Mix Interiors 210 - March 2021

Mix Interiors 210

March 2021

KLYRO S T Y L I S H . E L E G A N T. I C O N I C .

DESIGNERS & MANUFACTURERS OF WORKSPACE FURNITURE

www.gof.co.uk

38 Contents INSIGHT 8 30 UNDER 30

We ask a selection of our

Class of 2020 about how the

past 12 months have been for them

8

26

12 UPFRONT 14 PERSPECTIVE

We sit down with product

designer Simon Pengelly 18 SEVEN

Seven insights into

workplace tech 20

STEVE GALE It might be time to take the office into the streets, says M Moser’s Steve Gale

22

DESERT ISLAND DESKS Lisa Don, Associate Director, HLM Architects

24

NEIL USHER Paradoxically Speaking: The Desk

25

MATERIAL MATTERS Rachel Basha-Franklin shares some of her studio’s current materials of choice

WORK 26 PROPERTY

Can the office market rely on

the tech bros?

32

CASE STUDY Muse at Riverside House from SpaceInvader

38

CASE STUDY Bruntwood Works’ 111 Piccadilly: Manchester’s smartest new workspace

14

32 HOSPITALITY

LIVING

46 BGY ID HOSPITALITY REPORT

Buckley Gray Yeoman share

some of the key ideas they have

been working on to overcome

the issues thrown up in the past

12 months

54 PROPERTY

Extinction Event: the big beasts

of retail property are in trouble

50

DESIGNING WITH COMMUNITY AT HEART Hospitality must adapt and collaborate to survive, says Ed Plumb, Studio Found

58

CASE STUDY Amro Living’s The Green Rooms from 74

64

THE FINAL WORD Mike Walley, Senior Director of Global Real Estate & Workplace Strategy at Criteo Mix 210 March 2021 | 1

WELCOME

A word from Mick

Get in touch

Seeing as there is so little we can do in lockdown, I’ve found that I’m making sport out of the things we can do. Take shopping as a perfect example. Pre-lockdown, I would be the kind of grocery shopper the market researchers would dread: no pattern, no loyalty, no idea of what I intended to purchase.

This year, however, I have tried to apply logic to the ‘art’ of shopping. Firstly, I chose my supermarket – Aldi. My nearest Aldi is approximately midway on a good walk for me, making it ideal for what I somewhat extravagantly called my new ‘hybrid shopping’ pattern; in other words, I’m not exactly doing a big shop, but also not doing a daily bits shop – this is somewhere between the two.

I started to see just how quickly I could complete the ‘task’. I soon had it down to 15 minutes. After a month or so, I started to realise that this had nothing to do with me suddenly being a champion shopper, this was all down to Aldi.

The store layout is pretty much identical, whichever location you’re in. There is a smart, natural flow to the space, meaning that people tend to move in the same direction, the tills are quick and easy to pass through – the whole thing is really intuitive. Furthermore, there’s very little I can’t get at Aldi, despite the stores not being on the giant scale of the majority of other supermarkets (and it’s cheap!). It got me thinking that designers and end users could do worse than to look at the Aldi model when it comes to workplace and hospitality projects.

I was going to add that I felt Aldi was a very safe space – and then, just last week, I missed an incident at my local store by five minutes – just Google ‘Aldi Springfield crash’. I went to Sainsbury’s that day. Took me ages.

EDITOR Mick Jordan mick@mixinteriors.com MANAGING DIRECTOR Marcie Incarico marcie@mixinteriors.com BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Kate Borastero kate@mixinteriors.com

The cover THE LOGO

As the world looks towards the more meaningful aspects of our lives, our cover was inspired by craftsmanship and joinery techniques, and the skill and dexterity of artisans. A ‘MIX’ of the traditional with a contemporary twist.

WWW.SCOTTBROWNRIGG.COM

THE COVER IMAGE Bisley has a long history of designing exactly the right product for the right time, and now more than ever, the workspace is ripe for reimagination. Whether you’re at home or in the office, Bisley’s new Belong Collection gives you flexibility - with hardworking, savvy solutions that don’t compromise on style – so you can thrive, no matter your location.

COURTESY OF BISLEY

HEAD OF OPERATIONS Lisa Jackson lisa@mixinteriors.com DESIGNER Tammi Bell tamzin@tamzinrosedesigns.com FOUNDING PUBLISHER Henry Pugh CONTRIBUTORS Steve Gale, David Thame Mike Walley, Neil Usher ADDRESS Unit 2 Abito, 85 Greengate, Manchester M3 7NA TELEPHONE 0161 519 4850 EMAIL editorial@mixinteriors.com WEBSITE www.mixinteriors.com TWITTER @mixinteriors INSTAGRAM @mix.interiors LINKEDIN Mix Interiors

Printed by S&G Print ISSN 1757-2371

Get your own To ensure that a regular copy of Mix Interiors reaches you or to request back issues, call 0161 519 4850 or email lisa@mixinteriors.com ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION CHARGES UK single £45.50, Europe £135 (airmail), Outside Europe £165 (airmail)

2 | Mix 210 March 2021

EDITORIAL EXECUTIVE Chloe Petersen Snell chloe@mixinteriors.com

MODERN APPEAL WITH TIMELESS CHARM Informed by colour trend forecasting and biophilic design, our six new Cube™ colours offer a contemporary take on archetypal hues. This carefully curated palette features a balance of earthy neutrals and confident primaries, rounding out the existing Cube colour range.

Cube acoustic panels reject the restraints of traditional acoustic panels, offering versatility and creative freedom in place of dull conventionality. A sleek, high-performance acoustic material, Cube is designed to fit a variety of interior applications.

Scan the QR code to explore the new Cube colour range. www.autexglobal.com/uk

Foundational flooring.

Inspired by flooring materials of our history, Rudiments is the all new carpet tile from IVC Commercial. With three textured patterns built around principles of strong design and excellent value, Rudiments is a fundamental carpet tile collection for the changing face of offices. Available with new EcoFlexTM Echo for up to 100% better sound absorption to enhance productivity and wellbeing, Rudiments is responsibly made in Belgium and stocked in the UK.

ivc-commercial.com

UPFRONT 30 under 30 Class of 2021

CALL FOR ENTRIES

In partnership with QUALITY SINCE 1948

It’s that exciting time of year where we are once again looking to pick a fresh batch of exceptional rising stars from the architectural and interior design community for the Mix Interiors 30 under 30 Class of 2021. The talented, creative individuals on last year’s list are further proof that, even in these turbulent times, the future of commercial interiors is in safe hands.

Thanks to our 2021 sponsors – Allermuir, Allgood, Amtico and Hunters Contracts – for their invaluable support. We unfortunately missed out on celebrating the Class of 2020 last year but look forward (with fingers and toes firmly crossed) to hosting a special gathering for both the Class of 2020 and our Class of 2021 later in the year at Allermuir’s Clerkenwell showroom.

To nominate a colleague for the 2021 alumni, we’re asking design firms to head to the 30 under 30 page at mixinteriors.com - entries close 31st March 2021. In the meantime, we asked a small selection of our 2020 inductees to tell us how the past 12 months have been for them.

Anna Bálint

Interior Designer Gensler What did it mean to become a Mix 30 under 30 inductee?

How much has the way you work changed in light of COVID-19/lockdown?

It was, first of all, a big surprise – in an incredibly positive way. It is very easy to navigate through life and reach that post-university angst where you ask yourself, ‘Have I really chosen to study the right subject? Am I now in the field where I belong?’ Being a recipient of the Mix 30 under 30 stands out as a raison d’être behind my passion for interior design. What’s more, it is a testament to the Gensler family, who have supported me since my very first days in the industry.

Design is a dynamic profession and, as with many others, requires social interaction and thrives on impromptu dialogue. ‘Casual collision’ as it is termed is the backbone of what gives physical offices space and the office experience its cherry on top. With lockdown, the ability to have impromptu interactions and unplanned conversations has ground to a halt.

The social dynamic has therefore shifted – and a positive has been that the prioritisation of strategy and visibility of a project’s operations has increased. We’ve begun using more platforms than before, to organise our teams with shared task lists. The same has applied for collaboration with consultants. I view this as a step forward; having no other choice but to harness digital tools at hand, information flow has been optimised.

What are you working on right now?

Currently, I am working on an interior scheme for a financial services project – which sits in the landscape I have been focused on for the past few years; namely, professional services, financial services, and consumer goods projects.

8 | Mix 210 March 2021

What do you most miss in lockdown?

Without a doubt, the people!

Joe Bosson

Part II Architectural Assistant Spacelab What did it mean to become a Mix 30 under 30 inductee?

It was a lovely surprise to be recognised within the industry alongside a lot of talented individuals – and hopefully it will set me in good stead for the future. And now I’m on level pegging with my sister, who won previously!

What are you working on right now?

I’ve always got a few projects on the go – currently a house extension, restaurant interior, a few planning applications, and some commercial spaces. All obviously with a lot of help from the rest of the team!

How much has the way you work changed in light of COVID-19/lockdown?

Not a great deal of difference – for me, a lot of it was figuring out a way of working that suited me, as I’m not very good at being confined to one space (a reason I do enjoy cycling to the office normally). Now, I think I have found a good balance.

What do you most miss in lockdown?

Like most, I miss socialising! Also, having that freedom and privilege to explore and make the most of our surroundings without any worry.

We’re 100% Carbon Neutral Last year we became the first carbon neutral manufacturer of ergonomic workplace accessories and we’re commited to stay climate neutral in the future!

With our trusted partner Trees for All we compensated all emissions of our sold products and company processes from a lifecycle perspective. This means that we not only compensated our own direct contribution to global warming, but also that of our entire supply chain and the waste processing at the end of the product life!

For more information about our products and sustainable efforts, such as LCA, ecosheets and EPD’s, and the Dataflex Return Program, go to:

www.dataflex-int.com/en/sustainability

Trees for All

UPFRONT 30 under 30 Class of 2021

George Christodoulou Architectural Assistant Glancy Nicholls What did it mean to become a Mix 30 under 30 inductee?

I was delighted to be a part of the Mix 30 under 30. It’s an honour to be considered part of Mix’s vibrant design community and I admire the many creative individuals and their work each year.

What are you working on right now?

I am currently working on the delivery of a 29-storey residential tower in the heart of Birmingham’s creative quarter, which is due to start rising out of the ground in the next couple of months. Alongside this, we are currently developing designs for a mixed-use regeneration scheme on a brownfield site in Digbeth, Birmingham. It’s all about creating new homes, amenity and green spaces in an unused post-industrial area.

How much has the way you work changed in light of COVID-19/lockdown?

Our work and the design processes have not fundamentally changed, but the way we communicate with each other has. Where we would previously sit around a table and review a design or pin up work in the studio, the requirements of social distancing and working from home mean this is now happening online. We meet for regular design reviews over Teams to review progress daily and operate project ‘channels’ – an online version of our pin-up boards that encourages the sharing of ideas.

What do you most miss in lockdown?

Friends and family are very important to me and I miss not being able to have them around often. I’m looking forward to travelling, eating out and going for a coffee again.

Clare Debney

Senior Interior Designer Woods Bagot What did it mean to become a Mix 30 under 30 inductee?

It was exciting and unexpected! I’m a keen reader of Mix Interiors and to feature in it myself was a real honour. It’s nice to know that this was being celebrated all the way back in the Melbourne Woods Bagot studio as well.

What are you working on right now?

I’m working on a confidential workplace project in Germany. The project is both exciting and challenging as it’s a heritage building, but the client would like the end result to be as sustainable as possible. It has been an amazing experience constructing a design story and language around the rich history of the building.

10 | Mix 210 March 2021

How much has the way you work changed in light of COVID-19/lockdown?

There are many challenges working from home during lockdown, particularly with team interaction and collaboration, which happens naturally when in the office. Woods Bagot has made a huge effort to keep the studio connected though. We are continuously trying new ways to work together and keeping up the social activities and events like meditation mornings and ‘coffee drop in’ calls.

What do you most miss in lockdown?

Seeing my colleagues every day! And, of course, restaurants and travelling. These are the things that motivate and inspire me, and I’ve truly missed them.w

To nominate a colleague for the Class of 2021, please visit mixinteriors.com Entries close 31 March 2021.

flare ELITE OFFICE FURNITURE UK LTD

Elite_Furniture

T. +44 (0)1405 746000 Head Office, Factory & Showroom T. +44 (0)20 7490 4909 London Office & Showroom

Elite Office Furniture LTD

www.elite-furniture.co.uk E. sales@elite-furniture.co.uk E. londonshowroom@elite-furniture.co.uk

@EliteOfficeFurn eliteofficefurniture

UPFRONT

Cunning PLAN

A

Unusual Chair

n environmentally conscious furniture brand and design studio, PLANQ is the brainchild of brothers Anton and Dennis Teeuw, who believe that it is their moral obligation as designers to design out waste from production.

Millions of tonnes of clothing are sold globally each year – with a large portion ending up burned or entering landfill. A fraction of clothing is recycled. After a long research process, PLANQ found an innovative method to reuse textile waste, transforming it into high-quality materials. This allowed them to create sustainable furniture and save discarded textile waste from entering landfill. The result is a circular composite made from textile waste and 100% organic plastic fibres, making PLANQ’s furniture completely sustainable and

reusable. This composition has a positive environmental impact, and is designed to be reused, repaired and remanufactured.

‘Product waste and pollution are no accident, but the consequences of decisions made at the design stage, where around 80% of environmental impact are determined,’ says Anthony Gray, PLANQ UK Partner. ‘Designers need to change their mindset to view waste as a design flaw.

As an example of PLANQ’s (good) work, the Scandinavian-inspired Unusual Chair collection is a sustainable equivalent of the fiberglass or polyester bucket seat. Each chair consists of 12 pairs of recycled jeans – equating to approximately 3.5kg of textile waste and saving up to 16.275 litres of water.w

Virtual Sanity

T

he first ever Virtual Interiors Event has taken place online, attracting almost 4,000 industry professionals from 83 countries across the globe.

After a brief respite, event founders – Beth Harrison and Sally Rice – tell us they have already started work on the next instalment of the exhibition. ‘It was clear to us very early on that there was a real need for this kind of event, that’s not just streaming consumable content but encouraging connection and innovation through such unprecedented times and beyond,’ Sally explains.

‘The Virtual Interiors Event has made its mark and offers an opportunity for exhibitors to reach international audiences that traditional in-person events are unable to provide,’ Beth agreed.

Sponsored by Chaucer Logistics, CMD, Johnson Tiles and Orangebox, the event featured virtual exhibition stands from established manufacturers such as Vitra, KI Europe, Camira and Brunner alongside smaller firms such as Sileather UK, who produce an eco-friendly, bio-resistant, sustainable faux leather made with 100% silicone.

12 | Mix 210 March 2021

Speakers included TEDx speaker, Ben Channon, BDG Chief Creative Officer, Colin Macgadie, HOK Director of Workplace, Kay Sargent, Perkins&Will Design Director, Linzi Cassels, Orangebox Principal Designer, Luke Palmer, Basha-Franklin Creative Director, Nicola Osborn, and a fantastic Mix sponsored event with Spacelab’s Rosie Haslem.

Amanda Salt, Global A&D Sales Director at Boss Design, said the event ‘created a fresh insight and helped to generate much needed enthusiasm for the returning to the post-COVID workplace and the new normal’, while the KI team called the event a ‘fantastic opportunity to connect with people across the industry, whilst joining a variety of really informative seminars’. w

Loop Micro

Two Good from CBS

B

ritish manufacturer Colebrook Bosson Saunders has announced the release of Ondo, its latest connectivity module, and Loop Micro, which holds docking stations, thin clients and small form factor computers.

Neat and easy access to data and power, Ondo seamlessly integrates into the CBS monitor arm to offer fast connections between your laptop and other supporting technology, such as docking stations and thin clients, which works well in use with Loop Micro. Used in conjunction with an under-desk docking station, it manages all power, data, monitor, mouse and keyboard connections.

Ondo can be retrofitted into existing CBS monitor arm systems to create a powerfully connected, ergonomic workspace with a choice of three colours to match black, white or silver arms, as well as alternative mounting options.

Its compact design, with integrated cable management system, is the antidote to desk clutter, creating an aesthetically pleasing and productive workspace.

Low profile, with 360° rotation and integrated cable management slots, Loop Micro integrates seamlessly with any desk, without impeding existing cable trays or rail systems. Loop Micro can be effortlessly installed onto your desired unit before sliding under your desk. Loop Micro’s open frame design promotes good airflow, which prevents technology from overheating. Once its 12-year warranty has expired and it has finally come to the end of its life, it is easy to disassemble and is 100% recyclable.w

London Showroom 25 Bastwick Street, Clerkenwell, EC1V 3PS

sixteen3.co.uk

Theo stacking chair for Chorus (now part of New Design Group)

Perspective

This month we chat with acclaimed multi-award winning designer/maker, Simon Pengelly, who tells us about his background, his eponymous studio, his clients and much more.

Hi Simon. How are you?

I’m fine thanks – despite this last year, which no words can really begin to sum up, except to say we got off lightly compared to the suffering of others and so have a lot to be thankful for.

Tell us about your career to date. What led you to become a furniture/product designer?

My father was a furniture designer – he was chief designer at Ercol for a long time, and so I caught the bug from him after being shown how to cut a set of dovetails in his workshop at the age of eight, and I never stopped. By 15 I was an accomplished cabinet maker. His knowledge of materials and making was the best start to a career in design I could ever have asked for, even though I didn’t know it at the time!

Being dyslexic meant that seeing the world in 3D made sense in a way that little else did, and so the visual, functional and technical aspects of objects, man-made and in nature, held a fascination that has only ever increased.

14 | Mix 210 March 2021

Learning how to make at an early age meant that it became a part of me, a form of communication I felt more comfortable with, if you like. It became a way of seeing the world and understanding its occupants, in a way that continues to materially affect how I go about designing things for people. Making is fundamental to my approach and, even though I don’t make as much as I used to, I still make things in my head...the muscle memory of making, both mental and physical, imprints and is never forgotten, and so it enriches the process of designing to a point that the process has become natural, intuitive and, in fact, a kind of love affair.

After studying at Rycotewood and Kingston, professional life started at Conran Design Group in 1989 and, whilst there, I got to work on Habitat briefs and then jumped ship to their design team in the early nineties, contributing many designs to their range and travelling extensively to furniture factories all over the world to oversee the manufacturing process over the next nine years. It was a wonderful

UPFRONT Perspective

experience, culminating in the design of the Radius range in 1999, which is still one of Habitat’s best sellers after 21 years.

Whilst working for Habitat as a freelancer, I also developed my own range, which I made in a small shed in the garden of our one bedroom flat in south London – and launched my own collection at the second 100% Design in 1996. I was – and still am – green and naive to the world of self-promotion and marketing, and so failed miserably in being able to make a living from selling my own furniture. In fact, I would have given up in despondency had it not been for the encouragement and support of my wonderful wife, Teri, who recognised the love I have for the process and, despite us not having much to live on, insisted I persevere, giving me the space and time to take the different tack of licensing the designs to manufacturing clients – and that’s when things, to my eternal gratitude to Teri, slowly but surely started to click!

The first of those brave and willing manufacturing clients was Allermuir, who took on a bench that I had designed, and then commissioned me to design the Lara chair for them in 1999. I still design for them, as I do for many of the treasured UK furniture clients that have been (and still are) foolhardy enough to consider working with me – including Gordon Russell, Modus, Boss, Hitch Mylius, Isokon Plus, Ize, Martin Ryan and Chorus (the latter two now part of New Design Group), to name but a few.

In 2004 I was lucky enough to be approached by my first overseas client, Italian company Lapalma. This opened doors to other European clients, including Arper. I have since also been fortunate to work with Dutch company, Montis, for whom I’ve designed a good number of pieces over the years.

Other Europeans include Italian companies Alias and Foscarini, as well as Swedish company Johanson and the Spanish brand, Inclass.

Radius dining table for Habitat

my concepts. Combined with the practical knowledge of materials and production processes that I bring and he now shares, ours is a very fruitful working relationship.

He, along with Francis Lofthouse, another extremely capable chap who joined us from Brunel university in 2011 and who works with us on communicating the concepts, plus Harry Level who joined us in 2019 and whom I am taking the time to train as I did with Ed when he joined, all make us a very productive and close-knit team.

Is there a typical Pengelly design process?

I’d say there is a similar approach to every project, although each is specific to the many and varied problems that need to be solved and the people and environments each are being designed for.

Do you think there is a Pengelly house style?

That’s a difficult one to answer, although I suppose that would depend on who you ask,

Hugo armchair for Montis

Tell us about the make-up of the studio.

There are now five of us in total, including a part-time studio manager who, for the last couple of years, has taken on a lot of the admin duties, allowing me to continue to work incredibly closely with my team.

My trusted and extremely capable ‘right hand man’, Ed Parkinson-Bates, has been with me since he graduated from Ravensborne College 19 years ago. Ed is now a master at CAD modelling and works closely with me to develop

Mix 210 March 2021 | 15

UPFRONT Perspective

HM83 bench for Hitch Mylius

“

Any furniture that has been designed with the physical and emotional wellbeing of the user in mind, and with thoughtful consideration to its intended environment... is always going to be fit for purpose and popular, whatever happens.

”

16 | Mix 210 March 2021

as some say they know my work when they see it! I’d like to think that, when asked, they would find it hard to define why they know, except to hopefully say that it is attentive to the sensibilities and comfort of the user, well proportioned, beautifully detailed with craft credentials, is honest and pragmatic in its selection of appropriate materials and manufacturing processes and, above all, possessing a timelessness that means it does not shout, instead sitting quietly amongst other furniture and in any environment.

This might be a silly question, but how are you finding the market right now?

It’s not a silly question – and, actually, not bad at all! I think the initial knee-jerk reaction of the industry was that the office would disappear and workplace furniture would die a death unless it had a Perspex COVID screen attached somehow.

The reality is that any furniture that has been designed with the physical and emotional wellbeing of the user in mind, and with thoughtful consideration to its intended environment, enabling it to be used in a non-prescriptive

way that best suits the people who use it, is always going to be fit for purpose and popular, whatever happens.

What are you working on right now?

So much that it sometimes makes my head spin – but it’s all good!

What do you think is the secret behind your longevity and success?

I’d like to think it’s because I love what I do, collaborating with my team and our clients. The process gives back in spades and, if you’re in it for the long haul, there is no need to hurry; it becomes a quiet, considered process of evolving growth and experience that permeates the objects we create. I am sure this is felt by those who ultimately use the products and feel better for being considered and cared-for during the process. After all, it is about the people who will use the products rather than the designer!w

LESS IS MORE LIKE NEVER BEFORE

CHOOSE CARBON NEGATIVE FLOORING

Ikigai, “a reason for being”, is a Japanese concept related to well-being and happiness through connection with others and with nature. Ikigai teaches appreciation for simplicity and acceptance of what is impermanent.

Inspired by these principles, Embodied Beauty™ focuses on bringing new life to the expected. The collection embraces calm, muted greys in warm and cool tones alongside natural colours for added dimension. Simple Sash, Sashiko Stitch, and Vintage Kimono evoke the delicate beauty of antique textiles and make ideal companions for Zen Stitch with its irregular gridded texture. Geisha Gather is a modern, woven graphic that invites you to create your own zen-like patterns.

Tokyo Texture and Shishu Stitch take notes from nature with organic texture and soft, subtle striae. Change your perspective while restoring your space and the planet.

EMBODIED BEAUTY COLLECTION

LESS CARBON IN THE ATMOSPHERE MORE BEAUTY ON YOUR FLOOR

™

PRODUCT ZEN STITCH [-CO2] COLOUR 9557007 COAL INSTALLED HERRINGBONE PRODUCT GEISHA GATHER COLOUR 9551003 ASH INSTALLED ASHLAR

Introducing our first ever carbon negative carpet tile in three unique styles – all part of the Embodied Beauty Collection.

The carbon negative materials in the CQuest™BioX backing, in combination with speciality yarns and tufting processes, result in a carbon negative carpet tile. The finished product brings together durability, industry-leading design, and a negative carbon footprint that ultimately benefits the planet.

+44 (0)800 313 4465 ukcustomerservices@interface.com interface.com/embodiedbeauty

+44 (0)800 313 4465 ukcustomerservices@interface.com interface.com/embodiedbeauty

EMBODIED BEAUTY INSPIRED BY NATURE. DESIGNED TO RESPECT IT.

™

7 PRODUCTS 6 COLOURWAYS MULIPLE DESIGN COMBINATIONS

The Embodied Beauty collection lives up to its name and shows that the pursuits of beautiful design and sustainability are inseparable.

The collection features a range of carpet tile designs, including our first-ever cradle to gate carbon negative products: Shishu Stitch, Tokyo Texture, and Zen Stitch.

Embodied Beauty is inspired by the Japanese aesthetics of minimalism, restoration, and the organic beauty of the natural world. From narrow monochromatic patterns to large scale graphic tufted textures, these styles all combine and contrast tastefully.

In addition to the three cradle-to-gate carbon negative products all the products in the Embodied Beauty collection are carbon neutral across their full product life cycle.

CARPET PRODUCT SASHIKO STITCH COLOUR 9552005 POPPY INSTALLED HERRINGBONE LVT PRODUCT WALK OF LIFE COLOUR A01204 CARBON INSTALLED MONOLITHIC

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PRODUCT SHISHU STITCH [-CO2] COLOUR 9553004 ASH INSTALLED ASHLAR PRODUCT SASHIKO STITCH COLOUR 9552006 JADEITE INSTALLED ASHLAR

UPFRONT

PwC, 40 Clarendon Road

Herts Space We’re always keen to take a look at PwC’s ever-evolving portfolio of forward-thinking workspaces – and when our friends at BDP revealed details of their latest transformative project for the business in Watford, we wanted to know more, particularly in light of the pandemic.

P

wC occupies three floors of 40 Clarendon Road, comprising a total of 28,448 sq ft, with the first floor remaining open for a new tenant. The building is in the main business district of Watford and was chosen with the aim of creating a destination workplace in the North London region. The practice floors are organised across levels 2 and 4, with level 3 dedicated to visitors, clients, external events and coworking.

This new office is a merging of two previously separate PwC offices: St Albans and Uxbridge. Among the most appealing features of the building are the floor-toceiling curved bay windows, orderly exposed ceilings, wide staircases, extensive bike storage and showering/changing facilities, with an exceptional Cat A fit-out providing a good starting point for the project team.

BDP worked closely with both PwC’s internal real estate team and the change management representing the two regional offices.

A large part of the sampling, coordinating, presenting and approvals on this fast-paced project was carried out remotely due to the pandemic. The agile spaces here have been designed to work effectively in a COVID environment, but equally as effective without, as only a few items of furniture were removed to ensure the 2m social distancing within the office. ‘I think this new office’s advantage is its inviting ‘relaxed living spaces’ with state-ofthe-art technology and its location slightly further out of the city centre,’ Zena Jankowska, Interior Designer at BDP, tells us.

‘The heart of the concept is to create a ‘welcoming’ environment where community and wellbeing take centre stage.’

The scheme draws inspiration from the district, its history and future vision to promote engagement for both PwC staff and visitors and clients, with each floor offering a different experience through distinctive themes: internal garden, library and social/ fun floor.’

We’re told the response to the office has been overwhelmingly positive; not only as a great place to work but also as a representation of PwC values and principles and really making a mark for the business in this area. PwC considers Watford to be its first biophilic office – and one that will be seen as a benchmark for future offices.

The interior evokes a ‘feelgood’ factor, with users describing the office as dynamic, yet inviting, warm, a place of calm and welcoming.w

Mix 210 March 2021 | 17

UPFRONT Seven

7

insights into workplace tech

When looking at new ways to make the workplace more agile, flexible and engaging, there are some great furniture manufacturers, designers and planners in the market that can help you to achieve amazing spaces. However, one aspect that can often be overlooked is the functionality of solutions or spaces. Having a space that is engaging and inspiring to work in is fantastic, but if it’s not functional from the aspect of power or space management, it can often be neglected or frustrating for the users. James Peckitt, UK Country Manager from BACHMANN, shares seven considerations when looking to make spaces functional.

1

2

3 Bachmann iotspot

18 | Mix 210 March 2021

Building Infrastructure This is so important to get right from the outset because it will help build the backbone to a flexible workspace for now and the future. How often do we see situations where a client would like to have a refresh and move furniture around to create something new, only to be told that it can’t be done because there are no floor boxes in that location or there are no network cables? Or, as a designer, you want to achieve something, only to be told by an engineer that it can’t be done due to the infrastructure of the building. More than ever, there are some fantastic products on the market to help create futureproof, flexible office infrastructures, allowing facilities to make the required changes as and when needed. No1 most important consideration: always think of expansion, as it will save you in the long run.

Power and Connection Panels There are lots of different options when it comes to outlets, floor boxes, wall sockets, perimeter trunking, under desk, in desk and on desk power options. From a functional aspect, more is better – however, from a design perspective, less is often more and finding the right balance can be hard. We are constantly trying to bridge this gap from infrastructure to design by creating aesthetically appealing connection panels and outlets. Consideration No2: look to futureproof where possible, especially when looking at charging and audio, as developments move fast in these areas.

Wireless Charging Over recent years we have seen fantastic developments in wireless charging, enabling users to charge a whole range of new technologies. Something to consider when specifying or purchasing would be the quality and durability of the device. Within high footfall areas, these devices are going to take some hammering and therefore need to be durable.

With this in mind, look for something with a good warranty period and a method to exchange if necessary.

4

5

Battery Technology As we see the demand for flexible office spaces increase, the need for flexible power will also increase. There are already several solutions available and it can be difficult to identify the right one for your needs. To help, consider these aspects: 1. Look for the batteries’ nominal capacity – this will indicate how long the battery would last under a certain load. 2. Identify the batteries’ total charge life and the reduction level – this will tell you how many charges the battery will take in total and the level the battery will drop over a number of charges.

3. Another consideration is to look at what else can be powered, items like monitors, lighting, chargers and ventilation.

6

Workplace Management Tools

7

USB C

Independent Presentation Solutions The range of independent presentation devices is limited at the moment, but certainly a great way to create flexible spaces. These products can also create a nice ‘wow’ factor when working with or presenting to clients. Another great thing about these products is that they become a centre point for colleagues to engage and collaborate, enabling team building. The only aspect that needs to be considered when looking at such a device is to think about third party add-ons as these will open up more options on the market and enable you to find a solution that meets your requirements and budget.

As the need for workplace management increases, especially with more businesses looking to adopt a hybrid working model and thus reducing office space, workplace management has never been needed more than today. There are several solutions on the market, but within any emerging market there are potential pitfalls. A couple of considerations to help and look out for: 1. Does the product exist? This may sound silly but so often we see presentations of solutions that don’t actually have any tangible software or hardware yet. Always ask to see the solution working, preferably at a location of your choice. 2. IT and Networks. If you are going to invest in a solution, first identify what infrastructure is needed – you don’t want to get trapped into the ‘it’s not us, it’s your network’ merry-go-round. 3. Identify what support services you will receive if anything goes wrong – these are technical solutions that will, from time-to-time, glitch or even fail, so you need the reassurance of support if anything was to go wrong.

Where do you start with this one?! USB C has so many use applications and comes in several different options that it can often be difficult to know what the best solution is, especially if a client is looking to implement because ‘it’s the future’. Ultimately, you need to ask what are you using the USB C port for and this will then enable you to select the correct equipment. Also, just take note of the cable type, as some may not actually be suitable for the application. If you find yourself in this minefield, raise your hand and seek assistance.

Mix 210 March 2021 | 19

UPFRONT Steve Gale

Street Moves, Sweden. image: utopia arkitekter

Our one-minute community It might be time to take the office into the street, says M Moser’s Steve Gale.

Steve Gale is Head of Workplace Strategy at M Moser Associates SteveG@mmoser.com 20 | Mix 210 March 2021

O

ffice neighbourhoods are nothing new.

Those internal localities designed to be a ‘home’ for employees, where people can gather and drink coffee or meet a visitor. They provide a sense of place when the whole office is just too big to identify with. But most of us have had a year out in the wild with real neighbourhoods made of streets in the fresh air. And, now this is bedded in, we have learnt to live a bit differently, with an updated map for our journeys and routines.

Such a big change has given us time to think about what we value, and the chance to make some of them permanent. And it’s not just at a personal level; whole sections of society are trying out new ways of living at a macro scale, in city-sized experiments.

A good example is the 15-minute city – an ambitious plan to turf out cars and encourage mixed use development so all your basic needs are within a 15-minute walk or bike ride.

This idea is taking shape in parts of Paris to help a green recovery from COVID, aided by a socialist Mayor, and a charismatic academic champion.

Not to be outdone, the Swedes have knocked 14 minutes off the Parisians to deliver a oneminute city, being promoted in Stockholm by Vinnova, the Swedish innovation agency. ‘Street Moves’ is a live experiment where residents reshape their neighbourhoods with big chunks of street furniture to make their street greener and more liveable, squeezing out cars and pollution and prioritising pedestrians.

These schemes are not just literal examples of reclaiming the streets, they are experiments in devolution and community living that challenge the assumption that streets are mainly thoroughfares for cars, or places to store them.

Already in some of our workplace projects we encourage users to hack their own space over time, like the residents of Stockholm and Paris, because designers and town planners don’t have all the answers. We let users physically adapt their environment as their needs evolve.

Now people have had a year to restructure their working lives on a much broader canvas, their horizons have expanded as they have experienced real neighbourhoods on the ground and engaged in a society that was much less visible. The concept of community is more real so, when offices open again, we might find them a bit claustrophobic, even a bit stuffy.

Employees have grown used to making their own decisions, so we should test the interest in keeping neighbourhood connections going when we drift back to the office, with the variety, choices and relationships they offer.

We could weave our working lives into the greater community rather than go back to an introverted version. Employers could actively support local suppliers and eateries instead of doing it in-house, could promote nearby parks and gyms instead of corporate exercise facilities, and could encourage informal meetings in a café around the corner rather than room G19, and so on. We all live in real neighbourhoods, so let’s take the office into the street.w

Desk1 Versatility with Style

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UPFRONT Desert Island Desks

Desert Island Desks Lisa Don

Associate Director, Interiors HLM Architects Lisa has worked in architecture and interiors for well over a decade, joining HLM in 2013.With a background in healthcare design, Lisa helped deliver the interiors for the Children’s Hospital in Wales and Edinburgh’s Royal Hospital for Sick Children. Lisa has led HLM’s Interior Architecture team for the last three years, with a team of 14 spread across UK Studios in London, Sheffield, Glasgow and Cardiff – where she is currently based.

Plants I love plants! From gardening to houseplants – the explosion of greenery we’ve seen in interiors over the last few years and how clients are really embracing the value of botanicals within a workplace makes my heart sing. I’m currently coveting Ferm Living’s Plant Box range, which we recently specified at IHG’s Staybridge Suites, as I have run out of windowsills at home.

Simon, the dog

VW Camper Living on the Welsh coast, campers are everywhere - perfect for wet and windy trips to the beach. More often than not the interiors are more boy racer than ‘Hygge’ however - maybe I could install Orangebox’s ‘Campers and Dens’ on the Island. I could see that making a very nice base for my desert island stay.

22 | Mix 210 March 2021

Simon, who’s name always raises an eyebrow, would literally never get bored of being on a beach, and has proven himself to be very good company throughout the last year.

UPFRONT Desert Island Desks

A big screen and projector I miss the cinema, especially our local Everyman.

To be honest, after the last 12 months glued to it, I’d happily use my laptop as campfire fuel right now.

Five Guys peanut butter milkshake

Netflix

The only thing that can improve this would be a cocktail version! It’s the reason I can’t move outside of the city and away from a Deliveroo zone.

I’ve re-watched Schitt’s Creek three times in lockdown. The characters evolution, the fashion, the sets, so much joy – the prefect escape!

Tracks for the juxebox

Offering leather solutions, plus antibacterial and antifungal faux leathers for seating

My music taste is a little cringey – I fully embrace that. These are all songs that take me back to amazing times with people I love.

Running – James Bay

Do Your Thing – Basement Jaxx

Crazy in Love – Beyonce

Gone – Phillip Phillips

Use Somebody – King of Leon Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau (Welsh National Anthem)w Automotive

Aviation

Healthcare

Hospitality

Marine

Residential

Workspace

Yarwood has you covered. www.yarwoodleather.com

+44 (0) 113 252 1014 sales@yarwoodleather.com

@yarwoodleather

OPINION

Paradoxically Speaking: The Desk

F

The days of the £2,000, two tonne, over engineered and grandiosely titled workstation are long gone - eradicated by advancements in technology.

But what does the future of the flat surface hold in an ever more complicated and uncertain workplace era. Neil Usher explores the possibilities.

Neil Usher is Chief Workplace & Change Strategist at GosSpace AI, and Author of The Elemental Workplace and Elemental Change 24 | Mix 210 March 2021

inally. After several decades of impatiently pacing the dusty corners of workplace strategy, the designers’ dream of a space free of slabs of wood covered in aesthetically offensive monitors hanging on inebriated arms spun with moon-and-back cabling is over.

COVID may just have done for the desk what a sustained low-level multi-channel media onslaught was unable – rendered it redundant.

Or so it seems.

Yet everywhere the petrified husks remain, littered with half-eaten snacks, long-blown tissues and reminders of tasks undone, awaiting the return of their favoured occupants. The disposal teams haven’t yet been invited in to remove the skeletal reminders of workstyles past. We’re in workstation purgatory. No one’s quite had the confidence yet to act on the cessation of habitualities.

That’s because, as far as we can recall, and as far back as the office can be traced, the desk has willingly and obediently done what we’ve needed of it. It’s never pretended to be anything it’s not. It even respected the intrusion of its less-endowed sibling, the table.

So it all seems a little unfair on the unstinting servant of individual productivity.

Which is the paradox. The desk works – so we don’t need it anymore. It was always the place at which administrative tasks were completed, whatever the technology that sat upon it and whosoever sat at it. When we needed to meet and converse at any length we left it behind and went elsewhere – markets, halls, cafés, senates. It has been the essential unit of currency in office planning for a millennium, first allocated to a person and then theoretically shared but invariably colonised by a policy deviant. It has given rise to the frontier of mathematics for workplace planners: the ratio. Albeit we can’t agree whether it’s people to desks or desks to people…and, like plugging in a USB stick, we always seem to get it the wrong way around. Twice.

In our exile off Main Street we’ve searched the abode for a suitable surface to mimic the functionality of the desk. Nothing is out of scope if it does what’s needed, including an ironing board for its handy height adjustability.

Because we need to get some work done. Not in a deckchair in a sandpit or upside down in a yew tree, but with kit, papers, mug, stationery and anxiety-absorbing gonk. Meanwhile, we’re told by our real estate team that when we finally start to return to the office, in whatever numbers on

whatever days, we won’t be there to do stuff on our own – we can do that from the end of the bed – but to collaborate with our colleagues. Cue cold sweat.

It’s easy to see why the desk is a design irritation: in its corporate form – resilient, practical, mass-producible. Extreme function.

Whatever jaunty angles they’re placed at.

Irrespective of the colour of the surface or legs. And the more functional they are, the less likely their occupants are to wander off and use a different setting. So design is stuck – make them awkward to stop people using them, or make them work so people stop using the other settings? The beautiful variety are for home use, captured for our envy, bathed in sunlight diffracted through pristine window shutters, nestled beneath an open staircase, and utterly inappropriately sized for anything other than home schooling on a Stylophone.

Yet what is playing out is an uncomfortable divide. The privileged knowledge worker in freeflowing, multi-setting autonomy, from relaxed conversation to full throttle brainstorming, for whom a desk is incidental – to the process worker, woven into routine and customer-facing interaction, for whom performing the role without a desk is unthinkable. If not impossible.

It’s a two-tier society of work in which the hardy desk now symbolises the chasm. Or perhaps it’s the location of our feet while at labour that sets us apart.

Yet is the desk really over for the knowledge worker? The thought of an entire day of interaction is the equal and opposite tyranny of headphones-on, getting increasingly frustrated at people asking if they can disturb us. There’s a midway between our own space and everyone’s space – proximal working. Just being near our colleagues for when we need to ask or be asked, prepared to and prepared to be. A lighter level of focus, a lighter level of interaction. One that doesn’t fit within the questionnaires and models and binary understanding we so often seek doing x or y.

The desk is therefore also both symbol and practical actuality. A symbol of a world of work that we strain to free ourselves from, yet cannot seem to. A practical actuality we still need, whether from compulsion or choice, that continues to do what we’ve always asked of it.

While we wrestle with both interpretations, we ignore far more pressing issues. Perhaps it’s time to give it a break. If it survives, it’s because we need it to.w

MATERIAL MATTERS This month we ask Rachel Basha-Franklin, Director at Basha-Franklin, to reveal the materials she and the studio regularly specify, have recently specified and would like to specify in the future.

Granby Rock granbyworkshop.co.uk Granby Rock is a unique terrazzo-like material composed of recycled building rubble. We love the industrial aesthetic that creates the magical juxtaposition between industrial and refined materiality. Everyone in the studio wants to use it in their projects... somewhere.

We want to see more urban mining of materials to ensure we minimise landfill as much as possible. This is unfortunately not the norm - however these are the future materials for our industry. We hope that more investment is made into urban mining to make it a viable option for projects.

Quandrant Corkform Climate Plus quadmod.com

Allbäck Linseed Oil Wax swedishlinseedpaint.co.uk

Yes, we did grow up with cork interiors – so maybe we are enjoying this bit of nostalgia in our projects. We have used this a few times recently as it is a great alternative to timber, laminate or vinyl flooring. It is made from recycled cork from the bottle stopper industry, is PVC-free, has great acoustics, is comfortable underfoot, super durable and priced at a budget that suits most projects. This ticks all the boxes.

We love this finish, which can be applied to surfaces such as wood, concrete and brick. The wax gives a water-repellent silky matt surface which is beautiful to touch and easy to clean.

We used this for all the joinery in our studio and it has held up very well to regular wear and tear. It is solvent and VOC free making it highly desirable for WELL spaces, and the colours can be mixed to create your own unique colour solution.

Aldgate Tower, Basha-Franklin

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WORK Property

Can you rely on the tech bros?

Developers and landlords expect the technology sector to be the first to bounce back after ‘unlockdown’. The office market’s future depends on them. David Thame reports.

Rachel Basha-Franklin

26 | Mix 210 March 2021

WORK Property

Plans for Google’s impressive Landscraper, designed by B.I.G and Heatherwick Studio image: hayes davidson

T

he tech bros have left the building. Literally. Inspired by the pandemic, and then by the potential benefits, CEOs at Facebook and Twitter have declared homeworking to be permanent. There’s no need to grab that hoodie and pull on those Vans: staff can work from home forever, if that’s what they want.

Comparing two points in time does not make for an infallible analysis. For instance, tech did somewhat better earlier in the year, and financial services somewhat worse.

But it does show that the assumption that a tech-fuelled lockdown world has somehow insulated the tech-office market from trouble is probably wrong.

So where do developers and landlords

Which is great news if you are Facebook or Twitter, who realise this could save them a fortune in real estate costs, but it is alarming news for the office market. The widely-shared hope in the UK office sector was that tech occupiers were the future of workspace. They would fill it, and make it funky. Now it seems like they aren’t.

But is this true? Are tech occupiers really abandoning the workplace? Should landlords and developers dial-down their hopes for tech-inspired growth in office demand? Or is something else going on?

The answers to all three questions could provide some comfort, but at the price of a little more complexity.

The first question – are tech occupiers really abandoning the workplace? – is easy to answer. It is both yes and no, but mostly no (see side panel, page 29). The second question – should the office market dialdown its hopes from the tech sector? – is harder to resolve.

The problem is that the tech sector hasn’t actually performed very well in key markets. In central London, the tech, media and telecoms sector accounted for 23% of office take-up in the final quarter of 2019, according to Avison Young’s regular Central London Office Analysis. This put it on level pegging with financial services.

Fast-forward through the tumbleweed to Q4 2020 and, in an admittedly thin year for office deals, the tech sector fell back dramatically, taking just 16%, compared to the financial sector’s 26%. Yes, everyone’s totals were down, but the tech sector’s fell much, much faster.

think the tech demand is coming from?

The answer is: from everywhere. This bold gamble is behind the latest flurry of techthemed development proposals (see side panel 2, page 30).

Phil Mayall is Development Director at Muse, the developers behind a crop of Greater Manchester schemes aimed squarely at the city’s flourishing tech sector.

As trader-developers who build, let and sell schemes to investors, it matters to Phil that he has a reliable stream of office occupiers.

Muse can’t afford to be very patient, because their business model depends on selling a fully let (or almost fully let) building within a year or so of completion.

This kind of discipline concentrates minds, and Phil is fully aware of the risks.

Even so, he says he is banking on tech.

‘There’s this idea that somehow a band of roving coders is going to like your building and land there – but that is not how the tech sector works, it is not reality,’ Phil explains.

‘The cliché a few years ago was that every firm is a tech firm. Well I think that’s not quite true either, but a lot of parts of a lot of firms are tech, and that is where much of the tech demand for office floorspace comes from.’

Phil points to the New Bailey development in Salford as an example of the way tech will infiltrate and stimulate the 2021 office market.

City law firm, Freshfields, has its tech hub in a 125,000 sq ft tenancy at the development: without it the business could not operate. Knowing that a large

Mix 210 March 2021 | 27

WORK Property

tech workforce was on site tempted HM Revenue & Customs to bring a large techbased operation to the site. They signed up for 235,000 sq ft. Soon after, BT decided to follow them to the neighbourhood, signing up for 175,000 sq ft, and landing nearby were Booking.com and Futureworks, the creative industries’ educator. You could sum it up like this: there are no tech firms, but there is lots of tech in lots of firms.

So whilst developers like Muse appreciate that overall demand from office occupiers is likely to reduce, thanks to homeworking and flexible working practices, they are not unduly alarmed. They think they can make a powerful appeal to potential occupiers’ techfacing elements.

‘Yes, office requirements generally are shrinking a little. There’s evidence of 15-20% reductions in the amount of office space occupiers are looking for. The handful of cases where they have shrunk requirements by more, by as much as 50%, are often atypical,’ Phil says. ‘But those smaller requirements are now looking much like the tech-requirements of the recent past, because they are insisting on more collaborative space, more quiet working space, more breakout areas and booths in which they can take a Zoom call. This is exactly what pure tech occupiers want too.’

And this in turn helps explain developers’ optimism. The line of thinking goes like this: returning to work, post-lockdown,

“

There’s this idea that somehow a band of roving coders is going to like your building and land there – but that is not how the tech sector works

” 28 | Mix 210 March 2021

will require a better office environment.

But stripping out and refitting an existing sub-optimal office is time consuming and disruptive: staff need to be decanted elsewhere. How much easier it is simply to start from scratch and sign up for a brand new office which meets all your needs?

You could call this the kind of whistling to keep the spirits up, indulged in by all property developers. Or they could be onto something.

Joe Rigby, Head of Occupier Services at CBRE, thinks the latter. He is among those hopeful that the return to work means a return to better workplaces, which means new and newly fitted-out office blocks.

Lest you think this is just another cliché, be patient: this one has serious financial consequences.

WORK Property

“

Yes, office requirements generally are shrinking a little. There’s evidence of 15-20% reductions in the amount of office space occupiers are looking for

” Tech works from home?

above One Station Hill, external front view

left One Station Hill, rooftop garden

Facebook and Twitter have made working-from-home a regular part of the way they organise their businesses. But the wisest observers say it means less than it seems – for several reasons.

Top of the list is the gamble that most young tech employees would prefer not to work from home a great deal. After a year confined to their homes the WFH pledge is the kind of perk nobody much wants to use.

Second, not every tech giant has taken such a WFH-positive approach. Alphabet and Google CEO, Sundar Pichai, has extended home working until the autumn, but has insisted staff spend at least three days a week in the office when the return-to-work order finally goes out.

Google is pressing on with its 650,000 sq ft London campus office HQ – the so-called Landscraper – but has yet to announce when construction work will be completed, or when it expects to take occupation. Google has, however, pulled out of plans for a 200,000 sq ft office development in Dublin.w

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WORK Property

Freshfields’ offices at One New Bailey Salford, designed by tp bennett. image: paul riddle

“

Today everyone is, in effect, a tech occupier. Even the most conservative occupiers of the past, like the bankers and financial services firms, are now talking tech

” Joe explains: ‘Look at the sectors that are booming just now – the gaming sector is blowing up amazingly – and, in their world, coders and designers are in front of desks and screens a lot, you see a lot of stress, anxiety and mental health issues, so those kinds of tech occupiers have not been slow to talk about new ways of approaching office amenity, and what they want out of an office building.

‘This poses a challenge for developers and landlords, because they have to find ways to make buildings attractive and keep people engaged, and stress-free.’

This trend is now seeping into the thinking of all office occupiers. ‘Today everyone is, in effect, a tech occupier. Even the most conservative occupiers of the past, like the bankers and financial services firms, are now talking tech,’ says Joe. Not only do all occupiers want what tech occupiers want, but they are also beginning to use the same decision-making processes about their workspace. In particular, demographics have shot up their agenda.

Having the right kind of people in the neighbourhood, and the right kind of labour pool (in other words, exactly the kind of thing Google worries about) has become mainstream. This poses yet another interesting challenge for developers and

30 | Mix 210 March 2021

it is at this point that the serious financial consequences kick in.

Office buildings without the right kinds of amenities, and without demonstrably the right local demographics, tend to take longer to let. And the longer a building takes to let, the more expensive it gets for the developer.

Six months’ missed rental on a 20,000 sq ft central London floorplate letting at £50 a sq ft, means a cool £1m of income foregone.

With seven-figure losses racking up, developers know they have to get this right.

‘Tech isn’t so much a sector anymore. It is driving everything, and it is driving the property decision-making of businesses where the tech headcount may be no more than 10 or 20%,’ says Joe. And our third question – is something else going on, behind the scenes? The answer is yes. Landlords and developers are adapting to a world in which satisfying the tech-facing element of any business is now the litmus test for satisfying any part of an occupier business.

It does not mean every developer expects to be providing floorspace for coding geeks and cloud-storage specialists. But it does mean that it has to feel like they do.

And if that doesn’t amount to a revolution in the conservative world of UK workspace, nothing will.w

Tech developments Telling tech and non-tech occupiers apart is getting hard. Which makes it all the stranger that many office developers continue to target the ‘tech sector’ as if such a thing were easy to identify.

One of the first developments out of the blocks in 2021 is the 625,000 sq ft Station Hill development in Reading. Developer Lincoln MTG is ‘mainly targeting tech sector occupiers’, the scheme’s cheerleaders say.

The £750m Station Hill development adjacent to Reading Station has won planning approval. The first office building will total 275,000 sq ft.

‘There has been considerable occupational interest,’ says James Finnis, Head of South East Offices at JLL, who promises the scheme’s own tech-based ecosystem will provide occupiers with complete control of their workspace.

Preparatory work on the site is now underway, with completion due in 2024.

The design of the project is being overseen by an international collective that features CallisonRTKL acting as the project master planner and architect for the residential and hotel buildings, Gensler as the architect for the commercial office buildings and LDA Design as landscape architects for the public realm.w

TAKE THE WELL-BEING AND PRODUCTIVITY TO THE NEXT LEVEL

MOBILITY Height adjustable desk

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CASE STUDY Muse Open at Society Riverside Foundation House

The ceiling feature has fully-controllable LED luminaires to complement or contrast with the external environment images: andrew smith of sg photography

32 | Mix 210 March 2021

CASE STUDY Muse at Riverside House

Muse headlines When the workplace scheme for national urban regenerator, Muse Developments at Riverside House in Salford, was announced the winner of the Fit Out of Workplace category at the BCO Northern Awards 2020, we knew we had to cross the city border from Manchester and have a look, in the first of three brilliant new projects from the North West.

T

he 540 sq m scheme was designed

by SpaceInvader, for whom this constitutes a third BCO Northern Awards title in the space of three years – having been double winners in 2018 for Hilson Moran in the Innovation category and Number One Kirkstall Forge in the Commercial Workplace category.

Riverside House, built in the 1860s, is a Grade II-listed building, adjacent to the old railway goods yard at New Bailey in Salford and located directly alongside the River Irwell. The building was locally listed but had stood in ruins for a number of years, before being acquired by the English Cities Fund for re-development.

The main building structure was heavily damaged and the decision was taken by the fund to retain and repair the existing brick façade and construct a new, four-storey CAT A office with a brand new structure.

Muse then took the decision to relocate to Riverside House and signed a lease agreement with the fund.

Muse is one of the country’s leading names in mixed-use development and urban regeneration. The company, part of Morgan Sindall Group, transforms the urban landscape through its partnerships, working across commercial, residential and mixed-use regeneration.

SpaceInvader had previously worked with Muse on a number of residential projects and were chosen as the design partners for this new, future-facing Salford scheme. A thorough initial research stage was undertaken at the project’s outset to establish the brief and key objectives,

which included prioritising substance over style, whilst at the same time providing a shop window and incorporating a new approach to working that would promote collaboration and foster mutual appreciation, awareness and recognition within the Muse team.

‘We really needed to understand the thinking of the senior team and so interviewed the firm’s project managers, office director and central staff,’ John Williams, Founder of SpaceInvader, explains. ‘The process was very open, thorough and also two-way. Muse were as interested in the thinking behind our questions as we were in their answers.

The great thing was that we’d covered everything in such depth that, by the time we got to space planning, there couldn’t have been any other solution. The final designs were entirely rational, as well as being intuitive and responsive.’

Sustainability and waste reduction were also major aims of the project, whilst the concept also needed to reflect the building’s proximity to water and nature – with views, biophilia and outdoor decking all key.

‘What was great is that SpaceInvader helped us establish the brief. We needed to reflect our brand and ethos, but John and the team helped us to write the brief too, so it was a really interesting process’, Phil Marsden, Project Manager at Muse Developments, says. ‘The most important bit about working with SpaceInvader was the process in the first couple of months – the interviews, the questionnaires and the site visits, during which they really got to

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CASE STUDY Muse at Riverside House

Client Muse Developments Design SpaceInvader Lead Contractor Overbury Project Manager Avid M&E Hannan Associates Flooring Ege Carpets, Havwoods Surfaces Kabe Lighting M3 Industries Blinds & Curtains Silent Gliss Artwork Ann Myron Quinn

know us, our brand and both how we used to work and the changes in working methods we wanted to bring in.’

The intent for the new office was to allow the Muse team to move to an agile way of working, where desks were not allocated to individuals. Desks would be clear at the end of each day, with belongings stored in a locker. The overarching rationale was to provide colleagues with different places to work, which were better suited to their tasks, whilst encouraging collaboration. By identifying the differing needs of all colleagues, the team was given options of where to work, knowing this may change again in the future as the business and the demographic of future employees evolve.

The riverside location was also key to the design.

Views of the river from Riverside House and the river’s effect on the surrounding city are at the heart of the concept. ‘The connection to the outside influenced all the spaces and proximity to the perimeter and natural daylight was a driving factor in the space planning of both floors,’ John explains.

‘The abstract concept of the river and riverbed was translated into the scheme through a mix of natural colour tones and horizontal layering of materials.

The detail is particularly important, because the vast majority of the space is very clean and simple.

There are block colours and clean lines throughout, with ‘hints of sunshine.’ This is introduced by timber accents in the joinery and furniture, whilst the

layering creates a depth within the scheme, as well as replicating the layers of strata that make up a riverbed.’

SpaceInvader liaised with the building’s refurbishment architects to ensure the design reduced waste as well as rendering the perfect space plan.

For example, chilled beams and lighting units were moved to suit the meeting room layout and floor grilles moved to suit desk layouts. This minimised cost, disruption and also waste. There were also some specific enhancements requested by Muse to allow the CAT A design to blend seamlessly with the fit-out design. The wall linings have been uplifted in a number of locations and a slatted timber finish has been created for the perimeter walls of the open plan floorplate, lending a domestic feel to the finished palette, whilst arched window linings help frame views out towards Salford.

The internal space planning of Muse’s two floors – the second and third – was thoroughly considered.

The areas that captured the best views have been reserved for the most active environments, such as shared desk space, the project room and staff kitchen.

Alongside this, the floors have been addressed differently in terms of function and atmosphere, with the second floor providing an open plan workspace with its adjoining alternative settings and the third floor providing a visitor/client experience.

All areas, including common parts, were designed using durable materials and intentionally viewed

above The riverside location is key to the design, with an impressive terrace area offering fantastic views

34 | Mix 210 March 2021

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CASE STUDY Muse at Riverside House

holistically alongside the base build finishes to give a consistent language, ensuring fit-out and building character and identity, whilst the clear floor-to-ceiling layout is in excess of the BCO-recommended 2.8m, thanks to the slab height of the existing building.

On the second floor, a variety of work settings blend as they wrap around the building core. Project spaces and communal quiet spaces flank the edges with flexible, openable partitions allowing engagement with the open plan area if required.

A landscape of moveable furniture and partition options supports wider working practices, maximising natural daylight and views, whilst ancillary support functions are practical and placed close to the core.

The circulation on the third floor is logical, clear and precise.

The underlying principle was to ensure the adaptability and flexibility of spaces. The client lounge adopts this philosophy.

From the core, clients and the Muse team enter into an open, relaxed lounge and informal meeting space. This, in turn, is connected to both the outdoor terrace and the staff kitchen area. Views out to the landscape and river are enhanced with the introduction of a feature ceiling, designed to capture the very essence of the Salford weather and surrounding views. Aesthetically, the feature represents the formation of clouds, with fully controllable LED luminaires enabling the ceiling either to complement or contrast with the external environment, creating an instant connection to external aspects. Access out onto the terrace has been enhanced with a wider, outwardly swinging door, complete with a hold open

above Muse sought to embody best practice as a shop window for its own tenant clients

right A landscape of moveable furniture and partition options supports wider working practices

“

The abstract concept of the river and riverbed was translated into the scheme through a mix of natural colour tones and horizontal layering of materials.

”

36 | Mix 210 March 2021

CASE STUDY Muse at Riverside House

below Relaxed, informal space leads to the outdoor terrace

above The older section of the Grade II-listed building

right There are block colours and clean lines throughout with colour used as ‘hints of sunshine’

mechanism, which allows these three spaces to flow seamlessly during social events.

Living planting throughout the space reflects the recognised and important aspect of biophilic design within the workplace. This is not only with air-purifying qualities and reduction of potential pollutants in mind, but also because the visibility of planting openly promotes employee wellbeing. Additionally, stand-up desks allow colleagues to stand whilst working and move around throughout the day, while fresh fruit and lunches are provided free of charge to encourage socialising and encouraging users to move away from their desks.

The SpaceInvader team also reached out to Manchester-based independent artists to create feature commissions within the space. In addition, the team commissioned a local art photographer to celebrate the area through a series of location-specific photographic artworks. These feature within the meeting rooms around a theme of ‘Manchester pubs’.

The project has revolutionised the way Muse works. The rationale was simple: this new office should make a statement about Muse’s approach to innovative, regenerative development and its commitment to the region, whilst seizing the opportunity to embrace a new way of working. By paying

homage to Salford through its landscape, urban grain and engaging with its people, such as local artists, a further dimension has been added to this building as it starts a new chapter.

‘Within weeks of moving in, the Muse team was moving around the office, using the different spaces and collaborating with different people. The new agility has been a huge success,’ John says.

‘We’ve ended up with a fairly unique office.

Everyone loves the look of it. I know everyone says that, but everyone who comes to the office genuinely does love it’, Phil concludes.w

Mix 210 March 2021 | 37

CASE STUDY Bruntwood Works 111 Piccadilly

38 | Mix 210 March 2021

CASE STUDY Bruntwood Works 111 Piccadilly

All the ones When leading Manchester developer, Bruntwood, tells us its Bruntwood Works division has some exciting news, we listen. When it’s news about the completion of one of the most exciting coworking facilities in the country, we’re all over it (albeit virtually).

B

The café area features cascading stairs and timber cladding repurposed from the previous scheme

runtwood Works’ vision is to balance work and lifestyle, blending spaces that encourage interaction and create community.

111 Piccadilly Manchester is part of its Pioneer programme to invest £50m to create customer-focused buildings across the North West, Yorkshire and the Midlands.

The design for 111 Piccadilly was a collaborative process with 3DReid; Bruntwood Works challenged Cathy Mocke and her team to develop a scheme that supported its aim for the building’s coworking space to become Platinum Standard WELL accredited, appealed to people’s curiosities and had its foundation in technology. ‘Hospitality was at the heart of this project and we briefed the team to not hold back, we wanted the design to go further than in our previous developments,’ Andrew Cooke, Strategic Director at Bruntwood Works, tells us.

The location of the workspace and its proximity to Manchester Piccadilly train station provided a multitude of opportunities and part of the brief was to create a ‘shop window’ to display Bruntwood Works’ Pioneer proposition on what is one of the main gateways into the city. The work at 111 Piccadilly helped form what are now the six key pillars of the Pioneer scheme, with the integration of the best of amenity, sustainability, technology, art, biophilia

and wellbeing. The arrival and journey through the space was key to the success of this project and Bruntwood Works wanted to ensure that there was a variety of spaces on offer, located in the right pockets of space to support all ways of working, wellbeing and facilitate collaboration.

‘The workspace journey starts outside, and we want our buildings to invite people in from the street level,’ Andrew says. ‘We wanted the building to become a destination point and create a ‘welcome’. It didn’t need to say ‘Welcome to Manchester’ – but rather we wanted it to evoke a welcoming feeling for the city approach, which is where the concept for ‘The Gem’ came from. It’s a sculptured feature, which will house art exhibitions and seating space. It’s built from glass and copper panels and incorporates nature, lighting and sculpture. On a sunny day, the patterns and reflections project across the space and it’s a very relaxing area to work from. The furniture is bold and distinctive yet comfortable and inviting.’

Every corner of 111 Piccadilly is designed to create moments that surprise and delight – from the hidden patterns in the materials to the state-of-theart technology that powers the space.

Designs reveal themselves the more you move through the space, creating a subconscious emotional reaction and a range of responses.

Mix 210 March 2021 | 39

CASE STUDY Bruntwood Works 111 Piccadilly

‘As with all of our buildings, the application of materials and finishes are always carefully considered and our ambition to become one of the first coworking spaces in Europe to become WELL accredited meant that we had to take this even further to comply with the standard, which challenged both ourselves and our suppliers to source alternative eco materials and products,’ Andrew explains.

The principle of flexible workspace is at the heart of 111. Bruntwood Works wanted to offer spaces within an integrated environment that enable efficiency and productivity through a range of work settings for short, medium and long-term dwell times. When you arrive, The Gem and café area provide a relaxed, informal space to meet colleagues and customers. As you move into the lounge, there’s a mix of hot desks and booths, which provides a more professional, yet still informal setting. The space culminates with a coworking studio and a collection of meeting rooms. The coworking area is designed to be an active space that isn’t too serious or corporate. The desks have timber tops to make them more relaxed, there are huge lamp shades above to offer soft lighting and six of the desks are standing desks (the WELL requirement is 25% but Bruntwood Works opted for 30%). The meeting rooms are packed with technology, from ambient light controls to top spec AV equipment. The largest meeting room has a green biophilia portal, which is largely visible from the outside. It ties in the external balustrade, which is also full of greenery. The idea is to bring the outside in and vice versa.

above Huge lamp shades above the timber-topped hot desking area offer soft lighting

right Elegant finishes feature in private work areas

“

The workspace journey starts outside, and we want our buildings to invite people in from the street level. We wanted the building to become a destination point and create a ‘welcome’.

” 40 | Mix 210 March 2021

CASE STUDY Bruntwood Works 111 Piccadilly

below The largest meeting room has a green biophilia portal visible from the street, bringing the outside in

above A 200ft lighting installation illuminates three sides of the building

‘All of the lighting supports our ambitions for WELL and brings more of a hospitality feel compared to the usual bright commercial lighting you’d see in a typical workspace. We wanted to take a different approach to the design, so rather than looking at traditional strip lighting, we wanted to explore how it could draw people through the space and create different atmospheres,’ Andrew reveals.

Lighting is designed to achieve the ‘Circadian Lighting Design’ criteria set in the Well V2 Standards.

This is based on designing the interior working areas with a combination of both artificial lighting, with access to daylight, ensuring the uses of the spaces benefit from both qualities of light. This can work towards supporting a natural environment that regulates a 24-hour cycle of sleep, wake, hunger, alertness, hormone release and body temperature to improve customer health and wellbeing.

Digital art is part of the DNA at 111 Piccadilly. ‘We wanted to champion and showcase our commitment to arts and culture by embedding it throughout the building,’ Andrew says. ‘From the outside, you will see a 200ft LED lighting installation, soon to be powered by photovoltaics. Working with StudioTech and light artist Luke Artinstall from Artin Light, it illuminates three sides of the building and is visible across the city centre. Smart tech will help to connect the building with the wider community. We can even update the display in response to live events, connecting the building with the community – such as when we

Client Bruntwood Works Architect 3D Reid Contractor Workspace Design & Build Furniture Møbel Copenhagen, &Tradition, Moooi,

BY FORM, Bo Concept, Modus, Orangebox, Hem, Ondaretta, Herman Miller, Menu, Buzzispace Flooring Shaw Contract, Interface Surfaces Kvadrat, Vescom Lighting Design ArtinLight Lighting Optelma, XAL Lighting, Lumenpulse, Marset, Santa & Cole, Northern Lights, Precision Lighting Other ZED, Boon Edam, IQ Glass, Enlightened, IQ Glass, JSJ Joinery, ANS Global

Mix 210 March 2021 | 41

CASE STUDY Bruntwood Works 111 Piccadilly

below Seating space inside the Gem, a sculptural feature made from glass and copper panels

below Flexible meeting rooms feature an abundance of wireless technology

“

We wanted to take a different approach to the design, so rather than looking at traditional strip lighting, we wanted to explore how it could draw people through the space and create different atmospheres.

” 42 | Mix 210 March 2021

illuminated it in blue in recognition of the NHS’ efforts during the pandemic.’

In reception, you’ll find a digital art display called ‘Footfall’ by local artist, Andrew Small, which reacts with body movements and represents people as they enter and leave the building – bringing a stronger connection to the space.

The hospitality model starts at the café. As you walk up the cascading stairs, past the timber cladding, which has been repurposed from the previous scheme, you’re greeted with bright lighting and a contrasting dark-oak bar, which houses Ancoats Coffee. Bruntwood Works wanted to create a welcoming and inclusive space for customers, colleagues and communities to connect, collaborate and build relationships. The central café encourages social exchanges and a welcoming start to your journey.

How has the design of the interior changed from the original pre-COVID plans to the final execution we see today?

‘We were already designing our buildings for change – the aim for our Pioneer project was to evolve our workspace for a different type of working,’ Andrew tells us. ‘The

office and working from home are both key parts of every business’ toolkit and we need to see the office as an opportunity to provide spaces and environments that you can’t replicate at home. You can’t reproduce collaboration and innovation, the serendipitous conversations you have from moving around an office, or the osmosis of learning within a team. We’ve obviously had to make operational changes – ie. reducing the number of seats in our meeting rooms and ensuring social distancing practices are implemented for our customers to work safely in the cafe, lounge and coworking studio.’

‘We recognised that working environments with fresh air helps to support productivity so when air quality is high on everyone’s agenda, the quality of air at 111 Piccadilly, due to the delivery of filtration, air changes and monitors that we have installed as part of our huge technology investment, alongside the augmented biophilia and low emissions from materials we have installed, is excellent.’

The design here gives people choices.

Having a range of spaces and amenities

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CASE STUDY Bruntwood Works 111 Piccadilly

“

The office and working from home are both key parts of every business’ toolkit and we need to see the office as an opportunity to provide spaces and environments that you can’t replicate at home.

”

means that 111 Piccadilly can offer different working environments for different cognitive needs. It gives people an option to navigate through different spaces to suit their day.

It’s the bringing together the six key pillars of Pioneer that will enable different experiences depending on what someone wants from their working day – whether that’s a casual chat over some locally brewed coffee in the cafe, being inspired by art in The Gem or a quiet space to get your head down to work in the lounge.

111 Piccadilly is Manchester’s ‘smartest building’, with tech playing a fundamental role in shaping the experience here. For example, the next generation concierge greets customers.

Digital systems are positioned to solve routine requests, freeing up front of house staff to answer more complex queries and roam freely to provide an enhanced customer experience. Visitors also have access to a multi-functional kiosk, providing

can dial down energy usage based on customer demand will be critical in tackling the climate emergency, and will remain just as important as the smart tech revolution gathers momentum,’ Andrew tells us.

Here, Bruntwood Works has installed a ‘central nervous system’ – a smart system that connects the physical space with people, processes and systems to develop insights of how they are used. The building will act as a living lab, and will use sensors and data points to collect and analyse data, to produce insights that will help to influence future developments. Bruntwood Works is even developing a customer app, which will link the technology and data back to the end user as well as potentially giving customers the opportunity to book meeting rooms, access concierge services, sign up for events and order food and beverage from on-site operator, Ancoats Coffee.

a range of updates, from Transport For Greater Manchester timetable information to air quality standards. The space is designed to be one step ahead of the needs of every user.

‘As we focus on building a more sustainable future, active buildings with sensors, metrics and dashboards that can communicate where we

So what else can we expect?

Well, for a start, there’s WELL. This summer, 111 Piccadilly is set to become one of the first coworking spaces in Europe to achieve Platinum Standard WELL certification – while there is also the promise of a new glazed lift and an innovative cycle hub scheme. Sounds well smart.w

above In the reception, artist Andrew Small has created ‘Footfall,’ a digital art display that reacts with body movements as users enter and leave the space

44 | Mix 210 March 2021

GEBERIT HYGIENE RESEARCH

GEBERIT LIFTS THE LID ON HYGIENE

RKPLACE

What has been the true impact of 12 months of remote working on UK office staff? A YouGov poll by bathroom designer and manufacturer Geberit shows a workforce missing colleagues and longing for a return to face-to-face meetings. Its findings also reveal very little resistance from staff when faced with the prospect of a return to the office. Here, Sophie Weston, channel marketing manager at Geberit, reveals more.

return to the office, whattwelve might months the future Let’s rewind ago to the start of the

first nationwide lockdown. The ease with which so

discusses what normal’ officecommunications could manythe of‘new us took to digital ovation canhave helpgiven shapeus theevery futurereason of to question the need

OING

for the office at all. Many firms have since taken the step of moving to remote-working on a long term basis, with some big hitters even announcing the permanent closure of offices.

TOUCHLESS

what of the work washroom – a potential, and understandable But are employees missing office cern, for many returning to the workplace?

And what can life – and what anisations dodo to maximise hygiene in the they feel about a space? possible return to the office?

nufacturers have, of course, been producing touchless products for ny years and it’s likely that one of the biggest shifts we’ll now see MISSING LIFE be even greater demand forOFFICE this touchless technology – something at Geberit are now seeing unprecedented demand for from our Our poll of 1,000 British private sector employees tomers.

shed a new light on how the majority of us currently

a-red wall-mounted taps, for example, such as Geberit’s Brenta and view our working ve products, optimise hand hygiene inlife. heavy footfall washrooms. ewise, touchless WC and urinal flush controls like Geberit’s Sigma80, ma10 or Type50 innovations such whether as a sensor they that missed Weincorporate asked respondents ws the unit to flush as soon as the toilet or urinal has been used.

any aspects of office life. Socialising with colleagues it’s not just this infra-red technology that can help put hygiene was the most missed (51%) and there are clear nt-of-mind. Other product developments from manufacturers – signs, too, that Zoom fatigue is well and truly setting in, with a third of respondents missing in-person meetings.

ADDRESSING CONCERNS

HYGIENE IN THE FUTURE?

Staff are willing to return to the office. But the There are two fundamental areas employers must As one US architectis observed, what is significant about these periods for instance, – Geberit’s KeraTecthygiene, Glaze - make easier responsibility now on firms and manufacturers consider maximising ofcleaning course, is with one.a of disease is that “architects are often inspired to come up with non-porous and smoother surface; such glazes can also help prevent to work hygienically-optimised products But theofsecond is an not only reinforces fresh ideas together during theseto moments.”

And this will need to apply to staining the ceramics andoffice create athat high-gloss, effect.

Solutions like manufacturers as we continue innovate and work in partnership this not only help maintain high levels of hygiene but also, crucially, and designtoo, solutions thattoreinforce the perception the perception of a clean space but also offers a with architects to help them adapt to these new times. really help to enhance the look and feel of the washroom as a ‘clean’ reassuring space to employees. Global consulting of a clean space.

RETURNING TO THE OFFICE space. firm WSP predicts that we could soon see the We asked respondents how willing they would Similarly, developments suchwith as Geberit’s ceramic for instance, Geberit’s KeraTect Glaze - make cleaning easier a Rimfree®As oneappliances US architect observed, what is significant about these periods As one expert noted: “If offices have a future, “hotelization” of office workplaces and TurboFlush technology canspace, eliminateas tricky corners and hard-tobe to return to the office and the response was non-porous and –smoother surface; such glazes can also help prevent of disease is thatpeople “architects inspired reach areas around the pan, with removable toilet seats also helping need toare feeloften safe in them.” to come up with offer more home comforts, such as plants and overwhelmingly clear. than three eradicate any hidden areas where dust like and bacteria may proliferate. staining of theMore ceramics and quarters create a high-gloss, effect.

Solutions fresh ideas during these moments.” And this will need to apply to soft furnishings.

(76%) this are willing to dohelp so for either some all of of hygiene not only maintain highorlevels but also, crucially, manufacturers too, we continue to innovate and work in partnership Another area we’re predicting real growth in is wall-hung toilets Foras more information, and sanitaryware. Lifting the toilet from the floor naturally makes their working hours. really help to enhance the look and feel of But, the washroom as a ‘clean’ with architects to help them adapt to these new times. above all, hygiene led solutions must lead the visit geberit.co.uk/hygiene maintenance and cleaning much easier; and once again, with no hard to space. reach areas, dirt and dust accumulation is significantly reduced. way.

And with almost half (47%) of respondents This willingness is, of course, is based on firms having reservations about surfaces and touchpoints having in place the correct safety measures and Similarly, developments such as Geberit’s Rimfree® ceramic appliances in communal toilets and washrooms and 37% HYGIENE IN THE FUTURE? social distancing precautions in place. and TurboFlush technology can eliminate tricky corners and hard-toworried about standards of washroom hygiene, At a time when the pandemic has thrust hygiene into the spotlight, the reach areas around the pan, with removablethis toilet seats also helping onus is now onis firms and manufacturers to work to find not space the single biggest areatogether of concern. hygienically-optimised products, but solutions and designs that eradicate any hidden areas where dust andonly bacteria may proliferate. also reinforce the perception of a clean space.

SOLUTIONS

Another area we’re predicting real growth in is wall-hung toilets wall-mounted and sanitaryware. Lifting the toilet from theInfra-red floor naturally makestaps can optimise hand in heavy footfall washrooms and touchless maintenance and cleaning much easier; andhygiene once again, with no hard to WC and urinal flush controls enable the unit to reach areas, dirt and dust accumulation is significantly reduced. flush as soon as the toilet or urinal has been used, minimising the spread of bacteria in busy areas.

Innovations such as Geberit’s KeraTect® Glaze HYGIENE IN THE FUTURE? make cleaning easier with a virtually non-porous

surface, creating a high-gloss At a time when the pandemic has thrust hygiene into the spotlight, theeffect and helping enhance the look of the washroom as a ‘clean’ onus is now on firms and manufacturers to to work together to find not space. Developments such only hygienically-optimised products, but solutions and designs thatas Rimfree® toilets and TurboFlush technology can also eliminate hard-toalso reinforce the perception of a clean space. reach areas around the pan.

HOSPITALITY BGY ID Hospitality Report

HOSPITALITY REPORT The last 12 months have seen the biggest upheavals in global culture and economy in living memory.

The way we work, shop, interact, socialise, eat, drink, travel, holiday, exercise, play, and experience life has been forcibly altered. With hospitality taking an extremely hard hit, we look forward to the reopening of this industry and how we can adapt our thought processes to help it overcome many of the issues thrown up by COVID-19 and lockdown. We spoke to the team at BGY ID (Buckley Gray Yeoman), who shared some of the key ideas they have been working on with their clients.

Innovative solutions to provide an excellent in-room F&B offer could include pre-packed hampers and picnics, providing fresh and authentic local products. Some solutions already being tried out by brand such as Marriott include hotel kitchens minimising their menus to offer a more focused range of dishes (ordered via an app or QR code) and in-room pantries and creative ‘fill your fridge’ offerings.

BON APPETIT!

Partnering or supporting local restaurants and retailers not only offers guests an authentic and more unique local experience, but is also an opportunity for the hotels to engage with their local neighbourhoods by lending support and showcasing the best of what the area has to offer.

HOSPITALITY BGY ID Hospitality Report

We are looking at new and fresh takes on concepts such as the ‘automat’. This could be a unique and exciting solution to F&B within hotels, pairing with neighbourhood restaurants and retailers to provide local and delicious food in a controlled and safe manner.

BOTTOMS UP! The crowded hotel cocktail bar may be a thing of the past – or at least put on hold for a little while. In the meantime, hotels are looking at ways to deliver excellent crafted bar experience to guests via mobile trolleys and top quality pre-mixed cocktails.

Mix 210 March 2021 | 47

HOSPITALITY BGY ID Hospitality Report

in

Operators are increasingly seeing the requirement and benefit to combine the functions of guestrooms. Accor have announced a new Hotel Office concept to offer a ‘premium remote working experience’, by renting out its rooms as day offices.

Amsterdam-based hotel and coworking provider, Zoku, offers an ‘office-away-fromhome-office’ with its loft micro apartments that double up as private workspaces.

New York’s NoMo SoHo hotel has launched YourPlace, offering rooms for day-use private workspaces.

We have been looking at rooms from as little as 18 sq m, and redesigning the traditional hotel room layout. One new project sees a more zoned layout, with daylight and generous space given to the work area, and the sleeping area feeling more separated.

M.I.C.E With face-to-face conferences, seminars and expos running on digital platforms, the ballrooms and conference facilities that hosted these lucrative events now have to adapt and find ways to utilise these large spaces. Large spaces mean reasonable sized groups can socially distance effectively.

Investment into latest technology for video conferencing, VR, green screen and so on could be a major differentiator.

48 | Mix 210 March 2021

HOSPITALITY BGY ID Hospitality Report

A HEALTHY OBSESSION With all sectors embracing wellness, it’s now being recognised as more than just a physical point of view. Wellness must encompass all facets that positively enhance the mind, body and soul.

Some hotel brands have partnered up with companies such as Peloton to offer in-room fitness. These specialist rooms command a higher rate.

Flexible wellbeing suites replace the traditional gym – and can be used for yoga, meditation, weights, as well as talks and events.

An enhanced perception of connection to nature through design – looking at finishes, furnishings, form and lighting.

IN THE END, ITS ALL ABOUT HOSPITALITY...

Ultimately, the responses we make will only be of true value if, alongside them, the essence of hospitality is at the fore. Personal interactions giving reassurance to guests will be the driving force of change. New ways of doing things require explanation and guidance to ensure guests feel comfortable and confident. The new guest journey depends on the formality of traditional hospitality service.w Mix 210 March 2021 | 49

HOSPITALITY Opinion

Designing with community at heart The pandemic changed the hospitality industry for good, says Ed Plumb, Founder and Design Director at Studio Found. To survive, it has had to adapt and collaborate in ways it has never done before, it will have to continue to do so over the coming months and years. This presents exciting new opportunities as well as challenges for everyone, including designers.

T

he pandemic has completely rocked the way we all interact and do business, and no other global industry has experienced this more cataclysmically than the hospitality sector.

Before COVID-19 struck, I think it was fair to say that as designers, business owners and even as human beings, we were all more driven by our desire to be different, to compete and succeed. Sometimes this meant that we forgot our responsibility and place within our own communities. The pandemic has certainly changed that and ironically, while it has enforced distancing and isolation, it has also brought us closer; in a ‘we’re all in it together’ mentality.

As designer partners for a number of hospitality clients, Studio Found is encouraged to see how resilient and inventive hotels, restaurants and bars have been, especially through collaborating and connecting with their communities and neighbourhoods. This new approach will undoubtedly reshape the global hospitality industry for a long time, and as designers we need to be at the heart of supporting the evolution of the industry.

“

This new approach will undoubtedly reshape the global hospitality industry for a long time, and as designers we need to be at the heart of supporting the evolution of the industry.

” left Ed Plumb, Founder and Design Director, Studio Found

50 | Mix 210 March 2021

HOSPITALITY Opinion

An attitude Gen Z & Millennials demand This community-focused approach must be at the core of any hospitality offering and business going forward.

This is not only because of how radically things have changed, but also because a new generation of customers (Generation Z and Millennials) expect and demand this.

The annual Deloitte Global Millennial survey 2020 (which also includes Gen Z) highlighted the desire of these generations to take actions that have a positive impact on their communities. This includes actively supporting local businesses and brands that reflect community values. They won’t hesitate to ditch businesses that seem at odds with these ideals – those which aren’t rooted in community, are unethical or seem superficial. As their buying power increases (which a report by Boston Consulting Group predicts), their influence will too, so as hospitality businesses pivot, they must take note.

Community at the Core

“

Continuing to support and nurture positive community relations and partnerships will be at the core of hospitality’s recovery

” below The Bottle Factory, Peckham

There’s been plenty of evidence of the focus on engaging and encouraging customers back with more authentic customer experiences and community-based initiatives.

This can only be a good thing, not only for hospitality businesses, hotel, bar and restaurant operators and owners but also their suppliers, such as the designers and other local businesses they work closely with.

One such story is that of Shelter Hall Raw, a food hall which was due to open on Brighton seafront until COVID-19 derailed its ambitious plans. A favourable adaptation of the lease agreement with a sympathetic Brighton & Hove City Council meant that the project could still go ahead, albeit in a new format.

A multi-million pound design & build was scaled back to a third of its budget and condensed into a six week timeframe. While offering a rawer concept than originally

planned, the focus shifted to delivering a safe, authentic and community-led experience.

The landlord, designers and the local community all came together to make it happen and are all integral to its new concept; where local businesses are championed, and the community is reflected in its design and product curation. This is just one example of how the pandemic has brought purpose back onto the high street and into our hospitality spaces.

Continuing to support and nurture positive community relations and partnerships will be at the core of hospitality’s recovery and, as close collaborators, designers can make ‘community’ integral to hospitality spaces.

Designing with Community in Mind Through quality local consultation early in the design process, it should be possible to understand and identify what the community needs and how a venue or space can deliver on this. This in turn will help to define the design brief and inform the layout and 3D design.

Assuming a host cannot offer a dedicated community space, there are likely to be two approaches to this, both with merit, presenting similar but unique design challenges.

One route may be to fully embrace a specific need in an area – for example does the community need a space for young people to use for dance or performancebased practice? For this approach, the host space can be designed to serve two very particular functions; function 1 being for primary use – for example a restaurant – and function 2 as the secondary use for the community.

Having two clear uses allows the designer to be more precise, with the design crafting the space. The second and perhaps more likely approach would be for a space that can be multi-functional; from hosting a local meeting

HOSPITALITY Opinion

Old Spike Roastery, Studio Found

to providing space for local events – much like how community halls function in rural areas.

Fabrix, a property investor and developer, is already making its portfolio sustainable with community, arts and culture its core purpose.

The Bottle Factory in Peckham, (a former bottling warehouse), which opened in 2019, has over 30,000 sq ft of adaptable, multi-use space for artists, makers and music events.

This summer a collaboration with Corsica Studios saw The Bottle Factory host The Paperworks; a lively music programme combined with creative arts experiences, offering a selection of contemporary street-food, drinks and cocktails to create a new open-air destination for South London. Last year, it was also used to film Qweens’ Speech – a vibrant alternative to the Queen’s Speech, shot by Zhang & Knight at ACNE for Dazed. In addition, Movember used the space to host a Christmas fundraiser with all the proceeds going towards meeting the charity’s goal of reducing male suicide by 25% by 2030.

The requirement for total flexibility is an exciting challenge for any designer, with these three key principles to consider:

52 | Mix 210 March 2021

1. Materiality and durability Spaces that are adapted, changed and moved around take a beating. To ensure the space continues to look smart, choosing the right materials and furniture is key. Upfront investment will pay dividends when owners are not shelling out for new items a year after opening.

For Old Spike – a Coffee roastery and barista training centre also in Peckham – a clear understanding of the various functions and requirements from the space was fundamental to the success of this project, which we worked on with ANDTHENSTUDIO. This influenced the material selection, which needed to be low cost, durable yet impactful.

A simple and hardwearing material palette of stained plywood, steelwork frames/mesh and polycarbonate was developed to ensure longevity whilst maximising visual impact.

Where possible, we reused existing finishes, making use of the brickwork and the concrete floor.

2. Storage Ensuring there is adequate storage for items that are not required for certain functions

will not only protect these items from damage through misuse but will also make for a much tidier, smart looking space, which will encourage users to look after the venue.

3. Don’t try to be too clever Trying to create an object or a piece of furniture that can be adapted, folded or broken down in order to perform a multitude of functions often leads to over complicated designs, which are not only expensive to construct but also prone to damage. Keeping it simple and using quality items that are fit for purpose will help increase longevity.

I am certain that, now more than ever, designers will be at the heart of helping the hospitality community survive these challenging times. Our focus will be to design and create welcoming and multi-functional hospitality spaces that meet the needs of the neighbourhoods and communities they serve. It will be an exciting and rewarding challenge that we should all relish. w

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LIVING Property

Extinction event The big beasts of retail property face a wipe-out. In response, they are rapidly evolving into residential and hotel developers. Hammerson are one of the first to turn towards a non-retail development pipeline, as David Thame reports.

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LIVING Property

above Martineau Galleries aerial view image: hammerson

left Plans for the Martineau Galleries development: a new, vibrant neighbourhood in the centre of Birmingham designed

by Glenn Howells Architects

“

It is off-loading its portfolio of out-of-town retail to help pay for the change, and repurposing what had been retail sites with mixed development in mind

”

W

e live in evolutionary times – and this is not good news for dinosaurs.

In the property world, the shopping centre landlords were always the biggest beasts. As predatory as a tyrannosaurus and as cumbersome as a 30-ton brontosaurus, their bellowing across the swamps of real estate drowned out the noise of the smaller, rodent-like office and leisure developers.

Today, the big beasts are in trouble. Intu is a shadow of its former self after its shopping centre assets like the Trafford Centre and Lakeside were forced into administration, and Hammerson, owner of Birmingham’s Bullring, the Bicester outlet village and many other regional centres, has done well to avoid a similar fate.

Even so, if you had bought Hammerson shares five years ago they would now be down in value by 99%, thanks to long-term trends and the hammer-blow of coronavirus, which meant the landlord collected only half the rent due on the January 2021 quarter day. The turmoil cost Hammerson its Financial Director.

This sounds grim – and it is. But it is not nearly as grim as it might be because Hammerson is reinventing itself as a build-to-rent residential, leisure and workspace developer. It is off-loading its portfolio of out-of-town retail to help pay for the change, and repurposing what had been retail sites with mixed development in mind. Hammerson, in short, will be a substantial source of work for the interiors business for years to come.

Schemes in Leicester, Leeds and Birmingham show the direction of travel.

Leicester is perhaps the biggest departure from the old retail-led approach. After toying with BTR development in Dublin, Hammerson has taken the plunge in Leicester. However, their arrangement with local partner, Packaged Living, limits their exposure to what is a new and complex sector.

The former Debenhams store at Hammerson’s 1.2 million sq ft Highcross shopping centre will be redeveloped as 300 BTR apartments. ‘There will also be coworking/flexible workspace and leisure amenities in the scheme, designed by CallisonRTKL. Not only does BTR make good, profitable use of a large empty department store, it also provides 24-hour a day animation (and customers) for the Highcross area.

Hammerson Managing Director, Mark Bourgeois, explains: ‘This is an example of the steps we are taking to manage the structural shift in retail whilst maintaining the vibrancy at our flagship destinations through a diversified offer and mix of uses. It will meet demand for rented accommodation in Leicester city centre and ensure Highcross remains an exciting destination for visitors, whilst supporting local businesses and boosting footfall.’

Hammerson will wade deeper into the sector with a 500-unit BTR at London’s Bishopsgate Goodsyard, and be up to its waist by the time development begins at the Martineau Galleries in Birmingham, where 1,300 units are planned.

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LIVING Property

“

The so-called City Quarters takes plots occupied by shopping centres and repositions them as mixed developments.

”

The key to the rethink is the so-called City Quarters concept. In essence, this takes the plots occupied by shopping centres (or potential shopping centres) and repositions them as mixed developments, with an anchor in the residential sector.

Birmingham’s 7.5 acre Martineau Galleries site was expected to see a 2.9m sq ft retail-led scheme adding a massive eastern extension to Birmingham’s retail core. Such a plan has been obviously bonkers for several years and, since 2018, Hammerson have been pondering the right mix for what is a prominent site with the benefit of a short-walk to the new HS2 station at Curzon Street.

Hammerson now have permission for a scheme that envisages 1.4m sq ft of workspace and 1,300 homes. The retail content is minimal. There will also be a hotel. All that is needed now is a date for work on site to begin.

Given the economic circumstances, that may not be imminent.

Victoria complex is to add a 205-bed hotel as a way to broaden the scheme’s appeal.

Hammerson is currently in discussions with an international hotel brand looking to bring a new boutique hotel to Leeds for visitors and professional travellers.

Hammerson also owns a 10-acre site just north of Victoria Leeds, which will be brought forward for development in due course, creating a new mixed-use City Quarters neighbourhood, perhaps of the Martineau Galleries type. But, once again, don’t hold your breath.

Nobody, least of all a developer with a deeply damaged rental income stream, is going to risk expensive development anytime soon.

Hammerson are not abandoning retail. They are simply trying to escape from imprisonment in a sector that no longer needs their skills in quite the way it did.

Their progress down the workspace, residential and leisure paths will depend on, and be yoked to, their

But if construction work is pushed back, this will give Hammerson time to work up more City Quarter plans.

Some, perhaps many, are likely to be lighter-touch than Birmingham’s, with an emphasis on refashioning existing shopping centres.

This is the approach adopted in Leeds, where Hammerson owns and manages the Victoria Leeds shopping complex. The latest City Quarter twist to the

approach to retail property. And this, in turn, will depend on whether the huge capital outlay this plan demands will be forthcoming from shareholders, banks or elsewhere.

So much is uncertain. But what one can say with certainty is that one of the dinosaurs of retail is determined to become a major presence in the wider property market. w

above Bishopsgate Goodsyard, London. image: buckley gray yeoman

56 | Mix 210 March 2021

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Green day We’re back in Salford – a city we’ve visited a number of times over the past few years. Previously we’ve focused largely on corporate schemes, ranging from the UK’s leading manufacturer of breakfast foods, through to leading media institutions and healthcare providers.

There are four main areas within the overall 515 sq m amenity provision images: gu shi yin

58 | Mix 210 March 2021

T

oday, however, we’re (virtually) moving away from that sector and into one that is positively thriving throughout Greater Manchester. When it comes to forward-thinking build-to-rent (BTR) schemes, this part of the North West is, giving a nod to Salford’s own Happy Mondays, ‘mad fer it’.

The Green Rooms from Amro Living is a sleek, new, BTR scheme, located at MediaCityUK in Salford, offering a luxurious living experience surrounded by fantastic landmarks and a thriving neighbourhood.

The design of the scheme’s extensive ground-floor amenity spaces has been undertaken by Manchester-based architecture and interior design practice 74, who already have a strong reputation for award-winning student amenity spaces and are now bringing that expertise to the BTR market.

Built on the rich artistic, inventive histories of Salford and Manchester, MediaCityUK is a major international hub for technology, innovation and creativity. The conurbation is home to the BBC, ITV and Kellogg’s, as well as over 250

LIVING Amro Living The Green Rooms

smaller media and digital businesses, independent bars, restaurants and boutique shops.

‘Responding to the future growth of MediaCityUK was a key part of our strategic thinking on this project,’ 74 Founder, David Holt, comments. ‘With over £1billion currently invested in the neighbourhood and plans for it to double in size to 7.7 hectares – including 1,800 private sale and BTR apartments and townhouses and 55,000 sq m of additional office space – it really is ‘hot property’ right now. We were delighted to be involved with Amro Living on this project, helping to profile and target the development’s future users with a stand-out suite of amenities.’

The Green Rooms, by AHR Architects, is made up of 238 stylish 1, 2 and 3 bedroom apartments, with enviable views of the waterfront and Manchester’s iconic skyline. 74’s aim for the amenity design was to create a vibrant space that reflected the style, elegance and charm of the surrounding urban landscape and would be inspired by the arts and the people who would use it. The practice undertook a building analysis during the final stages of the base build to ensure each space within the ground floor amenity space would be used to its full potential.

Site analysis revealed the particular desirability of the location – not only because of its waterside siting, but for its proximity to Imperial War Museum North, The Lowry Theatre, MediaCityUK itself and its great transport connections, from Manchester’s Metrolink system through to strong train and bus links and ample local parking.

With MediaCityUK’s existing appeal to technology, media and arts professionals, the site was judged to be attractive to other demographic groups too, including students at Salford University, young families, those working at different types of businesses who would also enjoy the benefits of the location and older single people looking for a good quality of life and the added buzz of community life.

The amenities also needed to be attractive to non-residents, including

above The gallery features glazing and an eyecatching lighting scheme

left Rear elevation of amenity space, alongside the River Irwell

“

Responding to the future growth of MediaCityUK was a key part of our strategic thinking on this project

”

Mix 210 March 2021 | 59

LIVING Amro Living The Green Rooms

The fresco was created by artist Charles Snell of Aster Muro, assisted by four students, over a five day period

local businesses wanting to use the building’s flexible spaces for meetings or events. Analysis of other local offerings in the area was also undertaken to ensure the new scheme’s singularity and differentiation.

The urban landscape fed into the design narrative by reflecting local building forms, patterns and lighting, and interpreting this into the furniture, fittings and finishes. Major influences included the preponderance of monolithic structures and sweeping curves; bold forms, shapes and patterns; reflections from the abundant glazing and the water of the River Irwell; contemporary and organic shapes with neon hues, warm lighting and futuristic lighting shapes and the use of industrial-style materials such as steel panelling and mesh cladding.

It was important that the emotional feel of the scheme would speak to a number of different domestic aesthetics; something sophisticated and strongly linked to the neighbourhood and local community, creating a relaxing and hospitable sanctuary feel, as well as being inviting, inspirational and collaborative, for those seeking to use the amenity spaces.

‘We distilled all of these influences into our design concept,’ David explains, ‘so that the amenity spaces feature a contemporary materiality, whose linearity reflects local architectural language, together with a softening of those clean lines via organic shapes and texture from woven patterns and perforation, as well as the tactility of rugs and throws. Furniture features colourful, bold and bright colourways, with a slightly harder edge through the use of brushed steel and metallic detailing. Health and wellbeing is promoted throughout by careful application of biophilic principles.’

The 515 sq m ground floor amenity space includes four main areas, with individual zones within those, so that the full offer encompasses reception and lobby space, shared workspace, lounge and quiet working area, post boxes, parcel store for residents, gym and shower rooms, fitness studio, staff offices, snug, flexible event space and a bookable meeting room/private dining facility.

The large lobby area at the building’s main entrance is a warm, vibrant and welcoming space, featuring a reception desk and lounge space with a waiting area, post boxes and a coworking and shared workspace to the right-hand side, serviced by a dry bar. On the opposite side of the circulation corridor there is further lounge space and post boxes, as well as a quiet work zone.

A strong feature of the lobby is a 16m x 5m monumental mural across the entire rear wall of the space, created by art studio, Aster Muro, together with students from the Manchester School of Art (MSA). The mural is a unique element of the scheme and, because

Mix 210 March 2021 | 61

LIVING Amro Living The Green Rooms

of the building’s vast glass frontage, effectively also a public piece of art that is visible to those walking past on their way into MediaCity and the BBC’s offices. The fresco was created by artist Charles Snell of Aster Muro in an intense five-day time period in June 2020, assisted by four foundation students from the MSA, who had completed a training placement at the Aster Muro studio in The Wye Valley earlier in the year.

‘Our foundation students were provided with a fabulous opportunity to work on an industry-based brief alongside Aster Muro. Throughout the project, the students were presented with an invaluable experience and were able to observe the technical, complex processes of a highly skilled professional artist at work,’ Benjamin Greenhalgh, Lecturer in Foundation Art and Design at MSA, says.

The fresco uses a powerful palette of pale mint, sage, teals, forest green and rust orange. Pigmented plaster was applied to sub-layers of wet lime-based plaster, before layers of colours were worked on with spatulas, and built up with spray and by hand, in a performative and expressive installation. In addition to this fresco, Aster Muro created a smaller fresco with a softer, more organic palette in the multi-purpose Gallery space to the rear of the ground floor amenities, overlooking the waterfront.

Different aspects of sanctuary and reflection inspire both impressive frescoes.

Directly beyond the large lobby area, the gym features a combination of industrial design-inspired elements, including black metal fixtures and raw plaster with a light timber flooring, gentle lighting and planting. The space also has a strong branding and kinetic graphic design element. A shower room is located opposite the gym, alongside the scheme’s cycle store. above Informal lounge seating zone

right The coworking space looks out to the waterfront and features a second smaller fresco

“

The design links all aspects of the local landscape to ensure The Green Rooms is identifiably unique, providing residents with practical yet impressive elements

” 62 | Mix 210 March 2021

LIVING Amro Living The Green Rooms

below The Gallery, with views across the water to the ITV building

above Gym

Towards the rear of the ground floor is the second set of amenity spaces, including a combined waiting area and public-facing lettings office for The Green Rooms. Although a more visibly landlord-run space, it was important to link the design of this area to the rest of the scheme, therefore it features rugs and throws, stylish storage, timber flooring and a strong joinery and lighting presence.

The Gallery covers the remaining rear ground floor space, with a number of distinct and seamless zones. The separate spaces include the fitness studio, bookable meeting room/private dining room, snug and a flexible smaller space, whilst the central area makes up the main flexible events space, and features informal lounge seating zones.

‘We are delighted with the result of 74’s design concept,’ Cara Gallacher, Regional Property Manager at Amro Property Management, enthuses. ‘The design links all aspects of the local landscape to ensure The Green Rooms is identifiably unique, providing residents with practical yet impressive elements. We are proud to have partnered with 74 on our primary BTR scheme. From conceptualisation to reality, the design is inherently modern and adds character, complementing our large contemporary frescoes.’ w

Client Amro Living Architect Building by AHR Architects Interior Designer 74 Furniture Supplier Telegraph Contract Furniture, MADE Surfaces Mural by Aster Muro Other Enigma Lighting, MailboxesGB, Cube3

Mix 210 March 2021 | 63

THE FINAL WORD

The Good I Shepherd As you may remember, I mentioned that we are beginning a transformation of our offices worldwide, Criteo’s Mike Walley tells us. This is to meet the needs of a newly flexible workforce and I thought I’d share with you some of the twists and turns a complex project like this will take.

Mike Walley is Senior Director of Global Real Estate & Workplace Strategy at Criteo 64 | Mix 210 March 2021

was thinking about how to characterise the project and I kept seeing an image from an old TV show called ‘One Man and his Dog’, in which a shepherd and his dog would attempt to drive a small flock of sheep through various gates on a competition circuit, and finally into a pen. I can clearly see the shepherd, arms flung wide, walking towards the flock as if trying to embrace them all. Curt little whistles moving the dog to the left or the right, easing forwards all the time until the sheep were all in the pen. Then the shepherd would step smartly forward and close the gate to a light smattering of applause.

I thought that’s just how this project is going to run – the project manager sweeping us all along in his wide embrace towards the final pen of completion, followed by a round of applause from all the stakeholders.

I think I was a little bit optimistic. Either we got cats instead of sheep, or I think the dog might be deaf.

It was said by a wiser man than I that ‘no battle plan survives the first shot’. He must have been in the room, laughing like a drain, as I laid out the project plans to my team.

As a start, I wanted to gather all the important people together for a kick-off call to explain the process, and so sent a carefully crafted invite that subtly hinted at the importance of engagement to the success of the project and invited them to join a call. By return I received, from almost the entire invite list, requests to change the day and time of the meeting. One of my team pointed out that this was engagement, as they all clearly wanted to attend, but it did leave me back at square one as

every single one of them had proposed a different day and time. So now I either had to try again, or plan for 15 separate meetings. I tried again, this time with a bit of applied psychology.

I chose a time that was early enough in my morning to ensure the team from APAC did not have to stay up late into the night. But I didn’t make it so early that the European team were required to attend before the start of normal working hours (a bit of a no-no, that). Neither was it so late that it got close to lunchtime, as that can impact attendance too. The US team are generally early risers, so they just rolled with it.

I made it on a Tuesday because Monday is when everyone is gearing up for the week and is a bit wary of taking on too much too soon; Wednesday is when enthusiasm and excitement with work is beginning to wane in the face of an impending weekend; Thursday is a slow start day, and no-one wants to do anything on Friday, if it can be avoided.

I held my breath and hit send. It took a day or two, but we got about 70% of the invitees sending an acceptance. As far as I’m concerned, that’s a quorum!

All that effort and this is just the first meeting.

But...I have to keep reminding myself that not everyone is interested in the project like I am. But I am painfully aware they will all have a view on the outcome. So, I will find the best sheepdogs I can and persevere in rounding them up into Zoom calls until we can step smartly forward, close the gate on a completed project and turn to take the applause we are due.

Now we just have to survive the meeting!w

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