Mix interiors 169 by Mix_Interiors

Mix Interiors 169

November 2016

VINTAGEIS5 WORLD PREMIERE

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TECHN. INFO

INTERSTUHL.COM/VINTAGE

PRODUCT DESIGN: VOLKER EYSING

UPFRONT 10

Inside 50

PROFILE 64 64 Volker Eysing

10 Seven... 18 Forward Thinking

REVIEW 68

21 Material Matters

68 MixInspired Manchester

22 Desert Island Desks

72 Regional Review: Manchester 74 Orgatec

SPOTLIGHT 25 26 The Big Question

PREVIEW 84

28 Trends

84 Surface Design Show

44 Round Table

86 Mixology North

CASE STUDIES 50

50 Sky Technical Centre, Leeds 58 BW Workplace Experts, London

The cover

The logo Inspired by daylight's ability to momentarily draw your attention to interior elements, the logo brings a transient sense of the outside inside to highlight the material's texture. Implying the type is physically in the space, interacting with the material, reflects forpeople’s signature approach – to seamlessly combine 2D, 3D, analogue and digital into a single execution. www.forpeople.co.uk The cover image Milliken is inspired by the power and beauty that meaningful design can deliver. Their Clerkenwell collection captures this perfectly; quirky, independent and free-spirited, the designs feature bold geometric shapes layered onto complex textural backgrounds. www.millikencarpet.com MIX INTERIORS 169

USB charging module set to revolutionise the way we use on more and more devices using USB the demand for traditional k is falling. This stylish and fully in integrated module simply under desk power using a Wieland or plug to offer 2 USB pable of charging all leading phones and tablets.

Mix Interiors 169

November 2016

A Word

from Mick Unbelievably, this is our final issue of 2016. I’m not sure where the year went. Still, it hasn’t exactly been uneventful. I wonder what odds you could have got on a Brexit/Trump/ Leicester City treble? Despite these seismic events (and yes, I am including Leicester in that) the majority of the industry appears to (or at least tells us they are) cautiously getting on with getting on. Our forays up and down the UK have certainly shown us that there is a great deal of optimism and some dynamic plans still very much in place in cities such as Cardiff, Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow and, of course, the United State of London. From a slightly wider perspective, it was interesting to see that pretty much the only

talk of Brexit and its consequences at last month’s Orgatec (for a full review, go to page 80) in Cologne was how much more expensive beer now is compared to when we were all last drinking in the city two years ago! It’s a well-worn phrase, but it appears we are ‘carrying on regardless’. That said, I am writing this just hours after the shock that was the US presidential election. It will certainly be interesting to see the fallout/ reaction from across the pond. On a lighter note, we’re looking forward to seeing a lot of you at next month’s Mixology North – at our brand new venue, Manchester Central. For those not lucky enough to have a Golden Wristband, have a great Christmas and New Year.

NOVEMBER 2016 TRENDS

Back issues Contact us to buy back issues: rebecca@mixinteriors.com MIX INTERIORS 167

CMD's New Inca power and USB charging module has been designed specifically for communal areas and meeting rooms. It is available in black, grey and white and has four faces that can be configured to provide a range of power and charging solutions for any working environment.

Mix Interiors 167

September 2016

SEPTEMBER 2016

Editor Mick Jordan mick@mixinteriors.com

Regular Contributors Mark Eltringham Steve Gale

Editorial support Rebecca Sabato rebecca@mixinteriors.com

Address Mix Media Limited 2 Abito 85 Greengate Manchester M3 7NA

Director David Smalley david@mixinteriors.com

THE INNOVATION GAME MIX INTERIORS 167

Get in touch

Mix Interiors 167

September 2016

Designer Georgina Nicklin georgina@mixinteriors.com

SEPTEMBER 2016

Managing director Marcie Incarico marcie@mixinteriors.com Founding publisher Henry Pugh

Telephone 0161 946 6262 e-mail editorial@mixinteriors.com Website www.mixinteriors.com Twitter @mixinteriors

THE INNOVATION GAME

Subscriptions To ensure that a regular copy of Mix Interiors reaches your desk, please call 0161 946 6262 or e-mail: sales@mixinteriors.com Annual subscription charges UK single £45.50, UK corporate (up to 5 individuals) £140, Europe £135 (airmail), Outside Europe £165 (airmail). Printed by S&G Print ISSN 1757-2371

ROK by Jim Hamliton

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Mix Interiors 160

w w w. g o f . c o . u k

Mix Interiors 160

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Upfront

Seven ways that water might percolate into our lives

It is a well-known fact that our brains are about 70% water and our bodies around 50-75% but we seldom think about it or how it interacts with us every day. Kim Findlay, National A&D Development Manager at Edge Design, runs Alive & Well – a charity sinking water wells in Sierra Leone, so possibly thinks about water a little bit more often than most. 1. WATER MUSIC Hanrahan Meyers, the architects for The Digital Water i-Pavilion in Battery Park in New York, say that water is written into the fabric of the building and forms an integral part of its interaction with users and the public. The scheme features a curved glass wall etched with a digital bar code that can activate a smartphone to play ‘WaTER’, a piece by New York based composer Michael Schumacher.

2. HIGH WATER Where is the largest and most exciting fountain in the world? Dubai of course. WET Design’s Dubai Fountain, situated in front of the Dubai Tower, springs from a 32 acre lake, its main whoosh squirting some 140 metres into the air and lifting 83,000 litres of water at a time. There is a show every half-hour from a repertoire of over 1,000 individually choreographed performances, illuminated by 6,600 lights and controlled by a mind-bogglingly clever app no doubt.

4. TROUBLED WATER It is an ironic fact that, only 20 to 30 metres below the surface, in many areas of West Africa there are billions of litres of water. During the rainy season it percolates down into aquifers. The problem is getting that water back up to the surface in the long dry season as rivers slow and turn into mosquito infested contaminated puddles. Sinking a well, which can supply up to 250 people, in the centre of a village, makes a massive impact. It will improve health and reduce infant mortality rates.

3. OLD WATER Roman aqueducts are incredible structures – so incredible in fact that some are still in full working order. Split, the principle city on the Dalmatian coast of Croatia, is still served by the Diocletian Aqueduct, constructed between the end of the 3rd and the 4th century AD. It takes water from the Jadro River, at a very gradual gradient, across 9 kilometres into the centre of the city.

Upfront 5. YOUR WATER Given the figures, it is not surprising that being inadequately hydrated can affect how we feel and perform at work. Today the site of water bottles dotted around the office is not uncommon but it’s worthwhile knowing that the European Food Safety Authority recommends a total water intake of 2.5 litres for men and 2.0 litres for women per day – ideally 70-80% from drinks and 20-30% from foods.

2.5 L

per day

7. WATER PIXELS A waterfall in the office might be a bit difficult to organise and your neighbours on the floor below could get a little concerned. Salesforce have got around this problem, with Fusion CIS creating a never-ending pixelated deluge, which is projected on to a vast 8x9 meter CGI screen on the wall of their San Francisco offices. Staff say it invigorates them every morning. Go to YouTube and have a look.

per day

6. COOLER WATER It is generally agreed that the first water cooler was invented in the early 1900's by, Halsey Willard Taylor and Luther Haws, and was patented in 1911. Taylor, a sanitary inspector, saw that contaminated water was likely to cause poor health. The UK industry is now worth an estimated £225 million and there are nearly ¾ million water coolers out there. Just imagine how many water cooler moments that means.

yuno The smart alternative to the folding table.

ing Stackithout w

folding

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Upfront

RHINO + MAREL MANCHESTER ARCHITECTS

Darius Haughton, Projects Director at Midlands based interiors group, Rhino Interiors Group, shared with us one of his 'favourite interior design projects'. Marel is a machinery manufacturer for the fish, poultry and meat industry, based at Birmingham Business Park. Marel wanted a new office with a ‘European/Scandinavian flavour’ design, relative to their native history as an Icelandic company. The 7,800 sq ft project, which was finished in July and took six weeks, was made more complex due to the need to import special finishes and the labour intensive specialist flooring finishes. We'd quite like to work there.

The annual Manchester Architects dinner this year headed to the Imperial War Museum North and, by any standards, was a great success. Jane Duncan, the current president of RIBA, gave a rousing speech to over 350 guests, who warmly welcomed her obviously fondness of the city. The dinner summarised a great year for the city’s finest and the handover of the role as President of the Manchester Architects from Lisa Mcfarlane (Mixology Judge 2016) to BDP's Ged Couser (Mixology winner 2015), who takes on the role in January 2017. We also had the pleasure of meeting the new North West RIBA regional chair, Mick Goode, Director at Croft Goode.

CAMIRA MEETS SPATIAL Manchester's fast-growing Spatial Office Environments has just completed the 1,300 sq ft fit-out of Camira Fabric's brand new showroom in the heart of Clerkenwell. The new showroom, which fills the entire ground floor of the Poppy Building in the pedestrianised Brewhouse Yard, has been created, we are told, to 'provide a dedicated, user-focused textile resource for fabric specifiers and designers'. Spatial, formed in 2014 by Paul Eatock, Elliott Pace, and Phil Simmonds, have been already been incredbly successful, achieving revenues of £1.2m in their first year, £1.7m in their second and are on track to achieve an impressive £4m in 2016. Like most properties in Clerkenwell, space in Camira’s new showroom was at a premium, so to increase the usable capacity a large mezzanine floor with a custom made handrail and staircase was fabricated. Camira had one of the busiest stands at Orgatec and the team will be looking to emulate that buzz in Clerkenwell. Camira’s charming Director of UK Sales, Abdul Ali, commented: 'We’re thrilled to be moving into such a fantastic new location which will make it so much more convenient for customers to be able to access our full range of fabrics, whether it’s just to pick up a few samples or develop and discuss projects with our own design team. Spatial and Ingo Interiors have done a great job in translating and then realising our concept into a flexible, functional but above all visually stunning showroom to give us a new permanent home in Brewhouse Yard.'

Upfront

Featured Project DBRS, Fenchurch Street

SPECIALIST JOINERY GROUP

T +44 (0) 28 796 43021 W www.sjg.co.uk

Parkeray Originate Architects

Upfront

BENE IN COLOGNE It was all go in Cologne last month. A bit like the US election, we are missing it already. In a special event held during Orgatec (at its Cologne showroom), Bene presented its latest workstation product lines DELTA and T-PANEL, as well as a new modular furniture programme, PIXEL. A panel of international luminaries, including Tom Lloyd of PearsonLloyd Studio, Philip Ross of the Ungroup and architect Stefan Camenzind, also featured at the event, discussing the trend towards more open and playful working environments. PIXEL is a system of boxes composed of unprocessed pine plywood that can be quickly and easily combined to create a wide variety of spatial settings – be it a table, seating or a storage solution. Regarding the range, we are told 'Flexible and unpretentious, PIXEL is designed to facilitate teamwork, making an important contribution to internal company communication, and thus to the success of the company'. It seems that at the very least some of our A-Z of Trends Spotlight (page 25) is on the right track.

BCFA OPEN EXHIBITION IN MANCHESTER The first ever BCFA OPEN exhibition was held at the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester in late October, where BCFA members showcased some of the latest designs in contract design. BCFA have created this event for their members to be able to exhibit at a northern venue and give their northern clients an opportunity to see them without having to travel to London. We are told there was a great response from local designers and, in addition, industry specific discussions provided some cerebral content to the fair. Asked if there are plans to do it again, the BCFA answered to the affirmative and we were told that 'overall, the BCFA had a wonderful first event and the feedback has been brilliant for the opening exhibition'. The BCFA will be hosting the next BCFA OPEN, in London at the Old Truman Brewery in March (28th - 29th).

FLEXIFORM – SOMETHING OLD SOMETHING NEW The nice people at Bradford-based Flexiform visited the Mix office last month to proudly tell us about something old and something new – our words, not theirs. Flexiform’s Ferro industrial furniture range was specified by Absolute Interiors for the online retailer Beer Hawks (they hunt out good beer for you) for their 3,500 sq ft new headquarters in Wetherby, West Yorkshire. Each piece of the Ferro furniture produced for the installation is unique. Reclaimed scaffold planks were used for the surface of the tables, with exposed welding on the frames. Something quite different was the supply of the sit/stand desk option at the University of Huddersfield's Business School. JotUp is Flexiform’s new range of sit/stand desking, which offers all the usual benefits of height adjustability and also features software that prompts the user to stand. Sounds a bit bossy – but we like it.

Upfront

New For 2017

Mocha Slate Mocha

imperial Office

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Slate 15

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Upfront

WORD

GRESHAM CELEBRATES 40TH BIRTHDAY WITH RECORD YEAR Gresham is celebrating its 40th birthday this month and is set to achieve a record £30m turnover by the end of the financial year. Launched in 1976, the family-run business has increased turnover significantly on the back of an ambitious business development strategy which has included a rebrand, product launches and expansion into new markets. Investment in Gresham’s production plant has enhanced operating efficiencies, while the acquisition of a site adjacent to its Bolton HQ will allow for further expansion over the next few years. Gresham will re-launch its Northern showroom in 2017 following a redesign and refurbishment – we look forward to the invite.

WALKIE-TALKIE

In this month’s Word Up, we to take a less than serious look at how one of the current industry buzzwords can be interpreted in very different ways by different people.

Agile

End user How we fit more people into a smaller space. Just think of the real estate cost savings! Plus, it makes us sound a bit like Google – because I’ve heard they are really agile. Swings and slides it is then.

Dealer Right everyone, forget about desks, let’s start thinking sofas and pods – lots of lovely expensive high-backed things. Just think about those lovely margins!

Designer We love agility – it means we don’t have to ruin our beautiful scheme with rows and rows of desks. We’re thinking cool, hipster hotel or Upper Class lounge here – lots of classic furniture and warehouse chic.

Manufacturer Sod it. We’ve just come up with all this new systems furniture stuff and all these companies want fewer of them. Ok, let’s get working on some high-backed sofas. And pods.

Mix With today’s forward thinking advancements we don’t need to be shackled to a desk between the hours of 9-to-5. We can simply take our phones and our laptops, tap into a wireless network and ‘work’ from pretty much any bar or pub we want to.

DBRS is the fourth largest ratings agency in the world, with offices in Toronto, New York, London, Chicago and Mexico City. Originate Architects recently designed their new offices on the 31st floor of 20 Fenchurch Street (the Walkie-Talkie Building). The design concept was to create total flexibility and, to this end, the entire reception area can be converted to a large ‘town hall’ meeting space for over 200 people. The reception desk, created by Mixology winners, Specialist Joinery Group, can be broken down and moved or converted into a serving table. New cafe and meeting spaces were designed and the material palette will now be adopted for all DBRS corporate offices.

Upfront

Culture is an iceberg An office must perform functionally, like a new kitchen or a car, but it can also have personality, M Moser's Steve Gale muses. We all recognise the functional and the aesthetic drivers in any design exercise. So if we can agree that an office must perform functionally, can it also have personality? If personality is like the culture in the organisation, how does design reflect a culture? The designer’s raw material is an empty shell, a vanilla box to be transformed into a home for a business with its own unique identity, a neutral canvas waiting for meaning to be added. Organisations usually take their culture very seriously and recognise its power, producing 'core values' compressed into cringingly gawky slogans, and spelt out on a prominent wall in a jaunty font. Despite the clumsy efforts, you can bet the CEO knows how important the culture is, like Louis Gerstner of IBM who said 'Culture isn’t just one aspect of the game, it is the game'. But still we struggle to express culture in the workplace. Its influence gets crowded out by the many functional demands. Designers are asked to concentrate on the practical problems rather than the abstract ones, creating space as functional as a factory, but as charismatic as a boiled egg. This is not a trivial point, buildings can express their personality like people, or keep it to themselves – it is a matter of choice. Either way you broadcast a message, and the effect is immediate and recognisable. If the organisation’s values are interpreted in the design, it’s called congruence. But if a building says one thing and the culture says another, that’s presumably what psychologists would call incongruence. Better to remain silent than make a false declaration. Just as we try to capture a corporate culture in words, we can attempt to express it in physical form.

Culture as a sort of collective psychology can be the glue which holds people together. It gives unwritten direction to employees, and demonstrates to customers what an organisation stands for. 'It’s how we do things around here' was the way Marvin Bower of McKinsey described it when he was in charge. Bower nailed one critical fact – culture, being intangible, is only revealed by what people do and say. Actions are visible and we can recognise them from 20 paces, unlike the thoughts that create them, which are invisible.

Dress

Foods

Celebrations

Values Customs

So actions are as close as we can get to values and beliefs. This loose connection between behaviour and motivation is one of the reasons that there really isn’t a common vocabulary to describe culture. Fortunately there is a nice simple model called the 'iceberg of culture' that links behaviour and beliefs. It proposes that if a culture is thought of as an iceberg then the behavioural part is above a notional water line and therefore on show to the world, while the emotional and psychological drivers reside below, where they are obscured, or at least less visible. Although I’ve never seen an iceberg, I get it – 90% of it is out of sight.

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

Language Traditions

Rules

Perception

Status

Roles

...creating space as functional as a factory, but as charismatic as a boiled egg

Arts

Behaviours

Thought pattern Beliefs

It makes the point that we can easily see and hear what people do in fresh air and plain sight (above the water line), but it’s much harder to detect and identify the motivations driving them in the dark murky depths of the psyche (below the water line) – and they are all part of the same mechanism. Architecture, as a type of language, should try to reflect the values and beliefs held in the watery deep. In this way design, when sympathetically executed, can attempt to represent an organisation’s culture. In the corporate world the workplace is often deliberately anonymous, and the culture is obscured by dreary 'office' furniture, lighting, carpets and meeting spaces. Few people love it, but it has been studiously refined to be inoffensive. In the constant battle to recruit and retain talent, how many organisations want their culture to be summarised as 'inoffensive'?

Upfront

Material Matters

In this month’s Material Matters, the team of experts at Material Lab explores surfaces that blend simplicity with the appearance of luxury. www.material-lab.co.uk Johnson Tiles celebrates serenity with the launch of its Eminence range Combining subtlety of colour with textural pattern, Eminence is a range of glazed ceramic wall tiles, designed to inspire a sense of calm serenity in busy spaces. Available in five finishes, one size – 600x300mm – and one colour, the range offers sophisticated impact. Choose from Flower, Ripple and Weave, or simply a Gloss or Matt finish. Whether used in a commercial or residential setting, Eminence brings new meaning to the concept of understated elegance. www.johnson-tiles.com

Transforming waste into unique building materials with StoneCycling A concept originally conceived at the Eindhoven Design Academy in the Netherlands, StoneCycling is the brainchild of Tom van Soest. During his studies, the company's co-founder explored the potential for transforming waste into building materials. And the results are both innovative and inspiring. StoneCycling has since become one of the pioneers in designing, developing and producing unique building materials from waste, having launched its first product, WasteBasedBricks. www.stonecycling.com

Formica Group presents the next generation of surfacing – to Infiniti and beyond Featuring a contemporary Matte finish, and abrasion resistance, Formica Infiniti is as beautiful as it is durable. Boasting qualities such as a moleskin-like texture, being fingerprint resistant, and having thermal healing capabilities, the range is available in a palette of 20 colours, including 10 naturally inspired hues, three patterns and seven vibrant shades. As such, it’s a smart solution for high-end commercial offices, retail environments and fine dining establishments, where a luxurious surface is required to provide strong aesthetics, whilst standing the test of time. www.formica.com

Altuglas combines manufacturing and innovation for Signature range of technical plastics The usage possibilities of acrylic and resin in surface design are almost endless. And when it comes to technical plastics, Altuglas is an industry leader. Developed by Arkema, the Altuglas Signature collection offers seven designs of fine-thread, lace or non-woven materials enveloped in acrylic sheet. Designed specifically for the A&D community, Altuglas Signature features stunning optical effects, thanks to LED edging, and offers a customising service for bespoke solutions. www.altuglas.com

Upfront

Desert Island Desks

This month's desert island castaway is Originate's Associate Interior Designer, Joanne Sanger.

1. ROAD BIKE I bought this bike six years ago, primarily for cycling to work. It was a serious upgrade from my previous second hand ebay bargain! A friend then got me involved in triathlons and I’ve become totally hooked on cycling, if not the Lyrca. I would miss the regular daily exercise without it and a bike would be a great way to explore the island.

2. AESOP AFTERSUN And for complete luxury, a girl's got to look after her skin. The Aesop products are so delicious, I would love to be using them daily.

4 4. GLOBAL KNIFE These knives are a beautiful design, very simple and elegant. I enjoy cooking, well, eating really, and one item I wouldn’t be without in the kitchen is my global knife set.

3. WEIMARANER I’d love to own a dog, especially a Weimaraner – and not just because they’re grey! On a desert island I’d be able to give him all the time and devotion he would need. I’m sure the company would be most welcome and he’d be a perfect companion.

Web www.sixteen3.co.uk

Email info@sixteen3.co.uk

Tel 01925 850500

6 6. FLOR DE CANA RUM While reclining in the hammock I’d need refreshment; a bottle or two of Flor de Cana rum would do the trick, allowing me to re-live some happy memories of travelling around South America.

London Showroom The Gallery, 21-22 Great Sutton St. EC1V 0DY / Manufacture/Showroom Chesford Grange, Woolston, Warrington, Cheshire, WA1 4RQ

5. HAMMOCK I bought this hammock while travelling in Peru eight years ago and since then it’s been buried away at the bottom of a cupboard. It would be great to have the weather and time to relax in it; there’s not been much call for a hammock here in East London!

Upfront

Introducing...

Bringing sophistication and simplicity to any interior space. Experiment by using any of the nine different shapes available.

www.johnson-tiles.com

Spotlight

The Big Question

Aâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;Z of Trends

28 25

Spotlight - Trends

The Big ?uestion Having attended the recent Orgatec fair, what was the single major trend you found from the leading exhibitors?

Phidias Leonida Jones & Partners

Mark Pearson Heatons

Carl Gearing PwC

Gary Helm H4 Consult

Elena Panagiotidis Perkins+Will

Ralph Hearnshaw Bisley

Walking the aisles this year I was struck by a few things, nothing earth shattering, no big idea, just stuff. Domestication of the office is firmly on the menu. According to many, if it’s wood it’s good. Felted materials are still a favourite among the manufacturers. Products for acoustic management continue to make some noise. Show goers were still backslapping but there was real business going on in the background – it felt a bit more like Milan than Cologne, but with sausages and beer.

Emotional connectivity! Products and settings that entice workers back to the office. Perhaps a realisation from leading exhibitors that if people stop coming in to the office, organisational cultures and communities won’t exist. Not only must spaces be functional and adaptable, they must also be places that people choose to work from.

For me this year was not so much about innovation, but more consolidation and evolution of existing trends. Co-working, shared spaces grow in importance from technological advances. What were once semi-private spaces are becoming much more enclosed, secular ones, combined with developments in acoustic products and materials to create pure focus environments.

Simplicity of forms, refinement of design to create products with concealed mechanisms and integrated technologies. Sophisticated new designs that have free-flowing lines and luxurious finishes. Leading exhibitor stands conveyed their message; open light collaborative spaces highlighted their products of new innovative ways of working. Dark, moody atmospheric stands showed themselves as the luxurious welcoming alternative.

Umbrella editorial banner Mix Interiors November 2016 copy.pdf 1 02/11/2016 13:53:18

After bringing down walls in the office for many years now, the office has no private space. The new trends are to put these back in at the right level – as well as the acoustics required, size, comfort and workability. More office space is being turned into furniture-less main contractor works, with less bespoke joinery. Clever, flexible multifunctional furniture is being used. Focus on projects was reflected by most manufacturers – who moved away from workstations and more to soft alternative settings. The clever bit for all of us is getting these settings right.

From a personal perspective, the exhibition felt busier, more vibrant and more upbeat than in recent years. Orgatec has always been a great event for networking, meeting clients and showing product, but the quality of many of the displays this year was particularly compelling. If I had to pick a single trend, I would say ‘organic’ workspaces. Traditional, formal layouts and products were barely evident, but the recurrent themes of collaborative and informal working seem to be here to stay.

THE FURNITURE SPECIALISTS

e: ma�@umbrellafurniture.com m: 07960 479 569

www.umbrellafurniture.com

CMY

Spotlight - Trends

trinetic.com 27

Spotlight - Trends

A-Z

OF TRENDS

Our world is changing. No, we're not talking about the geopolitical impact of Brexit and Trump – more important things are happening in the world of the workspace. Almost daily we are alerted to new ideas – the same ideas that our readers have to be aware of when they sit down with their ever more knowledable clients. In order to illustrate the latest workplace trends we decided to use the ancient Latin script – the 26 letters of the alphabet. We have aimed not to be too insular by focusing solely on interiors but raised our sights and looked more broadly at the workplace from a client’s perspective. Also, note that we are looking at the relative value of the 'trend', not whether it's 'trendy'. Productivity of workers is key to most clients; getting the most from staff whilst reducing the reasons to leave and increasing the reasons to join. Broadly we believe that three of the key reasons people are happy at work are; when they have a

degree of autonomy, when they are rewarded and recognised and, finally, when they develop as an individual. You will see many of the 26 letters are related to these motivational factors Additionally, it is ever more clear and accepted that there is no one blueprint for anyone workplace. Even what appears to be an identikit professional firm will require a subtly different workplace for London to that in Leeds. Also added to this complex matrix of the workplace is the constant shift in the age of the population, knowledge and technology. A complex matter that everyone has a view. Steve Gale (page 18) talks about the importance of culture in the office and how designers are increasingly expected to get that culture as they design the 'function'. Mark Eltringham (page 92) is on the same page but bemoans the term 'office of the future' and defends open plan – if it fits with the client's culture.

Bulbs With the much improved variance and manufacturing processes of LED lighting, we believe more and more offices will want to have smart, energy efficient lights fitted. Plumen, the London-based lighting firm, has created an LED Edison light bulb (WattNott) that they suggest will last 25 years. Technology and therefore choice has now turned lighting from a function to much more – and clients know it.

Acoustics A good acoustic space is about the reduction of speech intelligibility where privacy or concentrated work are required, and increasing it where communication and collaboration take place. The focus should not be on reducing noise levels, but rather manipulating the clarity of the speech signal. Products should therefore be particularly effective at speech frequencies.

Spotlight - Trends

Dual Screens We have seen a significant increase in the use of dual screens across the board. Supply of dual screen arms has risen tremendously. Screens have become cheap enough that the benefits of worker efficiency far outweigh the relatively small additional cost. And we all agree that if you have two screens you look more important!

Connected Spaces We see a future of Smart Rooms and furniture that connects to each other or the internet. Hot desking solutions that know prehand who is due to occupy the space, which sets up the desk computer or VoIP phone for that individual, or meeting rooms that link in with your calender solution so that people know at a glance that the room is booked. Visionectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s digital Joan Meeting Room Assistant is one such product we are starting to see in use.

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Education As the magazine goes to press we will be attending various events at Workplace Week in London. Andrew Mawson, Advanced Workplace Associates (AWA), makes an excellent point that we can put under 'E'. With all the changes happening in workplace over the past few years, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s imperative that our workforce is provided with the knowledge of how they can maximise their own performance. This means everything from understanding how to use different furniture to learning how the Internet of Things can help an organisation save energy and money. As with any change, we must recognise the importance of educating the user so they too see the benefits.

Spotlight - Trends

Free Time With an increase in technical businesses, flexible working hours, collaboration zones and flexible working practices, we see more businesses moving towards a similar approach to Google's 80:20 rule, where staff can utilise 20% of their working time in developing an interest of theirs – so long as what they work on has potential to further the business. A little like taking an afternoon nap, this may not be for every workplace culture.

Hotelling As we know, large open spaces appear to breed cooperation and creativity. Added to this, the transitory nature of some staff has led to the latest trend of actually using less space. Once the client/ designer is sure less space is needed, shared rather than owned is the order of the day – hence its name, hotelling. Our belief is 'more activity in less space' – and this will be a key topic in most designer/client discussions over the next 12 months.

Games An innovation or oxymoron? Gaming in the workspace is on the increase as clients demand relaxed areas that will help staff build working relationships and foster collaboration. The ubiquitous table tennis and pool table...this is a phenomenon that will not go away. As the workplace begins to emulate the home more and more, we have seen gaming zones increase. The list of possibilities for the designer also continues to increase and now include areas for pinball machines, arcade games, X-boxes, darts and massive TVs. Beyond the belief that a workplace environment with 'games' is a good thing to make a company statement, it has the crucial result of bringing staff together and increasing that sense of community – the real reason for the ping pong!

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CASCARA

ELITE OFFICE FURNITURE UK LTD T. +44 (0)1405 746000 Head Office, Factory & Showroom T. +44 (0)20 7490 4909 London Office & Showroom www.elite-furniture.co.uk E. info@elite-furniture.co.uk E. londonshowroom@elite-furniture.co.uk

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Spotlight

in partnership with

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Job Function With continuous changes in technology and expected shifts in working culture, many organisations are creating workspaces with flexibility built in. It is becoming increasingly difficult for companies to predict which job functions there will be in the next few years. Many positions didn't exist five years ago, and companies will find it challenging to accurately predict what new staff will need. One job function that has always been central to people managment but not necssary workplace design is the HR director. This is changing and fast. We recently had the pleasure of meeting one such person who typifiies the very modern HR director: Sally Sellers. You will hear more of her amazing story as she led a team that is transforming the headquarters of BSI.

50%

Independent Workers

PeoplePerHour (website for freelancers) predicts that 50% of the UK workforce could be made up of independent workers by 2020. We think big implications for clients and therefore workspaces.

Keeping Close We know, it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t sound like a trend, but it is. On the one hand, technology has allowed us to improve our communication over vast distances and allow remote working to flourish. However, close proximity has some distinct advantages. Independent studies conducted by Ben Waber, President and CEO of Sociometric Solutions (left), found physical closeness boosts virtual communication. As the workplace has changed from offices to cubicles, open plan to collaborative spaces, the challenge has been to show productivity value, until now. The use of wearable technology (covered later) will, for some organisations, be a key tool to help prove the age old question of productivity.

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Living Walls Whilst many of these Biophilic monsters are only seen at exhibitions or on external walls, we hear of more and more being specified. For the client the benefits include: an impressive design feature ideal for breaking the ice with a visiting client, it shows off, to some extent at least, the client’s commitment to the environment, whilst they also have great acoustic qualities and we think make workers happy. One of the best stands at Orgatec was hosted by Haworth. Whilst they were not alone in promoting the greener office, their 'jungle' showed that with the right design, planting can make a difference. A number of you, through our MixInspired events, will have heard Oliver Heath talk with great conviction about the value of Biophilic

Monitoring

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We recently met with a Workspace Director of a Unicorn business (tech start-up that reaches $1b market value). One of his objectives was to understand which parts of the office were being used in order to plan the next stage of their development. As we are all now in agreement, the encouragement of encouraging staff to get up and move around has its benefits but just how do you monitor how well the different areas of your very expensive office are used? Our new friend ideally wanted to use individual electronic tags, usually connected to the person's ID badge (Radio-frequency identification is one method for Automatic Identification and Data Capture). He also looked at trying to analyse workspace utilisation by placing a number of network receivers, usually under the desk, which feed back and log occupancy levels. We hope to catch up with him at one our MixInspied events in London to see how he's getting on.

design. Research has shown the positive effect features such as plants, natural light, and views of nature have on employees. According to a Report by Human Spaces, offices with plants and natural light can increase productivity by 6% and creativity by 15%. Yet, 47% of employees work in offices with no natural light, while 55% don't have any greenery. Understanding that wellbeing is connected to productivity has given fuel to the Biophilic design chant. A Mix Roundtable to be featured in the January issue, will ask just how successful designers have been in convincing clients that they should spend more money. Another way of immersing the team in nature is to, weather permitting, create a place outside – and simply work there!

Natural Materials The world has never been so technologically advanced and yet, perhaps as a foil, we crave the old (vintage) and natural. Railway sleepers have never been so popular – certainly not in office design. We are also seeing a greater trend towards craftmanship, through some wonderful examples of bespoke joinery and luxurious seating. As leading designers, our readers are already using natural materials, the majority of which are hopefully sourced locally, but spare a thought for the 20% of workers that have no natural elements at all, or even worse, the near half that don’t even have natural light.

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4 IMPROVE HEALTH

Jot-Up

4 IMPROVE PRODUCTIVITY

4 IMPROVE THE WORKPLACE

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- Software calculates calories burnt

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Open Plan Open plan is here to stay. There is, however, still disagreement on just how effective it is in achieving those vital level of productivity. Too much noise and distractions are regularly sited as negatives. However, perhaps the culture, not the physical make up, is the real cause for the bad repulation of open plan. We believe that as open plan becomes ‘Open Plan 2’, we will see a true mix of environments with the subtle use of different floorings, screens and lighting all in evidence. The net result is likely to be much more subtle than just opening up the floor plan and sitting everyone at tables in the hope that collaboration will thrive.

People Having an interior designer drop a treehouse / slide / other elaborate feature in the middle of your office may sound like a fun idea but whether it actually does anything for an organisation is another matter. Designers should work with end users to make sure that people and their needs are always placed at the centre of the workplace offering. It is, after all, people who will inhabit that space and, for many, a treehouse in the building is taking things a bit too far. Also related to people is Personalisation – hot desking, once the very essence of the modern workplace, now comes with a set of limitations. Although the freedom of movement can encourage collaboration, a nomadic working style can stifle our personalities and means we can’t wholly express ourselves.

A conservative e estimate puts th ay aw number of take an th coffees at more ly on st 8m a day. At be e ar one in 400 cups recycled.

Quiet Time A lovely trend that we are seeing more and more is the 'coffee shop' in the workplace. Not a Starbucks but a social area with good coffee. Opus-4 shared with us some great examples; they are seeing the merging of the best elements from the hotel, restaurant, coffee shop and university campus being recreated in the workplace. The suggestion for greater budget allocation for a social space can be challenging for any designer, but clients are getting it and seeing the value of the investment. One such end user recently told us that they created a cafe area from an underused office. The cafe space is now being used 'all day, every day', from the rush hour avioders through to meetings and social gatherings. Crucially, the staff are very positive about the new development Being realistic it will not be for everyone – but with the number of firms looking to attract talent increasing, it will be a prerequisite – good old social proofing.

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H3335 ST28 Profile

Your inspiration reloaded. The new Egger Decorative Collection – coming January 2017.

The new styles in the new EGGER Decorative Collection will have you buzzing with ideas. You can already preview a selection of our exciting new styles, including Living Nature, Loft Living and Handcrafted. But that’s not all – from a comprehensive range of decors incorporating the latest technological advances, to the full suite of supporting products and services, the collection is designed to fully support your daily work.

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Steps & Slides

one on the way up the other on the way out!

Solar Glass Remanufacturing

Already a hot subject in the hospitality sector, energy harvesting in the workplace will be a subject that is much more widely discussed. In tall buildings with limited roof space, the potential to generate power through photovoltaic glass panels is significant – where there is a roof, replacing tiles with solar bricks is a really exciting idea . Recovering energy from solar will help power small electrical circuits / passive wireless power modules. The cost and relative value of all solar technology will continue to improve and then we’ll see the widespread use of photovoltaics in the workplace.

This is an image is of a Radial desk – it's on its way out, or so we thought until we met the nice people at Premier Workplace Services. A relatively new venture, they take old stuff and refashion – in this case choping the desk in two (there's more to it than that!). We like this for lots of reasons, not least because there is a workplace revoloution going on right now, with clients spending more on new interiors and getting rid of old ones. So unlike faxes, DVDs and Tipp-Ex, there is life in the old dog.

Texture Just as the benefits of lighting are becoming more readily accepted, so is texture. As with lighting, texture can set a mood. If the client wants an area of comfort and warmth, then the starkness of, say, McDonald’s is not the route. Consider the best offices you have seen recently – and texture will have probably played a part; we often associate what

makes a workplace look good with the use of great textures. Clearly texture is all about balance and contrast (think of a rough textured reclaimed bench with a smooth frame). We are also seeing more and more texture in the workplace through plants, rugs, artwork, wallpaper and, especially, in furniture. One of the key trends to emerge from Orgatec.

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Urinals Yes, they’re back! Many companies dabbled with Unisex ‘Superloos’ – but soon found that they came with so many of their own issues that, much like Brad and Angelina, a split was inevitable. It’s still something of an HR issue, but many a man will be happy that the traditional urinal is de rigueur once again. As will many a lady!

Virtual Reality One trend that is really taking off both at home and at work is virtual reality (VR). Covered in the October issue of Mix, VR is used in almost every industry sector, from academic research through to design, engineering, business, the arts and entertainment. Whilst not without its limitations, in a relatively short time VR will be considered in just the same way that drones are today – something that was for the few but can now be for the many. The immediate application for many designers is presenting client designs in a different and more realistic way. Clients and designers alike are warming to this method of presentation because the chance of a misunderstanding is reduced and clients see less of a risk – and are therefore more likely to say yes.

Wearable Devices This was touched upon in 'monitor' some 10 letters back, but we felt the importance demanded a little more attention. In the past, workplace design has been based on various things such as assumptions, gut feeling and social proofing (copying others). However, once again technology is at hand to help, allowing clients and designers to analyse information more easily. In particular, wearable devices and big data analysis have created an opportuntity for us to understand how employees work and interact; this in turn will be another string to the bow of the designers' influence in workplace design. A sociometric badge (sociometer, and usually part of the normal ID badge) is a wearable device that can assess the amount of conversation time, closeness to other people, face-to-face interaction and activity levels by using a raft of movement

and voice indicators. Clients, such as Bank of America and Deloitte, cross-reference the data with information including sales, revenue and retention rates. The results are analysed to find which encounters and behaviours are making contributions to the company. Humanyze, whose strapline is 'People Analytics. Better performance', is one such company in this market. They use two main sources of data: from the person’s digital communication and from the sociometer – and then analyse the results for the client. We asked how they overcome the obvious objections to wearable technology: 1. Resistance from staff that they are being 'monitored' and 2. Workers’ rights in countries such as France and Spain. We just hope that their sales people are better at getting back to people with requests for information!

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Jig Cave

Jig Arbour

Jig Settee

Jig Chair

Jig Stool

Jig Family

Furniture for social spaces

frovi.co.uk Showroom_Broad Yard Turnmill Street Clerkenwell EC1M 5RR 42

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X factor Sorry, we could have said Xerox machines! Fax machines have all but gone, photocopiers will be next, leaving two dimensional printers standing guard, defending the rights of the paper-eating machines. Also disappearing are wires. (Wireless – sometimes it’s what you can’t see rather than what you can!). We are already seeing fewer wires (spot the person on the train with a PC and a big wire – they are becoming rarer). The very popular mobile communication company, Apple, supply wireless headsets for their new phone – and expect the next version to have wireless charging capabilities. It’s very much happening already but expect more and more furniture to have wireless charging facilities. Whilst we are on the subject of wireless: 1. 2.

Shared technology is already becoming popular, with wireless tables having built in touchscreens. LiFi (Light Fidelity) is a new innovation that provides an Internet connection at 100 times faster than WiFi's current capabilities. Similar to WiFi, it uses visible light rather than radio waves. The downside for LiFi is that it cannot pass through walls and as it needs LED bulbs to act as a connector – and the lights need to be on. Expect more use of Google Chromecast in the office, allowing the user to wirelessly stream from mobile, laptop or tablet to another display.

Gen Y (Millennials) Commonly used to describe the generation of people born between the late 70's and 2000. With a current population of 71 million, they are having a major impact, with one study suggesting that, by 2025, Millennials will make up 75% of the global workforce, with a motivation for work that is quite different to previous generations. Gen Y’s are described as being incredibly sophisticated, technology-savvy, more racially and ethnically diverse and much more segmented. In short, not many were seen celebrating Trump’s acceptance speech.

Li-Fi

If you haven’t fallen asleep yet, well done. But you really should have a nap. As most will know, in some parts of the world, the working day pretty much comes to a halt in the early afternoon. Siestas in Spain, riposo in Italy – and a nap is also the norm in Nigeria, Mexico, Ecuador, Greece, Costa Rica and the Philippines. We are starting to see evidence that some clients (and therefore manufacturers) are taking notice. Have a look at the Daybed (right) by Morgan Furniture. As sleep is now being properly considered as an option in the workplace, so is mediation. We are told a 20-minute meditation will declutter your life both physically and mentally, helping you clear the mind and therefore increase both productivity and personal wellbeing.

Contribution: Active FM, Advanced Workplace Associates (AWA), BDG, BW: Workplace TP Bennett, Core Five LLP, Desso, Gensler, HLW, Kamuela, Ocee, Peldon Rose, Opus 4, MCM, Mix Research, Morgan Furniture, Perkins+Will, Spatial Office, Turner & Townsend 43

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

THE RO U N D TA B L E

BRONTE TURNER, HLW

Once associated with the cutting edge and the latest in technological developments, the world of corporate interiors looks at the word ‘fashion’ in a negative manner. It is seen by some in the world of corporate interiors as temporary – as ‘faddish’ – rather than the timeless, classical look and feel designers and clients alike strive for. But is this the majority opinion or are our young creatives once again looking towards fashion as an influence? There are certainly lessons and elements

JERRY KHAN, STYLIST & FASHION EXPERT

W H AT ' S I N

that interior designers can take from

Our discussion is sponsored by Ultrafabrics – the leading Japanese/US pioneer in the polyurethane leather industry, creating the most enhanced fabrics on the market for cars, airlines and yachts. We begin by asking whether our designers feel there is a negative connotation towards the fast-paced fashion world.

the fashion industry. We take a look at the issues of sustainability, durability, ‘buy well buy once’, the ethics involved in manufacturing, leather versus synthetic materials etc.

AYANTHI: Not at all – for me it’s an influence and inspiration. I think all the creative industries have an impact on one another – there’s a crossover between all of the creative industries. With fashion, if you look at pre-seasonal trends, they often come out with their catwalk shows and trends before the season and this then gets filtered down to other industries.

FARRELL CHANDLER, ULTRAFABRICS

MARIA: They can also work so much faster on projects. It’s a much faster process than we work on, for example. Because of that they can experiment and, due to technological advancements, they can play around with limitations and certifications. 44

ROGER: In a way, interior designers and architects are having to work in genres rather than fashion trends because, as has already been said, the turnaround in fashion is so quick. When you are planning interior schemes you can’t follow all these fashion trends – you can maybe take a view but can’t follow specifically. You can link what you’re doing with fashion and take influence. MARIA: For us, it’s more about the techniques. You can pick up techniques from the fashion world rather than just leopard print! Our clients are looking for timeless designs and, as a company who does a lot of work in transport, cultural references. We’re much more interested in looking at trends and different techniques that can be applied, what the emerging materials are and how we can translate that.

MARIA KAFEL - BENTKOWSKA, PRIESTMAN GOODE

AYANTHI: In terms of technique I think the design industry could be informing the fashion industry. You see a lot of processes working their way into fashion.

FA S H I O N ? AYANTHI ATTANAYAKE, SCOTT BROWNRIGG

JERRY: I think it works both ways. Laser cutting, for example, has been around in fashion for quite a long time. ROGER: Laser cutting is a great example – it has gone from fashion into interiors. We’ve been working with a lighting company where we’re laser cutting leather in a similar way to you laser cut leather for handbags. BRONTE: Fashion is not only in materials and techniques – there is also fashion in how we design spaces, how spaces work and how people engage with a space. There is a ‘fashion’ for collaborative settings, for example. Fashion informs how people engage and use a space. As a very generalistic view, our clients’ footprints are getting smaller and that’s because of technology and perhaps if it wasn’t fashionable to have an iPhone it wouldn’t have the same impact on how we use space, the types of spaces we do use, smart buildings etc – all these awesome things. I’m quite

Fashion is not only in materials and techniques – there is also fashion in how we design spaces, how spaces work and how people engage with a space. Bronte Turner

ROGER BECKETT, ARCHITECT & PLANNER

anti-fashion because I think space should be about a brief and a brief doesn’t necessarily come from a colour palette or a fashion or a material palette. When we engage with our clients, we try to understand them and their brief – and then add materials, techniques and look and feel. As designers, we should be creating space that encourages people to act and do certain things – without forcing it. Bronte and HLW work with some of the most ‘fashionable’ brands on the planet, we mention. BRONTE: Yes – and a lot of people assume what a company such as Google wants. When you really look at what Google wants – when you dive a bit deeper – this is a brand that has grown up a lot. When you take a brief from Google it’s not about putting a slide in the corner or using red plastics, they’re a lot deeper and a lot more mature than that – and they want their space to reflect this. They don’t want to lose their inspiration or their creativity, but they are a lot more sophisticated than they were 15 years ago. JERRY: Fashion is everywhere, whether you like it or not. You find trends that are short-term but there are also designers who 'have a look' and they develop that look for 20 years. They are not slaves to fashion trends but they do have their own specific looks.

Fashion is everywhere, whether you like it or not. You find trends that are short-term but there are also designers who 'have a look' and they develop that look for 20 years. Jerry Khan

AYANTHI: At times that can work against them. If you’re too defined by your look and feel, it’s almost like every project or collection has basically the same look. When it comes to interiors, it does need to be specific to the brief. BRONTE: The look and feel shouldn’t be based on the

Clothing fashion is so much faster and can be slightly more controversial. Jerry Khan

materials or the looks – they should be based on the clients’ words. But if you look at hotel design, for example, how do you describe what your clientele is going to be like or how your business is going to succeed? I guess this is where the designer comes in – where the designer has to interpret, to define. MARIA: This is the big difference between fashion and interiors – interiors have to be connected to the brief and more reactionary to specific projects and the space they are working with. JERRY: In saying that, a number of fashion designers have moved into interiors. Armani has its interiors range, for example. Maybe fashion is the wrong word to use here – maybe we should call it style rather than fashion. ROGER: I agree. Fashion is a word that should be parked with retailers of clothes. When it comes to architects, interiors and their products, I think there does need to be another word that is essentially saying ‘We’re thinking about what is going on in the world today’. Also, when you talk about people having ‘a look’ – it is often the look that you are selling. David Collins might not be around any more, but the studio’s still going, and people would say ‘I want David Collins’ – because that is the look. Chopping and changing is ok I think when you’re in fashion – so it’s ok for Prada to say leopard print one day and then say platform heels and mirror balls the next!

JERRY: If you think about it, from a fashion perspective, these brands still have a look – you know the difference between Armani and Versace. You either like that look or you don’t. BRONTE: Clothing fashion is so much faster and can be slightly more controversial. MARIA: Consumers are influenced by fashion and I think because fashion and trends move so quickly that when designers put inspiration boards together they naturally look at fashion and that whole genre. In terms of interiors, all designers look at different sectors and different areas and we all influence each other – we just work at different paces. It’s all creativity at the end of the day. We always have trends that are repeating – they always come back but in a slightly different way. We tend to take elements of the things that we know already work. Technology and manufacturing techniques allow things to become cheaper and to filter into the market. Also, we’re influenced by what we feel is the right thing to do - we’re more conscious about everything. Sustainability was such a big issue six years ago but is now a given. AYANTHI: We are a consumer society and we do need to start thinking differently about how we live our lives.

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

FARRELL: We’ve certainly felt a shift in people’s thinking. I think one of the problems in the past that has been overcome – and this has already been seen in the fashion world with designers such as Stella McCartney – is that we’re now able to provide clients with something that is more textured, is more engineered, is of a higher quality. There are now viable synthetic alternatives to natural materials that offer fire retardant properties, are simple to clean and maintain and offer significant advantages. The snobbery associated with these materials is disappearing – people now look and feel at the latest synthetic products and realise that these are very different from those sub-standard products that were once the only alternative. CONCLUSION: As has already been said by our esteemed panel, each and every creative sector is influenced by and takes inspiration from other creative sectors. Fashion feeds interiors, but then again interiors can also influence fashion. Is fashion going out of fashion? Certainly not. Maybe we just need to be slightly more careful about how and when we sue the word fashion.

we’re now able to provide clients with something that is more textured, is more engineered, is of a higher quality Farrell Chandler

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

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We challenge you to feel something newâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;like the remarkable softness that only comes from Ultrafabrics . ÂŽ

www.ultrafabricsllc.com 49

Case Study - Sky

SPIRIT IN THE SKY We’re more than used to relying upon planes, trains and automobiles to get us to where we need to be. We cannot, however, recall arriving at a new project by boat – until now.

We’re in Leeds to take a look at Sky’s new Technology Centre and our enjoyable boat trip out of the city centre to Leeds Docks (despite the autumnal weather) is merely the first pleasant surprise of the afternoon. As we alight, our shipmate, BDG architecture + design’s Clive Hall, tells us more about the Sky set-up here. ‘This was just a shell,’ he begins. ‘It was originally a mixed-use development, with retail spaces here previously. The developer put through a change of use and we put in a minor planning application for bits of plant that we added. ‘Like I said, this was just a shell when we first saw it. We’ve put in the mezzanines, we’ve put in the stairs, we’ve put in the toilets and the showers – and then the office space has been worked around all of that. ‘There was a mix of retail here and a large casino at the back, which was shut down some time back. There is still a Tesco Express and a Pizza Express just around the corner.

Case Study - Sky

In Short 22 million customers 30,000+ employees Headquarters in London, Milan and Munich Sky Sports launched in 1991

'We ate a lot of pizza during the planning meetings here!’ Sky, of course, is now leading the charge to resurrect this area – and despite the slightly adverse weather conditions, it is clear that the area has an awful lot going for it. ‘When we first met with the Sky team and did a walk around they didn’t want to give us too many suggestions – but one of the reference buildings they did like was the Tea Building in Shoreditch. They liked that stripped-back approach and they didn’t want to make this look overly burdened with technology. Obviously, this is a technology centre, so the challenge from an aesthetic point of view was to give them that strippedback look and feel while accommodating all the resources and facilities they need.’ As we walk into Building 2 – the middle of the three Sky buildings here – we can see exactly what Clive was explaining to us. The look and feel here is, in workplace terms, a

million miles away from the Sky facilities we have seen in London in the past. The buzz is palpable as soon as the doors open and we see exposed ceilings, bustling mezzanines and that stripped-back aesthetic Clive spoke of. Furthermore, there are no obvious security barriers for us to contend with. Instead, we find total transparency as we walk through towards the busy café space, where a smiling receptionist sits at a surprisingly low-key reception desk, asks us for our names and hands us what appears to be a business card. Written on the card are the words ‘Have a drink on us’. Walking into the café space, we try to think if we’ve ever encountered a nicer, more personal way of being greeted by a major business. None spring to mind. ‘We originally wanted to hide some of the boxes and exposed elements you can see here but the project managers were definite that we couldn’t do anything that might jeopardise the programme here,’ Clive explains. ‘We have

added some sound baffling elements – such as the foam cylinders that hang from the ceiling in the café – to help with the noise levels in certain areas. This space is, after all, full of hard surfaces.’ Having gratefully accepted a hot beverage, we are led up a flight of stairs and onto the mezzanine, past cool Sky graphics, rows of bench desks and Sayl chairs, where we meet Matt Grest, Sky’s Director of Digital and the man who has led much of the development here in Leeds. Taking an armchair in a cool, cozy ad-hoc meeting space that is tucked away in the corner of the mezzanine (and, we seen discover, says a lot about how the business here likes to work) we ask Matt about the choice of location. ‘Back in 2014 we wanted to move our digital capability out of London – which was becoming very pressed for skills,’ Matt reveals. ‘We wanted to grow another technology base where we could get access to the right skills at the right price.

Case Study - Sky

'We looked globally and ultimately decided upon Leeds because we felt we could get the skills we needed on the scale we needed and could also develop our own next generation of talent through graduates and apprentices.

I’m a big believer that a workspace should be considered a productivity tool rather than just a box to keep people in.

‘At the start of last year we had 40 people in Leeds – and now we have 600! I’m very pleased to say that this has been an extremely successful initiative for us. ‘It was obvious, at the start of 2015, that we were bursting at the seams in our old office

here in Leeds. We looked at every single vacant office space in Leeds – including stuff that’s not yet built. The main reason I pushed for Leeds Dock is that, when we first looked at the building, it was a complete shell, which gave us the opportunity to meticulously design a workspace that would facilitate the way that we wanted to do business. So the reason that this table is sat here is because we designed the table to be here. ‘We work in a particular type of way in digital product development. We’re very heavy on collaboration. This is about two, five, 10 people getting up from their desks, going into the corner, writing on walls, collaborating, then heading back to their desks again. ‘We worked very closely with BDG on the vision for that. We didn’t want just another office – we wanted a workspace that was particular to the type of work that we do. The BDG came up to our old offices and sat stealthily in the corner for a few days and observed how we like to work. When the designs started to unfold after that session it was clear that BDG understood the vision of what we were trying to create here, understood how we liked to work. It was plain

sailing from there on in! The quality of talent we’ve been able to attract here is just off the scale. ‘Another important factor was the transport infrastructure. We’re just out of the city centre and it’s really easy to get here. It was really important that we looked after that getting to work aspect for our staff. ‘We’ve been given the opportunity to start from scratch. We had a clean slate here. We weren’t trying to change behaviours, we just wanted to introduce people to our way of working. All of the Sky Sports digital platform takes place here – the website, the apps – the Sky News platform and also Sky.com. We’ve also acquired a full stake in Sky Deutschland and Sky Italia – so we’re now delivering across the group. By having everyone in a central location, we’re able to work together, collaborate and the pace at we’re able to deliver new products has increased dramatically. ‘A big benefit is that collaboration is now easy – there is always somewhere to go to have those meetings. We’ve actually only got four bookable meeting rooms across the entire space but lots and lots of collaboration

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Case Study - Sky

Essentials Interior Design BDG architecture + design MEP design AMS Ltd Cost and Project Management JLL CDM consultant Gleeds Health and Safety Structural Design Knapp Hicks & Partners Main Contractor Como

space. I’m a big believer that a workspace should be considered a productivity tool rather than just a box to keep people in. The building should work for you. ‘Our people sit with people who are working on the same product as you. Around each desk you have got a set of multidisciplinary people, all with full empowerment to take that product forward. They don’t need to have meetings – they just talk across their desk. They don’t have to wait to make a decision. We are giving them the tools they need to be able to do business.’ Matt tells us that, as well as giving staff writable walls, collaboration space, team TV screens etc – there are also a number of really smart, advanced technological facilities provided throughout. Heavy investment has been put into videoconference facilities, which are not limited to just one or two meeting rooms, instead they are constantly available to all teams, both at their desks and at collaboration points on all floors of the three buildings here. With a need to talk with Germany and Italy, as well as other Sky UK sites, on a daily basis, this is very much becoming the company’s default way of talking to people from other sites. Walking though the facility, we constantly see examples of what Matt has been explaining in terms of collaborative working. This isn’t about people retiring to high back sofas or pods – this all feels like a very natural, fast and disciplined way of working. This is indeed a space that works for the business. The Leeds Dock space is also one of a number of projects completed by Sky in the last couple of years that signals its commitment to providing fantastic workplaces. Two new spaces in the city opened

earlier this year, and the ‘activity-based’ Sky Central opened on the Osterley Campus this Summer, which is home to 3,500 people and the new glass-box Sky News studio. These followed from the completion of the Hub and Believe in Better Building in 2014. BDG are also now working with Sky on re-purposing the Hub as an ‘agile engineering’ centre for its NOW TV and Technology teams, which is set to open in February next year. We’ll leave the final words to Matt. ‘From the start I said that I want Sky at Leeds Dock to be the place to work in the North of England, where colleagues can work on cutting edge products that are used by millions of people across Europe. Where previously people would need to relocate to London or the West Coast of the USA to have a career like this, today we can say they can do all that and more from Leeds. We’ve achieved the vision and it’s working really well. That’s all we could wish for really.’

Main Open Plan Workstation Techo, Team Tables, Touch Down, Hot Desks, Home Zone Tables and Quiet Room Benches – Thinking Works Pedestals Bisley Furniture Hay, Boss, Rough Living, Forza, Six, Inch, Johanson Design, Muuto, Rocket St George, Herman Miller, Buzzispace, Domitalia, Darestudio, Knoll, Naughtone, Jennifer Newman, FatBoy, Fritz Hansen, Frama

Big thank you to the Design Community for your valued input into our Round Tables, Mix Inspired and Mixology Judging in 2016

Case Study - BW Workplace Experts

The Old & The New Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re always intrigued when it comes to looking at the new working homes of firms whose expertise lies right here in the interiors field. So when BW told us about its own impressive new workspace, we were as keen as mustard to delve a little deeper. 58

BW has recently relocated from Southwark to stunning new offices at 5 Old Bailey. The space has been designed by KKS, with BW managing the fit-out itself. The leading fit-out and refurbishment expert, which prides itself on its ability to deliver workplaces with a personal touch, can boast an impressive client roster that includes CIMA, Coca Cola, Selfridges, Suntory and Amazon – to name just a few. The move to the Old Bailey represents the latest transition in the evolution of BW as new breed of fitout contractor that understands interior design, as much as it appreciates the precision joinery and detail finishes. The design, led by Athina Trapezountiou at KKS, captures the essence of this key London location, close to St Paul’s Cathedral, representing the exterior inside the space to create a sense of place – a theme that is echoed throughout the whole design. The gridded building façades of the surroundings as well as the organic setting of the medial streets of the city are expressed in the concrete like gridded floor in reception, through the carpet composition and angular design in the meeting suite and workspace, as well as the angular design of the envelope and joinery. The colour palette comprises neutral tones with warm highlights, which complement the black and white (and greys in between) to maintain a classic environment that will stand the test of time. A key design objective was to ensure that when employees and clients leave the lift and enter the reception here, there is an instant Wow factor – and this has been achieved with a striking design combined with a quality and attention to detail that exudes from every corner of the design. Visitors approach the stunning bespoke Corian reception desk, set against a metal bronze screen installation that creates a new striking backdrop, completing a brand new envelope to the space, and filtering the external light and views out.

Case Study - BW Workplace Experts The reception desk gently slopes and curves to the right where, alongside loose iconic furniture pieces, a smart waiting area has been formed. To the left of the reception desk there is a welcoming business lounge, fully equipped with a communal table, comfortable Eames chairs, and dedicated ambient lighting, providing visitors and clients alike with a conducive, informal working environment. The BW brand is always paramount, subtly reinforced with an elegant carved ceiling light sign manifestation that welcomes clients to the meeting room suite. There is a total of eight meeting rooms of different sizes here to accommodate various types of meeting. Each of the rooms comes with state-of-the-artâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; AV capability, while two of the rooms can be opened up to create a seminar space for up to 40 guests. To further encourage and support the collaborative style of working favoured at BW, the main working areas comprise bench style work settings. A total of 10,000 sq ft space supports 130 employees across 86 desks, with a capacity to increase the headcount by 30% in the future. The BW brand is subtly integrated into the space once again, with blue glass tops applied to the top of the filing storage, which doubles up as an extra place for impromptu meetings. Having the core of the building wrapped with circa 40 linear meters of bespoke wall joinery, which brings together an otherwise fragmented feature, allows for centrally located space for coats, stationery, and personal storage. BWâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s experience of delivering design concepts for its clients means that they are acutely aware of those design elements

Case Study

RUNNA design: DAVID FOX

mANUFActURINg

lONDON_shOwROOm

cONtAct_&_FOllOw

Pledge Oï¬&#x192;ce Chairs Ltd Mill Road Leighton Buzzard Bedfordshire LU7 1BA

First Floor 21-22 Great Sutton Street Clerkenwell London EC1V 0DY

e: sales@pledgechairs.co.uk www.pledgechairs.co.uk

t: +44 (0) 1525 376181

t: +44 (0) 20 7253 7277 61

Case Study - BW Workplace Experts

that require particular attention to detail from the start. For example, the mix of soft and hard surfaces, the precision finishing, the closure of doors and dividing panels have all been fanatically perfected – just as BW does for its client. ‘We know how much the detail matters to our clients and it matter to us too,’ Steve Elliott, CEO of BW says. ‘It would be unthinkable that we would not complete our own office in line with our objective to be DF@ PC (Defect Free at Practical Completion). I am delighted – and a little relieved – to be able to say that we have achieved that as well as sticking to our own budget and timelines. We are delighted with the space as our clients.’ As Steve explains, in line with BW’s key objective to deliver projects to be 100% Defect Free at Practical Completion or DF@PC by 2018, it was vital that the firm achieved this for itself. ‘We know only too well that in order to be consistent about standards we need to be fanatical about every single detail, and ensure our entire team shares the obsession for perfection,’ we’re told. 'Our employees have been delivering highend designer created workspaces for our clients for years,’ Steve Buchanan, BW’s Head

of IT, tells us. ‘By relocating from our dated, dark and technically inefficient offices, we’ve aligned our growing business requirements to those we deliver on a daily basis for our clients. Some of the noted aesthetic improvements to the workspace include an engaging reception environment, thoughtprovoking artwork, open plan workspaces, employee lunch area and views of St Paul’s dome. ‘Underpinning these aesthetic improvements however, is the hiding of technology to make an effective workplace. From dynamic lighting, a near seamless AV experience, universal docking stations promoting hot desking and reliable infrastructure components, the office now assists in the creation of a business energy which perhaps was stifled in the previous office space. Being a services business, our people are the absolute core of our product and the palpable step change in the vibe in the office arising from the move is enriching all.' ‘Moving to the new office has been nothing short of transformative,’ explains Lydia Millard, Senior Business Development Manager at BW. ‘We now have a space that truly reflects our brand, and is somewhere we can be proud to take our clients. The new set up has created a

much greater sense of connectivity between employees, creating ‘bump’ opportunities and enjoyable communal spaces to meet and chat.’ BW is clearly delighted with the new working home – and is also keen to give credit where it’s due for what was a true team effort. ‘Contractors and sub-contractors, architects, designers, mechanical and electrical experts and a plethora of furniture and fittings, all formed a critical part of the team to make this happen. ‘Thank you to everyone who assisted our move and we look forward to welcoming clients and friends to our new office in the near future.’

Essentials Client BW Interior Design KKS Fit-Out BW Systems Furniture Gresham Task Seating Okamura Furniture Supply Day2 Storage Bisley Meeting / Occasional Furniture Gresham, Arper, Icons of Denmark, Hitch Mylius, Vitra, Knoll, Senator, Sedus, Omega

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Profile - Volker Eysing

EYSING ON THE CAKE

As youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll see from our Orgatec review, there are a number of trends emerging from the giant German show. One is that R&D is alive and well â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and being shown off by all the major players. Another is that the hi-tech, futuristic aesthetic has been replaced by pared-down elegance.

Profile - Volker Eysing A perfect example of a combination of the two is Interstuhl’s VINTAGEis5 chair. We’d like to claim that we’re so ‘on the ball’ that we’d foreseen all this and had requested, nee demanded, that we meet with the chair’s designer. The truth, however, is that our friends at Interstuhl were the smart ones – and knew that we’d be extremely impressed with VINTAGEis5 and would want to interview the man behind the design. So, thanks to them, we find ourselves in the heart of the Orgatec throng on the impressive Interstuhl stand, where leading product designer Volker Eysing is waiting to talk to us about his latest groundbreaking product and his successful career to date. VINTAGEis5 is a family of chairs that…well, why should we explain when we have the mastermind behind the collection on hand to do that for us? ‘I wanted to make a chair that was incredibly versatile so I went to Interstuhl with my idea – this was back in 2010,’ Volker recalls. ‘They thought it was a really cool idea. I had three versions – the work chair, the cantilever chair and the conference chair – and the versatility comes from the idea that although we had three versions, you can put every back onto each of the chairs. So you have seven or eight chairs in reality. Then you have three options for the armrest – including an innovative brand new design. ‘When we started the first thing we did was the classic conference chair and then, three years ago, we started to focus on developing the work chair. We wanted to make it as light as possible. As you can see from the construction, it is very pure and simple. The mechanism – the power package – is tucked into the seat. So the seat is actually part of the mechanism, which is a really new idea. ‘There are three seat positions and the chair follows your body and regulates your sitting position. The tilt works in harmony with the back, so if one is right for you, then the other will also be right for you. It is really easy.’ As Volker invites us to sit and experience VINTAGEis5 we can’t help but be drawn by its aesthetics. The sleek profile and lack of a big, clunky mechanism gives the work chair model the air of a much less technical and sophisticated chair. Couple this with the exquisite finish and engineering and you have

Profile - Volker Eysing

the product that so many designers have been looking for – an advanced, technically superior work chair that doesn’t look like a work chair. And we haven’t even mentioned what we like most about this collection yet! Well, for a start, this is a totally brand new chair. You’ve already said that, you might be thinking. What we mean by this is that VINTAGEis5 is brand new from the castors all the way to the armrests. Every element and every component has been specifically designed and developed by Volker and Interstuhl for this project. The controls, for example, could have been bought in as an afterthought. But they weren’t. Instead, they are recessed, neatly hidden from sight – and this just adds to the elegance of the overall design of course. The unique armrest is equally impressive. The flexible, concertina effect allows the user to move his or her arms up and down – and although this may sound like quite a minor thing, it actually makes a huge difference to the sitting experience and, importantly, has major ergonomic benefits. Again, we’ll let Volker explain. ‘The armrest allows you to move into the working position,’ he shows us. ‘This takes pressure away from

The armrest allows you to move into the working position. This takes pressure away from your neck and it makes your muscles work. This encourages movement, which you need from a work chair, of course.

your neck and it makes your muscles work. This encourages movement, which you need from a work chair, of course. ‘This is totally new – and like the rest of the chair is completely self-explanatory. The chief at Interstuhl said to me that we needed to do something with the armrest. He said to me ‘You’re the designer – do something brand new for us’. I then thought about what we could do and I quickly thought about the idea of movement. 'I thought this was a cool idea that benefits – both in the way that people can move and also in the aesthetics. ‘We also had a big discussion when it came to the lumbar support. I have seen this on mesh back chairs before and I really hate that! I had a problem with my shoulder and I had it taped up with Kinesiology sports tape – and this gave me an idea that maybe we could use this technology for the lumbar support. We went to a local company – their studio is just four streets away – which makes motifs for shirts and we told them about our idea. They said ‘That’s no problem, we can do that’ – so now we have something that no one else in the industry has.

Profile - Volker Eysing

‘Every story here is a small story. This is not a huge single ergonomic innovation. It is a series of small stories that have come together. I think it is really important that someone who has no idea how these chairs work can learn the functions really quickly. It is self-explanatory. ‘I even like the name. I think VINTAGEis5 sounds like something that is of a very high quality, is classic and is timeless – and that is what we have tried to achieve.’ Volker, we discover, was destined to move into the world of industrial design. ‘My mother was an artist and my father was a construction engineer in Germany,’ he tells us. ‘I guess the two have come together for me. It is something I have really wanted to do since I was 16 – I was interested in design and how designs work. 'I started working with wood – this was the basis for my studies. We had a very good university for industrial design – and especially furniture design – in Kiel in the very north of Germany. I moved from Münster to study there. It was a very different place to study but I was lucky enough to study under a great professor who was very interested in

furniture. This was the basis for my work. He knew everyone – it was really cool.’ Volker went on to work for six months with a design firm in Switzerland and then a further six months with another firm in Los Angeles before sitting his design exam – with his final piece going on to be produced by Drabert. ‘Since then I have only worked for furniture companies – such as Sitag, Martin Stoll and now only for Interstuhl,’ Volker explains. ‘When I met with Interstuhl they said to me ‘If you want to work with us, you work only for us’. ‘We have come a long way over the last four or five years. It takes a lot of trust and a really big investment from the company. This is such a great thing for me – it was an amazing opportunity to work on such a big project. There so many designers who would love to work with Interstuhl. I am really thankful for that opportunity.’ As we continue to chat, Volker fondly recalls his internship in the States, where he was given an apartment in Santa Monica and a car – and was paid for the privilege! ‘It was so cool!’ he grins. Today he enjoys working in his adopted home in Kiel. ‘I like it because you have the sea outside your door. It’s also nice

because it’s not as big or as busy as Hamburg or Berlin. ‘I like to work with just one company at a time – for me it’s important to have just one company who tells me exactly what they want. This way you can trust one another. This (VINTAGEis5) was very much a team effort – we had a big development team who had some great ideas. You get better quality from working in this way.’ With VINTAGEis5 now complete and ‘out there’ in the market, Volker is clearly not sitting back and waiting for the plaudits. Watch this space.

Review

We’re home – in more ways than one. Not only are we in Manchester (which of course is technically our home), we’re also at HOME – the amazing events space formed by the merger of two of the city’s best-loved arts organisations, Cornerhouse and the Library Theatre Company. HOME offers theatre spaces, five cinema screens, a gallery that is home to the best in contemporary art, a restaurant and, most important of all for us, a perfect setting for our latest Mix Inspired event.

We’re delighted to say that it’s standing room only as the good and the great of North West’s design fraternity have taken the opportunity to listen to our fantastic panel of experts, which comprises Chris Reay, Director for Allied London’s Spinningfields Estate, Euan Kellie, Director at Euan Kellie Property Solutions, Dominic Pozzoni, Director at Colliers International and The Lowry Hotel’s General Manager and Head of the Manchester Hoteliers Assocation, Adrian Ellis. Dominic kicks things off in earnest, giving the audience an overview of the Manchester market, looking at where it stands right now and where it will head over the next few years. Manchester, he tells us, is the UK’s leading city outside London in terms of prime Grade A new-build rent levels (£35 per sq ft), ahead of Birmingham, Edinburgh and Glasgow. ‘Manchester has evolved tremendously over the past 20 years,’ Dominic explains. ‘The natural progression of occupiers coming into the city has meant that it has had to grow – locations such as Spinningfields, the NOMA district, First Street and Piccadilly have all developed significantly over the years. The great thing about Manchester is that it is a very condensed city. You can walk from one side of the city to the other, which is great for occupiers and prospective occupiers. ‘Manchester also has a diverse offering of accommodation – it’s not all about BCO Grade A space. It also offers good quality refurbished

Review - Mix Inspired

accommodation at a lower rate, although that rate has shifted considerably over the past few years.’ Dominic continues by telling our audience that an increasing number of businesses are looking for more interesting space in the city. ‘They want to find buildings that have the right quality of space, the right environments, the right location and the right transport links. They want to attract the right quality of staff. One of the great things about Manchester is that it has the UK’s largest student population outside of London. That student population previously used to graduate and move down to London to find work. That has changed – students are now staying in Manchester, they want to work in the city centre – although the quality of space often bores them. They want creative space – and this is changing the way occupiers in Manchester are looking at their space.’

I wonder what the development of the core of cities is going to be like in terms of sustainably attracting the right talent to the region.

Chris Reay, Allied London

Review - Mix Inspired

In the past students would graduate in Manchester and go to work in London. Now it’s difficult to afford to live in London – no matter what kind of job they’re getting. That’s why more and more graduates are now staying in Manchester.

Euan Kellie, Euan Kellie Property Solutions

The forecast is for some 1.1 million sq ft of Grade A office space to be occupied in Manchester in the next couple of years – so no immediate Brexit hangover here! ‘A lot of occupiers are looking to expand in the marketplace,’ Chris tells us. ‘Some will remain where they are but there is a requirement for more space in the city. Grade A space is rapidly disappearing.’ ‘There has been a real upward curve over the last two years and the market is now trying to catch up with the pace of demand,’ Euan considers. Manchester continues to be an incredibly attractive proposition for businesses, students and also for an increasing number of visitors – as The Lowry’s Adrian Ellis can confirm. ‘The corporate side of our business is good and we’re all working together to increase the number of conferences and events in the city – but the leisure side is really improving. Football in the city continues to make a huge impact but other cultural activities, such as theatres, shows, shopping trips, bars and nightclubs are also continuing to thrive. Even without football we’re full pretty much every weekend – as are most

hotels. This comes from that mix of leisure activities.’ ‘The trading figures for the major restaurants and bars at Spinningfields are extremely strong,’ Chris reveals. ‘The demand for people dining out in Manchester is developing really nicely. If you look at the plans for developments such as the Fire Station and St John’s, they are almost all leisure focused. Our plans will involve investing more and more in leisure space.’ ‘If you look at the number of new residential schemes in the city, you can guarantee that the majority of them have an element of commercial, mixed-use and leisure on the ground floor,’ Euan adds. We move on to talk about the issue of Manchester’s open space – or lack of it. ‘There’s not a lot of green open space in Manchester,’ Dominic admits. ‘But if you look at the buildings now transforming their rooftops into garden space in the city – they’re superb and have created a real buzz.’ ‘The key thing for me is not about the quantity of open space – it’s about the function or purpose of that space,’ Euan considers. ‘It has to be used correctly. I think

there are some good examples of this in the city and also some really poor examples. I think the key thing will be how these spaces continue to develop and what their function or purpose will be.’ So, despite certain issues (and Manchester is certainly not alone in this, of course), does our panel remain optimistic about the immediate and longer-term future? ‘I think the entrepreneurial spirit of Manchester will always be there,’ Chris believes. ‘Manchester is always looking at the next chapter – at the next creative idea – and because of that I don’t think it will ever just stand still and think ‘That will do’. I think it will always push forward.’ We’d like to say a huge thank you to our Mix Inspired Manchester sponsors – Colebrook Bosson Saunders, Hansgrohe and Johnson Tiles – for their wonderful support and also to Gresham for the kind loan of the panel’s eye-catching chairs. We’re incredibly grateful to our brilliant panel for their time and expertise – and to the Manchester design community, who continues to support our events as only the Manchester community can.

We have seen the Manchester brand take off phenomenally. Football loyalties aside, both the Manchester United and Manchester City brands are colossal. As a Red, I have to say that the Manchester City brand is just brilliant. The money that Sheikh Mansour has invested and the investment he has attracted is just phenomenal.

Dominic Pozzoni, Colliers International

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ASTLEY & BYROM 282,000 sq ft

LANDMARK 180,000 sq ft

IN DEVELOPMENT

OUT OF THE GROUND

2 ST PETERS SQUARE 161,000 sq ft 85% Pre Let / Under Offer Occupier: Ernst & Young (42,000 sq ft) Delivery Q2 2017

NO 1 SPINNINGFIELDS 267,000 sq ft 78% pre let Occupiers: Squire Patton Boggs, PWC Delivery Q4 2017

XYZ SPINNINGFIELDS 160,000 sq ft Fully pre-let to Shoosmiths, Global Radio and NCC Delivery Q3 2017

100 THE EMBANKMENT 165,000 sq ft

2 ANGEL SQUARE 140,000 sq ft

125 DEANSGATE 113,000 sq ft NUMBER 8 FIRST STREET 174,000 sq ft 29% Pre-let to Gazprom (40,000 sq ft) Delivery Q4 2017

11 YORK STREET 85,000 sq ft

REGIONAL REVIEW: MANCHESTER There is little doubt that Manchester is in a good place. The overwhelming sentiment from our 60 strong audience at the second Mix Inspired in Manchester (page 74) was very bullish. Though it must be reasonably painful for those in the North but not in the Manchester hub to hear the ringing platitudes wherever the Mix team are in the world, the perspective is loud and clear that Manchester is in the ascendancy. The simple fact is that Manchester is in a good place and has benefited from a determined civic leadership with longevity and a stable political platform on its side. Those same leaders have worked closely with businesses and in the last half a dozen years have taken advantage of an overheating London property market and the resultant migration of property investment. Manchester has the largest UK office market outside London and scores very highly on KPMG's competitive alternative report. The 2016 report puts Manchester at the top of the 10 major European cities enjoying the lowest

business costs – with 'poor old' London at the bottom. One benefit from a strong London is 'Northshoring'. Like Belfast and some other regional cities, Manchester has benefited from a client who can see lower costs, positive civic attitude and attractive workforce. One of the most high-profile examples this year is Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer's move to the English Cities Fund (ECf) New Bailey. Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer have chosen the building for their 80,000 sq ft Global Centre which is Greater Manchester's largest inward investor letting in the city for 10 years, growing the initial staff head count from 70 to 300 by 2017. But it’s not all plain sailing. The 10 councils of Greater Manchester had to save £285m last year on top of £1.2bn of cuts since 2010, with more cuts in 2016 making it £1.7b between 2010 to 2016. If you have a diet of Manchester Evening News you will know that Manchester has some

of the most deprived neighbourhoods in the country. The Indices of Multiple Deprivation has Manchester as the 5th most deprived local council in England, although this has improved from 2nd in 2010. Unemployment is historically above the national average, but importantly lower than some of the country's other comparable large cities. However, Greater Manchester has more multi-millionaires than anywhere outside London and, according to a local taxi driver, is 'the biggest football city'. We hope the information above will give you a sense of the workplace property investment activity in the centre and, more importantly, we hope you are taking the business. Whilst some of the great and good of the property agency world are concerned about lack of plans for new build beyond 2017 and with Chief Executive Sir Howard Bernstein retiring from his role, the overall message remains as positive as it can be – certainly after the year we’ve had.

Review

SOCIAL SPACES FURNITURE FOR BREAKOUT AREAS

Designed & manufactured in the UK by Yo u r O f f i c e F u r n i t u r e W h o l e s a l e r 73

ORGATEC REVIEW So here we are once again. Cologne – the home of Orgatec. To be honest, we’re not sure whether we should be excited or dreading what’s in store over the next few days – and we know we’re not alone in thinking this.

We know this way ahead of reaching the Messe – in fact we know this before we’ve even left the UK. The show, you see, starts as soon as you reach the airport gate. Here we find more key industry figures than we’d bump into in a Clerkenwell bar on a Thursday evening. It becomes quickly apparent that, despite the fact that we’re all going to catch up with friends and colleagues, enjoy a lovely German beer or three and discover lots of exciting new product developments, there is also the realism of sore feet, sore heads, little sleep and non-stop furniture to ‘look forward to’ over the week. There's trepidation in the air. Little did we know, at this point, that we’re the lucky ones who weren’t going to be affected by strikes and flight cancellations! Orgatec – the leading workplace furniture fair – is still a massively influential and important launch pad for Europe’s top manufacturers. It wasn’t the best start, therefore, to hear that striking by a certain German airline meant that a number of UK visitors were not going to be able to get out to Orgatec, while others were already in Cologne and, rather than focusing on the show, were busy scrambling for alternative routes home or for extra accommodation!

We heard a few stories of people going above and beyond to get out to the show – not least Ken Kelly and The Furniture Practice guys, who decided to meet up in Clerkenwell at 5am and road trip it out to Germany. Above and beyond. So was it worth it? Well, we reckon there was plenty of decent kit for the leading dealers to look at. A number of the emerging trends at Orgatec 2016 were fairly predictable, while others raised a few eyebrows. We were fully prepared to see plenty of acoustic solutions, domestic styling and sit/stand developments, for example, but were surprised by the number of impressive, bold new task chair launches we discovered – the most impressive coming from Interstuhl, Haworth, Vitra, Viasit and our own Senator Group. Equally, we found a few interesting new table/workstation launches – including an astonishing technology-laden, intelligent system from Techo. It’s almost as if the office isn’t dead at all – at least not in Germany. Investment and inspiration clearly didn’t stop with product designs either. There were impressive stand designs throughout the Messe’s halls – with great generosity shown by all. We can’t recall a single stand visit where we weren’t offered coffee, beer or food.

Once again, we were more than impressed by the vast stands of the leading home brands, with Brunner, Wilkhahn, Dauphin, Sedus and Interstuhl all attracting huge numbers of visitors, while the always awesome Swiss leader Vitra flexed its muscles by partnering with a plethora of like-minded brands and commandeered an entire hall. North American giants Haworth and Teknion also wowed in terms of both scale and quality – the latter returning to Cologne for the first time in more than a decade. Indeed, detractors will tell you that Orgatec is just a German dealer show, but the 2016 edition did have plenty of international flavour, with impressive displays from the likes of Turkey’s Deberenn (featuring designs from our own David Fox) and Kolelsiyon, Italy’s Alea, Unifor and Techo, Belgium’s BuzziSpace, Denmark’s Fredericia, Scandinavia’s SBS and Poland’s Profim. It was great to see some leading Brits flying the Union Flag, not least Colebrook Bosson Saunders, Camira, Ocee (with Four Design), CMD and the aforementioned Senator Group. Back to product innovations, here are a few of the new bits of kit that really caught our eye at Orgatec 2016.

Review - Orgatec

werner works t This year's motto at the werner works stand was ‘werner works in project’. In addition to the new basicview product range and a comprehensive new container line, the company also showed a selection of contract solutions that were developed especially for and with customers. We particularly liked the R-Modul space saving solutions, which came with fully padded walls, the cabinet interior providing either space for concentrated work, a quiet area for phone calls or as a seating berth for relaxing.

The Senator Group

Another impressive showing from both the Senator and Allermuir brands was epitomised by Rapt, a new executive chair designed in partnership with Jonathan Prestwich. Exuding poise and offering a fresh alternative to the established norms of executive seating, Rapt’s elegant and minimalistic design also provides exceptional comfort, featuring generous proportions and an anatomically shaped, cushioned seat and back.

Vitra p Which to choose? New task chair introductions included an updated AM chair and the Barber & Osgerby designed Pacific chair – which was originally developed for Apple. It was, however, the Citterio designed CDS Cluster that really intrigued us on the mega ‘Work’ stand. The sit/stand system features easily accessible power options, cable baskets and cable guides to keep work areas tidy, while privacy is ensured by the screens and the cleverly designed roller blinds, which are automatically supported by the higher of the table tops when raising or lowering the tables.

Colebrook Bosson Saunders u With its fantastic Pitch-and-Putt themed display, CBS retained its unofficial Mix Best Stand award. There was plenty of substance beyond though. The technical cord that controls Ollin’s arm mean it can accommodate weights from 0kg up to 9kg. No other arm on the market can accommodate; tablets, monitors and laptops in this weight range. We also liked Lolly, an elegant personal light with integrated USB charging facility, and the Amble minimalist task light.

CMD p The stylish Reach monitor arm – arguably one of the slimmest of its type on the market today – is available in silver, black and white and comes complete with C-clamp, through desk and 80mm grommet hole fixing kits as standard. The arm tension can be adjusted quickly using a simple Allen key system to support monitors ranging between 2kgs to 5kgs, which covers most popular monitor brands.

Review - Orgatec

König + Neurath

Vitra u

Designed by Stuttgart’s 2DO-DESIGN, AURAY’s reduced form is clear and dynamic, and with its well-engineered details, the chair makes is a real exclamation mark in the König + Neurath chair portfolio. The design of this highend task chair is characterised by the striking lines running through the armrest, back and base, giving the chair a high recognition factor. AURAY is also available as a low-back conference chair.

Development of the Pacific Chair followed the guiding principle ‘full performance, quiet design’. This intuitive office chair, designed by our very own Barber & Osgerby, offers all the functions necessary for ergonomic seating, while demonstrating expressive clarity and exceptional precision. Thanks to its understated character, the Pacific Chair is an ideal addition to any contemporary interior.

Allermuir p

Woven Image p

Allermuir launched Mote at this year’s NeoCon; a new soft seating range that recognises the crucial role of versatile and informal spaces within modern landscapes. Mote includes sofas, ottomans, screens and accessories for beautiful defined spaces. Mote has been developed with both advances in technology and new thinking around the way we work best in mind – whether meeting, interacting, learning or relaxing. The range offers various configurations that help reclaim redundant space, providing a relaxed posture suited to prolonged work in an informal setting.

With a total of 57 products submitted by 34 companies, the Innovation Award at Orgatec 2016 was fiercely contended across a variety of sectors. A sixmember jury of architects reviewed the entries on the first day of the show, selecting nine winners, including just two for the innovation awards – one of which was Woven Image’s EchoPanel. The product was used to create a colourful and immersive stand at the show by EchoJazz – the Swiss partner of Woven Image.

Review

in Metal

Blok Innovative modular desk systems in brass, copper and hot rolled steel designed by Paul Crofts

Visit our Clerkenwell showroom 1 Sans Walk, London EC1

+44 (0)20 7388 8599 77

info@isomi.com

www.isomi.com

Review - Orgatec

Humanscale t Created by Peter Stathis, Michael McCoy and the Humanscale design studio, the Horizon light, an awardwinning and iconic design, was unveiled in brilliant new colours at Orgatec. Elsewhere on the (always heaving) stand, QuickStand Lite was quite rightly receiving plenty of attention and we were also taken with the sculptural Todd Bracher designed Vessel light, crafted using quartz crystal.

Fredericia The leading Danish brand presented new chair series, Acme and Verve, created by Berlin based design studio Geckeler Michels. The shape of both chairs is based on three fundamental geometrical forms: the circle, the triangle and the square. Despite the stringent aesthetics and the contrast between the forms, the design is surprisingly harmonious, imbuing each model with a truly distinctive appearance.

IdeaPaint p One of the partners in Vitra’s amazing ‘Work’ hall, IdeaPaint unveiled a number of impressive new dry-erase products, which included a new collection of pieces designed in collaboration with Primo Orpilla – co-founder of iconic design practice Studio O+A. We particularly liked Pivot – which converts from an upright mobile board to a bar-height writable table.

Viasit t Another brand displaying an impressive variety of new products, it was the Drumback task chair that really intrigued us. Drumback is neither upholstered nor pure mesh, but combines the advantages of both basic forms. Martin Ballendat’s ingenious concept was to stretch the cover fabric – similar to a drumhead – over a back component made from polypropylene. Drumback combines the benefits of the cool comfort of a mesh back and the stability of a closed back without the need for upholstery in a fresh and contemporary look.

Review

Super Acoustic Bricks

Change your environment in minutes... 1. Choose the size, style, colour and

2. Lay out the base plates and insert

quantity of bricks for your space

the posts to the required height

London Showroom 20 Old Street Clerkenwell London EC1V 9AB

Ocee Design Design House, Caswell Road Brackmills Industrial Est. Northampton, NN4 7PW

3. Slide the bricks onto the posts

01604 674674 @OceeDesign ergonomics@oceedesign.com www.oceedesign.com 79

Class A Sound Absorber

Up to 16dB Acoustic Blocker

Review

Region the new table system from tangent, brings harmonious fusion of materials to a collaborative workspace. www.tangentfurniture.co.uk

e: info@tangentfurniture.co.uk 80

t: 0800 389 3112

Review - Orgatec

Camira t Rivet is a fixating fabric, which not only connects with the modern collaborative workplace, but also forms a bridge between textile traditions and future innovation. Designed to blend the aesthetic qualities of luxury wool apparel with modern performance sportswear, Rivet is a lightly textured hopsack, which emulates the swathe of suiting in a well-heeled synthetic.

Brunner p A definite Best of Show contender, Ray is a combination of firmness and softness – all in one incredibly attractive design. An aluminium connection between the foot and the seat gives a completely new form of mobility. This exceptional conference chair successfully combines elegant design with innovative technology. Furthermore, Ray was just one of a number of eye-catching new Brunner introductions.

Wilkhahnp ThinkingWorks p The Aussie brand quite rightly received a great deal of attention – especially for the standout Okidoki workstation display and its brilliant oversized privacy shade. It was great to catch up with MD Dean Kuch, enjoy the best (and much needed) coffee of the week and watch visitors play with Okidoki’s many tactile elements.

Created by jehs+laub, the new Occo chair and table range mirrors the design language of the classic Graph conference range, translating it into a sleek multipurpose line for all sorts of scenarios that include meetings, seminars, collaborations, parties and dining. We also liked the distinctive Metrik chair, designed by whiteID, with its polygonal areas and rounded edge.

BuzzİSpace t One of the most talked-about products at the show and inspired by nature, BuzzİJungle offers a bold alternative to the conventional meeting space. BuzzİJungle is young Belgian designer Jonas Van Put’s first project with a major international manufacturer and reflects BuzzİSpace’s vision of the modern social office. Various elements within the structure provide an opportunity for different interactions within the ‘jungle’. You can climb, lounge and meet in the elevated work-lounge space made from lacquered steel.

Review - Orgatec

Haworth p Designed by Haworth Design Studio and ITO Design, Fern is the world’s first task chair designed with edgeless comfort. Inspired by nature, Fern’s Wave Suspension system is at the heart of the chair and the key to its back comfort and flexibility. From all appearances, the back looks simple – but inside is a high level of science, engineering, and innovation that enable Fern to work with the user, not against them.

Dauphin HumanDesign Group p The deliberately simple look of Züco Signo, headlining on the Dauphin HumanDesign Group stand, is heavily influenced by the ample backrest. The slender outline of the backrest recalls the double S-curve of the spine and clearly demonstrates the ergonomic comfort of the executive swivel chair at first glance. The fluid styling of Züco Signo is understated and gives this new executive and conference chair range an exclusive, prestigious feel.

SBS p The new HÅG SoFi chair incorporates market-leading technologies and beautiful aesthetics to provide a seating solution that offers brilliant design, supreme comfort and endless flexibility. Designed to help energise the user, the HÅG SoFi mesh has been developed to help improve focus and general wellbeing. The HÅG SoFi range is the result of an exciting collaboration with award winning design agencies Frost Produkt and Powerdesign.

Interstuhl t We don’t have to tell you that the huge number of clever, unique elements that have been brought together to form the Vintageis5 chair range blew us away – just head to page 64 to read the full story from designer Volker Eysing. This is a brand new chair – from the castors upwards. Elegant and reserved, this should be an absolute winner for Interstuhl.

Ocee Design p The Ocee International Group was represented at Orgatec by Four Design. Ocee favourites, such as the Harc tub chairs, Den acoustic workstations and the new Fabricks super acoustic bricks, were joined by a new wooden twist and stunning monochrome finish to the classic Four Sure chairs. The new Four Us sofas and FourWall by Anders Nørgaard offer a new soft seating zoning concept and option to create workstations on underutilised wall spaces.

Review

WHERE SURFACES

COME ALIVE REVEALING THE LATEST INNOVATIONS IN SURFACE DESIGN REGISTER NOW AT: WWW.SURFACEDESIGNSHOW.COM

Preview - Surface Design Show

SCRATCHING THE SURFACE Surface Design Show returns to London’s Business Design Centre from the 7-9 February 2017, bringing some of the world’s most exciting surfaces to an audience of architects, specifiers and designers.

The only event in the UK to focus solely on interior and exterior surfaces, Surface Design Show is the hot spot for industry people to immerse themselves in the latest materials for the built environment, gain new insights and network with like-minded designers, architects and suppliers. Tiling and stone companies, architectural lighting and textile designers, along with flooring and wall covering companies, are amongst the 140 exhibitors who have already signed up for Surface Design Show 2017. Many of the exhibitors have been exhibiting with the show since its launch in 2005. Rugmaker is one of the many returning exhibitors, and will be introducing Green Spectrum, designed by Ptolemy Mann; a flat weave Indian rug which won Best Rug Design 2016 at the International Wool Carpet and Rug Awards. Also returning is Soundtect, who produce stunning acoustic panels which are technically brilliant due to their balance of reverberation control and sound absorption. Introduced by Soundtect for 2017 will be Fins acoustic ceiling panels, which

provide a beautiful wave aesthetic with acoustic function. Clever stuff. International exhibitors include award-winning Italian company Mosaico Digitale, who combine traditional mosaic techniques with innovative digital technology allowing the mosaic aesthetic to be used in a contemporary form. Pintark from India are returning after a successful 2016 debut. The company produce leather surfaces in numerous designs, including a stunning geometric pattern which can be used in residential, hospitality and office interiors. New exhibitors for 2017 include DKT Artworks, who offer a unique creative resource for bespoke artworks and decorative finishes including bas-relief, murals, paint finishes, gilding, mosaics and polished plaster. Also debuting are Nordcell, one of the industry’s leading suppliers of European timber panels – including oak, poplar, pine, walnut, maple, beech and birch. Light School, presented by Light Collective and supported by the Institution of Lighting Professionals, has successfully

Flex by Durable/Luctra

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educated and inspired attendees on the important relationship between light and surfaces since 2014. Light School consists of three parts: Product School, Light Talks (sponsored by Luctra) and the School Newspaper (sponsored by Xicato). Product School provides architects and designers with a comprehensive review of lighting innovation and the latest technology. Exhibitors include Spectral, Visive and Applelec. Luctra will also be showcasing Flex in the auditorium, which was awarded the AIT Innovation award at this year's Orgatec. Luctra Flex is a cordless, portable, biologically effective lighting solution for mobile working in the home or office. The integrated lithium-ion battery supplies the lamp with power for up to nine hours. Plus, every attendee gets a free copy to take away at the end of the ‘school day’. Surface Spotlight Live, which debuted in 2016, is an exciting opportunity for architects and designers to see the best of advanced materials in two highlighted fields, with 2017 focusing

on Hospitality and Education. Trend and colour expert Sally Angharad will curate the area, presenting materials that make a significant contribution to both sectors. Surface Design Awards recognise and celebrate outstanding examples of progressive design and the use of innovative surfaces in projects both in the UK and internationally. The respected awards were launched in 2013 and have significantly grown in stature and quality year after year. The standard of entries for 2017 hs been outstanding, with projects from 10 different countries, including private residencies, restaurants, car parks and even billboards submitted – all featuring surface materials used in innovative ways, of course. The eagerly anticipated awards will be hosted by our very own Editor, Mick Jordan, on Thursday 9th February, when a total of 13 awards will be given out in seven different categories – culminating in a supreme winner being chosen from all the shortlisted projects.

OPENING TIMES Tues 7 Feb 18.00-21.00

Wed 8 Feb 11.00-21.00

Thurs 9 Feb 11.00-17.00

(Preview Evening)

(PechaKucha Evening, 18.00-21.00)

(Surface Design Awards Presentation, 13.00-14.30)

VENUE Business Design Centre 52 Upper Street, Islington London N1 0QH T: 020 7288 6475 W: businessdesigncentre.co.uk HOW TO GET THERE

Travelling by tube / train / bus The Business Design Centre is situated a three-minute walk from Angel tube station or a 10-minute walk from Highbury and Islington station which runs on the Victoria line and some mainline and overland stations. King's Cross/St. Pancras and Euston mainline stations are all a short bus ride away. Alternatively, it is possible to walk from King's Cross/St. Pancras.

Preview - Mixology North

NORTHERN LIGHTS

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Enigma Lighting – Tubular LED Spot

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CMD – Chip

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There are only a matter of days until we can reveal the awards winners at 2016’s Mixology North – and we will of course bring you them in the New Year. In the meantime, for those of you eagerly anticipating the North’s top night of the year and for those of you who can’t be there, here is a selection of our shortlisted products and projects. Don’t read anything into anything – we’re not giving any clues as to who the big winners are.

Hansgrohe – Talis Select

Humanscale – QuickStand Lite

Surfaces

Camira – Synergy

Changing the Face of Composites – Kimorra

Iona Crawford for Newmor – Secret Door Vinyl Wallcovering Collection

Patternistas – Patternistas for Ocee Design

Surfaces

Flooring

Versital UK – True to Life Marble Table Top Surface

Bolon – Bolon by You

Desso – Gold Collection

Forbo Flooring Systems – Synergy

Flooring

Furniture

Interface – World Woven

Milliken – Artistic Liberties

Godfrey Syrett – Zip

Humanscale – Diffrient Occasional Chair

Furniture

UK LEADING FURNITURE MANUFACTURER t +44 (0)1685 352222 sales@triumphfurniture.com www.triumphfurniture.com

Isomi – Isomi in Concrete Furniture

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CPMG Architects – John Pye Luxury Assets

DV8 Designs – YKK Europe

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Knightsbridge – Alfie

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Orangebox – Coda

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RFD Interior Architecture – SGS The Maltings

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OBI Property – e3creative

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ruCREATIVE – Ward Hadaway

Visit our NEW London Show-Space G17, 31 Clerkenwell Close, EC1R 0AT call 01685 352258

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Spatial Office Environments – Portswigger

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5plus Architects – Academy House

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Powell Office Style – In Touch Games

FINANCE OPTIONS AVAILABLE

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stephenson STUDIO – Russells Construction HQ

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NORR Consultants – WEIR Group

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AEW Architects and Designers – Moneypenny

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+44 (0) 115 986 6321 | canal@canalengineering.co.uk Staircases ~ Balustrades ~ Handrails Balconies ~ Canopies ~ Architectural Metalwork British engineered bespoke products for residential properties - installed in the UK & Abroad. Call us to discuss your lastest project and our staircase finance options.

BDG architecture + design – Sky Technology Centre

KKA Interiors – Verde Newcastle

Preview - Mixology North r La

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OBI Property – Rentalcars.com

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SpaceInvader – Astrazeneca Middlewood Court

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FaulknerBrowns – The Word, National Centre for the Written Word

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CPMG Architects – Student Services Centres, U of N

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Hemisphere / Jasper Sanders + Partners – Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital

SPACE ZERO – Holywell Learning Campus

stephenson STUDIO – Chethams School of Music

Ward Robinson – HMRC Model Office & Events Space

pitality Projec t Hos

33 Interiors – The Chester Grosvenor Hotel

BDP – Oldham Town Hall

Dragonfly – Pullman Hotel

Koncept Interior Design – Seaham Hall

pitality Projec t Hos

NoChintz – Lews Castle, Natural Retreats

Sally O’Loughlin – The King Street TownHouse

SpaceInvader – Dukes92

We’d like to thank everyone who entered the awards this year – we had a record number of entries, while the quality of submissions was also at an all-time high. Speaking of thanks, it would be remiss of us not to mention our fantastic panel of judges –CBRE’s John Ogden, Stephenson STUDIO’s Roger Stephenson, Jamie Wilson from HLM, Lisa McFarlane from Seven Architecture and Ask Real Estate’s Neil Pickup.

Profile - Volker Eysing

SOLD OUT Look forward to seeing you there.

See the full review in Januaryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s issue of Mix.

8 December 2016 Manchester Central Manchester www.mixology-awards.com

Mixology North 16 sponsors

Tormax Races Ahead

Barkers Home impresses with Moduleo

Rock Solid Finish From Armourcoat

RACE (Remote Applications in Challenging Environments) contracted TORMAX to design and install a prestigious three-wing revolving entrance combined with automatic pass door, delivering easy access to the research facility near Oxford. Representing one of the most advanced operators on the market, the swing door is powered by a TORMAX iMotion 1301 door drive, uniquely designed to deliver unparalleled reliability and longevity. www.tormax.co.uk

Barkers Home selected the Mountain Oak

Decorative specialists Armourcoat have introduced a new decorative wall finish based on natural granite stone – destined to be an instant classic effect. The Granite polished plaster finish recreates the beauty and long-lasting qualities of granite, a classic choice offering a natural stone option. This rugged hand-applied finish, created from a natural material composed of hydrated lime and crushed marble, presents a rough-hewn surface full of texture and interest. www.armourcoat.com

from Moduleo’s Impress collection for a recent refurbishment. Key requirements being durability, style and realistic representation of wood. Moduleo was chosen for the main shop floor, the first and second levels, and the café. Ian Barker, Director of Barkers, comments: 'We’re thoroughly impressed with the Moduleo flooring. The slip-resistant rating of R10, and 10-year warranty were key selling points, in addition to the outstanding and realistic woodeffect design.' www.moduleo.co.uk

A Multi-disciplinary Approach to Flooring

Hunter Douglas showcases Europe’s first Modular Felt Ceiling

INVISTA’s Antron carpet fibre features in Forbo Flooring Systems’ Synergy collection. Available in a variety of modular formats, the collection is split into three carpet tile designs: Seagrass, Hybrid and Marble, each featuring Antron Lumena carpet fibre. Available in four on-trend colourways, these three high-performance Tessera carpet tiles can be coordinated with matching colourways in Allura Flex LVT or complemented by pure colour from the Tessera Clarity carpet tile range. www.antron.eu

The £15 million Moneypenny headquarters features Europe’s first modular felt ceiling system, developed and manufactured by Hunter Douglas. When AEW Architects was commissioned to design an inspiring environment, it included a 17-metre high central atrium. A ceiling was required for the canopy within this space and the architect selected Hunter Douglas’s HeartFelt Ceiling System – a budget-friendly ceiling made from 100% recyclable material, including the special carrier. www.hunterdouglas.co.uk

A is for

Apex Fallacy

Mark Eltringham isn't keen with the phrase 'Office of the Future' – and he's keen to tell us why we shouldn't be either. Of all the memes and narratives that corrupt public discourse about workplace design, the most pernicious is the one that suggests there is a linear evolution to some grand end point called the Office of the Future. There is a human inclination to buy this sort of idea. This is why so many people are quick to consume and then regurgitate the idea that what we see happening in the world’s great tech palaces and creative offices represents the apogees of design to which the rest of us must one day aspire. It rests on misguided assumptions about what really goes on in such offices and what these assumptions mean for firms in other sectors. It is the great apex fallacy of workplace design and it is one we must challenge. The bête noire of this narrative is the open plan office, that great manifestation of bland corporate culture, command and control. We are constantly reminded that the days of this sort of thing are over or ending, yet not only is an open plan office to be found at the heart of Facebook’s new HQ, it remains an important element in pretty much all offices in all sectors in all nations. There’s nothing wrong with an open plan office; the problems are connected to its fit with a culture. People can be happy and productive in a badly designed office (or no office at all) or miserable and demotivated in a gilded cage. There is a link between design and the things that organisations and employees want, but without the glue of culture it all falls

apart. Of course, the workplace design industry itself is complicit in perpetuating the idea that if you buy or design x then y is the outcome. This is understandable but it can distort the way ideas are presented. For a start, case studies often misrepresent what actually happens in offices. Drive a double decker bus into the building to use as a meeting room and that is what the marketing department and media will focus on, ignoring the ranks of grey tables and task chairs in the background.

People can be happy and productive in a badly designed office (or no office at all) or miserable and demotivated in a gilded cage. Unless such features reflect a culture, they are the equivalent of an otherwise dull person wearing novelty socks to look wacky. The symbols of this enforced corporate wackiness are the slide and the ping pong table. So clichéd have such features become that Vanity Fair claimed in a recent article that falling sales of ping pong tables in

California suggests that Silicon Valley might be in trouble. This kind of thinking inevitably leeches into other sectors. In 2014, the British Council for Offices published a report which highlighted the wider impact of workplace design trends and commercial property arrangements in the Technology, Media and Telecoms (TMT) sector. It suggested that they are having a transformational influence on firms in other sectors. The report pinpoints exactly why we find this world so intriguing – its youthfulness, entrepreneurial spirit, newness, fastgrowth, trend awareness and verve. These characteristics are reflected in the design of the workplaces and the way people work in them. The report also suggests that these are the things that other organisations aspire to. So in an attempt to ape the approach of TMT companies, others are following suit, hoping some of the magic will rub off on them. This is a trap because it may lead to decisions taken that do not fit or reflect a company’s own culture or one it genuinely aspires to. This is the great apex fallacy of workplace design and it is one of which we should be very wary. We must never assume that any one idea is a universal solution, whether that’s a bland open plan space or an incongruous facsimile of something extraordinary we are told or believe will make us look a particular way, solve a problem or meet an objective.

Mark Eltringham is the publisher of workplace design and management website Office Insight. mark@officeinsight.org

DAUPHIN X-CODE: FOR GREATER DYNAMISM IN THE OFFICE

The functions of X-Code office chairs clearly determine their overall styling. The soft, multidimensional backrest fabric ensures optimum climatic conditions and support for the entire back. The horizontal gaps in the backrest shell provide support, allow ventilation and are an unusual design feature in their own right.

NEW ADDRESS LONDON OFFICE Dauphin HumanDesignÂŽ UK Limited 1 Albemarle Way I GB London EC1V 4JB Phone +44 207 2537774 I Fax +44 207 2531629 www.dauphinuk.com I info@dauphinuk.com

chip

Chip is a new 4A USB charging module set to revolutionise the way we use on desk power. With more and more devices using USB the demand for traditional sockets on the desk is falling. This stylish and fully in integrated module simply connects to your under desk power using a Wieland or plug to offer 2 USB power supplies capable of charging all leading phones and tablets.