Mix Interiors 218 - January/February 2022 by Mix_Interiors

Issue 218 01/02 2022

Beautifully simple.

LVT that works. Every single time.

Mix Interiors Issue 218 30

Contents

Upfront

The Human Zoo

Material Matters

In conversation with: Sheila Bird Studio

News and highlights from the world of commercial interior design

M Moser Associate’s Steve Gale talks to Dr Nigel Oseland about brains, bodies and better ways of working

The team from SODA Studio offer up some of their favourite go-to materials

We get to know the team behind some of Manchester’s favourite interiors

Five reasons 2022 won’t be boring (and will make you money) David Thame on why we’re heading out of town and turning green this year

Paradoxically Speaking: Trends

Mix Roundtable in partnership with Milliken

Workplace expert Neil Usher on when to commit, when to gamble and when to fold

Build to Rent: the post-pandemic recipe to success?

Review: Mixology North21

Desert Island Desks

LDN:W

This time next year...

Newcastle Civic Centre

We look back at the winners and highlights from the 2021 Awards

Founder & Creative Director at Studio LOST, Constantina Tsoutsikou lays out her desert island essentials

A tired 80s office block gets the full BDP design treatment Perkins&Will’s Adam Strudwick muses on a greener future for our new regular Positive Impact feature, celebrating social, economic and environmental sustainability. FaulknerBrowns Architects brings a Grade II listed building into the 21st Century

Mix Interiors Issue 218 Contents cont. 88

Introducing: Tina Norden

Buckle Street Studios

Ahead of her first regular hospitality column, Conran and Partners’ Tina Norden muses on the state of the sector Locke’s new offering proves there’s plenty of space for innovation, even while championing compact, short stay living

100 The Red Room at The Connaught

Bryan O’Sullivan Studio’s latest collaboration with Maybourne Hotel Group celebrates the art of interiors

108 The Final Word

Criteo’s Workplace Director Mike Walley discusses why sanity or madness hinges on the right design team

100

Get in touch Managing Director Marcie Incarico marcie@mixinteriors.com Director Leon March leon@mixinteriors.com Business Development Manager Kate Borastero kate@mixinteriors.com Deputy Editor Chloé Petersen Snell chloe@mixinteriors.com Head of Operations Lisa Jackson lisa@mixinteriors.com Founding Publisher Henry Pugh Columnists Steve Gale, David Thame Tina Norden, Mike Walley, Neil Usher

The Cover Logo Taking inspiration from the shapes, lines and textures of the background image, spacelab_ overlaid a translucent colour block to complement yet contrast with the image, adding depth and dynamism to the image. The ‘MIX’ sits seamlessly within this block, integrating the layers and working with the shapes, while bringing the texture through to the forefront.

Cover Image Amtico has revolutionised its popular Spacia Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT) flooring collection with a fresh look and new designs. Four years in the making and following more than 100 hours of customer research, Amtico Spacia boasts 46 Woods and 48 Stones meticulously designed to create a sense of calm through the wellbeing benefits of biophilia.

Address Unit 2 Abito, 85 Greengate, Manchester M3 7NA Telephone 0161 519 4850

www.spacelab.co.uk

www.amtico.com/commercial

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Printed by S&G Print ISSN 1757-2371

Mix Interiors 214

July 2021

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

Email editorial@mixinteriors.com Website www.mixinteriors.com

Welcome Mix Interiors / Issue 218

Hello and welcome to the first of our bi-monthly issues of Mix Interiors for 2022. You’ll notice a few changes to the magazine, not least the design. I wouldn’t describe it as a full facelift, but instead more of a ‘tweakment’ – a refresh to create more space on the page, which will hopefully enhance your reading experience.

Still on the subject of change, regular readers may be wondering what I’m even doing here, writing the foreword this month. Well, with the new year marking new beginnings, Mick Jordan has stepped down as editor of Mix Interiors to pursue other opportunities. We’ve walked a long road together and we wish him every success on the next leg of his professional journey. Mick will remain a part of our extended family as a contributor, continuing the Mix tradition of spotlighting the very best of commercial interior design. He joins our existing stable of ever-popular contributors: Steve Gale, Neil Usher, Mike Walley and David Thame, whose insights this issue inform, inspire and make us smile. Also joining the fold is our good friend Tina Norden, Partner at Conran and Partners, who will be penning a regular piece on the ever-changing world of interior design within hospitality and living – bringing a fresh perspective on one of the industry’s most dynamic arenas. As always, at Mix we remain committed to driving the conversation, exploring the topics dominating our sector and showcasing the projects, people and products that bring it to life – be it workplace and hospitality, leisure and public sector or, increasingly, hybrids of all, as creativity and innovation blurs the lines between. That commitment extends to digital as well as print, of course, and this year we’re going to be expanding our online footprint, bringing more stories to you, wherever you are. Join us at mixinteriors.com, where you can also sign-up to our free weekly digital newsletter, and follow us on social @mix.interiors. Finally, I would like to wish you all a healthy and prosperous year ahead, and I look forward to seeing many of you in person at the stellar events we have planned over the next 12 months. Happy reading and warmest wishes, Marcie

Custom Groove in Empire with Vertiface in Cinder and Felt in Beehive

Maori Language Commission, New Zealand

Bespoke design, simplified Create simple, elegant acoustic solutions for your space with Groove. From neat pinstripes to sweeping curves, Groove transforms our Cube™ panels into refined acoustic artworks. Scan the QR code to learn more about Groove.

Upfront:

A New New York

The office as a hub of connectivity and culture. That’s the manifesto laid out by London-based studio Sella, in its NYC workplace design for Sidewalk Infrastructure Partners. Set across 3000 sq ft within the Oda New York Architectsdesigned 10 Jay Street building – flanked by the Manhattan Bridge – the interiors were conceived at the height of the pandemic. As a reaction to evolving working practices then, the scheme pushes at the boundaries of established office norms – with an emphasis on flexible and interchangeable meeting rooms; on a merging between workspace and membership cultures; and on the flow of the environment, to encourage in-person interaction. Sella’s signature design language is seen throughout: in the playful use of curves, consistent colour story and the layering of materials. The studio drew from its experience in hospitality with the creation of social breakout spaces – featuring built-in sanitaryware and stations serving kombucha and beer. Furniture is from US brand Crump & Kwash, while Sella developed bespoke banquette seating using fabrics by Dedar and Maharam. Elsewhere, lighting by Allied Maker and surfaces from Fireclay Tiles continue the theme of American makers, with a nod to the UK in quieter interventions, such as cabinet handles by the British Swarf Hardware. sella-concept.com

AirMaster Savera & Savera Shade ®

NEW CARPET TILE COLLECTION

DESSO AirMaster Savera & Savera Shade offer an inspiring and flexible way to significantly reduce harmful fine dust particles in the workplace. After installation, the tiles are at least four times more effective at capturing and retaining fine dust particles compared to standard carpets (PM10) thanks to proven and patented technology. The tiles are made with 100% regenerated ECONYL® yarn and at the end of their life-cycle, they are 100% recyclable in Tarkett’s own carpet recycling centre. www.tarkett.co.uk E: salesuk@tarkett.com T: 0800 328 2115

Significantly reduces fine dust particles in the workplace.

Request a free sample!

Upfront:

Carbon Neutral

Global flooring company Interface has unveiled a refresh of its popular Heuga 727 collection – one of the company’s most popular ranges, since its launch in 2010. The collection features 48 colours, ranging from soft greys and warm neutrals to lush blues, greens, vivid reds and oranges, to reflect new trends in the industry. The rich variety of complementary tones can be used as a single bold block of colour or by combining multiple options. The tiles use CQuest™Bio backing – a non-vinyl, non-bitumen backing made with a bio-composite, containing bio-based and recycled fillers which are net carbon negative. “As with all Interface carpet tiles, Heuga 727 is carbon neutral across its full product lifecycle and verified through the Carbon Neutral Floors programme,” says Mandy Leeming, Design Director EAAA at Interface. “This is part of an ongoing commitment to reduce our carbon impact, restore the planet and reverse global warming. Heuga 727 has been enduringly popular for 11 years thanks to its quality, durability and price point, so we’ve refreshed the colours available to reflect changing and emerging trends.” Heuga 727 is compatible with other Interface carpet tiles, LVT and nora® rubber flooring, enabling maximum creativity in flooring design. interface.com

Upfront:

Flying Colours

Italian lighting brand Flos has launched a variety of its iconic designs in bold new colours. To celebrate its 50th anniversary, Parentisi from Pio Manzù and Achille Castiglioni is now available in turquoise and orange - orange used by Manzù for many of his automotive and industrial design creations. The anniversary edition also features a silicon base in matching colours. Designed by the Bouroullec brothers in 2013, the suspended Aim lighting is now available in green. Used individually or in multiples, the lighting hangs in space like a plant, with long, branch-like cables that provide maximum freedom to adjust the direction and height of the light source. Originally designed in 1973, the 265 Chromatica has been launched in the same primary colours shown in designer Paolo Rizzatto’s original sketches - the head is red, the weight in yellow and connecting arm in blue. The suspended wall lamp is attached to the wall in an asymmetric position with the head and weight balanced at the end of the adjustable arm. Other refreshed designs include Michael Anastassiades’ String Light in blue or white, Smithfield by Jasper Morrison in green, and the Castiglioni brother’s iconic Snoopy lamp in orange. flos.com

THE JOURNEY There is a unique adventure of discovery behind all our luxury vinyl flooring designs. We take inspiration from the natural world to push boundaries and empower a sense of possibility, and we are constantly moving to make a more positive impact on the world. If our designs are absorbed into a new roadmap of creating spaces that inspire a sense of belonging and emotional engagement with our environment, we will know that we have successfully contributed to a healthier world. Start your journey of discovery by exploring our new commercial brochure: karndean.com/commercialbrochure

Upfront:

Restore to Factory

dMFK Architects are to restore the iconic former Sanderson wallpaper factory. Completed in 1902, Voysey House in Chiswick is the only commercial building designed by C.F.A Voysey, the celebrated modernist architect and designer. Grade II* listed and originally designed as an extension, the five-storey building was converted into offices following a fire in the adjacent factory in 1928. dMFK Architects’ scheme aims to revive the original building, removing unsympathetic previous additions and reinstating high-quality, appropriate materials and finishes in line with Voysey’s original design. Upgrading the building will provide Grade A office space, aiming to attract more occupiers and benefiting the local economy. It will also upgrade the building’s EPC rating from F to B, making it more sustainable to operate. Sensitive restoration plans include partial replacement and restoration of the striking original white glazed bricks, the black painted Staffordshire Blue bricks and the Portland stone dressings. All original small pane windows will be restored and the glazing replaced to improve the efficiency of the building and allow natural ventilation. Internally, dMFK will completely redesign the previously inhospitable ground floor, creating a larger reception area and opening views into and out of the building, and encouraging public engagement. Voysey’s original, open layout will be reintroduced, featuring airy office space alongside improved amenities and facilities. dmfk.co.uk

DESK 1

Designed for flexible working DESK 1 is one of BACHMANN’s leading products for decades and offers a flexible and innovative integrated power and data solution. The modular unit has been configured specifically for commercial interiors and designed for hybrid working, with USB fast charging to support agile working. Available mounted or free standing, DESK 1 is versatile and well-built, with several aluminium finish options to suit the space in which it is specified.

Showroom 45 St. John Street, Clerkenwell, EC1M 4AN sales-uk@bachmann.com 020 3998 1821 www.bachmann.com/en

Upfront:

Disco Fever

Titan of hospitality design, Martin Brudnizki, has embarked on his first London hotel project with Broadwick Soho – a 57-room property with restaurant and terrace, rooftop lounge, dining room and speakeasy bar. Slated to open late 2022, the design ethos is teasingly described as: ‘seventies hedonistic disco pop, meets your eccentric godmother’s townhouse.’ Brudnizki, famed for his extravagant, characterful approach, has overseen the interiors of some of the capital’s most acclaimed dining destinations – including Sexy Fish, Annabel’s and Scott’s. Broadwick Soho then, will be equally original, with Sicilian-inspired F&B spaces and individually designed guestrooms, including nine suites and a penthouse. Many rooms will feature private balconies and are intended to evoke a comfortable, residential feel. On the upper floor the wraparound terrace will offer spectacular city views, while the eighth-floor dining room will cater to those seeking greater privacy – ideal for memorable occasions, overlooking Soho. Beyond London, Brudnizki has helmed a variety of hotel projects, including University Arms in Cambridge and Four Seasons Hampshire; while internationally his work includes New York’s The Beekman, Miami’s Soho Beach House and Jeddah’s The Assila. mbds.com

OASES

ELITE OFFICE FURNITURE UK LTD

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

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

@EliteOfficeFurn eliteofficefurniture

Upfront:

Thinking Local

The first Canopy by Hilton Property in the UK has opened in London’s East End – joining more than 30 within the ‘locally-inspired’ brand across the globe. With 340 rooms, the hotel may be grand in scale, but it’s substantially more intimate in concept – following the Canopy ethos of eschewing uniformity in favour of setting-driven individuality. London-based studio ACME headed up design, using the area’s historic ties to the textile industry as interiors inspiration. Nodding to the Huguenot silk weavers who settled in Spitalfields in the 17th century, guest rooms feature woven fabrics and floral patterns reminiscent of their work, while the Penny Squares restaurant includes motifs drawn from a period quilting technique. Of course, in design the property also speaks to the East End of today, celebrating the contemporary art scene of Whitechapel, with works by local creatives dispersed throughout public spaces. Equally timely is a focus on environmental and social sustainability, and the hotel opens with the highest possible BREEAM rating – with a ‘green roof ’, energy derived from solar panels, beds made from post-industrial recycled steel and food and beverage produce primarily sourced from local suppliers. hilton.com

creating an agile world. Meticulously developed and manufactured in-house, OE are dedicated to providing cutting-edge power solutions, tailor-made to the dynamic working environment & beyond. Award-winning product lines & complete electrical distribution systems; OE knows power. Bring your furniture to life with OE; Masters in design & innovation of power & data delivery modules since 1986. Visit: www.oeelectrics.co.uk Speak to us: +44 (0) 1924 367255

Upfront:

We are family

Gensler has created a vibrant ‘family home’ for McCann Worldgroup’s new London headquarters, uniting 1,200 employees under one roof across 12 different agencies. The design delivers smarter, more flexible working options and collaboration areas which encourage idea-sharing and social interaction. The space is also intended to be fluid and agile enough to allow for future growth, whilst providing an environment that reinforces the McCann Worldgroup mantra of ‘brilliant individually, unbeatable as one’. Depicted as ‘The Manor’ – a design narrative throughout – Gensler’s design team approached the project as if creating a home. The goal was to simulate a place where the ‘family’ could come together at the dining table, but also have their separate rooms to escape the noise of large familial gatherings. Where possible, materials and products have been locally sourced, and the reuse of existing furniture and equipment from the former studios has aided the reduction of waste. “This was an exciting opportunity for us to design a space with creatives, for creatives, integrating McCann’s ideation process into ours,” comments Gensler’s Christopher Crawford. “There was a strong push against designing homogenous, monochromatic spaces, so the use of bold colour, humour, craft and storytelling is laced throughout the project to create a wide variety of unique destinations.” gensler.com

Woven Gradience

Celebrating colour whilst seamlessly blending into your surroundings.

The inspiration for Woven Gradience came from fusions of colour in nature - colour blends caused by light, texture, and form. The way that we see colour can shift and change. Just like nature, the colours of Woven Gradience are both soothing and exciting. Vibrant pinks blend seamlessly with calming emerald tones. Rich terracotta transitions beautifully into soothing aqua. Each shade is grounded by soft, relaxing grey tones that allow you to connect spaces and create bespoke areas for space users. Woven Gradience is carbon neutral throughout its full lifecycle. +44 (0)800 313 4465 ukcustomerservices@interface.com interface.com/wovengradience

Upfront:

Down in Mexico

Danish textile manufacturer Kvadrat has launched Broken Twill Weave, an upholstery textile designed by American industrial designer Jonathan Olivares. It features a precise herringbone structure and a versatile selection of colourways inspired by an experimental house in Mexico that Olivares is constructing. Building on the concept created for Kvadrat’s upholstery textile, Twill Weave references an archetypal construction that was first seen in the architecture of ancient Rome. Made from durable post-consumer recycled material, Broken Twill Weave has a full-bodied, robust structure and is produced in a way that ensures meticulous colour accuracy. Many of the 17 colours for Broken Twill Weave reference the natural elements of the landscape surrounding the experimental house, such as pinecones, agave plants, maple trees, minerals and local flora. Other tones reflect the different hues and pigments of the locally made dyed bricks used to construct the building, acting as a bridge between architecture and nature. Tough and versatile, Broken Twill Weave has been created for both commercial and private spaces. kvadrat.dk

INSPIRED BY NATURE

DESIGNERS & MANUFACTURERS OF WORKSPACE FURNITURE Part of the

Portfolio

WWW.GOF.CO.UK/KULTURE/RELO

Insight:

The Human Zoo Steve Gale talks to Dr Nigel Oseland about brains, bodies and better ways of working.

Changing priorities Things have changed in the workplace industry, we study individual needs more and how people respond to conditions and stimuli rather than simply what we do at work. Terms like emotional intelligence were not spoken and concepts such as happiness promotion or stress reduction were not key objectives in my own early career days. The litmus test was effectiveness, tasks and activities, enshrined in the simple doctrine of activity-based working from about 30 years ago. These ideas are still vitally important, but they are mostly baked-in to modern workplace design. Just like turn indicators on a new car, they are necessary but completely standard. Occupiers are more complicated than mere workers. So I speak to environmental psychologist, workplace strategist and author of Beyond the Workplace Zoo, Dr Nigel Oseland to trade ideas on the professional working space. Lovely Perks I start by comparing the all-embracing workplaces typically provided by big tech firms to the more functional environments found where the money tree bears less fruit. Does the corporate generosity including food offers, gymnasia and sleep pods have a positive effect, or does it isolate employees from the real world where their customers live? Nigel recounts his friend’s experience: “He was a manager at a US tech giant, who found that his young team, often straight out of college, appreciated the food because they had not acquired the life skills to feed themselves. During the pandemic, this same manager was sending team members food parcels complete with cooking instructions. This feels like basic humane support, not a luxury.”

Community service Why do organisations provide employee facilities when there is abundant choice on the street on which the offices are located? Nigel quickly turns it on its head: “Why not make some of the private corporate space part of the public realm? Introduce the public into your space and while they’re there, show them how great you are – show off your brand, your technology or products and services. If a company has massive brand value and a large part of that is about people trusting the brand, then why not open the doors to the outside world? “There’s an alternative here: to show how open you are and how connected you are with the community, you actually offer your facilities to those already there” A load of gig workers So what about the future of home working? WFH routines during the pandemic have tested the demand for office facilities and companies have re-examined what their employees want. Sometimes they choose freedom of choice in place of magnanimous corporate charity. Some companies, like Twitter, Coinbase and SAP for example, are supporting their staff to work at home as much as they want, even full time if they prefer it. For these organisations, and many others like them, the big change is exactly about this freedom and choice. Nigel is a fan of a sensible compromise: “I say in my book, extremes aren’t normally the best option for the majority of people. We need to offer range and maintain an element of a central office where people can come together for mentoring and coaching, where we can build brand awareness to show what we stand for.” Some firms are already rethinking ‘Big HQ’. As Brian Armstrong, CEO at Coinbase puts it, “Our vision is to have one floor of office space in ten cities, rather than ten floors of office space in one city.” Home working, says Nigel, is “very good for getting tasks done without distraction. But we know it’s not very good for bringing people together or for that creative element or brainstorming and socializing. If we’re not careful we’re just going to have a load of gig workers. Do we want people who are just going to waft in and out of organisations? It’s not very good for long term productivity in terms of innovation, new products, new services and building the brand, all of which is what makes an organisation.”

Thinking groupthink thoughts With the emphasis on brand I wonder, could a strong business culture actually stifle innovation, because people are too aligned, possibly too prone to groupthink and disinclined to challenge ideas? I know of a global charity that has deliberately ditched its London HQ to allow its globally dispersed members to have equal weight and to enrich the organisation with different lived experiences. Now its competitors are copying the idea. “Bring as many different viewpoints into the business as possible,” is Nigel’s response, but allow them the opportunity to meet and socialise in person to accelerate their effectiveness as a group. They do not have to be permanently in the same place, but attract people and their ideas from outside, and allow them space to gel as a team; otherwise, their contribution cannot bear fruit. “Sometimes if people have come together once or twice they can go back to the virtual world as a team. However, with video conferences I think you get issues of miscommunication because of the lack of nonverbal language.” That’s what I want In the future, asks Nigel, “who wants to go to a cramped office where there are problems with noise, thermal comfort and personal space? Offices are too dense. We can’t just reduce the amount of real estate. If you get it right, it will be more like a kind of club environment. It’s activity-based working, but a lot more spacious and a lot more humane. “Build zones with different temperatures, noise levels and lighting so people can find the spaces that suit them. That’s how we get better use of the office.” Belonging On maintaining a culture, Nigel says: “Sustainability of the organization partly comes from people coming together when they know they’re not just there to do their job. There’s that sense of belonging to the organization, to the culture. If people don’t come together, you might lose a little bit of accountability and responsibility. “There’s a big difference between performance in terms of goals and objectives, and coming together to create new products and new services – the innovation and spark that only happens through serendipitous meeting, bumping into people and mingling. If we are not careful we will recreate aspects of those sterile, boring, traditional working environments that we’ve had for 20 years by replicating them on screen.”

Material Matters London-based SODA Studio is an experimental, free-thinking and collaborative practice working across architecture, interior design and graphic design. Recent clients have included The Office Group, Soho House and MYO.

Architect Parvathy Vipulendran, Associate Eleni Karabouikis and Designer Matilde Menezes offer up four of their go-to materials. sodastudio.co.uk

Altrock It has been great to work with Altrock on the Liberty House workspace for The Office Group. It’s made from 87% reclaimed and recycled materials, and it allowed us to bring in colours that were inspired by Liberty fabrics. It was integral to the design of this space that we could create visual links back to the heritage of the nearby department store and the elegant luxury that brings with it. altrocksurfaces.com

Foresso Our design for the new Courier office (coming soon) is based on principles of mixing homely atmospheres with professional detailing, using a combination of raw and refined materials. These playful contradictions can be achieved by using a material such as the Britishmade Foresso. Comprised of timber chips, it’s sustainable and durable, perfect for a feature surface for worktops and the key points of interaction in Courier’s office. foresso.co.uk

Plywood Plywood can be used as a finish in its own right, providing a contemporary utilitarian look. We have used it for the joinery at a high-profile workspace project we’re currently working on, that challenges traditional corporate norms by providing a series of different types of environments. Typically used as a construction material, we have elevated plywood to a joinery finish where expressed detailing shows off the laminated structure of the material.

Tibor Tibor is a woven fabric that we’d love to use on a project very soon. Handwoven in London, it has a rich depth and is clearly produced at the highest standards. The colours and textures could be used for a variety of purposes and it would create a sensory experience that also speaks of traditional techniques and elegant design. tibor.co.uk

Ahrend QABIN Collection The Ahrend Qabin Collection is a new booth range that facilitates every activity: whether working with others, concentrating or video conferencing. The Call and Chat booths are ergonomic workspaces that promote vital and comfortable working and boast the best air refreshment rate on the market.

• 41% recycled materials

• 93% recyclability

Agile Spaces By

• 21% rapidly renewable materials

I AM Task Chair The I AM chair from Techo is ergonomic, stylish and, above all, hugely comfortable. It has a flexible back, with adjustable lumbar support, to provide unparalleled support, as well as a dynamic synchro-mechanism and forward seat inclination.

• 55% recycled materials

• 99% recyclability

• 100% produced with green energy

Workstations By

Sheila Bird Studio In conversation with:

Sheila Bird Studio is a design practice working where architecture, interiors, brand storytelling and space activation meet. It designs places that energise; instilling a sense of ownership so that strong communities can form. Its team see themselves as facilitators: guides on a design journey of discovery for clients tired of beige walls and rows of desks. Atul sets the scene: “No is not a word we use. Everything is possible. Don’t think of the reasons why you can’t do something, think of the big idea.” “Our philosophy is quite different to other designers, in terms of how we think about projects,” says Jon. “It anticipates change. Most interior designers are given a box to decorate, but hardly any of our jobs are l ike that.” “Nine times out of ten, our clients don’t know what they want,” adds Atul. “So, they ask us because they think we know. And we do know, because they want to tell a story. We don’t design offices, we design spaces that people inhabit. We’re doing parts of the story that perhaps interior designers never did before. We always used to sit in the middle of a big sandwich, of developer and architect, who decided what they wanted to do and then asked us to help with interiors. At the end, they’d go to some branding company who created a brochure, website and launched it. We don’t sit in the middle anymore. We do the branding before we do anything on site. As a result, the purpose of what we’re trying to create is not dictated by something that otherwise comes at the end.” In its own collateral the studio describes its work as: ‘Spotting market opportunities for community building and putting together teams of collaborators to harness those opportunities.’ A process it neatly terms, ‘joining the dots.’

Fresh from their Mixology North win for Design Firm of the Year 2021, Mix meets Sheila Bird Studio’s Atul Bansal and Jon Humphreys, to chat about their philosophy, projects and designing spaces with soul.

The pandemic hasn’t changed the studio’s thinking, but now the doors that they’ve always tried to open are much easier to push. “What we’re experiencing now is builders and developers saying, ‘Well, I’ve got no idea what I’m building anymore. I don’t know what I’m providing to the market’,” says Atul. “They’re asking us to get involved in that conversation before they decide what it is. That’s a big change for us. It’s really exciting because we’re not trying to unpick something that’s awful. Now buildings are getting designed with a purpose and personality from the outset.” “Previously it was stack ‘em high and stack as many people in and it just doesn’t work anymore,” says Jon. “People are starting to be more vocal about it, expressing that they don’t want to be in a certain kind of space anymore; that they want something different. That creates a much more public dialogue about what people actually want.” “Take a reception: something that’s traditionally designed to stop people coming into a building,” continues Atul. “We’re doing work where the ground floor says, ‘welcome, come on in’.” This philosophy can be found at Hilton House, Manchester, where Sheila Bird was instrumental in giving the once drab brutalist building a new identity and purpose. Designed and built by architect Richard Seifeit, the building had remained untouched since its construction in the 1960s. Now refreshed by Buttress Architects and Sheila Bird Studio as a creative beacon in the city’s trendy Northern Quarter, the ground floor is home to coffeehouse-cum-event-space-cum-wellbeing-hub, Feel Good Club, recently awarded Manchester’s Small Business of the Year at the Greater Manchester Business Awards.

Previous image: Feel Good Club at Hilton House Left image: Sheila Bird Studio

“Where I think we excel is finding somebody who has a dream and a passion, and that’s how we brought in Feel Good Club to Hilton House,” says Atul. “They had a brand already, but they didn’t really have the financial muscle to do it the way they wanted to. So, we joined the dots and that’s what has activated that building and made it special. That’s what interior design is about. Not carpet or picking a colour for the wall, it’s about real people.”

The studio was also instrumental in cofounding a brand-new coworking business, SEE-SAW, to run the communal amenities it had created.

The studio has described its work at Hilton House as Kintsugi – the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with lacquer and powdered precious metals, treating the damage as part of the object’s history rather than something to disguise.

Recent projects with two fast-growing tech companies showcase culture-building and a design agility that underlines the Sheila Bird manifesto. Brought in to design an environment fit for the ambitious growth of cyber security experts Portswigger, the studio harnessed a unique ‘pattern language’, creating a people-first design strategy that focused on the needs of its teams, that could evolve as they grow. These team spaces were designed as nodes, integrated with communal breakout spaces and amenities, including a fully functioning restaurant and gym.

“I’m going to be really honest here, we didn’t tell our client what we were going to do straightaway. We did it in stages over a period, to allow the client to become intrigued with the process and concept,” explains Atul. Placemaking is an important part of the studio’s work and the community-enriching space at Hilton House doesn’t stand alone. Acting as creative leads overseeing the development of a six-storey Grade II listed Manchester textile building into office space, Jon and Atul saw an opportunity to create something different in the market. Recognising that an increasing number of ambitious, imaginative companies couldn’t find ‘honest’ spaces that they could feel at home in, Sheila Bird focused its attention on creating an environment where a new community could grow. Its design saw a careful peeling back of the layers of inappropriate development accumulated over the years and proudly displayed the authentic features and materiality that had been hidden for decades.

“Our philosophy has always taken the view that people and activity ‘finish’ spaces and if they are over-designed or sanitised, it can become difficult to foster ownership and develop strong cultures. The space plants the seeds for the culture to grow.”

“We listened to the client and how they liked to work – separated into smaller rooms with individual desks and a collaborative space in the middle,’ explains Jon. ‘It reminded me of a story I read years ago about a community in America called the Hutterites. As the population grows, they build another village down the road. They’ve been around for so long because they’ve got their own mechanism for evolution.

It’s a sustainable model because they replicate the small, tight-knit communities. That’s what we’re finding with a lot of tech businesses – they have to maintain a certain DNA, but also have a way of enabling them to grow quickly and consistently. Once a team grows to eight, they create another team.” Not only does this approach give the teams a focused and ownable area of their own to operate in, but the spaces between each cell are also the glue for cross-team collaboration. A vibrant colour scheme of zesty yellow and green is designed to bring the outdoors in and create bright pops of colour within the darker spaces deeper in the floorplate. The design strikes a careful balance between open, semi-enclosed and private environments, connected by communal areas and circulation routes around the perimeter of lush, open countryside. “Luckily we have amazing clients that told us: ‘just go and do what you think is right’. It doesn’t matter if it doesn’t all work because we’re breaking new ground,” Atul says. ‘If you don’t get some of it right, don’t worry, we’ll fix it in phase two’.” This responsive approach to design has ensured repeat business from loyal clients. In 2016 the studio collaborated with AI experts Peak, to design a workplace that would help break down traditional silos in the business. Following substantial investment and a headcount that has since more than doubled,

Sheila Bird was asked back to design a series of flexible spaces that could help strengthen Peak’s brand, culture, staff wellbeing and create a sense of belonging as it continues its growth journey. This involved a transformation of the company’s current space and the addition of a new floor in the building. “The [2016 design] was revolutionary for Peak and was about breaking the team away from previous habits,’ says Atul. ‘Now they’re growing and need more space, If you’d told them in 2016 what we were going to do in 2021 they would have said no, but because we had that intermediate stage, they were that much braver.

Above image: Peak HQ, Manchester Below image: Design ideas brought to life in a sketch by Atul

“We developed the concept of the Sky Garden and the Clubhouse, each with a distinct purpose. One floor being dedicated to focused teamwork (Sky Garden) and the other (Clubhouse) to communal functions, meetings and team collaboration.” The driving force behind the Sky Garden was to make the space as verdant as possible. Both floors are open plan and blessed with uninterrupted 360-degree views from floor to ceiling, so extensive planting helps form soft barriers, natural enclosures and enhance staff wellbeing. The planters are also on wheels, giving employees the freedom to create their own working spaces. “I’d actually like to make them radio controlled so you can move them remotely,’ Atul muses. “Maybe that’s stage four.” “What I find absolutely fascinating, is the meaning of life,” says Jon at the end of our time together. “I don’t mean that in a mystical kind of way, but in the way we talk about the life and soul of buildings. What does that actually mean? Life is something that has the ability to reproduce, evolve and grow, it’s not static. I think, in the future, that’s what designers will be there for: not to impose their view on the world, but to question how we use design to manage spaces sustainably over a period of time.”

Property

Five reasons 2022 won’t be boring

David Thame on why we’re heading out of town and turning green this year.

(and will make you money)

Here’s a promise about 2022: it won’t be like last year. A heady combination of investors in a panic to spend, consumers with savings to spend, lockdown exhaustion and Keynesian animal spirits will power the property market in 2022. Even inflation won’t dent the party feel – though it might in 2023. How do we know all this? Mix has spoken to the brightest, wealthiest and best in the world of office property, build-to-rent and hospitality, and these are their tips for the coming year.

1. The old normal returns The moment professionals feel sufficiently confident to return to the office lettings market, is the moment the new normal gives way to the old normal. Law firm Shoosmiths chose the start of the new year to reveal a longmulled 32,900 sq ft letting at the 103 Colmore Row office scheme, Birmingham’s primest of prime office addresses. The firm has signed a 15-year lease with developers Sterling Property Ventures and Tristan Capital Partners. Shoosmiths wanted a bit of wow, and they got it by taking the 20th floor (of 26) as well as two in the less ritzy zone of floors 11 and 12. Shoosmiths are joining a string of other professionals including Grant Thornton, wealth management and financial advisers, Tilney Smith & Williamson. Letting 60% of the building before construction work was completed, it is further proof that the old normal is back in town. Shoosmiths say they will pick a local firm to advise on the fit out.

Left image: 103 Colmore Row

2. There’s heaps of money to spend on office redevelopment and refurbishment Every day brings new data showing the staggering volume of money looking for a home in UK real estate. Yes, warehousing is grabbing the largest slice and yes, traditional retail is at the bottom of the pecking order, with leisure assets stuck in the middle. But the volumes involved are so sufficiently vast to make a real difference to Mix readers’ world in 2022. For instance, South East office investment hit a record £4 billion in 2021, with growth in the life science sector the (unsurprising) cause of much of the growth. Overseas money helped the region beat the £1.93 billion invested in 2020, and was double the 10-year average. Long story short: lots and lots of money. It is worth noting that during 2021 as much as £1.5 billion was invested into offices in the Golden Triangle (Oxford, London and Cambridge), led mainly by global private equity houses looking for a slice of lifescience action.

The final quarter saw £1.54 billion invested, a stonking performance as UK funds spotted an opportunity to sell, and international buyers grabbed their chance to diversify. This frantic activity was underpinned by a wave of tenant signings – 2.6 million sq ft were let in 2021, up 24% on 2020. About one-third was in the tech, media and technology sector, and 54% was on out of town business parks. The M4 corridor was the hottest spot of all. What inspires investors is: good take-up, and low-ish vacancy rates (meaning landlords have the upper hand), and good prospects for multi-let office blocks. But they are buoyed by a growing body of data showing that the UK office market has almost recovered from the pandemic. A strong December 2021 – and a strong Q4 overall – pushed annual capital growth in the office market to 4.3%, the strongest annual performance since 2017. Total returns crept up to 9%, said the data from CBRE.

Left image: 103 Colmore Row

3. Business parks are back Lockdown One was dominated by speculation that city centres were finished. Instead of putting all their office space and all their risk into central business districts, the big corporate occupiers would instead disperse their office needs, spreading the love between a small city hub and suburban outposts. The ‘city is dead’ stuff was always bonkers and the hub-and-spoke model is an expensive fad for a handful of faddish occupiers. Essentially, you can forget it. But the chatter re-awakened interest in the prospects for office parks, some of which had been undervalued and, as a result, suffered under-investment. Their spiral of decline could now be at an end. A big straw in the wind came from Kennedy Wilson, the hyperactive investor developer based in Beverley Hills and fuelled by Californian capital. It acquired the 225,000 sq ft Forum office campus, part of the 1m sq ft Solent Business Park on the Hampshire coast. The price was $81m (£61m) and the tenant list is dominated by corporates such as HSBC and Specsavers. With an average of just 4.2 years left on their leases, there’s scope for Kennedy Wilson to tempt them to stay or refurbish at higher rents. There’s another 11-acres next door waiting for redevelopment. In short, Kennedy Wilson reckons good-quality office parks are a money spinner.

4. BTR will face its moment of truth The build-to-rent residential sector was a surprising success during the COVID pandemic. The Alpha variant – city centre flats – is now being supplemented by other powerful variants, including co-living, senior living, single family housing (e.g. rented houses) and the increasingly favoured world of low-cost housing and hostels. The rate of construction of regional BTR homes grew 27% in 2021, albeit from a low base: will this be the year the sector breaches the 200,000 units barrier and shows it has real strength? Well, let’s wait and see. Overall British Property Federation/Savills figures show total construction output barely moving – up 8%. With just 141,000 units under construction the claim that BTR can help solve the housing crisis seems laughably ambitious. The rate of output has to go up. There’s also a big question mark hanging over co-living. Planners in Birmingham and Liverpool are pondering the format and do not appear to be impressed. Their concern is that even the larger studio style bedspaces do not meet national standards, which require studios to be at least 398 sq ft. They worry that they are creating glorified student housing, or worse still, over-priced houses in multiple occupation. Until the co-living developers can come up with some more convincing evidence, or an improved format, the future of this slice of BTR remains in doubt.

Left image: Forum Office Campus

5. Expect lots of green-themed office refurbishments Could a doubling of the pace of office redevelopment be one of the side effects of a dash to meet global emissions standards? Research from JLL suggests the replacement rate of UK offices – one way of measuring the amount of repurposing and redevelopment – needs to more than double to around 5% of the office stock. The report also shows how increasing pressure from major office occupiers who have adopted so-called ‘sciencebased targets’ for the sustainability standards, will push developers towards more refurbishment and office redevelopment.

Pressure for more refurbishment to meet green standards is now growing, thanks to larger numbers of regional office occupiers who have signed up for so-called science-based targets. The footprint of occupiers signed up to these kind of targets is now 4.4 million sq ft, more than three times the total as recently as 2018. Over a quarter of this space has a lease expiry in the next five years, which opens the doors to 1 million sq ft of green refurbs. This is the tip of a big green iceberg because the eight major UK regional cities have between them only around 20 million sq ft of top rated green floorspace. Developers are leaping in to fill the gap. Bruntwood has just announced a deep green refurbishment of Altrincham’s former Rackhams department store, now to become a 46,000 sq ft office scheme, and every regional city is seeing similar initiatives.

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Insight:

Paradoxically speaking: Trends Neil Usher ponders on when to commit, when to gamble and when to fold.

Neil Usher is Chief Workplace & Change Strategist at GoSpace AI and author of The Elemental Workplace and Elemental Change

It’s that time of year when the artificiality of the passing from one unit of temporal measurement into another has us pondering what we can expect to see over the next twelve subdivisions. Strangely there are less of them since Covid threw everything up in the air. It is, for the most part, hanging, a still life through which we can slip, unnoticed. As for the ever-drifting line between the present and future, the workplace world appears to be divided into three camps on the nature of the overriding trend. Firstly, those in a parallel universe, cracking on as though nothing’s happened of any significance at all, in the same mode as before the pandemic. Identical messaging, imagery and narrative. No trend. Same workplace opportunities and issues. Everyone will be back soon. It’s a bit awkward pointing out that some stuff has actually happened. So no-one does. Then, the default, the middle ground – those who sew the now-ubiquitous tale that the last couple of years have merely accelerated trends that were already underway. That did or didn’t appear in previous workplace trend predictions. Like hating spending all day rooted to the spot, on mute. Everyone will be back for a bit. It’s the easy one to ‘yada-yada’ and sound mildly convincing. The safe position. Finally, the few at the sharp end of the stick they’re holding, saying that it’s not a trend, it’s a revolution. A middle class one, naturally. None of your grubby barricades and curfews. Absolutely everything’s dead, everything’s changed. No-one’s coming back. It’s just we can’t see it. Yet.

As humans we’re innately restless. Nietzsche called it a ‘greed for the new’. The chemicals play havoc with our intent to pursue a more sustainable and responsible life, to be satisfied with what we have. Sometimes we can follow trends without investing. Like pushing up our jacket sleeves, which we really did in the 80s. But then again, are our shoulder pads enough of a statement? We try the add-in pads. Which were also a thing in the 80s. It’s no good, we need a new jacket. Then where we’ve spotted a trend, it’s about how we respond. Perhaps we follow. It’s no reflection of whether we actually like it or not, we just want to fit in, to be relevant. If we don’t wish to fit in, it could be for one of two positions we might take. It may be intentional. A statement of rebellion. We want to do our own thing, or another thing. Like being a goth when everyone went to discos. On the other hand, it may be unconscious. We haven’t noticed, or we simply allow trends to pass us by. Like being a goth at any time. It altogether feels like a happier place, albeit when a goth you’re not supposed to be happy. In the wider world of workplace design, surfing the crest of the wave is potentially good business. We set about detecting the trends and getting ahead of them. We associate ourselves with them as far as possible. If we’re early enough, we even claim to have started them. But it’s always a twist or stick conundrum. Is this trend likely to be significant, enduring? Or is it the next one we need to invest in? Wait and see or get left behind? Because after an indeterminate period of time, trends become mainstream and are no longer interesting. And so our paradox becomes: I’m following the trends, but I need to know what’s next. It’s rather like scrolling, the promise of future rewards. The entire basis of social media addiction. We’ve found something good, but there may be something better just below. So, we’ll keep scrolling. Our difficulty is knowing who is ‘in the know’. ITK. Someone, somewhere was the first person to push up their jacket sleeves. They could have just been about to do the washing up. But someone else loitering in the kitchen said: that looks cool. And did it too. Then we all did it. Until we realised how stupid it looked and stopped. The first ‘workshop chic’ café had actual crumbling plaster walls and chairs from the neighbour’s shed because that’s all the owners could afford to get it launched. Which leads us to the fascinating thing with trends. Some are started, some just start. All of which makes our paradox tantalising. Yet in our present state of becoming, we could usefully commit to some that would benefit us all: critical thinking, seeking and using evidence, allowing others the space and time to offer their views, widening our field of insight, and investing time in meeting with one another in person for the purposes of conversation and inspiration. In doing so, we’ll be far less interested in what’s next. The present will be a joy.

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Build To Rent:

The Post-Pandemic Recipe for Success The UK’s growing build-to-rent residential sector survived the pandemic – but lessons have been learnt. Architects, designers and developers joined a roundtable hosted by Milliken to assess what worked, what didn’t and what comes next in the world of beds-for-rent

In partnership with

The UK build-to-rent sector is still small. Microscopic, even. Around 140,000 build-to-rent units are in existence, or in the pipeline. Of those about half are in London, a quarter in Manchester and the rest scattered around the regional cities. The young and fragile BTR business could have been one of the victims of the coronavirus pandemic. To the surprise of some, and the joy of others, that didn’t happen. As 2022 begins, BTR looks poised for further growth as new markets, new brands and new approaches begin to develop. Investors – from Lloyds Bank to Australian construction giants Macquarie – are poised to spend heavily in a sector they expect to deliver strong returns. But what has been learned from the pandemic? And what has still to be learned, as BTR prepares for a surge of postpandemic, investor-driven growth?

Words: David Thame

A panel embracing BTR developer Quintain, designers including Conran and Partners and Dexter Moren Associates, and the brightest names in the sector including Assael, Tigg & Coll, HTA and Woods Bagot, met to judge the past, and chart the future. Quintain Living Head of Mobilisation Jennie Fojtik said the pandemic had helped clarify some ideas, and helped complicate others.

“The pandemic both slowed down and accelerated our learning about what amenities work and what do not,” she said. “One of the discoveries was the importance of comfortable working from home – sheds and pods, some outdoors, have been popular – and we revised amenity plans in the pipeline, like asking do we have enough separate seating or is it all long shared sofas? “Another for instance, in 2020 we opened a building with lots of pool tables and game spaces, but occupancy stalled because of the pandemic, so we’re not yet learning about that space and whether it’s right.”

One amenity has survived the pandemic with its credentials burnished: the onsite gym. Before the pandemic there had been doubts about on-site gyms, with some landlords suspecting tenants would prefer better-equipped spaces in the neighbourhood. That doubt has now subsided. Tigg & Coll Director David Tigg said: “Gyms and spin studios are a really key environment. I don’t know if that’s the end game – if that’s always what BTR will need – but today they are very desirable spaces, even if they aren’t used much. There’s the desirability of knowing it is there and occupiers know they can use it if they want it.” Assael Architects Associate Per Anton Risan agreed. “We’ve been working on Legal & General’s Box Makers’ Yard BTR scheme in Bristol, it has 256 apartments and is so far 70% let, but when I visited the gym had about 30 people in it on a Tuesday mid-afternoon, and I’ve never seen an on-site gym so well used.”

Conran and Partners Partner Simon Kincaid and Woods Bagot Principal Simon Saint took the discussion of amenity into the related field of aspiration and marketing. “The gym issue is all wrapped up with economics,” said Kincaid. “If you are renting an apartment with a wellness and fitness element, you save £60 a month on your gym subscription elsewhere.” Simon Saint nodded to David Tigg’s point that whether the gym was used, or not, it still had to be there. “In 10 years working in the residential sector, what I’ve discovered is that what matters is what residents think they want, not what they actually use. If you drilled down into the data you often find the two are quite different. We mustn’t forget that a lot of BTR is aspirational.”

“To create community you need different kinds of spaces and different kinds of seating. In one scheme we have a grand piano in the corner, in others a bar area or working spaces. Flexible event spaces for parties are also popular,” said Assael’s Per Anton Risan. Quintain’s Jennie Fojtik said her experience showed designers had to be clever. Listening to property managers would help them. “It all depends how you activate these kinds of spaces. Lots of little rooms can be prohibitive, and whilst they can be great for working from home it is important to remember the theme of community is broader than the spaces themselves. It includes staff, the concierge, local businesses, it has many facets and it is a lot more complicated than ‘do we put in a gym or a lounge?’

Kincaid added: “It’s not so much a gym, as about wellness and fitness and selling that different vibe.” “It’s about giving people a sense of themselves and it’s part of the mix of aspirations and dreams whether they use a gym or not,” said Saint. “Which of course, makes it very difficult for investors, developers and designers because if you begin to ask about how you deliver maximum return through your design, it may turn out that it doesn’t look like the best use of floorspace. And that problem gets even harder when you look a few years ahead and ask what people might want in the future.”

In the end, the solution might involve thinking in rather different directions, suggested HTA Senior Interior Designer Ameena Al Samarae. “Occupiers want a certain type of gym, for instance they want it high up the building, because it is all about the view from the treadmill. This is a lifestyle thing, and a gym in the basement will just not appeal. Nobody wants that,” she said. BTR is not just about amenity, it is supposed to be about community. Good design can contribute to a sense of shared purpose and to a harmonious happy BTR block. It can also screw things up. “The raison d’etre of BTR is to create communities,” said Dexter Moren Associates Partner Herbert Lui, and the panel agreed enthusiastically.

“This is all about interaction. So it’s not just about imagining residents becoming buddies just because we work on laptops next to each other in the shared space,” Fojtik said, with the strong expectation that they wouldn’t. Sociability is about more than just proximity. Woods Bagot’s Simon Saint was thinking along similar lines. “The actual space is basically the last thing you need to create a community. You can create all the co-working space you like, but if people don’t want to talk to the person next to them, it won’t work,” he said. “What we need to think about is opportunities to engage. The physical space supports that, but doesn’t make it happen. I can remember one scheme we worked on which had a very original design with a bar in front of the lift to the apartments, so residents had to walk through the bar to get to the lift. The idea was everyone would hang out in the bar. But what if one guy is always at the bar at 5pm, and he grabs you, and all you want is to get home? That’s bad for community. The thing is to give people a choice about when to engage. So we have to design escape routes, so you can get in and get out without having to go to the bar, or whatever. It gives people the option.”

So how about the apartments themselves? As Simon Kincaid reminded the panel, at root this is about creating homes. Any investor, developer or designer who forgets this is heading for trouble. But providing the homes-first rule is remembered, the next priority is probably durability. Investors are hoping for 25-40 years of good income from BTR blocks. There is a great deal of money and hope riding on the concept. Can buildings, and their fit-outs, last through several cycles of letting and re-letting? Beyond wear-and-tear, how about changing fashion and style – both of which matter enormously to BTR residents? Milliken UK Corporate Account Manager Nicole Window said that BTR residents were strongly motivated by sustainability and environmental standards. “From my projects, I know that the longevity and life cycle of the product is really important. And it’s a generational thing, too. I have a young daughter who doesn’t want to throw things away and that feeling is widespread. Residents want to know they can get the full use out of things but equally that the product is going to look and feel great.”

Quintain’s Jennie Fojtik picked up the point. “Everyone in BTR is now having to hold ourselves accountable for how wasteful we are. It can be as simple as deciding those chairs aren’t right for the impression we want to give customers. But what do we do with them and where do they go? We can’t just throw them away,” she said. Window recalled a recent client conversation. “I was talking to someone who was planning to use broadloom carpet in BTR. But looked instead at the functionality of modular flooring. If there’s a stain, you can just replace the part that’s stained. By using modular you can get 15 years wear,” she added. Fojtik emphasised the same point. “The issue is build cost versus long-term operational cost. There is always a tension, because what’s right at this stage may not be right long-term and that is what we haven’t yet learned. So far I’m pleased to say our fit outs in the UK are holding up well, but we’re usually looking for five years on durability and style. Broadly things seem to be holding up longer than that.”

Conran’s Simon Kincaid added: “There are some simple rules. If you are talking about a kitchen then the worktop needs to be bullet proof and in the bathroom we need a life of 20 years, but there’s an art in the design and craft, about making it feel homely too. Suppliers need to know we want products that can hit the 10 year guarantee but also we don’t want the place to look like a cheap motel or a prison.” But the panel agreed that whilst modular carpets and durable worktops might be part of the solution to the question of durability, modular buildings methods might not be. The problem with modular building is that the building is then hard to recycle. Alternative uses can be hard to envisage, or expensive to achieve, which impacts investors’ willingness to spend. David Tigg said: “How recyclable is modular construction. You may have to shift things around quite dramatically and with modular is that even possible?” Dexter Moren’s Herbert Lui agreed. “If you’re asking how you future proof a building, then the answer is go non-modular. Because once you go that way, you have problems,” he said. “You can overcome them with some planning, for instance, you can create a connection between a studio and a one bed flat so they can become a two bed flat if that becomes a future requirement. You could build in the opening between the door, and punch through when you need it.” “Modular construction also imposes tight constraints on design,” said HTA’s Ameena Al Samarae. “We’re talking 19-25 sq metres, and you have to be very efficient. The difference between one approach and another might be 600mm and that’s the level of detail that investors want to talk about,” she said. The list of investors with hopes pinned on BTR grows longer every day. Shopping centre landlords like British Land and Hammerson, retailers like John Lewis and banks like Lloyds, are all eyeing up prospects. They are looking for long-term income. The panel agreed that durable buildings, durable design and durable materials will help them achieve it.

In partnership with

Meet our guests

Simon Saint Principal Woods Bagot

Ameena Al-Samarae Interior Lead HTA

Per Anton Risan Associate Assael Architecture

Jennie Fojtik Head of Mobilisation Quintain Living

Herbert Lui Partner Dexter Moren Associates

David Tigg Director Tigg + Coll Architects

Nicole Window Key Account Manager Milliken

Simon Kincaid Partner Conran and Partners

Over the last 10 years Simon has developed Woods Bagot’s approach to residential design and now leads the residential sector globally. As part of his ongoing understanding of the residential market Simon has undertaken research into the burgeoning BTR sector, becoming a leader in thinking on design for this growing market.

Herbert has extensive experience working on challenging sites and complex mixed-use developments, with an all-round awareness of stakeholders’ aspirations, and has a proven ability to convert site constraints into opportunities. His role in the practice as a design leader involves feasibility stages to developing schemes for planning submission.

Ameena specialises in residential design, having worked on projects throughout the UK and Internationally. She is well versed in the entire design cycle, working from initial layouts and concept design through to detailed design and material specification.

Before founding the practice in 2008, David previously worked at global award-winning practice Wilkinson Eyre Architects. He was lead design Architect on the £145 million Kings Waterfront Arena (now Echo Arena) built for the Liverpool City Council for The City of Culture in 2008.

Per Anton joined Assael in 2016 with a diverse range of experience, from high-end residential to schools and facilities for Battersea Dogs and Cats Home. Per Anton has played a key role in some of Assael’s major developments, including the detailed design for Union Wharf, Chiswick High Road and Chatfield Road, and the design, development and construction of Blackhorse Mills and Box Makers Yard.

With over 20 years’ experience in the construction industry, Nicole collaborates with architects, designers and clients and assists them in selecting products for a huge variety of commercial office and residential projects; playing a role in helping create inspirational spaces and environments that are focused on the people who used them and their well-being.

Jennie leads on the mobilisation activities for all new Quintain plots at Wembley Park to provide operational and lease-ready buildings to the Quintain Living team. She oversees the detailed planning, delivery and quality control for all of the amenity and apartment installations post PC, and ensures the software database is fully operational in time for leasing.

As a residential, hotel, restaurant and retail designer, Simon brings a great understanding of consumer lifestyle trends to the communal and public areas of residential projects, often to engage with the wider neighbourhood, as well as creating well detailed desirable homes with a sense of place and individual identity.

Mixology North21

Mixology North21 Winners

A sell-out crowd attended the Mixology North21 Awards, which took place in Manchester in December, celebrating the very best of commercial interior design. Across what was an incredible evening, our esteemed judges awarded 18 winners with an iconic Mixology trophy.

2021 was – to emphasise a now well-worn point – a challenging year. The face-to-face interaction that is the bedrock of the design industries was replaced by necessary virtual alternatives. And while there’s something to be commended in our resourcefulness and ability to pivot as a sector, Mixology North21 proved there’s little substitute for real-world human connection. After two years away, it was fantastic to come together, not only to celebrate the finest projects, people and products, but our own resilience as an industry. We’d like to offer a huge thanks to our judges and sponsors, without whom we wouldn’t be able to deliver the world-class event that will once more be an annual staple. Thanks to all of you that attended - here’s a look back at the return of Mixology North21...

01 Flooring: Interface Embodied Beauty.

03 Loose Furniture: a Arper - Kata b Orangebox - Campers&Dens

05 Surfaces Parkside Criaterra

02 Lighting, Technology & Accessories: Deltalight & UNStudio Soliscape

04 Storage: Bisley Belong

06 Task Senator Qdos

Product of the Year

Indoor Style. Outdoor Performance. Coast sets a new standard in outdoor spaces that simply demand more. Engineered to deflect against mildew, bacteria, and other surface pathogens, Coast resists water, features enhanced UV resistance to sunlight and remains cool to the touch while providing unparalleled comfort and lasting protection for all settings.

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03 Hotel Interiors: APM Design Clifton Arms Hotel, Lytham

05 Public Sector Interiors: FaulknerBrowns Architects Newcastle Civic Centre

Manufacturer of the Year 01 Milliken Project of the Year 02 Bar & Leisure Interiors: Jolie Studio The Club at Deansgate Square, Manchester

04 Living Interiors: 74 Symons House, Leeds

06 Workplace Interiors <5000 sq ft: SpaceInvader Design Tosca Debt Capital, Manchester

Project of the Year

Design Practice of the Year

01 Workplace Interiors > 5000 - 15000 sq ft : TP Bennett Playdemic, Wilmslow

03 Workplace Interiors > 30000 - 70000 sq ft : BDP Eversheds Sutherland, Manchester

02 Workplace Interiors > 5000 - 15000 sq ft : Bridge Architects & Bruntwood Works Bloc, Manchester

04 Workplace Interiors > 70000 sq ft AHR Architects The Spine, Liverpool

05 Sheila Bird Studio

Mixology North22 will be back bigger and better than ever on 1 December 2022 at Manchester Central. Award entries open in September, and ticket bookings are now available at mixinteriors.com. Entries for Mixology22 London are now open, with the winners crowned at the event on 23 June at London’s Evolution Battersea.

Desert Island Desks Constantina Tsoutsikou Founder & Creative Director Studio LOST LOST is a London-based design practice that focuses on luxury hospitality, resorts and boutique residential projects worldwide. Constantina’s approach is rooted in the principle that the journey informs the destination, that good design means pushing boundaries and that collaboration is central to success. Having recently completed two resorts in Crete, Greece, LOST is now active in Italy, Russia and the Middle East. studiolost.co.uk

01 Aesop Lightweight Facial Hydrating Serum and Aesop Fabulous Face Oil I have been using Aesop for the best part of 20 years, so I can’t imagine being anywhere without these two products especially. 02 A cashmere jumper Cashmere allows your body to breathe, so it is perfect for travelling. Talking from experience, even in warm climates there comes a time when you’ll need that extra layer and cashmere is soft and cosy. Mention a desert island and a tropical image springs to mind, but what if it’s somewhere in the North Atlantic?! Better to be safe. 03 Pen and paper I draw, doodle or make notes all the time. I think as I draw and vice versa, so a little pack of pens – preferably fine point – and a Smythson’s Panama notebook would definitely come with me, just so I can operate. 04 L:A BRUKET hand cream For a little pampering, even when stranded. 05 Candle Sconce Solen by Svenskt Tenn Candles make me feel at home, wherever I am, and this one is beautifully crafted in the form of a sun. I just love it. 06 Green tea mochi cakes This is something of an obsession that I share with my daughters these days. We can never have enough mochi. Juke box Skatebård Nils Frahm DJ shadow Tame Impala John Maus Amason

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If Walls Could Talk Case study: LDN:W - BDP

First impressions count and when BDP was approached to overhaul the interiors at London’s 3 Noble Street, the studio chose to make a dramatic statement across the interiors, branding and landscaping. We spoke to the studio’s Mark Simpson and Joe Wilson.

Image from previous page: Lobby and coworking space Above image: A refreshed entrance with new branding opens up the building to the community

“New normal, old normal, call it what you like, but by spring 2022 the UK office market will have stabilised after two years of pandemic-inspired chaos,” David Thame predicted in the Mix November 2021 issue. “The likely result is a wave of refurbishment,” he said. “Why? Because London, and many of the major regional centres, have a growing surplus of older, boring office blocks.” Amidst the frantic predictions for what the future holds for the commercial office sector, the perhaps overlooked issue is the potential these buildings hold – yes, hollowed out during the pandemic – but now waiting to be redeployed and rejuvenated. The time for repositioning and reuse is now.

Located in the historic heart of the City of London, BDP’s transformation of a 11,000 sq m office building carefully reorients its offering to prospective tenants, by meeting the evolving requirements of contemporary workplace environments. The scheme comprises a new external façade at street level, new entrance and expanded reception area with café and lounge spaces, as well as 12 floors of Cat A office facilities, a rooftop extension and a new roof terrace.

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Originally designed in the 80s, the building had faded into the background of Noble Street, eventually rescued from insignificance by German investors MEAG. Using its decades of experience and comprehensive design approach, BDP was able to create a cohesive brand – referencing the nearby ruins of the London Wall to rebrand the space as LDN:W. “It wasn’t about just calling it 3 Noble St, it was about giving it an identity,” says Mark Simpson, BDP’s Head of Workplace – with MEAG now choosing LDN:W as their flagship identity across their future locations.

Once around two and a half miles long, the wall was built around 200 AD by the Romans, providing defence and security to the London population, but also representing the impressive status of the city. Over time it was modified and lengthened, before finally being obscured and partially destroyed as new buildings popped up around it. Today however, many of the buildings which had formerly hidden it have been cleared away and visitors now enjoy a clear view of the wall that defined both the size and shape of the city for over a millennium. BDP won the bid as part of a design competition four years ago, long before the words ‘social distancing’ entered our vocabulary. Despite the challenges the past two years have thrown up, the scheme went through minimal variations thanks to the strength of the brand narrative and concept. A great example of an all BDP scheme, the firm undertook everything from architecture and interior design to branding and landscaping.

Above image: Expanded doubleheight reception Right image: Rooftop garden

“Initially the building services were on the roof – it had this giant building maintenance unit with the best views of London and the only people enjoying it were the window cleaners,” Interior Designer Joe Wilson comments. BDP took all services off the roof and created a bright and verdant terrace – offering the green space and fresh air which is so desirable of commercial property. Now visible and welcoming from ground level, the team has introduced a canopy with portals that run from the main corner of the street and all the way around the building. The entrance space, once cramped, is now an impressive double-height reception space, expanded to include a lobby and self-serve café. “We were lucky as these structural concaves ran through the building, so as we stripped everything back and the ceiling itself, we found it to be quite architectural,” says Joe. “We used lighting to make these a feature rather than hide them away, making the space seem taller and more impressive.”

Materials take inspiration from the London wall and Roman-esque materials like concrete and timber, but with a distinctly contemporary and clean feel. Furniture is mid-century in style, with timeless designs from Carl Hansen and Knoll. Stained black and natural wood and ceramic timber-look flooring create a warm, cohesive feel from the reception into the lobby coworking spaces, with touches of texture from bare concrete panels and wooden partioning. A line of bronze metal runs through the space, sitting around the lifts, skirting and reception desk. Working with agents Cushman & Wakefield, BDP has transformed the building to attract a variety of tenant types, helped partially due to its prime location in Barbican, next to heavy hitters such as Amazon, Lloyds Bank and Deloitte Digital.

Above image External façade

Client MEAG Architect BDP Interior Designer BDP Flooring Suppliers Domus Tiles King span Altro Furniture Suppliers Knoll Carl Hansen Poltrona Frau Surfaces Suppliers Cemento Rimex Domus Tiles Hi-macs Lighting Suppliers Flos iGuzzini BEGA

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Positive Impact: This Time Next Year… Adam Strudwick, Principal at Perkins&Will, muses on a greener future for our new regular Positive Impact feature, celebrating social, economic and environmental sustainability.

It’s January 2023 and the good folks at Mix have asked me to write a summary of the amazing progress that our industry has made in the last 12 months, on pivoting how we create, procure and deliver more sustainable interiors projects. The progress we have made is immense and has only been made possible through open crosscollaboration between peers and competitors, and the inherent community spirit uniquely found in our corner of the construction industry. – The year kicked off with a bang. A bill was brought before the House of Commons that proposed the regulation of embodied carbon, achieved through reporting whole life carbon emissions of buildings and setting limits on embodied carbon in construction. Life Cycle Assessments are an important way of understanding the carbon impact of interiors and the collection of data should happen on all projects, to help us make informed decisions on where to focus investment and where reduction should happen. Since then, it has been encouraging to see more organisations using solutions such as One Click LCA to calculate the data. The more these tools are used, the more intelligent and accurate the system becomes and the richer the outputs.

– In March we received our first RFP (request for proposal) from a client that wanted a pre-demolitions audit as part of the scope. This is something we have been doing for a while at Perkins&Will when projects have a strip out element, but it’s good to finally see clients asking for this. We also saw a big movement in the interiors world from producing demolition drawings to creating demolition buildings. This tells me that designers and contractors are reappraising the strip out process, prioritizing reuse over recycling. – The furniture market made a step change in 2022, with many of the main furniture dealers developing robust propositions for delivering high-quality second life FFE products. Now we need the manufacturers (who are still way behind the curve) to come to the table with products that deliver second life options. A major project of ours launched in early summer and demonstrated that super high quality and designled corporate interiors can be delivered whilst taking a re-use approach. – By the early summer we saw more educated discussions taking shape on carbon budgeting for interiors projects. The ability to have informed targets, that can be represented as a kgC02e/sqm metric, will really help to drive down carbon through design, construction and use. More occupiers are developing carbon budgets for their real estate portfolios to sit alongside and shape their financial budgets. This is key as we move into a period where corporate real estate teams will need to manage their carbon and finance budgets hand-in-hand. In interiors we have pushed for carbon budgets to not only consider lifecycle stages A1-A5 (product to construction) as is traditionally done for new build, but to also take into account B1 – D (inc. use, end of life stages and beyond) and consider the impact of a lease duration and quicker churn periods on interiors projects. – It was a positive step at the BCO (British Council for Offices) Conference in June when the industry voted to ban traditional Cat A delivered buildings. For too long our industry has preached about sustainability whilst delivering millions of square feet of built space which was obsolete at its point of install – purely for unfounded letting purposes. The recent spate of buildings that have been delivered with a looser, more adaptable and reactive base build provision is testament to that decision. These spaces – that are highly marketable, allow for fast paced fit outs and greatly reduce waste – are an example of easy wins we should all take. It’s just a shame that it took so long for the market to change.

Insight:

– A huge milestone was achieved in August when five of the leading fit out contractors came together to lease and run a warehouse facility for the joint storage, quality control, and distribution of second-life and reusable materials and products. The initiative, which includes logistics management for collecting materials from live sites, is a game changer in starting to build a construction economy that prioritises and commercialises re-use over recycling. It needed a joined-up approach as individually the initiative didn’t stack up but through partnership it became a viable, scalable and growing proposition.

– Through Q4 we saw a big pick up on interiors projects being completed that have detailed materials passport integration. In order to truly develop a more circular construction economy and deliver effective recovery and reuse of components, products and materials, it’s important that information on those elements is easily accessible, with defined data and an increased value for recovery and reuse. We are looking forward to the industry maturing further so materials passports (and other approaches that support buildings as material banks) become an integral part of the project completion and O&M process.

– In September the then Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced plans to implement a new ‘carbon tax’ that pushes the 2008 Climate Change Act much further. This tax means that occupiers and landlords will need to invest in meaningful sustainable design to reduce their tax burden. This, in turn, will drive down the price of sustainable design, making the cost benefit for going above and beyond clear for all.

– As the annual end of year awards ceremonies came around, it was clear that the best designs eschewed post corporate aesthetic of ‘everything everywhere’, and instead focused on a ‘less, but better’ approach that celebrates a newer idea of what is beautiful.

– Towards the end of the year, we began to see the results of our request that contractors include disassembly drawings for major packages in their O&M manuals. For centuries architects and designers have produced drawings that show how things go together, but a move towards showing how things come apart is important and will accelerate a more circular construction industry.

So, there’s my round up of the progress we made last year. Oh sh*t, it’s still January 2022! Well, we can all dream a little sometimes.

Civic Pride Case study: Faulknerbrowns Architects

Our judging panel was wowed by the impressive standard of projects presented to them at last December’s MixologyNorth awards –including FaulknerBrowns’ work for Newcastle Civic Centre, which scooped the Public Sector Project of the Year award. Mick Jordan speaks to design lead, Steve Dickson.

Photography: David Cadzow

Above image: The entrance arches provide a main reception with informal seating

The refurbishment looked to extend its use as a civic facility by rationalising the estate, reducing the office accommodation and bringing in the court service as a tenant. The sensitive redevelopment of the Grade II Civic Centre aimed to reduce costs, improve environmental performance and resolve circulation and security issues. The design creates a new, easily defined entrance to the centre whilst respecting the original fabric. The result is a project that preserves the character and existing fabric of a city landmark, whilst making its civic services more visible, engaging and accessible to the public.

Newcastle Civic Centre is an architectural icon in the city’s urban landscape. Over the years, the building has suffered from its organisational heritage, lack of adaptability and costly historic building fabric. FaulknerBrowns’ solution has looked to sensitively resolve these issues. The big picture moves required sensitive sub-division of the buildings’ architectural blocks, creating new access points and developing a fire strategy to enable whole blocks of the building to be allocated by partner organisations – in this case HM Courts and Tribunals Service. This approach required exacting detailing to remove and replace historic finishes, and to thread new M&E systems into the building fabric without impacting on the heritage assets. New interventions, such as the entrance, required an exceptionally light touch.

The materiality and tone of the refurbishment is sympathetic with the existing building; it is very much a modern take on the 1960s Scandinavian-inspired civic interiors. The resulting design delivers an exceptional suite of environments and rejuvenates a previously under-performing building, providing a new front door to the city. “Newcastle City Council’s aspiration was to preserve and enhance the Grade II listed Civic Centre, which after 50 years of use had been adapted in an ad-hoc manner,” FaulknerBrowns Associate Partner, Steve Dickson, explains. “The refurbishment needed to increase spatial efficiency and improve the building’s environmental performance, while creating a more open and flexible working environment that could improve staff wellbeing and adapt to changing work patterns.

“Providing a new, more prominent public entrance was another key intervention identified by the council, to resolve security issues and house public facing functions. Our ambition was to create a centre more connected to the people it serves, whilst respecting and celebrating the existing fabric.” Steve tells us that the project created a new workplace strategy for the Civic Centre, modernising working practices and increasing space for collaboration. “This strategy focused on enabling blended office and home working and allowed the council to co-locate nine previously outlying functions,” he reveals. “By carefully sub-dividing the building’s architectural blocks and creating new access points and servicing systems, new tenant space was also created for Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Services (HMCTS).

Left image: Portland stone, extralarge porcelain panels and edge to edge glass detailing provides modern insertions into a previously unloved undercroft.

“To create a new, engaging public entrance to the centre, the design sensitively encloses the ground floor colonnade with a frameless glass façade, to create a new function for a previously under-utilised space. “The entrance arches provide a main reception with informal seating, a public café and new meeting pods, acting as private and group meeting rooms for council services such as weddings, births and bereavements. These pods are self-supporting structures, designed to have minimal impact on the existing building. The original character of the colonnade has been maintained, with the brick faced arches illuminated and all servicing delivered from the floor to avoid ceiling mounted additions.” We’re told that sustainability was very much at the heart of the project. “The refurbishment has created a modern and effective workplace for the council, without the need to relocate or build a new facility,” Steve explains. “It ensures a sustainable future for one of the city’s most important heritage assets – by consolidating workspaces the civic centre is now able to accommodate Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Services (HMCTS) as a tenant, generating £35m in income. The refurbishment has also reduced the centre’s energy consumption by 30%, bringing the building’s EPC rating from a ‘G’ to a ‘C’.”

Steve tells us that the project is made unique by the celebration of the existing features and artworks. For example, rising metal screens, designed by Charles Sansbury as a decorative security mechanism, were retained within the entrance arches and can be raised for out-of-hours events to separate meeting spaces from the informal café area. In the refurbished Rates Hall, internal built additions have been removed to strip the space back to its original fabric and finishes, which includes two glazed murals by Victor Pasmore, marble floors and a polished Potoro marble wall facing the entrance. “Retaining the listed building fabric was key to the refurbishment, which limited the works we could do to the exterior to improve the centre’s thermal performance,” Steve continues. “Instead, the design took a careful strip out and refit approach around the listed fabric, and operational carbon was addressed through a full refurbishment of the building services, including new mechanical ventilation and heating systems and efficient LED lighting systems. The flat roof was also utilised to install more sustainable technologies, such as PV panels and air source heat pumps.” But why are public sector bodies – such as Steve’s client in Newcastle – willing to invest so much into their facilities. What is the rationale? “Public sector bodies are reviewing working practices, to enable more effective property management, rationalisation of their portfolios and co-location of different directorates,” Steve explains. “Investing in workplaces is also driven by improving wellness principles and enabling blended occupancy models with both home and office working. Providing a modern landscape supports staff retention and recruitment and enables creative working methods that can improve their efficiency.” Describing his favourite elements of the scheme, Steve says: ‘The rhythmic brick arches within the new reception area are a standout element. The space was previously dark and unloved and the design brings new life to the arches, using elegant, bespoke lighting to celebrate their tone and texture.”

Insight:

Introducing: Tina Norden One of the design industry’s most recognisable figures, from this issue we welcome Tina Norden to the extended Mix family – as she prepares to helm her own regular hospitality-centric column. A partner at Conran and Partners, Tina joined the firm in 1997 and has been a board member since 2016. An interior designer and architect, in that time she has overseen a diverse portfolio of projects – from hotels and restaurants to highend residential and boutique retail – leading design teams in both the UK and Hong Kong. Ahead of her first column, Tina muses on the state of the sector.

Hello. A new year, a new start. As least that’s what we always hope for, more so in 2022 than any other I can remember. As a glass-half-full person I firmly believe this will be a brighter year (even if I was proven wrong last year on that prediction) and one where we come back better, stronger and more conscious of our actions. Last year fizzled out in an Omicron haze, with everyone retreating after the halcyon days of a liberated autumn and the excitement of a pre-Christmas party season that ended in sky high infection rates and drowned in worries about yet another scuppered Christmas. Very suddenly it went from activity and noise to no more parties and no industry get-togethers. Like many others, we cancelled our IRL Christmas party and everyone received a bottle of champagne and the promise of an event in the new year. We are refusing to take the fact that most of these bottles were nicked in a burglary in our studio right after New Year as a bad omen. Quite aside from all of us losing out on our social life yet again, it meant another peak season drained out for an already battered hospitality industry, with many restaurants choosing to close into the new year rather than gambling on placing orders for food that may end up wasted. We went from not being able to get a lunch booking around our studio in Clerkenwell in early December to walking into a sparse restaurant at any time, for an easily available table closer to Christmas.

From altering the layout of their spaces, to changing service strategies and relentless cleaning venues have tried their very best to comply with ever-changing regulations and to make their customers feel safe and comfortable. They had to react fast and invest money in these adjustments despite bleeding cash through lost bookings and customers – whilst being in the frontline of infection as a customer facing industry. It makes WFH in front of a screen look very easy indeed. There’s a reason why it’s called hospitality: it’s full of passionate, personable and competent people who have made giving people joy their business. It is the key reason why I love working in hospitality design myself: those we work with in the industry and the fact we design spaces for people to enjoy themselves in. Hospitality spaces make a city, town or village what they are – places of life, social activity and merriment. There are very good reasons why in almost every sector now hospitality is being referred to as an inspiration. We have to remember this and support hotels, restaurants, cafés and bars now that they need us to come back. If we do they will make sure to welcome us in style. There are whole industries that rely on us going out, being sociable, going to work and we must not forget that we are a part of a microcosm that makes our world complete. We have to support all of this to make sure that what we cherish remains into the future. Join us in the next issue for the launch of Tina’s regular column, in which she will offer her expertise on the biggest issues facing the hospitality design sector.

As someone so invested in hospitality I may be biased, but in my view the industry has been exemplary in reacting to the situation time and time again over the last two years.

Breaking Ground Case study: Locke

With Buckle Street Studios, Locke proves there’s plenty of space for innovation, even while championing compact, short-stay living. Kristofer Thomas explores the pioneering new East London project.

Photography: Nicholas Worley

Image from previous page: Public spaces at Buckle Street Studios Above image: Multi-functional social areas

A bumper year for Locke marked the launch of six new projects, including those in Dublin, Edinburgh, London and Munich; a surge of expansion during a pandemic that saw other players slow down and take stock. Indeed, the aparthotel concept and its self-contained rooms proved a popular alternative for guests seeking hospitality experiences more suited to social distance measures. But the latest addition to the portfolio – the brand’s eleventh development in total and fifth in London – Buckle Street Studios, breaks ranks with previous iterations by mixing 87 signature serviced apartments with 16 hotel-style, short-stay guestrooms, whilst also containing the brand’s first concept store and dedicated makers space.

Designed from the ground up by Matthew Grzywinski of New York-based Grzywinski+Pons, the 13-storey newbuild’s interiors are characterised by curving silhouettes and a muted palette of clay, sage, sand and pastels – taking cues from the distinctively modern exterior and the dense knit of low and high-rises of the surrounding Aldgate East district. The project’s architecture is defined by a portion of latticed metal at its base and a volume of translucent glass enclosing the top, with the aesthetic carrying throughout as smoothed edges, raw plaster and a rotating cast of timber, brass and concrete elements.

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Below image: Layered studio design

With everything from the building and rooms to furnishings and materials falling under Grzywinski+Pons’s remit, an all-encompassing sense of coherence and flow results in perhaps the most distinctive Locke the studio has created yet – the team having played a key role in the development of the brand’s signature style across several Locke predecessors including Eden (Edinburgh), Leman (London), Whitworth (Manchester) and Broken Wharf (London again).

“Cognisant of our responsibility to consider the larger urban context of our site, we specified materials and defined our formal language to temper the architectonic jump from the smaller historic buildings to more recent tall developments,” Grzywinski+Pons explain. “Being able to design the exterior and interior simultaneously afforded us a great opportunity to capitalise on architectural advantages we created and curate a truly integrated experience from within and without.”

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Left image: A consistent colour palette, part of the established Locke design vernacular

Comprising a coffee shop, co-working space, pantry, restaurant and workout studio, the main public spaces are framed from the street by a parabolic arch within the double-height entrance space, which also supports a mezzanine above. Fluted panelling and clay plaster set the tone of contemporary sanctuary, whilst snatches of brick cladding reflect the building’s exterior accents and so too the original vernacular that remains of the Aldgate neighbourhood. But where hints of this style can also be observed in the nearby Leman Locke – set less than a minute’s walk across the street – Buckle Street Studios has been instilled with its own character – more mature, with a keener sense of the artistic. So where the former might skew younger, this newest member plays to a more established millennial clientele. This is thanks to the aforementioned new additions; the concept store and makers space allowing guests to purchase homeware elements of the design for a true Locke living experience in their own homes. Characterised by a series of rhombic porcelain vitrines, this portion sees limited edition pieces by sneaker designer AfroKickz, ceramicist Ally Powell and artist Dion Kitson, showcased within a seamless extension of the organic interior aesthetic and its neutral velvet tones and raw materials.

“The space, like the contents of the vitrines, lies at the crossroads of art and commerce,” the studio adds. “Equal parts gallery, lounge, coffee shop, retail concept and living room, the space beckons to the street and is as welcoming as it is inscrutable. It is our hope that passers-by will feel compelled to come inside to further discern what, exactly, it is, and then feel free to get comfortable and stay a while.” The design template set out below translates to guestroom and apartment spaces as a cast of Ultrasuede upholstery, clay plaster walls and cross-sawn timber flooring, all illuminated warmly through the low iron glass blocks that punctuate the exterior. Likewise, the timber balustrade of the public space carries through as tiered tables and timber trays, organised within the low-footprint floor plans that draw inspiration from boat cabins to ensure the spaces never stray too close to claustrophobic. Brushed brass finishes add points of bright interest amidst the quiet style, and when lit at night, these private spaces exude a welcoming glow from the building’s enclosed glass crown, animating the architecture as intended by its designers: a modernist lighthouse from which to explore the capital. “Buckle Street Studios is the cherry on top of an exceptionally busy year of new openings across Europe for Locke,” notes Eric Jafari, Chief Development Officer and Creative Director, Locke. “The project is another masterstroke in design by Grzywinski+Pons and an example of how hotels as spaces are evolving to become increasingly hybrid and versatile.”

Seeing Red Case study: Bryan O’Sullivan Studio

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A new bar for The Connaught, Bryan O’Sullivan Studio’s latest collaboration with Maybourne Hotel Group celebrates the art of interiors.

Photography: James McDonald

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Left image: Comfortable seating in the main bar area

Tucked away behind a velvet-curtained doorway, The Red Room at The Connaught – the first new bar concept to open at the Mayfair institution in more than a decade – brings together femalefocused artistry, thoughtful design and fine wines. Joining the hotel’s renowned bars including The Connaught Bar, which was recently crowned World’s Best Bar, the space features a collection of red-hued artworks in various mediums by four female visionaries – from one of the most celebrated of our time, to a pioneering young Vietnamese artist. “The Connaught has long been home to a significant collection of art, both classic and contemporary,” notes Paddy McKillen, co-owner of the Maybourne Hotel Group who has spent many years amassing the impressive collection. “This paved the way for a collection of four female artists’ work, all in red, which is unusual in its own right. The vision for The Red Room had been in my mind for many years and each piece was bought specifically with this space in mind.”

‘I Am Rouge’, a never-before-seen piece in watercolour, gouache and pencil by the late French-American artist Louise Bourgeois takes centre stage above the central, Italian marble fireplace, while a ruby-red hologram, from the artist’s untitled series of eight holographic pieces from 1998, serves as a looking glass into another red room of sorts. Bourgeois’ works are joined by California-based photographer Trina McKillen’s ‘Composition #8’ and Jenny Holzer’s ‘Benghazi’– the latter employed graphite and watercolours in vibrant shades of red to redact previously censored United States government documents. ‘Scarlet Mist’ dominates another wall – an oil painting by the Vietnamese Tia-Thuy Nguyen, which was purchased by McKillen at the 2018 charity Red Auction in Miami. Picking up the design mantle is Bryan O’Sullivan, the man behind some of Maybourne’s most celebrated drinking dens, including The Painter’s Room at Claridge’s and The Berkeley Bar & Terrace, amongst other hospitality and residential projects. Putting his signature stamp on the space while allowing the artwork to tell the story, the interiors evoke the intimate feel of an art collector’s living room, boasting a colour palette of soft creams, blush pinks, pearl blues and pastel greens. “My studio and I were honoured to be asked to work on yet another incredible bar for the Maybourne family, especially given the calibre of art that acted as the launch pad for our ideas,” reflects the designer.

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Right image: Lighting and furniture pieces continue the red colour story

Flanking the fireplace, two sets of striking stainedglass windows in vivid reds and blues by celebrated British glass artist and painter Brian Clarke instantly command attention and set the tone for a venue that feels both elevated and relaxed all at once. Beyond the central fireplace, a series of seating areas feature an eclectic mix of furniture – bespoke pieces from Bryan O’Sullivan studio and vintage mid-century finds – reflecting the studied calm of a well-appointed sitting room. Striped armchairs, antique lighting and floral rugs are complemented by a collection of ceramics and objects d’art, which will be rotated on a continual basis, housed within a partition wall rendered in a pale pink hue to highlight the artworks in all their splendour. A runway of mosaic, hand cut and hand laid by Italian craftsmen, leads to the elegant, curved bar counter, where guests can pull up a chair, or in this case, a custom stool with a sparkling crystal stem, to choose from a selection of wines from the hotel’s 30,000-bottle cellar, or a wine-based tipple from the bar’s carefully curated capsule collection of cocktails. The front of the bar features high shine ceramic panels in an oxblood shade, while a pink onyx bar top – adorned with jewel-like moulded lamps – and backlit bar back, creates a subtle contrast. A finishing touch in the form of a decorative gantry, created using mottled glass, hangs above to frame the space.

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Tucked away from the main spaces is the ombre scarlet snug, which feels somewhat reminiscent of O’Sullivan’s blush-pink hideaway created for the aforementioned Berkeley Bar & Terrace, that features a bespoke mural painted by New York Artist TM Davy, which, like The Red Room, shares a soft and feminine colour palette. In the case of The Red Room, the cocoon-like snug, with its solid marble table, allows guests to sit in convivial anonymity under the glow of a large antique chandelier. Elsewhere, Murano glassware flecked with red and two custom-made trolleys – crafted from the same red-veined marble as the fireplace and created to decant and serve wine – reinforce the narrative, while a sharp, highly-trained team overseen by the hotel’s Director of Wine, Daniel Manetti and Director of Mixology, Agostino Perrone, combine with a soundtrack of vintage Italian and French music to affirm The Connaught’s status as one of London’s top destinations for design and drink aficionados.

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Insight:

Testing Tradition Mike Walley discusses crossAtlantic comparisons and why sanity or madness hinges on the right team.

Mike Walley is Senior Director of Global Real Estate & Workplace Strategy at Criteo

I have recently had two office redesign projects running concurrently. One being handled by a design and build firm, usually abbreviated to just D&B, and the other by the more traditional cabal of architects, consultants and contractors all herded into place by a project manager, usually known as ‘Traditional’. It gave me the chance to examine the different methodologies and to see just how these two very different beasts behave in the wild. I have usually worked with D&B companies, as opposed to the traditional route, as it is by far the most common methodology used in Europe. Recently though, I have had to work in New York where D&B is almost unheard of and so I found myself employing a huge number of people with titles like ‘expeditor’, ‘contracts manager’ and ‘MEP consultant’. I was excited to think that all these terribly clever people would be working to realise my new office design and had visions of myself lounging in a coffee shop with a conference call in my ear, listening to how smoothly everything was going. I am not so naïve to think there wouldn’t be one or two bumps in the road, but I was almost looking forward to the discussions where we came up with intelligent solutions and kept it all moving. What I didn’t expect was everyone to start pointing fingers at everyone else and shouting that it was their fault, followed by a series of arse covering manoeuvres that would make your average sack full of cats stop and take notes. All the while, the clock was ticking.

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I thought I would try and speed up the process and clear up a lot of the discussions about how to do things by sharing images and details of two other sites that had just completed their refurbishment using the same design. Big error. Instead of using the data and images to expedite some decisions and do away with the need for material choices as they had already been made on the other sites, the budget went up as everyone said they didn’t realise how complex the design was and the delivery date moved off into the middle distance because unusual materials like, um, wood may be ‘hard to source’ in the US. I soon learnt to leave well alone and come to terms with the fact that, in the Traditional methodology everyone has an agenda and delivery of the project is just one item on the list. You can’t accelerate things because it shifts responsibilities in the group, implies cutting corners and upsets the balance of power, and that just gets you pushback – from everyone. Meanwhile, back at the other project, the D&B team is all over it. The benefit of everyone working for the same company is evident. Their main target is to deliver the project the way I want it. They hungrily accept any data or insight I can share to shorten decision times and if things go awry, everyone blames the designer and moves on. Everyone’s reputation hangs on the successful delivery of the project as a whole and not just one part of it. So, at first look it would seem that D&B is the way to go, but not so fast. If I use a small, hungry D&B company for my project, do they have the resources to cope if, say, there’s a COVID outbreak in the team? Is the business sufficiently liquid to make my mobilisation payment secure? Do they have the clout to get the contractor’s attention? So, let’s use a large D&B firm, yes? No. A large D&B firm behaves just like a Traditional style cabal of specialists. Each department is too far removed from the next to create a solid team and the departments all have an agenda, with my project just an item on it. After much thought the solution was obvious. I should stop building big offices and stick to small, 50-person sites using small, hungry D&B firms where I get to deal with the owner. This will mean I am more likely to hit time and budget targets, my hair will remain a rich dark chestnut colour for many more years, I won’t sit bolt upright in bed at 3am realising something crucial has been forgotten and I am more likely to reach retirement without an ulcer. Job done.

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