ll win the lot.

Kristoff: 'How dare you not have a resident DJ in the office?' Haha.

Mike: I do think that the definition of privacy has changed – and this is aided by technology of course.

Stefanie: Do these younger people even know what privacy is in its real sense? They’ve never had it – they’ve never really been in a cellular environment!

Pernille: Trust is an interesting subject – and I think it really depends on the type of business you’re working with. We’re working with some lawyers, for example, who are still very traditional. They want everybody to be visible – they want everyone in the room. A lot of financial institutions are the same – they want everyone to have a desk and they want everyone to be visible – especially if they’re traders, of course.

Dieter: There’s definitely still a sense that lawyers want people in, so that they can mentor them and train them.

Pernille: It does depend on the firm – and these are information-heavy sectors, who still like that privacy and confidentiality, even amongst colleagues.

Kristoff: There definitely is a shift happening right now. There’s a massive shift in storage requirements, for example. We’re never going to go paperless, but it is tailing off. People are doing signatures and contracts online – so that’s making a massive difference not just in terms of the footprint of the office, but how they now relate to their work.

Linzi: It was all about providing lockers for everybody for a while – but now we’re seeing that people aren’t even using the lockers because they’re always on the go. So the lockers are starting to stand empty!

Mike: We don’t give lockers – we give bags! People walk around with their own bag.

56 | Mix 195 June 2019

CONCLUSION Inevitably, as our panel looked back over the past decade, the greatest changes and, indeed, the majority of the conversation concerned cultural and behavioural shifts, as opposed to changes in the physical workplace. This is just a snippet of a much longer conversation and our panel did move on to talk about the disappearance of certain trends (Google-style offices) and the introduction of new workstyles (coworking). While productivity and money ruled the roost 10 years ago – today, people and wellbeing are considered just as, if not more important. w

Roundtable

OUR GUESTS

Dieter Wood, MD, Interaction Dieter brings over 15 years of in-depth understanding of the workplace design and fit-out industry.

Dieter drives Interaction’s philosophy that workspace is a powerful tool, which can make a positive difference to a business’ success.

By carefully investigating the factors that influence how people behave in the workplace, and applying this understanding to the design and build, he leads Interaction in creating great value for businesses.

Anna Dejlova, Senior Designer, Morgan Lovell Anna brings knowledge from within various sector of interior design, including exhibition and retail design, and currently focuses on workplace interiors. She has a keen interest in psychology within the workplace, and how design can affect the lives of those who inhabit the space.

Anna enjoys working closely with a client’s team to design and deliver environments that everyone can be proud of, always striving for the beautiful and elegant.

Stefanie Woodward, Head of Interior Design, Cushman & Wakefield

Natalie Brady, Relationship Manager, 3equals1 Design

Kristoff DuBose, Director, Cirkularis8

Jamie Harradine, MD, Workstories

Stefanie joined Cushman & Wakefield in 2018, after three years at IA (Interior Architects), to run the interior design department.

She has 14 years’ experience within commercial design, having worked within D&B, traditional consultancy, as well as in-house at IWG (formally Regus). Coworking and flexible workplace solutions are of particular interest and where a lot of Stefanie’s experience lies.

Natalie Joined 3equals1 Design in 2018 having previously worked for a variety of different manufacturers within the industry. Her role as Relationship Manager allows her to experience a range of different office environments and businesses on a daily basis. As a people person with a degree in furniture design, Natalie is naturally interested in the impact of good design and is particularly fond of practical, simple solutions.

As the Founder and inspirational leader of Cirkularis8, Kristoff is passionate about innovative solutions to today’s pressing problems. He stops at nothing to bring clients a potent mix of innovation, surety and realisation of their wildest dreams. His clients are fanatical about the team at Cirkularis8 because of the value they drive into their projects through excellent design, fuelled by intense listening. They don’t call him the crazy Texan for nothing!

Boasting 18 years’ experience in the office furniture industry, Jamie started Bestuhl in May 2013, with just a single task chair model. Having observed the changes in the furniture industry throughout his career, Jamie has grown the product portfolio to anticipate market needs.

Now formed of six brands, the company rebranded as Workstories last year. A new showroom and warehouse are now supporting the company's continuous business growth.

Michael Walley, Director of Workplace Experience, Criteo

Linzi Cassels, Principal Design Director, Perkins + Will

Pernille Stafford, Principal, Resonate Interiors

After 20 years collecting careers, Mike finally settled down in the corporate world, initially in IT, but quickly wrapping facilities and workplace management into his role.

He has spent a further 20 years designing, building and operating workplaces that attract, excite and retain the top talent in the tech business. Currently, Mike does this for CRITEO headquartered in Paris.

Linzi is Perkins+Will’s joint global Design Director for Interiors. She started her career by qualifying as an architect from the Mackintosh School of Architecture and subsequently completing a degree in Fine Art from Central St Martins. Linzi is a member of the Perkins+Will Design Board, which promotes excellence in design throughout the firm.

Pernille has over 28 years industry experience, In 2012 Pernille set up Award winning practice Resonate interiors after heading up interior's teams at both TP Bennett and Scott Brownrigg. She has undertaken a wide range of interiors projects with key expertise in the Commercial office sector. She is a strong motivator and her passion for design ensures that every project has extraordinary attention to detail.

In Association with

Case Study | NatWest

All Change in the City We first met with Tim Yendell – Head of Choice & Design at NatWest – at our MixInspired event in London earlier this year. When, having listened to Tim speak so eloquently and enthusiastically about the bank’s transformation, we were offered the opportunity to look at this innovative working model in the flesh, we jumped at the chance.

T

This Page: The Conservatory

im leads Choice, the bank’s workplace programme, which is one of the central enablers for the transformation of the bank, driving workplace culture change through activity-based working, financial and property portfolio performance and digital transformation.

He also heads up workplace design for the bank, which means that he can bring together the built environment and working culture to get the best possible results. We’ve come to meet Tim – together with LOM architecture and design’s Chiara Cantilena – at the bank’s iconic 250 Bishopsgate building, just a short walk from Liverpool Street station.

The last time we met Chiara was almost two years ago to the day, when we took a tour of the RocketSpace tech campus in Islington (which is, of course, based in one of the bank’s buildings). It is from this NatWest-led project that many of the ideas for the space we’re here to see today first originated.

250 Bishopsgate looks and feels every bit the epitome of the corporate financial institution on the outside. But that’s no longer the full story here – as an elevator ride up to the third floor soon reveals.

The Choice initiative has evolved over a number of years and demonstrates the bank’s commitment to offer its employees comprehensive options on how, where and when they work – helping to give them a greater sense of control, wellbeing and a better work/life balance. The bank believes that

this will enable their people to be more engaged and productive, with the benefit of improving customer service and organisational performance.

The bank’s property services, technology services and human resources have collaborated to drive forward the cultural changes that underpin flexible working, to introduce pathfinder projects that deliver flexibility and choice, and to measure data from all outcomes.

Choice was developed to provide and promote flexible working options for employees, with the recognition that people’s working patterns might need to flex as their work/life circumstances change over time. There were many drivers behind the decision by NatWest to actively promote flexible working options, including an understanding of the importance of employees being able to balance work with what’s important to them in their personal lives, whether that’s caring responsibilities, supporting their local communities or anything else that matters to them.

Since the initiative was launched in 2011, NatWest has rolled out Choice projects across the majority of its businesses. It has continued to engage with employees over an extended period, and has developed a suite of management and HR policies in response to employee feedback.

In addition, NatWest has developed a range of analytical metrics to better measure and understand the dynamics of flexible working so that the outcomes of Choice benefit the bank’s

Mix 195 June 2019 | 59

Case Study | NatWest

Top to bottom: The Dusk Zone, The Triangle, The Garden Pergola, The Relaxation Space

Project Team Client NatWest Architecture and Interior Design LOM architecture and design Furniture Provider Bureau Flooring Suppliers Havwoods, Moduleo, Forbo, Milliken Carpets Furniture Suppliers Petit Friture, Ondaretta, Max Design, Won Design, Woud, Wendelbo, Senator, Vitra, Johanson, Plus Halle, Karimoku, Inclass, New Design Group, Rawside, Manipine, Ferm Living, Icons of Denmark, Montana, Normann Copenhagen, Workstories, Metalmobil, Expormim, Jennifer Newman, Ethimo, Skagerak, Ocee, Artifort, Brunner, Senator, Orangebox, Boss Design Surfaces Suppliers Forbo, Fenix, Divina Cork Storage Suppliers Euroworkspace Other Suppliers Autex, Cobal

customers and the business, as well as individual employees. Today, a significant proportion of the bank’s employees working flexibly in one way or another.

‘The Living Rooms’ will only house a small proportion of the bank’s flexible teams but, here on the 3rd floor, there’s a huge amount of activity. We eventually find a seat on the packed, biophilicallyrich terrace, adjacent to the buzzing ‘Garden Café’.

‘There are just over 400 work positions in ‘The Living Rooms’, our coworking space here, with a community of 750 members,’ Tim tells us.

‘Part of the flexibility comes from the fact that we don’t tether people to desks with PCs and desktop phones, so every single bit of spare space becomes somewhere to work.

‘We’ve really tried to combine the intensive use of space with great design. We’ve been on this

journey for a long time now, I suppose. Following the financial crisis, we looked at how we could consolidate our portfolio, something we continue to do. We looked at how we could have our cake and eat it – how do you create a really efficient bit of space but also have some really thoughtful design, and how do you blend the technology so that the user’s experience is as seamless as possible?

We’ve tried to integrate next generation technology to make the whole process work and to bring everyone together.

'As our teams are becoming more distributed, it’s more important to give people a reason to get together. The experience that these guys get here from the WiFi is very similar to what they get at home – the trick here is that they can wander around with their Chromebook and work anywhere.

Part of the flexibility comes from the fact that we don’t tether people to desks with PCs and desktop phones, so every single bit of spare space becomes somewhere to work 60 | Mix 195 187 June September 2019 2018

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Uni M is an extension of the Uni chair range designed in-house at Ryan. The original Uni chair is a simple and stylish moulded polypropylene chair perfect for educational use or in cafes and dining areas. It’s cousin ‘M’ uses a more advanced moulded plywood shell that accentuates the curves of Uni, giving it a sophisticated personality that is more akin to meeting spaces.

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Case Study | NatWest

Caption: The Dusk Zone and open office space

‘When we think about the people we’re recruiting now, they’re technology savvy – they’re courted by the likes of Facebook and Google and this type of environment is intentionally more conducive to how they work.’

‘This is a bold new world and we have a model that we can transplant to our other workplaces – and we are thinking about doing just that now we’ve had some initial feedback.’

We ask Chiara to tell us more about the design and layout of this incredible Living Rooms facility.

‘We’ve split the space into three areas, inspired by the circadian rhythm of Dawn, Day and Dusk,’ she explains. ‘Biophilia is introduced through planting but also visual cues that remind us of times of the day and natural elements like wind and rain. Each of the areas has a distinct colour palette and subtly different furniture elements.

Instead of creating an artificial environment, this approach brings us in tune with nature.’

‘We wanted to soften this hard-edged building to give the interiors a very different experience, and really do something for people’s wellbeing.

We wanted the overall feel to be much more domestic – more human and engaging.'

‘We actually have people who track the sun throughout the day – they change which zone they’re working in as the day goes on,' Tim continues. 'We’ve been able to bring together teams who would never normally sit near one another – which has added a really interesting and positive dynamic.

‘This floor was previously all meeting rooms. It was very old and tired and one of the challenges was that we have an atrium that runs through the whole building, creating acoustic issues – and we wanted to make it the real heart of the building.

One-third of the space here is accessible to the whole building and features the café, outdoor terrace and the atrium with bleacher seating – then the remaining two-thirds is only for the members of The Living Rooms community.'

We move back to talk about the origins of this project and its links back to RocketSpace. ‘It was interesting to see how we evolved that space,’ Tim recalls. ‘I hadn’t come across coworking in that context before – those core things, such as community, technology integration, variety of spaces…the look was ‘austere industrial’, which is great for that building.'

We actually have people who track the sun throughout the day – they change which zone they’re working in as the day goes on

Mix 195 June 2019 | 63

Case Study | NatWest

This Page Clockwise from right: The Dusk kitchen, The Day Zone – office space, The Dawn Zone – intelligent storage space, The Garden Cafe with views of the terrace.

Opposite Top to bottom: The Garden Bleacher, The Dusk zone – The Triangle.

‘Whereas RocketSpace was designed for a brand new start-up community, in this project a key challenge was to engage people in an environment that they were comfortable in,' Chiara recalls. ‘It’s a bit of a leap of faith for people to change to this way of working, but I think it’s interesting to see how they react. People using this space were prepared to take the leap because they are already more mobile than others across the business, but the fact that so many other teams have now expressed interest in working this way is testament to its success.

‘When we first started working with the bank on this project, we analysed teams within the building and found that a couple of the groups were highly mobile because they had a lot of off-site meetings or worked from other locations. This meant they

64 | Mix 195 June 2019

were particularly suited to work from a completely flexible space with mobile technology and no fixed workstations.

'What we did know was that the bank didn’t want anything gimmicky – they wanted to encourage people to focus, make it easy for them to do their jobs and then to give them plenty of spaces to be able to collaborate and to relax.’

What is abundantly clear is that there is an astonishing variety of spaces in which people can work, collaborate and relax.

As we wander through the Dawn Zone onto the Day Zone and then to the Dusk Zone, we lose count of the number of different settings, which range from round tables and sit/stand facilities, through to booths, soft seating areas and entire analogue spaces, such as The Library.

The tones, furniture and colours do indeed subtly shift as you walk through to each impressive new zone.

What’s more, despite the high density of the space and the vast array of settings, the entire floor feels incredibly cohesive. Nothing here is frivolous or for effect – although there are definitely some fun elements. Everything has a purpose and, indeed, pretty much everything is being used!

We haven’t even really mentioned the quality café or the amazing atrium, which now features bleacher-style seating and even more alternative work settings, as well as the occasional pre-work yoga session, for people throughout the building to embrace.

We might just have seen not only the future of the bank, but also the future of the City! w

Leading UK furniture manufacturer

The Client Established in 1968, NatWest is a major retail and commercial bank in the United Kingdom. In March 2000, The Royal Bank of Scotland Group completed the acquisition of NatWest in a £21 billion deal that was the largest takeover in British banking history.

Completed in 1981, the National Westminster Tower (now known as Tower42) was built in London to serve as NatWest’s headquarters. Defining London’s skyline at 600 ft and 42 floors, it was the tallest building in the UK until 1991.

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Case Study | Sygnia

Springbok Watch We’re in Mayfair – that rarified part of London where, on the face of it, all is quiet and serene. We know, however, that behind the bronze plaques that adorn the pristine townhouses here, serious business is taking place. Really serious business!

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Above: View of Workspace area including Breakout Area

T

hose plaques signify that these are the homes of leading hedge fund businesses and asset management companies.

Furthermore, the only ‘shop’ within a stone’s throw is 'selling' Sunseeker yachts – and as we enviously look at the perfect scale models in the window, we realise that we have work to do and rapidly make our way around the corner onto Grosvenor Street – the new Mayfair base for leading South Africanbased asset management company, Sygnia Asset Management.

Fortunately, our timing couldn’t be better as we meet The DSGN Studio’s Benjamin Dudley, our guide for this morning, in the ground floor reception space. The DSGN Studio was appointed by Sygnia to deliver its new London home at the prestigious address of 24 Grosvenor Street. We head up to the 3rd floor, which might be somewhat compact but, as we can almost immediately see, delivers everything the business requires. This includes a smart conference room, lounge area, breakout kitchenette space and open workspace.

Sygnia, we learn, is an innovative FinTech company based in South Africa and listed on the main board of the JSE. The company provides asset management, stockbroking and administration services, as well as a wide range of savings products to institutional and retail clients. Everything Sygnia does is supported by leading-edge technology platforms, while the business boasts over R223 billion in assets under management and administration, R27 billion in unit trusts since its launch in 2012, more than 900 institutional clients

Mix 195 June 2019 | 67

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Case Study | Sygnia

Caption: Conference Room

(domestic and international), more than 14,000 visual identity between this office and the offices in individual clients, and over 220 staff across offices in South Africa – so that when people come in here Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban – and now they can reference products and finishes from the London.

South African offices and know exactly where they ‘This is the first office for Sygnia in the UK,’ are. We wanted that familiarity.

Benjamin tells us as we walk through to the main ‘It’s quite a condensed space – it’s 1,500 sq ft – open workspace. ‘In South Africa the business is however a lot was achieved within the space; there one of the main financial institutions. They are a is a good array of various settings here. We have major force at home and the high counter for an incredibly impressive breakout, collaboration business. Finding and for staff to come In South Africa the business together, There are the the right space was challenging to start off workstations for the is one of the main financial with. They were looking execution of tasks, we’ve institutions. They are a from St James’s through got the beautiful lounge to Mayfair – I think that area… like I said, there major force at home and an the roof terrace here are a lot of settings for incredibly impressive business the size of space. The pretty much sold this space to them. It’s quite a client is looking to fill this unique asset. space very quickly as it ‘This was the first is not in full occupancy project in the building, which created a challenge. yet – and as this will be their senior management The fire escapes and common parts of the building and client space for London, we have managed to are finished to a very high standard with Bolon keep the space as open as possible, as they do not flooring and feature walls – which meant we had require individual cellular offices. The only enclosed to be extremely careful getting everything into the space is the boardroom. demise. We had to set a standard.

‘We have specified some very special elements in ‘The client was very clear view about what they this project, such as handmade Danish light fittings, wanted and what they liked, which was extremely which were completely bespoke to the project. beneficial to our design team and led to an efficient The execution of the space had to be perfect. The decision-making process. There had to be that same flooring is relatively simple, and we have used

Project Team Client Sygnia Asset Management Interior Design The DSGN Studio Furniture Provider Purves & Purves Flooring Suppliers Havwoods, Parkside Architectural Tiles, Elements London Surfaces Suppliers Egger, Corian Furniture Suppliers Orangebox, Tom Dixon, Minotti London, Brunner, Gubi, Humanscale, La Palma Storage Suppliers Techo Other Suppliers Vescom, Deltalight, Pentalight, Moooi, Anour, Floss, Window Film Solutions, Network Blinds, Little Greene

Mix 195 June 2019 | 69

Case Study | Sygnia

Everything here is bespoke – from the teapoint and the high counter, through to the timber screens and the desks

traditional materials, such as the marble together with timber flooring, but they are set in a modern tone. There is that link with tradition, but with a modern approach throughout. What we really didn’t want was for any one finish or single element to be overpowering or to stand out too much. It was important that everything worked together, that everything was cohesive.

‘Everything here is bespoke – from the teapoint and the high counter, through to the timber screens and the desks. Bespoke joinery played a big role in this project.

‘Our clients here are mobile and come together from different offices in different countries. They needed a system that could allow them to simply plug in and start working – so we’ve used the Humanscale M/Connect, which works well and is unobtrusive. It was vital that the technology was right.

As we move around to the elegant teapoint/ collaboration space, we ask Benjamin about the origins of the relationship with Sygnia. ‘This project came through a recommendation – a lot of our projects are based on recommendations,’ he explains. ‘We then work closely with our

70 | Mix 195 June 2019

client to ensure that the design is right, the budget is right – and then we came on-site. The programme was 12 weeks in total – a two-week lead-in period and then a 10-week construction phase on site. It was a reasonably quick process – although this is comfortable for us. Where we really did need the time was to organise the bespoke elements and all the joinery. It’s very much the nature of our business to work this way; everyone has to deliver on budget and everyone has to deliver on time – and they did.’

The colour palette throughout the space is largely fresh and neutral, with natural timbers, white and greys to the fore. ‘We’ve used two colours – navy and orange – in subtle ways, while the rest are neutrals,’ Benjamin confirms.

‘For example, we added navy velvet wall panels to the walls in the boardroom – this is not just a decorative feature, but enhances the acoustic properties in that space.

'We wanted Sygnia’s clients to feel that this is a welcoming, comfortable space. We wanted them to come in and feel at ease. Using the lighting controls, you can change the settings in the room to suit the mood.

The Client

Founded in 2003, Sygnia is an innovative FinTech company based in South Africa and listed on the main board of the JSE. The company is focused on the provision of multimanagement, index tracking and administration solutions to institutional and retail clients in South Africa and abroad.

Clockwise from top left: Detail of workspace pendant.

Detail of boardroom door handle.

View to breakout space.

Conference room.

Conference room wall light

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Case Study | Sygnia

Caption: View of Workspace

More than anything, this is a professional workspace. It’s an elegant space, but it is not based on fashions

‘More than anything, this is a professional workspace. It’s an elegant space, but it is not based on fashions. It has to stand the test of time, be durable and, vitally, practical. It must work hard for the business and be an asset for Sygnia. The flow of the space has to work well and offer some privacy as well as collaborative, open areas.

We can’t emphasise enough the quality of the fixtures and fittings throughout – and also how smart the design and planning of this workplace is.

Key manufacturers Benjamin and the team have worked with include Humanscale, Havwoods, Moooi, Tom Dixon, Anour, Minotti, Orangebox and Brunner – which should give the furniture aficionados amongst you some idea of the quality throughout. Looking closely, we find a number of beautiful little touches, such as coordinated brass

inlays and leg details, which enhance the elegance of the overall look and feel.

Everything has clearly been fully thought through.

Heading back to the collaborative space, Benjamin shows us how the vast majority of elements (microwaves, fridges, bins etc) are all hidden away behind doors, leaving an extremely clean aesthetic.

We haven’t even touched upon the fact that there is also the particularly impressive roof terrace, with wooden decking and biophilic borders, which will no doubt offer Sygnia’s people a more than welcome chill-out space throughout the upcoming summer months.

At 1,500 sq ft, this isn’t the largest workspace we’ve seen. In fact, we’ve seen bigger yachts this morning – yet Sygnia’s new London home is every bit as smart and elegant as a Sunseeker. w

Mix 195 June 2019 | 73

Review | 30 Under 30

30 Rocks One of the highlights of Clerkenwell Design Week, you won’t be surprised to hear, was our own fantastic 30 under 30 party – which celebrates the cream of emerging UK A&D talent. We invited along the class of 2019 (who were announced in our May issue), along with their bosses and previous ‘30’ incumbents, who joined our sponsors and the Mix team at the beautiful Morgan showroom for a drink or three. A huge thank you to our sponsors – Morgan, Allgood and Hunters Contracts – and many congratulations to the latest members of the Mix 30 under 30 club!

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Review | 30 Under 30

COMMENTS Being part of the Class of 2019, 30 under 30 is an absolute pleasure – I’m extremely happy and it was an amazing surprise so thank you very much Maria Framis, Gensler

This event focusses on the youngsters coming up through the industry. For us, that’s critical because we’re design-led, we’re specification-led and we have to keep that feed of relationships going with younger architects because that’s our future Alistair Higgins, Allgood

We got involved with the event because essentially I’ve seen a lot of the rising stars coming up through the industry. It’s been very interesting journey for myself as well and actually made quite a lot of friends throughout it. So it’s here to support the next generation!

Lewis Harman, Hunters Contracts

Being part of the 30 under 30 is a great honour because I wasn’t expecting it so it came as a surprise. It’s very nice and I’m glad that my hard work is appreciate.

Mehdi Jelokhani, Perkins+Will

Exciting, I didn’t expect it to happen to me.

I’ve always been a keen collector of the Mix Interiors magazines and I didn’t think I would be a part of it, but I am! I’m really excited, really really happy.

Kayleigh Tse, Cirkularis8

30 under 30 is so important because of our up and coming staff. We have people who work for us that are so important and do a great job and it’s just a great way of recognising their talent, achievement and the hard work they actually do. It’s really important to us.

Robin Lonsdale, Spacelab

Mix 195 June 2019 | 75

Review | 30 Under 30

It’s a fantastic opportunity for us to recognise the talent in our team – we have some amazing talent. Sometimes they might not get the profile or the press they deserve, so to see some of our team come through and to attend an event like this is fantastic. For them as individuals and for us as a business to recognise their talent is amazing Jamie Wilson, HLM

The reason we want to support the 30 under 30 event is, first of all, to work alongside Mix, and secondly, to work with young people, because they’re the future.

I think events like 30 under 30 are important to Morgan because it connects us to the design industry.

But they’re also particularly important to young people, who are coming up through the industry, and can really feel part of it – part of a cohesive whole Rodney McMahon, Morgan

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Review | Clerkenwell Design Week

Is all ‘well?

Our regular readers will know that, in the main, we’re a bunch of glass-half-full types of people. We’re here to report, inform, (hopefully) entertain and help the leading firms in the sector publicise their wares and skills.

78 | Mix 195 June 2019

Photo: Sophie Mutevelian

Review | Clerkenwell Design Week

1. Scale Rule, St John's Gate 2. KI workshop. Photo: Philip Vile 3. Shaw Contract 4. Orangebox

CDW was a busy event again this year, it was really encouraging to be visited by both resellers and the A&D community, who having watched our development over the last three years, now felt our products had reached new quality and acoustic standards and we were able to discuss exciting projects both in the UK and internationally

1

Mike Dalloz The Meeting Pod Company

E

very now and again, however, there is something that simply needs to be addressed – and the recent Clerkenwell Design Week is a perfect example of this. On the face of it, with the weather playing ball once again, it felt like the three-day event was very much the celebration of all that’s good in the market that we always hope it will be; a festival.

There were, however, a couple of metaphorical dark clouds hanging over the 10th edition of CDW. For a start, there appeared to be far more major businesses who, this year, opted to keep the circa £5k in their pockets, turning down the opportunity to dress their showrooms in brilliant pink, and instead either opting out of the week’s shenanigans or, in some cases, carrying on regardless!

Now there is a real moral issue here, in our humble opinion. We have always felt that the showrooms are the true heart of CDW – they are, after all, the residents of this unique borough. We’re also all too aware of just how expensive it can be to have a prime Clerkenwell showroom – it’s a genuine major commitment, and it’s not difficult to see that to then be asked to pay several thousands more to open your doors might be somewhat galling.

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3 2 4

By Bailey had an amazing CDW 2019, working alongside Yorgo Lykouria at Rainlight to launch Rock, notably the first ever UK launch for the US manufacturer, AllSteel. The showroom was constantly buzzing with key clients and design firms from across the globe joining us to celebrate our recent merger with InsideSource.

Mark Bailey

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Review | Clerkenwell Design Week

6

Humanscale took the opportunity during Clerkenwell Design Week to focus on what really matters for wellbeing; sustainability and movement. We were privileged to welcome Jo Ruxton, award winning filmmaker of ‘A Plastic Ocean’ (www.plasticoceans.uk) and Martin Brown from The Living Future Institute https://livingfuture.org/lpc/ to speak at our showroom and at other locations during the festival.

Edward Donald Humanscale

5

8 7 'Exhibiting at Clerkenwell Design Week is always a great experience and it was fantastic to see so many people engaged in our events once again.'

Andrew Sloan Tarkett UK

5. Parkside tile making workshop.

Photography: Sarel Jansen 6. Arper showroom party.

Photo: Black Edge Productions 7. Bisley showroom 8. Umbrella showroom. Photography: Ben Jackson 9. Cosentino bench

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It’s not just £5k we’re talking about here either. A number of key manufacturers tell us that it can be six, seven or eight times that figure once food, drink, transportation, dressing of space, events etc are all taken into consideration – and then there’s the time, effort and no little skill from what can be a full team of dozens of people.

In saying that, there has always been a sort of unwritten ‘agreement’ that, if you’re not buying into CDW, then you keep things low-key throughout the festival. A few showrooms not officially taking part were anything but low-key this year. It is a real moral dilemma. Should businesses really take advantage of the hard work and investment of others – or is the right of any Clerkenwell resident to open their doors and do whatever they want throughout the week?

We know what we feel, but we’re just going to keep that to ourselves for now – and instead concentrate on some of the real positives of CDW 2019. From a Mix point of view, there was a certain irony that, with more of the team than ever visiting Clerkenwell this year, we actually didn’t get to see nearly as much as we would have liked to – but we’ve got no one to

9 blame but ourselves, packing our diaries as we did with our own events and invitations.

We should, of course, start on the final evening of the week, which saw us take over the beautifully dressed Morgan showroom for what is rapidly becoming the ‘must be involved’ 30 under 30 party.

The event celebrates the cream of emerging UK A&D talent, as we brought the class of 2019 together, along with their bosses and previous ‘30’ incumbents, who joined our sponsors (Hunters Contracts, Allgood and Morgan) and the Mix team at the beautiful Morgan showroom. So much talent in one room!

Never ones to make things easy for ourselves, we also held our own Round Table event on the Wednesday of CDW at the Workstories showroom, while our Editor, Mick Jordan, then hotfooted it across to the Umbrella showspace to host a provocative panel discussion, Mick was then joined by David Smalley, the dynamic duo turning question masters for Milliken’s fun-filled, cocktail-fuelled quiz.

So what else did we get to see, experience and enjoy throughout the week? Well, the ‘super

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Review | Clerkenwell Design Week

10. Solus showroom 11. British Collection. Photo: Sophie Mutevelian 12. Allermuir for music 13. Knightsbridge stand

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showrooms’ certainly didn’t disappoint. Orangebox, for example, presented an amazing laboratory space, free of the constraints of a normal commercial project, Unboxed was the first of a series of opportunities for invited designers to explore possibilities above and beyond the everyday. Each project will be a fresh start, with practices bringing to life their own unique viewpoints, pushing the boundaries of Orangebox’s products and creating an experimental mix of products, function and finishes. With its agenda of challenging preconceptions and looking at our products with fresh eyes, Unboxed will have a more intense and experimental atmosphere than the other Smartworking floors.

Scott Brownrigg’s ‘Dreams Unboxed’ looked into the workplace of the near future, curating an environment where experience is key and physical space comes second, with micro-settings purposed to suit the user needs. We particularly enjoyed the VR experience – and it was great to see so many visitors on all floors of the space (and this was only Tuesday!).

The ground floor re-design of Brunner’s superb Rosebery Avenue showroom – and UK debut of the many new product innovations launched at last year’s Orgatec – could not have failed to seriously impress visitors. Being greeted by their ‘meet in style’ sculpture was certainly different (in a good way), while the new Ray Soft, Ray Swivel and Ray

Being part of the inside out panel, hosted by Humanscale, opened my eyes to just how wide ranging the property sector is, from developers like myself, based in Clerkenwell, to ergonomists like Humanscale. I would definitely look towards getting more involved next year.

Nick Moore RO Real Estate

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Review | Clerkenwell Design Week

The CDW festival is a fantastic reason for clients, end users, architects and designers to get out from behind their desks and into the beating heart of London's interior design hub. We had such a good time, making new contacts and showing our brand new installations of Woven Image’s acoustic products at the new Clarus showroom and at Connection.

Lucy Abraham The Collective

14. Roger Lewis, Catherine van der Hyde winning design 15. Aeron Hockey. Photo: Philip Vile 16. Hakwood 17. Milliken quiz night 18. Flokk jewellery workshop

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CDW was a ruckus this year! It seems the momentum has hit a tipping point and what’s on offer seems to have stepped up as well.

Roads now need to be closed to accommodate the crowds!

Kristoff DuBose Cirkularis8

Lounge additions to the market-leading Ray Collection, together with the new A-Bench and A-Lounge additions to the A-Range, stood out in exactly the same way as they did back in Cologne.

Allermuir launched a serious number of new products at CDW, collaborating with the likes of PearsonLloyd, Benjamin Hubert and Jonas Wagell.

Allermuir’s creative laboratory was transformed for the week, while a cheeky breakfast mimosa or an afternoon martini certainly hit the spot for many a visitor. Indeed, Allermuir offered breakfast every morning, while the afternoons featured a classic combination of soulful house music, curated by Ella Durston, paired with a carefully selected drinks menu.

We really liked the Axyl bench by Benjamin Hubert of Layer, fresh from its launch in Milan, and Folk by PearsonLloyd – a mercurial but modest

17 family of flatpack chair, stool and table.

Boss unveiled an exciting line-up that reaffirms its reputation for design excellence, attention to detail and quality. The new additions included an exciting range of tub chairs and work café chair collection for Boss Design and an architectural wooden bench and modular sofa for Lyndon.

Bene went big early – celebrating the opening of CDW with a first night party, attended by over 300 invited guests, where multi-faceted PIXEL settings were rebuilt into a PIXEL bar and bar tables. Nice use of new product!

Bespoke manufacturer Era showed off its new showroom space on Gt Sutton St at CDW, where it launched its next generation office pod, Hoozone.

Incidentally, the new meeting zone takes its name from lead product designer, Phil Hooton.

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Review | Clerkenwell Design Week

19. Brunner showroom 20. Forbo showroom 21. Camira showroom 22. sixteen3 showroom

20 MEETING, EATING OR WORKING

19 After the success of Era’s original office pod, Quiet Space, Era consulted with its clients to ensure a user-centred approach was included.

While the principle focus for Hoozone was acoustic development (it boasts double glazed panels and improved upholstered panels and ceiling tiles), it was important to update the aesthetic architecture too. The holistic design includes an integrated facilities bridge housing the PIR operated strip lighting and ventilation systems, ideal for achieving the client’s agile working goals.

Hoozone was extremely well received at CDW, with visitors commenting on its improved acoustic performance and elegance.

Arper unveiled a number of new collections, whilst iconic products were also showcased at the Clerkenwell Road showroom, which played host to a variety of engaging events throughout the week.

On the Tuesday, Arper held its annual Opening Night Party, while on the Wednesday the manufacturer introduced Out of Office, a debate about co-working and the evolution of working environments. Panelists included Giovanni de Niederhäuern, CEO of Carlo Ratti Associati, Fabienne O’Neill, Co-founder of coworking space Cuckooz Nest and Katrina Larkin, Co-founder of Fora (and friend of Mix).

In addition, for the fourth consecutive year, the Arper showroom became the official digital hub of the show. The Arper Bloggers Lounge was the dedicated venue for bloggers and digital press exploring the show and proved to be one of the best places to share, network, meet and rewind throughout the week.

Speaking of on the move, and moving away from the showrooms for just a moment, Herman

22 The opportunity during Clerkenwell Design Week is really unique as, across the three days, thousands of people flood into EC1 to see what’s on show. We are able to take the time to connect face-to-face and help our clients experience the latest in workplace product design, while our partners, like Haworth, take the opportunity to throw their doors open, inspire us with their creativity and innovation, and have some fun

Gary Helm obo

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Review | Clerkenwell Design Week

23. Interface, Meet Make Mend workshop 24. isomi showroom 25. Morgan showroom 26. Ultrafabric showroom

23 Miller’s Aeron Hockey caused a bit of a stir in Brewhouse Yard. Celebrating 25 years since the iconic chair’s launch, the pop-up installation allowed visitors to take part in the fun, fast-paced sport of office hockey.

Two teams of five players sat on Aeron Chairs to battle it out during 10-minute matches. Running over the three days of CDW 2019, the rolling tournament gave everyone, from beginners through to experienced players, a chance to play. Plenty of fun was clearly had by all participants, although we did a hear a few grumbles from neighbouring showrooms, who were slightly underwhelmed by the central positioning of the pop-up and the inevitable noise levels generated.

KI made a very different kind of noise this year, with its Clerkenwell Design Week debut comprising a spectacular pop-up showroom at the landmark Paxton Locher House on Clerkenwell Green. Built in the mid-90’s the stunning home was transformed into ‘KI House’, making it an exciting new destination for this year’s festival attendees. The venue hosted the launch of KI’s new UK-designed and manufactured storage, seating and desking products. A variety of talks, and workshops, as well as a mid-week ‘House Party’, co-hosted with Bute Fabrics, took place during the week.

Humanscale and Staverton joined forces to host a brilliant series of talks by BBC producer, Jo Ruxton, on how we can limit further damage to our oceans and wildlife. Jo was a lead member of the BBC’s diving team, involved in the production and direction of the underwater sequences for the much-admired first Blue Planet Series. However, Jo felt that the BBC neglected to tell the complete story, failing to

CDW seemed to be a little calmer this year and, from what I hear, the exhibitors were feeling very positive about the quality of visitors. I did not see much that was new or revolutionary but I noticed that a lot of companies seemed to be concentrating more this year on building their brand awareness as opposed to showing new products.The sun shone!

Jim Meier Day2

24 From the off, the event enabled younger companies like ourselves to pitch up alongside established industry players in order to challenge the pre conceived conceptions of what commercial furniture should look like. Our Deadgood brand is now flourishing at the very same time that CDW is becoming the internationally recognised brand that it is.

Elliot Brook Deadgood

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26 Mix 195 June 2019 | 91

Review | Clerkenwell Design Week

Every year CDW attracts a large number of specifying designers and architects to the area. With its unique festival-like atmosphere, it always offers a lovely opportunity to meet lots of new people as well as catch up with existing contacts too. Turning the showroom into a PIXEL playground, filled with our nifty building blocks, was a really fun way of presenting just how adaptable and versatile the system can be, and it really seemed to chime with the festival audience

27. Farringdon Station. Photo: Sophie Mutevelian 28. Boss showroom 29. Bene showroom 30. KI workshop 31. Tarkett, Meet the Designer drop in sessions

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Stephen Block Bene

29 30 7 31 discuss the issues of plastic waste in our oceans, so she began to work independently and produced the documentary feature, A Plastic Ocean.

Tarkett ensured that its Great Sutton Street showroom retained its status as one of CDW’s must-visit destinations with an action-packed programme that invited visitors to experience ‘The Great Indoors’.

The concept explored the ways in which design can contribute to improving wellbeing, with a particular focus on the workplace and the increasing shift between a traditional office and a more fluid working environment, or ‘Worklife’.

Visitors were invited to take part in a range of activities designed to create a sense of excitement

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and adventure more often associated with the ‘Great Outdoors’, with the aim of bringing this to the interiors market.

CDW also featured no less than seven exhibition venues, dotted across the borough, showcasing a mix of leading brands and emerging talent. In other words, providing an opportunity for non-residents to get involved.

Design Fields again showcased leading furniture, lighting and product design from around the world.

Alongside some of the most exciting homegrown designer-makers, the show presented a diverse range of international contemporary design. We really liked the display from Roger Lewis – the leading furniture designer and maker, who teamed

up with three renowned design studios and furniture consultants to launch its ‘industry first’ bespoke offering, The Customizer app.

HASSELL, Peldon Rose and Tribe Furniture were the first to have used the cutting-edge technology, which allows the A&D community to create tailor-made pieces for clients.

A team of designers from each of the three companies developed a completely unique design that represents their individual practice. The artwork was then printed onto the finest fabric and expertly hand-upholstered to the popular Roger Lewis Sintra chair.

Visitors to the stand and Instagram-lovers alike voted for their favourite design throughout the week

Recharge in AirWave Incorporate USB ports and UKF power sockets into the AirWave seats to offer convenient charging.

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Review | Clerkenwell Design Week

I thought CDW was good this year and I was particularly impressed with the variety of products on show and how the impact of society is really influencing the products available on the market. Natural materials and form, combined with softer, pastel colour palettes really emphasise the wellbeing aspect of design and the important role the built environment has to play in this increasingly important element of society. As a designer, the era we are living in is promoting creative and responsible design more than ever – and this can only be a good thing!

Jamie WIlson HLM

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33 but, after a fierce contest, it was HASSELL who emerged with the crown (or, rather, bottle of champagne).

HASSELL’s chair design, named ‘The Blueprint’, merges Bauhaus-inspired geometry with a 1970s colour palette, accented with a vibrant pop of royal blue. The original design was reconfigured using The Customizer, adding a bold and contemporary feel to the finished piece. A well deserved winner, in our opinion.

CDW returned to the subterranean House of Detention with Platform – a show that recognises exciting up-and-coming design talent. Exploiting the venue’s atmospheric architecture, Platform once again created a stunning backdrop for a curated collection of international, cutting-edge design.

Set in the beautiful grounds of St James Church, Project brought together a leading selection of contract furniture and surface brands across three

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pavilions. It was great to see our friends from Knightsbridge, Protocol, Panaz and Amtico all having such a good time.

The Mix team was particularly taken with an amazing light installation from Haberdashery, showcasing their Dawn till Dusk lamp, which could be found in Light, held (fittingly) in the dark depths of Fabric nightclub.

The lamp which evokes the memory of sunrise and sunset, tapping into a language of light that influences our bodies’ circadian rhythms and the natural environment all around us.

It won the coveted ‘Best of the best’ Red Dot product design award 2019 – and we can see why!

Every year, CDW presents new design projects and street spectacles, commissioned specially for the festival and featured prominently throughout Clerkenwell. Inviting some of the leading pioneers in the creative industry, these projects aim to push

This year, the emphasis was very much on the outstanding quality, precision engineering and design that have made our products the envy of the world. Our new lounge chairs are the most accomplished collection of upholstery we have ever produced in our 30+ year manufacturing history. The upholstery is executed with a quality of sewing and tailoring that sets the benchmark for our future products

Mark Barrell Boss

Review | Clerkenwell Design Week

32. Senator 33. Bottlehouse Photo: Sophie Mutevelian 34. Havwoods.

Photo: Philip Vile 35. Mark Product 36. Design Guild Mark.

Photo: Philip Vile 37. Deadgood

36 10 years of Clerkenwell Design Week, and it had a great festival atmosphere.

Boozing, street food and music...Great Sutton Street was a hustle and bustle of activity, especially in the evening.

With the spring sun, it felt like a holiday destination. Great fun

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Christopher Gibbs BDP

the boundaries of design, in terms of concepts, process and material capabilities – and, in our opinion, reached new heights this year. We really liked Decade – a collection of ten, individually unique celebratory candle-like beacons, each designed by a leading creative light.

Scalerule, meanwhile, responded to the theme of history and heritage by presenting a new structure that subtly drew on the historic form of the St John’s Gate arch, whilst bringing in materials and geometries that reference the design culture of Clerkenwell today.

The concept played with the idea of space and enclosure, by inserting a densely built timber structure within the void of the archway. This was then carved away to allow a route through and to frame the historic features of the site. The timber frame was filled with moments of colour, which intensified towards the top of the arch, drawing visitors’ gaze upwards towards the historic architecture. The colour was created with the use of recycled materials and fabrics, which referenced the design identity of the area.

Once Upon A Time drew on the rich and often dark historical tales of Clerkenwell, from wife sales

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Review | Clerkenwell Design Week

38. Connection showroom 39. Haberdashery light. Photo: Black Edge Productions 40. Spa fields. Photo: Sophie Mutevelian 41. Passing Alley by Rory Brown. Photo: Sophie Mutevelian

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38 to prison bombings! BA Graphic Design Communication students from the UAL Chelsea College of Arts were tasked with interpreting stories from six locations, which were then brought to life through a series of graphical installations.

Heading back into the showrooms, we very much liked the latest products from ege – while Parkside (part of Topps Tiles) introduced a series of equally brilliant products, supported by thought-provoking events in a busy and impressive new showroom (which, we’re told, has recently been shortlisted for a prestigious retail award).

We owe Davison Highley and Connection a huge thank you, not only for letting us use their showrooms at CDW, but also for allowing us to steal a bit of valuable time from a couple of their key people (as part of a new Mix initiative – but more about that another time).

Both showrooms were brim-full of exciting new products for CDW, with DH’s Bertie and new Boulevard additions and Connection’s flexible and mobile Nomad really catching the eye.

Speaking of taking over showrooms, a further thank you must go to our friends at Workstories, whose boardroom we commandeered for our midfestival Roundtable. The team has done a fantastic job with the Northburgh Street showroom and we particularly we like At Ease – a modern classic of a chair, in our humble opinion.

We started with a bit of a moan – and we’re going to close with another, albeit something that has little (if anything) to do with CDW itself. As a business that specialises in publishing and events, we’re all too aware of how difficult it can be to juggle times and dates. There’s surely no excuse, however, for the BCO to host its Northern Awards, in Manchester,

40 in the middle of CDW! Didn’t anyone look in diaries before fixing the date? It meant that a lot of our A&D mates in the North either didn’t make it down to CDW or were in and out in a day. Furthermore, people based right in the heart of Clerkenwell found themselves on a train to Manchester, right in the heart of the festival. That can’t be right! Moan over.

Thinking back, we did manage to get a fair bit of CDW done over the three days. To those who looked after us, thank you for your kind hospitality.

To those we unfortunately missed, sorry, we just wish we’d had more time. Then again, Clerkenwell is open 52 weeks a year, not just one! Hopefully, we can come and see you soon. w

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Review | CDW Events Roundtable

Friends United?

We couldn’t help but bring you a slightly more detailed account of a couple of our favourite events from this year’s CDW programme – the first of which, shamelessly, involved our own Editor, Mick Jordan. For this year’s Umbrella + Friends talk, we were tasked with pulling together an expert panel to discuss the subject of 'Workplace 101' – think the TV show Room 101, but more industry-specific.

S

o, on the Wednesday evening, Mick hosted a fun-filled, lively session, with the panel discussing a range of contentious workplace subjects, all in front of a busy showroom full of visitors. Our brave panel then gave their views on what they felt should be resigned to the past, what should be here to stay – and also what the workplace of the future really needs.

The panel comprised Mike Walley, Head of Workplace Experience EMEA, Criteo, Imogen Privett from the Royal College of Arts and WORKTECH Academy, Kristoff DuBose, Founder of Cirkularis8 and Elena Panagiotidis, Senior Associate at Perkins+Will.

The first workplace ‘pet hate’ was, indeed, pets in the workplace. Playing Devil’s Advocate, Mick suggested that, despite claims that pets having a calming influence on people in the workplace, pets can actually be a health & safety issue, and far from ideal for those with allergies! The panel was

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Review | CDW Events

Photography: Son of Jack Photography

somewhat split on the subject (slightly surprisingly!), although there was a certain amount of support for Mick’s argument that ‘A workplace is a workplace, not a petting zoo’.

The conversation then moved on to the personalisation of the workplace. Mick asked why people feel it’s ok or suitable to have photos /toys/ models of the Millennium Falcon on their desks? He again suggested that a workplace is just that and that people should treat it as such. Even Star Wars fan Kristoff conceded that there is a place and time for such things – while Mike wound things up a little by (intentionally) confusing Star Wars and Star Trek.

And so the pattern was very much set. Over the next hour and a quarter, our panel discussed a wide variety of subjects including over-complicated tech (a real bug-bear of Mike Walley), Skype/Video Conferencing (which largely received thumbs-up from all), too many desks in the workplace (sorry to Matt Clarke and the Umbrella team for the furniture negativity), not enough desks in the workplace (you’re welcome Matt!), gimmicky workplace design, ‘free’ breakfast (Elena and Imogen welcomed the principle – and are clearly nowhere near as cynical as our own Editor!) and, finally, people – with Mike even stealing an Alan Partridge quote from Mick, much to the amusement of the rest of the panel!

With an awful lot of very serious, straight seminars and talks held across the week, we hope the Umbrella audience found our leftfield interpretation entertaining and thought provoking.

Hopefully we can do it all over again next year! w

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Roundtable Review | CDW Events

Acoustics Matter:

What challenges do we face in creating modern workspaces that embrace occupant wellbeing?

Planet Partitioning invited a panel of experts along to discuss the above question during CDW. For many years, the design of the modern workplace has been driven to make the most of the commercial value of the real estate, without understanding our most valued asset in the equation – the people we employ. This trend is now changing with a true realisation that all aspects of design, from the building, to the chair or the partition, are there to support people who occupy the space to be the best they can be.

The debate was chaired by Martin Townsend, a sustainable business and built environment consultant, and featured a panel of industry experts including: Genghis Akay, Sales Director, Planet Partitioning Joe Cilia, Technical Director, FIS Peter Swallow, Associate, Grimshaw Ant Wilson, Director, AECOM Ruth Geeson, Associate Director, Sustainable Engineering, CBRE Ann-Marie Aguilar, Director of Operations, Europe at International WELL Building Institute Barry Jobling, Partner, Hoare Lea Philippa Gill, Partner, Verdextra Beatriz Gonzalez, Project Director, Scott Brownrigg Jennifer Hardi, Senior Lecturer, London South Bank University Ray Fong, Associate, Sheppard Robson / IDSR Mira Doheny, Business Development, Sheppard Robson / IDSR

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hen you consider that people spend an average of over 82,000 hours at work during their lifetime, it is therefore essential that employers get the best out of their workforce. Part of this is ensuring these workers have the right working environment in which to operate. The discussion looked at past practice, the evolution of the workplace and debated the various actions the industry can take to create offices that are fit for the future.

‘There’s been a change from everyone having a desk, to no one having a desk and no one having a phone. It’s a ‘clear desk’ scenario,’ said Ant Wilson.

He emphasised the important role acoustics play in the open working environment and the need for privacy. ‘You cannot get around good acoustical quality,’ he added.

Ann Marie Aguila made the point from the health perspective, commenting: ‘Historically, we came from a place where everything was designed to maximise space, make it worth its money, and not really think about the human condition. The mental stress associated with poor acoustics is astonishing.

When people stop work due to being interrupted, it can take, on average, close to 27 minutes to return to the same level of concentration. When you look at those statistics in terms of productivity and mental stress, we need to really think about the human aspect.’

On the question of form versus function, Barry Jobling said: ‘Looking back at the past, aesthetics have too often ruled the roost, arguably more than function. In practice, this imbalance can lead to poor

Review | CDW Events

acoustics and we know that this affects how people go about their work.’

There was a consensus amongst panelists on the need for early engagement with the client to ensure spaces are functional as well as good. ‘We often start from the wrong place. We shouldn’t ask the people in the boardroom what they want because they are going to typically be five to 10 years out of date,’ said Philippa Gill. ‘Find a space that works for everyone because, if you ignore them, it will destroy your business.’

‘You can do a wonderful design but if it’s not functional you are not answering the brief from the client,’ added Beatriz Gonzalez.

Ray Fong stressed the importance of bringing other specialisms, which would normally come at a post-occupancy level, early in the design process. ‘It would help bring a sense of place and identity to the actual employees of the workplace,’ he said.

When designing the layout of an office, it’s imperative to get the balance right between the collaborative and open agile spaces, and the more enclosed quieter areas, which give people their own territory. It’s why several panelists advocated the use of occupancy surveys as a way to match the design of a workplace to the way the space is utilised. ‘We have been doing a lot of pre-occupancy surveys,” said Peter Swallow. ‘What is it about their existing space they want to capture in the new building? Of course, it isn’t only about the raw data, one-on-one interviews are also important. You have to have a briefing process to get under the skin of a company and understand what it is about their working culture.’

If the focus is on gathering places rather than areas for quiet work, staff can think their privacy is compromised, especially if their work requires focus and a great deal of concentration. It’s about creating spaces that provide a diversity of impact. This was reiterated by Ann Marie, who said: ‘As professionals, we have a duty of care to design places that are not just going to inspire people but are healthy, thoughtprovoking, and create habits and routines.’

On the role of manufacturers within the design process, Joe Cilia emphasised the importance of talking to manufacturers, saying: ‘If you’ve got an idea, no matter how odd it feels, talk to the manufacturers. That’s how products are developed.’

Moving forward, there was agreement about the need to design for maintainability, adaptability and flexibility. ‘Ultimately the way we design buildings has to fundamentally reflect what the driver is from people,’ concluded Ant. w

Mix 195 June 2019 | 101

Review |

SELECTIONS

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Kyoto by Roger Lewis combines global outlook with British heritage To celebrate its 30th anniversary, Roger Lewis, a British maker of contemporary contract furniture, has added Kyoto to its roster of commercial ranges. Designed by emerging British designer, Richard Jones, and inspired by a vintage pin cushion, Kyoto combines a modern upright style with a surprisingly soft and sumptuous feel. Reflecting a global, outward-looking approach, the new collection combines comfort with functionality to provide stellar solutions for modern, versatile spaces.

With the boundaries between hospitality, workplace and residential interiors now more blurred than ever before, Kyoto takes the best attributes of each, resulting in a beautiful product range that’s fully fit for purpose. www.rogerlewis.uk

How to bring your office design to life with designer plant displays Living plants are proven to improve the air quality, leading to a healthier and more productive spaces – but they can bring colour and vibrancy to the workplace too, as demonstrated in this recent installation by office plant specialists, Inleaf. The bright gloss-red containers tie in with the client’s brand colour and – along with the lush green plants – add a striking splash of colour to the monochrome setting. www.inleaf.co.uk/office-plants/

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Review |

SELECTIONS

Lifting the mood at Kinsale Hotel & Spa Studio Moods, the multi-shape LVT creative concept from IVC, has transformed the Rockpool Bar & Restaurant of the Kinsale Hotel & Spa with nature-inspired floor finishes in powerful layout combinations of hexagon, herringbone and diamond. IVC Studio Moods provided designer, Julia Bialas of Global Design Concepts, with a floor that could provide the performance and design needed for the project. 'The client was over the moon with the final finish and, thanks to the pre-cut format of Studio Moods, we were able to get the floor fitted on time and the design and finish met every expectation of the hotel’s management,' enthuses Julia. www.ivc-commercial.com

Opulent Shimmer carpet in three new regal shades Azure, Cardinal and Pine are the sumptuous new additions to Quadrant’s Shimmer carpet collection. This trio of warm jewel tones brings sophisticated colour to Shimmer’s neutral palette, sharing the velvet opulence of the existing seven shades. Available in broadloom, plank or as an area rug, Shimmer combines performance and aesthetics, ideal for high-spec spaces. Pictured here is Pine, inlaid alongside herringbone timber vinyl, at the O2 Blueroom, designed by Platform Group. www.quadmod.com

Creating another new workspace for the agile working environment The jensen-hut provides a new way of working for more focused individual working in breakout spaces. For those looking for the ultimate in acoustic booths, with an even greater degree of privacy, the jensen-hut provides the answer.

Based on the popular jensen soft-seating sofa, the jensen-hut features a high acoustic surround, with the addition of a complete upholstered roof to create a fully-upholstered seating booth for four or six persons. www.verco.co.uk

Granorte gets tough with rigid core flooring Cork innovator Granorte is pushing the boundaries of flooring design once again with its brand new range of fantastically tough but recyclable SOLIDTrend flooring, featuring a sustainable cork backing for impressive thermal and sound insulation.

Boasting a waterproof Solid Rigid Core polymer, for fantastic stability over large areas with no telegraphing, this super-strong flooring has been designed with functional performance in mind and comes with a wealth of practical benefits that enable it to outperform many of its LVT and WPC counterparts. www.granorte.co.uk

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The Last Word | Opinion

MIDGES Criteo’s Mike Walley is in great demand – we've commandeered him for two of our own events in the past month. Thankfully, he's found the time, headspace and inspiration for another great column.

I The simple fact is that the objective of a business is to make money for the owners, be they shareholders or individuals

Mike Walley is Criteo’s Head of Workplace Experience EMEA

104 | Mix 195 June 2019

must confess this has been a busy month and I have not had a moment to think big, complete thoughts from which to write an article. I do, however, have a cloud of smaller, half-formed ideas swarming around my head like midges on a Scottish walking holiday – and so I thought I would simply waft them in your direction and see what you think. I did take out the little buzzy ones and left only those that can bite.

1) Am I meant to make people happy or productive?

This gets into the fundamental raison d’etre for the workplace manager. Is it our job to make people happy or productive? Does one follow the other? The simple fact is that the objective of a business is to make money for the owners, be they shareholders or individuals. Reading the trade press, it would be easy to assume that the sole calling of workplace managers was, despite the efforts of management, to make the workplace an uplifting and enlightening place to be!

2) Are we simply overthinking it all? Does it all have to be this complex? We get strategists to look at the shape of the office, whether tables should be sit/ stand, treadmill desks or lie-down meeting tables. We talk about the relative merits of non-territorial working against agile working against activity-based working against remote working. We talk about biophilia, white noise, pink noise, lockers versus pedestals etc. What are we trying to do? I sometimes think we are just trying to work out what the colour nine smells like?

3) We have to stop making up new problems. For example, I read a LinkedIn post the other day that was talking about ‘Binge Sitting’. Apparently, that is what you call the tendency to spend too long sitting down. The problem is that people like sitting down.

For example, if you give an entire office sit/stand desks, the majority of people still sit down. The post admonished us to give people the chance to move around the office. So what about the centralised printers, collision space cafeterias, ping pong tables and breakout spaces? The massages, the yoga and pilates sessions, etc? Don’t they count? I think there are plenty of reasons to move, but some people just like to sit down. Declaring it a binge issue doesn’t make it a problem. What about binge coffee drinking or binge standing up or binge emailing?

Okay, so I am seeing a pattern here. I like the way things get clearer as one writes them down. It seems

that there are so many ideas out there that we are at risk of being buried in answers to the smallest of problems. In an attempt to stay relevant in front of the crowd, more and more of the businesses that support workplace are pushing their particular schtick as The One Big Problem that needs solving.

Now, I get it. I really do. We all have a living to make, but workplace managers have a straightforward mission. It is to make the office a safe, functional and pleasant place to be, to attract talented people and to make it easy for them to be productive, so everyone gets to make money – be it profit, dividend or wages.

We also have to do it on a budget, to a timescale and to meet other people’s expectations.

What we need from the supporting industries (design, furniture or services) is a recognition of the simple problems we face in workplace. We don’t need to invent problems like ‘binge sitting’. I have enough issues trying to explain why I bought sit/stand desks when no-one stands up to work. I’d like to see big simple solutions to the big simple problems of ‘How many? How big? When?’ – and, my particular favourite, ‘HOW MUCH?’ So, forgive the grumpy rant but I have to solve the problems in front of me and, as business pressures rise, those problems are the same as they have always been. How to get more people in smaller spaces and make them happier as we do it. I love some of the new thinking out there about activity-based design, and it looks like it could solve some issues for me, but not if it means trashing hundreds of thousands of pounds' investment in previous designs and moving the entire workforce into a coworking space for six months while we do it.

So this is where it gets creative. A bit like someone with the name of a previous great love tattooed on their arm. You can’t erase it, but a skilled tattoo artist will turn it into a dragon, rising majestically from a bicep. I need strategists who can see the dragon in the drawing and furniture specialists who can help me adapt what I have to meet the new realities, and contractors who are willing to work with spaces that still have people in them. That is the reality of my world.

So, in the end, this is a plea for realism. Let’s not make up problems, let’s look at the real issues facing workplace today.

Anyone got a fly swat?w

Bethan* Designed for Real People

*We don’t just deliver a product, we deliver an experience

+44 (0) 1494 448 000

www.verco.co.uk

Connecting Power, People and Organisations

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