Mix Interiors #220 - 2022 by Mix_Interiors

Issue 220 05 /06 2022

Mix Interiors Issue 220 36

Contents

Upfront

Desert Island Desks

Paradoxically Speaking

In conversation with: Universal Design Studio

News and highlights from the world of commercial interior design

Featuring Woods Bagot’s Kate Mason

Neil Usher on the ‘homeification’ of the workplace

Marking 20 years of ground-breaking, mould-shattering design

In conversation with: Jacu Strauss

The Lore Group creative director discusses his approach and latest landmark project

The Ask: Tina Norden

AstraZeneca

Related A rgent

The Invisible Collection

Chateau Denmark

Affinity Living

Positive Impact: Robert Atkinson

Mix Roundtable

Is agile, adaptable design the future of the high street?

A new London HQ for the now household name

A workplace designed with changing habits in mind

A physical space for the e-retail design label

London’s hottest opening isn’t for the faint of heart

A new riverside BTR development with social spaces at its core

The sustainability lead at Interior Architects charts the big leaps companies can take

in partnership with Tarkett

Dismantling the myths surrounding sustainability 86

106 Creative thinking with Steve Gale

Can we develop a new digital aesthetic?

Mix Interiors Issue 220 62

Contents cont. 108

Mixology22 Finalists

118

30 under 30 class of 2022

122

Reveiw: Clarkenwell Design Week

A review of the shortlisted projects, products and people

Discover the class of ’22, the future leaders of industry

The industry-favourite design event returned with a bang

132

Why spaces must grapple with both control and release

122

Human Insight with Chiara Vascotti

138

The Global Perspective

140

Property

146

Material Matters

148

The Final Word

Are we all craving life in a bubble?

Why competitive socialising is the latest creative use of space

With LABS and STAY’s Yaara Gooner

Mike Walley is gambling on the future of the workplace

Get in touch Managing editor Harry McKinley harry@mixinteriors.com Deputy Editor Chloé Petersen Snell chloe@mixinteriors.com Managing Director Marcie Incarico marcie@mixinteriors.com Director Leon March leon@mixinteriors.com Business Development Manager Kate Borastero kate@mixinteriors.com Head of Operations Lisa Jackson lisa@mixinteriors.com Designer Tamzin Bell Founding publisher Henry Pugh columnists

The Cover Logo

NoChintz has created a typography design for this issue’s cover, working within the image supplied by Tarkett to create a subtle yet purposeful piece of type. www.nochintz.co.uk

Cover Image

For Tarkett, the beauty of circularity is about the beauty of the used and reused materials that go into their products, innovative manufacturing processes and the knowledge that they’re actively cutting down on waste and greenhouse gas emissions. Created for Tarkett by Franklin Till and photographed by Victoria Ling, this issue’s cover features the DESSO Origin collection - a truly circular product and a collection that combines technical expertise with tactility and textural beauty. For new, and renewed, beginnings. www.tarkett.com

Steve Gale, David Thame Tina Norden, Mike Walley, Neil Usher, Chiara Vascotti

Address Unit 2 Abito, 85 Greengate, Manchester M3 7NA Telephone 0161 519 4850 Email editorial@mixinteriors.com Website www.mixinteriors.com Twitter @mixinteriors Instagram @mix.interiors LinkedIn Mix Interiors

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Printed by S&G Print ISSN 1757-2371

Mix Interiors / Issue 220

Welcome

This issue is big. Not only in page count but in the scale of ideas, the ambition of the projects and the reputation of the industry leaders it contains. We all recognise we’re emerging from challenging times and, to a degree, we’re all tired of talking about how we have overcome and, even today, are still overcoming – but to produce an issue of such breadth and depth feels, in the current climate, a testament to the resilience of the commercial interior design industry. That resilience is embodied by Universal Design Studio, a design force that has shaped and reshaped how we use and experience commercial spaces for more than two decades. We speak to director Paul Gulati and associate director Carly Sweeney about the studio’s legacy and its future, as well as its work on The Office Group’s milestone 40th location. We also sit down with Lore Group’s Jacu Strauss, who represents a new generation of novel perspectives, bright ideas and riotous creativity, most recently helming design on the landmark One Hundred Shoreditch – a property with hefty boots to fill. True to form, we explore the workplaces working hard for their users and challenging convention – from the new Ekho Studio-designed AstraZeneca headquarters to BashaFranklin’s thoughtful reimagining of Argent’s King’s Cross home. And from work to play and stay, we’re among the first in to Chateau Denmark, one of the most anticipated hotel openings of the year and – in a print exclusive – chart the story behind Affinity Living’s latest residential project in Manchester, designed by NoChintz. There’s also cause for celebration, as we highlight the projects, products and people shortlisted for our trailblazing Mixology Awards and recognise the leaders of tomorrow, with coverage from our annual 30 Under 30 event. So, all-in-all, Mix 220 says something, not about us but about you: the designers, the owners, the operators, the makers, the consultants, the manufacturers and on and on. It says that if we ever needed proof this industry is bouncing back ripe with big plans, this big issue is it. Harry McKinley Managing Editor

PA D S Everything goes together here. Nine elements that can be combined in new ways again and again. And, whichever fabric variant you choose, the pads are an eye catching and inviting feature. As a key design element, the characteristic zigzag seam not only provides a consistent link, it also represents a passion for detail. And if the various elements still don’t provide enough choice, the modular seating landscape can be expanded to include all versions. The screens and plug-in side tables bring even more versatility into play. Also featured is our Ray table system, Ray Soft swivel chairs, Team accessories and Valet occasional tables. brunner-uk.com

W O R K P L A C E F O R

F U R N IT U R E

T O D AY . . . A N D T O M O R R OW

Upfront

Best in Show Innovation of materials and creativity remain at the forefront of British design, as 23 outstanding submissions from three categories were awarded the coveted Design Guild Mark in 2022. The Design Guild Mark is awarded by The Furniture Makers’ Company, the City of London livery company and charity for the furnishing industry, to drive excellence and raise the profile of British design and innovation. It recognises the highest standards in the design of furnishings in volume production across three categories - Furniture, 2D Design, and Lighting Design. Each distinct category has its own jury of renowned design experts who assess the submissions against a series of criteria, including appropriate materials, sustainability credentials, innovative and new thinking and problem solving. The winning designers were celebrated at a special awards ceremony during Clerkenwell Design Week 2022. The most outstanding of the year’s awarded pieces in each category were then awarded The Jonathan Hindle Prize. This year’s prize went to Fourfold, designed by Barry Jenkins for Ocee International (pictured); Swell acoustic wall cladding, designed by Jones & Partners for The Collective Agency; and the Hotaru lampshade collection, designed by Barber & Osgerby for Ozeki Lantern Company. See the winners at designguildmark.org.uk

Recharge & Retrace CARPET TILES

DESSO Recharge and Retrace carpet tiles are 100% recyclable. The circular notion of “made to be remade” inspired both texture and pattern, with each product line reﬂecting the tactile beauty to be found in the perfect imperfection of the natural world. Available in a colour palette of 20 different shades.

www.tarkett.co.uk E: salesuk@tarkett.com T: 0800 328 2115

Made to be remade

Upfront

A New Technique General Projects and Buckley Gray Yeoman have delivered a new breed of refurbishment for Clerkenwell’s latest state-of-the-art workspace, Technique. Built primarily from a mix of timber, recycled landfill waste and volcanic rocks, the scheme combines creative building reuse with strong craftmanship and artisan details to create a best-in-class modern workspace. A new-build ‘infill’ wing forms the entrance reception and provides a new first-floor private gallery space with 7-m-high ceilings and a large skylight for dramatic natural lighting provision. The extension is clad with StoneCycling® bricks; a sustainable material handcrafted from at least 60% waste material, meaning that 21 tonnes of recycled waste were diverted from landfill. The new intervention seamlessly connects the two existing buildings and introduces a new focal point to the joined buildings, and will accommodate the new lobby, which was conceived as an art installation. The new entrance lobby is home to the first UK commission for research-based design studio Formafantasma, whose artisan installation creates a contemporary reimagining of Milan’s famous mid-century entrance halls. The project’s dedication to luxurious but low-impact materials is carried through this installation, which is crafted from the studio’s own bespoke ExCinere volcanic ash-glazed tiles, produced from rocks and ash handpicked from the foot of Mount Etna. generalprojects.com

MOV:E

Taking freedom to a new dimension Experience mobility and flexibility in a completely new dimension. BACHMANN MOV:E enables mobile and free working – for groups and individuals alike.

The extra-strong MOV:E XXL energy store is “Made in Germany” and meets the highest safety requirements.

USB-A / USB-C fast charging and traditional socket types Flexible, por table power supply Plug and play

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

Upfront

Radical Rethink

A new collection by OMA for Italian maker UniFor (part of Molteni Group) seeks to radically address the needs of the contemporary workplace. Originally developed in 2014 as part of a brief for Axel Springer – when designing its Berlin HQ – the Principles Collection has expanded and will be launched at Milan Design Week 2022. Fashioned from high-pressure laminates, perforated metals and high-tech sportswear fabrics, the collection consists of over 100 multi-configurational pieces. Among them are ‘spines’ in both linear and curved footprints, which can generate partitions and pods at different heights, and to which desks, shelves and sofas can be

attached; tables with double-decked tops, ranging in size from 0.1 to six sq m; and soft islands and screens. The collection is realised in a vibrant, atypical colour palette, developed to aid in the zoning and customisation of the work environment, while also providing something of an antidote to the standard neutrals more commonly seen in office-ware. In future, the brand duo believe there could be a wider market for the intelligently-conceived pieces, not only driven by a rethink of how the workplace functions, but in what constitutes a workplace altogether. unifor.it oma.com

Introducing Adapt Wall thesenatorgroup.com

International Inspiration:

Manhattan Love Story

Seattle-based practice Olson Kundig has extended into New York with the opening of its first office in the city. Occupying the 10th floor of a 100-year-old mid-rise in Midtown Manhattan, the workplace is an ode to the history of the building and also aims to tell a story of the Big Apple, as opposed to the studio’s Seattle birthplace. Intended to feel like a living room, the main space features an impactful 144 sq ft table on wheels, with a geometric urban skyline at its heart – designed by principal Tom Kundig and fabricated by Spearhead. It was inspired by Kundig’s memories of gathering around the table in conversation with late architect and teacher, Astra Zarina.

Elsewhere, ample space has been created to house various artworks – part of the studio’s philosophy that art should be incorporated into the everyday, both at home and in the office. New and vintage furniture was sourced locally to convey an air of controlled eclecticism and, like Seattle, the space will play host to arts-centric programming. Founded in 1966, Olson Kundig is a global architectural practice, that has overseen a variety of highly regarded commercial and residential projects. olsonkundig.com

KAST EQUALLY SHARED, INDIVIDUALLY SHAPED

DESIGNERS & MANUFACTURERS OF WORKSPACE FURNITURE WWW.GOF.CO.UK

Upfront

Dividing Lines

The 11th edition of Clerkenwell Design Week saw Spanish manufacturers Kettal open the doors to its new London showroom, finally offering a chance to see the new Pavilion O modular system. Typically known for its iconic outdoor furniture, Kettal’s Pavillion O speaks to post-pandemic ways of working - adapting to the growing inclination for hybrid working and offering a flexible way of dividing offices into zones. Offering enclosed workspaces and meeting rooms that can be easily reconfigured and extended, the aluminium structure can be built out with a variety of materials, including glass, fabric and wood, as well as tailored fittings such as shelves, white boards, electrical accessories and technology. Kettal’s unique clipping

system Click & Work makes it easy to take apart and reassemble to create different ‘mood ecosystems’ within a few hours, offering a solution for ever-changing workplace requirements.. The modular structure is available in signature shades of terracotta, sage greens and warm greys, complementing the full range of Kettal furniture. kettal.com

Bastille / Patrick Norguet allermuir.com

Upfront

Keep it Casual

Bene has launched its new CASUAL series, created by inhouse designer Christian Horner and offering three levels of encounters within commercial spaces. According to Bene, major inspiration for the product was the humble park bench. Just as in the office, people meet sitting on a park bench in a planned or random way – offering places of togetherness and interaction. The collection includes a Single or Double Bench, with or without a backrest. The Bench in Medium or High enables users to converse eye-to-eye, either sitting or standing. The Bench Low in seat height is the classic bench height. Depending on the size, the CASUAL Table is

manufactured in three heights to match the Bench, and the Lounge Chair can be combined with the Bench and Table to immediately create an atmosphere of relaxed wellbeing. All materials can be separated and returned to a second life cycle, with no gluing involved in the process at all. “The office is not only a workplace, but also a place of community that fosters a sense of belonging to the company and gives an organisation its identity. Whether in the cafeteria, lounge or recreation area – the CASUAL collection combines to create these ‘third places’ right there in the office,” says Bene’s Michael Fried. bene.com

Upfront

Model Citizen

Hotel brand citizenM has unveiled plans to open a property in Dublin in 2024 – its first in Ireland and part of its Europe-wide expansion. The Brutalist façade of the existing building in central Dublin (designed by renowned Irish architect Sam Stephenson) will be retained, but form part of a new, prefabricated modular construction – set to be the first modular-built commercial building in Ireland. Construction is set to commence in August 2022 and the hotel will be delivered by BCP Capital, with planning permission granted for 245-rooms at a site opposite St. Patrick’s Park and cathedral – which individually attracts 700,000 visitors annually.

Already announcing plans for cultural components, the building will feature an art installation on its main façade, a permanent art collection and events programming with the specific aim of showcasing homegrown talent. Applications have also opened for a ‘Culture Scout’ who can help the brand tell the city’s stories. “We believe our affordable luxury concept is a great fit for the city, appealing to both visitors and locals alike, and we look forward to connecting with this vibrant city,” says citizenM CEO, Klaas Van Lookeren. citizen.com

CELEBRATING THE BEST PROJECTS, PRODUCTS & PEOPLE IN COMMERCIAL INTERIOR DESIGN

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Kate Mason

Associate Principal and Workplace Interiors Lead Woods Bagot

Desert Island Desks What would our castaway industry figures take with them? Mason manages Woods Bagot’s workplace interiors projects across the UK and Europe, working with companies such as Google, Nasdaq and HP. Prior to joining Woods Bagot, Mason was Head of Interior Design and Workplace at global commercial real estate services firm, Cushman and Wakefield. woodsbagot.com

Juke box Fake Empire The National Strangest T hing The War on Drugs Make Me Feel Janelle Monae Can’t Stand Me Now The Libertines Comfortably Numb Pink Floyd Disco 2000 Pulp

01 A sunbed from B&B Italia They are so comfortable and make for a great place to lounge or sleep. 02 A straw beach mat Continuing the theme of relaxation, I would take a straw beach mat. We used to use them all the time when I was young and living in Asia – they’re sustainable, cheap and really handy. 03 A Philip Tracey sunhat I’m going to assume it’s quite hot on this Island, so for something to cover up with, I’ll take a Philip Treacey sunhat – a bit of luxury while also functional in terms of keeping me from burning. 04 A set of Moleskin sketch pads with some charcoal Interior design keeps me very busy so, while I will be stranded, I’ll have plenty of time to sit, sketch and enjoy my surroundings. 05 Seeds Seeds so I can plant my own fruit and vegetables and have a never-ending supply of food. 06 Free diving fins Lastly, some free diving fins so I can explore and catch my own food – perhaps something colourful like those from C4 Carbon. 04

Paradoxically Speaking with Neil Usher

No Place Like Home It probably no longer qualifies as a trend, it’s been in train for so long. The idea, that is, that the office should be as warm, soft and reassuring as the old mohair jumper the cat sleeps on; that the demands of unquestioned habitual attendance should not be met by miles of laminated greige. It was an understandable response: we needed to be reminded of a place we’d rather be. if we couldn’t be at home, we made the office look and feel like home. Or at least like an interior designer’s version of home. No matter that we repeatedly tripped over the rug and needed a course of osteopathy after every meeting. We were almost instinctively down to our smalls at times. Then the hybrid wizard granted our only wish and we were at home for almost two years, tripping over our own rug. Yet remarkably, the domestication of the office has survived the downheaval, despite our newfound reticence to be there all day every day removing the need for it to remind us of a home we miss. The argument is now not that the office needs to be like a place we miss, but like the place we won’t miss. Our paradox therefore becomes: I’m looking forward to going to the office, because it looks like home. Which is odd, because when we want to stay in a hotel we don’t want it to look like our bedroom. We want bolsters, a choice of 14 pillows of varying

degrees of emptiness – one with an orchid on. When we want to visit a restaurant we don’t want the setting to resemble our dining room or kitchen. We want a tablecloth carved from granite, cutlery painted by Dali and a sommelier with more medals than Chris Hoy. We value the difference as a fundamental aspect of the experience. We often strive for it to be as vast as possible. The office, meanwhile? Nope, the bigger the hygge the better. What’s driving this reluctance to challenge the ‘workplace experience’ for which we’ve settled? Perhaps a feeling that as that’s what we can have, so that’s what we want. Or at least a Farrow & Ball variant of it (other paints are available). Or maybe that moving away from its safety is a little scary, that we might end up with something that resembles the clerical tedium of many decades past, by mistake. It could be, of course, that we just like being ‘at home’. Our breathing slows, we tune into a circadian rhythm like a stylus on vinyl, we’re cuddled rather than perforated by our environment. Spreadsheets will be spreadsheets. As the puppy playfully brushes past our legs, we sink into a cushion-laden sofa with our tepid latte and close our eyes. Only later, on waking, to find that we missed the web call, we’ve dribbled, and it’s all been an extraordinarily tedious dream.

N eil U sher is Chief Workplace & Change Strategist at GoSpace AI and author of The Elemental Workplace and Elemental Change

IMAGE :JONATHAN BOOTHBY

Pushing at the Edges Interview: Universal Design Studio

Celebrating two decades of design, adventures in new ways of thinking and an impressive landmark project, Universal Design Studio’s Associate Director Carly Sweeney and Director Paul Gulati take time to reflect. Words: Chloé Petersen Snell

May 2022 marked the opening of The Office Group’s (TOG) 40th London workspace at 210 Euston Road, in the beating heart of the city’s Knowledge Quarter. The first to launch in the wake of the COVID pandemic, the seven-floor building is one of TOG’s largest to date, and the third designed by award-winning practice, Universal Design Studio. The design of the new TOG space has a distinctly ‘Universal’ style that extends to the studio’s own workplace; a burst of warm timber and lighting hidden inside an unassuming Clerkenwell office block. Oversized Hotaru paper lanterns designed by Barber Osgerby hang overhead, a reminder of the studio’s founders, and there is a distinct sense of community as we pass the team eating together – here a design firm that practices what it preaches. Founded in 2001 by Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby – a way to separate the duo’s product design from other design disciplines – the studio recently marked two decades of business, amidst a pandemic. Celebrating the occasion, new book Inside Out details sketches, inspiration and details on their most iconic designs – offering a holistic view of how the practice works and thinks.

“[The pandemic] was an unexpected moment where we could slow down, reflect and really get under the skin of ourselves,” says Associate Director Carly Sweeney. “Normally we get under the skins of clients – so it was a nice way to figure out who we are and what we really stand for. In the book we looked at different projects through different lenses – human, transformative. We thought about how we work and why we work, and what things are important to us.” Universal clients span the full gamut of spatial design, including workspace, hospitality, retail and cultural institutions across the globe. Perhaps most famous is its work for US hotel company Ace, at the imitable Ace Shoreditch, the brand’s first UK outpost. It is possibly difficult to look back at a time when coworking and hospitality didn’t come hand in hand, and yet when it opened in 2013 the hotel was the ultimate industry disruptor – reimagining what a hotel can be by incorporating a workspace in the lobby and involving the surrounding community. Forward-thinking, Ace had already evolved plenty of progressive ideas in the hotels it had completed in the States, but it was a big jump to open in the UK, which

Above image: 210 Euston Road

enabled Universal to become more than just a designer, but also create links to local collaborators. “A key project aspiration we have at the beginning of every project is to try and do something new, to innovate and push things forward a little bit. Ace offered that opportunity,” says Director Paul Gulati. “At the early strategic stages, you start to build a narrative. A story involves people and people are part of the community – so how do we deal with that existing community, as well as transient visitors? How can you create common qualities that are conducive to spending time inhabiting that space?” Bringing in the industrial heritage of Shoreditch with European touches – not least in the hotel’s restaurant Hoi Polloi, a modernist brasserie inspired by mid-twentieth century European bistros – the hotel brought together a number of independent businesses under one roof to create a new energy. The project eventually led to a long-term collaboration with TOG, the studio designing its flagship Tintagel House in 2018.

“Something that has come into our work following Ace is how we can create a space that works for people that are coming from very different places, and coming there for very different reasons,” adds Gulati. “As a result, much of the work we’ve completed with TOG and newer clients is about finding new ways of making those connections to the locality, bringing in creative and collaborative partners when we can, and offering a meaningful experience.” Universal was approached by TOG in January 2020 to take on 210 Euston Road, starting work just before the world ground to a halt in March. “It was a project that had its challenges,” Gulati says, with a laugh. “TOG is a fantastic client, and had confidence in the human need to get back together to collaborate and work together.” After a brief pause, the team picked up work again towards the end of 2020, during a time when many clients were continuing to put the brakes on physical spaces. “There wasn’t a dramatic pivot in the design due to the pandemic, but there was definitely a more nuanced

response to how TOG anticipated people would work,” says Sweeney. “Instead of singular elements like big collaboration spaces, there are more smaller pockets and hybrid working. Lighting was considered significantly for this space, perhaps not usually as high up on the brief before the pandemic, and technology was more integrated to accommodate zoom calls.” Two of the seven floors are designed for individual businesses, while the other floors are devoted to flexible office units and, on the lower floors, coworking, with more than 800 workspaces throughout the building. This flexibility within each floor was a design challenge for the team, but one Gulati thinks will continue in future spaces.

“There was a tendency to put these key collaborative spaces on the ground floor, shared by everyone, stacking these different types of spaces like a massive club sandwich,” he says. “If you want to change the mode in which you work, it requires you to have the potential to change your experience in the space – whether that’s more collaborative or social, or more focused – without having to move between lots of floors.” As with all of Universal’s projects, the team took a step back and looked at the surrounding area. From the British Library to the Wellcome Trust, University College Hospital to the Bartlett School of Architecture, the stretch of Euston Road at King’s Cross is lined with learning, home to a cluster of world-renowned

institutions that have helped turn the area into a magnet for international businesses, from Google to Facebook. “We quickly established the building’s location as an important crux of the project,” says Sweeney. “We learned lessons from how those spaces work – a lot of those buildings have elements that are publicly accessible, as well as bonus spaces that you can get when you’re a member. We also looked at areas within the British Library, such as the reading room – and the fact that all those spaces speak to coworking. It felt like there were tools that we always use from the local area, that make the building relevant.” Combining the functionality of workspace with the aesthetics of luxury hospitality, Euston Road is a warm

Below image 210 Euston Road

Left image: Ace Hotel, Shoreditch

and texture-filled space that takes cues from the richness and timelessness of Scandinavian design – thanks in part to the use of wood and lighting, from the contemporary oak-clad reception all the way up to the bar and event space on the top floor. Furniture was selected to feel classic and contemporary, with various groupings accompanied by large-scale textiles and over-sized stripe motifs. The interior palette uses a base of creams, yellow and aubergine, set against natural timber. Like Ace, Euston Road welcomes the community inside with a public café and showcase space, moving through large timber doors into a completely different and more intimate area that sits under an undulating, sculptural ceiling. “The palette of materials that we used is elegant and timeless, and it does feel quite grown up,” says Sweeney. “That’s the type of member that TOG wanted to attract for that building – it felt relevant for that site. We’re always thinking about the site context, the character and the people.”

So what’s next for the studio? For Gulati, the future involves testing out lots of new ideas, some brought on by their time to reflect during the pandemic. “We’re always generating new ideas. For us, it’s about trying to find ways in which those ideas can come into the world.” “We’ve got some beautiful projects in the mix, some really exciting stuff,” agrees Sweeney. “We’re always evolving as a studio; we’re always pushing ourselves. I think we’re quite difficult to define because we are such a cross sector studio – but it’s that variety as well that keeps us really interested and passionate about our work.”

Interview: Jacu Stauss

It’s All in the Story Lore Group creative director, Jacu Strauss , discusses

One Hundred Shoreditch , designing with intent and

why his hotels will never be finished. Words: Harry McKinley

There’s a nod to grandeur at Jacu Strauss’ London home. Fragments of Greek and Roman statues are lined up along a side cabinet: an immense hand seems to gently grasp the air, a bust of Antinous stares stoically into space and the lower half of a torso is caught mid-motion. If someone’s decorative choices are a window into their mind, then Strauss is a man interested in legacy and narrative. As creative director of Lore Group, the international hospitality company, he’s responsible for the design of an impressive hotel portfolio – one that includes Amsterdam’s Pulitzer, Washington DC’s Riggs and now London’s One Hundred Shoreditch. The latter is one of the capital’s most prominent openings in years, not just on its own fine merit, but because it fills the shoes of Ace Shoreditch, a property that shattered conventions and used clever design as a catalyst for a new type of hotel culture. It opened in 2013, shuttered in 2020 and now One Hundred Shoreditch is its replacement – building on some

of the ideas Ace established but, a near-decade having passed, a place developed for today’s evolved guest. “Ace was an institution,” says Strauss, “But then the pandemic happened and there was an opportunity to reflect. As the owners, we recognised that it was time for something that spoke to the neighbourhood as it is now. If you look out of the windows of the guestrooms today, it feels as though the hotel has been touched by what’s happening outside. Shoreditch has grown up and the property needed to shift away from the established Ace aesthetic and focus more on comfort, rather than just being a party hotel. We wanted to create a sanctuary.” The result is a progression, not a total reinvention. With 258 rooms, a restaurant, three bars and a coffee shop, there’s still a sense of scale, but the design is more sensitive and mature. A re-envisioned lobby features sculptures designed by Strauss and crafted by Jan Hendzel Studio, while cork wall panelling and a new acoustically insulated ceiling have been added to soften

Above image: The Seed Library at One Hundred Shoreditch, courtesy Scaitboard

the once cacophonous soundscape. The famed long table (oft credited with encouraging lobby laptop working) remains, but with softer sanded edges and dotted with ceramics. The basement nightclub is gone, replaced with a Stanley Kubrick-inspired cocktail bar. New restaurant, Goddard & Gibb takes the place of Hoi Polloi – a titanic rock sculpture in bright yellow now a theatrical focal point. “As soon as we opened the doors, there were people with their computers waiting to go back to the big table in the foyer,” Strauss says, with a wide laugh. “So why would we change that just for the sake of it? It’s something that worked, something we liked and something that meant a lot to the neighbourhood. But I changed the things that needed to change, and it was quite a painful exercise actually, working out what to keep and what not to keep. It was a lot of experimenting and a lot of risk taking. In short, probably one of the most difficult projects I’ve ever completed.”

Strauss’ success as a designer is, perhaps, down to his ability to consider how large, elaborate projects will function at a fundamentally human scale; and in his knack for humanising the abrasively urban. The architecture at One Hundred Shoreditch is a case in point, transformed from a monumental grey brick stretch into a more considered façade that could almost be four separate buildings – with new oriel windows. “The council loved us for that,” jokes Strauss, “and it felt so much better for the rhythm of the street and for how people appreciated the property from the outside in.” Even now, no one would confuse the broad exterior of One Hundred Shoreditch with the seductively haphazard canal houses of Amsterdam, but in playing with scale to create something more visually and emotionally affecting, there is perhaps a nod to one of Strauss’ other landmark projects – and his favourite to design.

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“I have a real soft spot for The Pulitzer,” he explains, discussing the 225-suite hotel he completed in 2016. Encompassing 25 historic houses, it spans two major canals and is widely thought of as one of the world’s great hotels. “It was a lesson in appreciating imperfections. The journey we built for guests there celebrated the fact that you go from one hundreds-of-years-old building to another. You have to go up and down steps and tiny corridors, and the walls in your guest room could be going in different directions. People really responded to it though, because it’s not about having perfection, it’s about having a bit of drama and bit of personality that you can buy into. I try and apply that sensibility to all of my projects now, but The Pulitzer was the one that I cut my teeth on, even if broke a few as well.” Beyond the haywire walls and poky hallways, much of the Pulitzer’s charm is down to Strauss’ intervention: the dramatic headboards in guestrooms, the spruced up parquet and the ambient drama of the obsidian-walled bar. Much like One Hundred Shoreditch, he changed the things that needed to change but otherwise polished that which was already there and worked – be it architectural, conceptual, spatial or decorative. “I love working with historic buildings, but they’re all divas, you know,” he quips. “They throw tantrums all the time, but when they sing, it’s gorgeous.” The subject of divas strikes a chord, after all it’s a pejorative often attached to designers – the image of the cushion-fluffing, caustic-tongued starlet still inaccurately strong in the minds of many an owner and operator. Certainly, there’s little air of overbearing ego from the temperate, affable Strauss, who clearly relishes the work more than the control he wields over it. He describes his process and his approach as an ‘honest’ one. “Some designers do very well by being complete dictators, but it doesn’t work for me. Plus, I like to do the right thing, instead of something just for narcissism or vanity. A truthful design will last, whereas I worry design

broadly is becoming a lot like fast fashion. There’s a chipping away at the idea of what good quality design is, where it’s changed every few years. It’s not only wasteful but it represents a really short-term vision.” Yet there’s little doubt the audience for Strauss’ products are changing. The average traveller is infinitely more aesthetically savvy than their counterparts of yesteryear, before the likes of Mama Shelter, Ace, EDITION and Hoxton ‘democratised’ design. “But do we want democracy?” Strauss ponders, as we wade into the territory of guest expectations. “Perhaps we do if we’re talking about the greater good for the greater number, but the hotel market is so diverse now that, actually, we don’t have to be everything to everyone and I’m very comfortable with that. Today, everyone’s a designer and everyone’s a chef; everyone will have an opinion but not everyone needs to like what we do, and that freedom and diversity is fantastic. Sometimes people don’t appreciate those individual imperfections and those little wrinkles, for example. To me, though, they’re what make something special. One day my gravestone will read: ‘everything has a place’.” So a vote of confidence in targeted, tribal hotel design, but what about the missteps? Not being everything to everyone is one thing, but surely there are common blunders that result in something that works for no one at all? “Well, I’ve been to hotels where the lighting is so complicated it’s like learning how to fly a spaceship,” he says. “And it comes back to this idea of someone having done something for personal taste as opposed to thinking about the user. I don’t think there need to be strobe lights everywhere. The ones that change colour? No one is going to use them. And yet, sometimes the practical things go missing; the elements that will actually impact a guest’s experience: USB ports by the bed and a single switch to turn off all the lights in the same place. I appreciate

Left image: The rooftop at One Hundred Shoreditch

with existing buildings you can’t do everything, but these things are important and we always try to find a way. Let’s be honest, if you have to move plugs, the budget’s blown; if you see someone picking up a hammer and screwdriver, you know money is bleeding from somewhere. So I use my skill set with designing furniture to incorporate all the power into the furniture – theatrical headboards, for example, but with a practical purpose.” For Strauss, the solution to sidestepping mistakes comes down, simply, to storytelling: “You need to know what your hotel is about and who it’s for. It’s what I call the secret sauce and it’s difficult to teach. Develop a strong story and it will guide everything that comes afterwards. When you get into the weeds without having the bigger picture, you drown, but if you let your story drive your decision making, you end up with a better project. It even gives a hotel longevity, in my opinion, because it’s the story will probably outlive me, and therein lies the beauty. If the story is always growing, you might even say my hotels will never be finished. ” Legacy and narrative. Those Greco-Roman busts might be a window after all.

Below image: A guest suite at One Hundred Shoreditch

The Ask with Tina Norden

Is Agile Design the Future?

There’s a lot of talk about adaptable and hybrid design in the industry at the moment. Guest behaviour is also changing much more rapidly.

Being clear about the end user makes a project relevant. With so many concepts vying for attention, knowing who you are aiming at is core to creating a project with identity. It will not only guide the likely way a space is used but also its attitude and look. A strong concept is not only important for the design process, but also for the eventual conversation with the end user, whether overt or subliminal.

Defining these two terms is interesting. Adaptable spaces should be able to adjust to new conditions or uses, whilst hybrids are a composition of different elements combined. So arguably adaptable means the ability to change quickly whilst hybrid refers to spaces that allow for changes to take place in use, not necessarily in the space.

Using materials of quality for elements such as the underlying structure, technology provision, flooring and washroom fittings will allow the spaces to be layered with more flexible elements and allow for changing trends. This has the added bonus of giving a feeling of quality (and where required, luxury), to the space.

The principle of flexible, adaptable, hybrid spaces sounds great on paper, but poses significant challenges in practice. Spaces that try to be everything to all people often end up as nothing to anyone.

When it comes to layout planning and the detailed design of the spaces, a good way to allow for adaptability is by creating a number of zones that can be used flexibly – at its most basic, a mix of seating types and levels of privacy. In guestrooms a number of hotel operators are starting to stipulate loose furniture over in-built to allow for flexibility, easy replacement and recyclability. That same way of thinking works for any space that might need to change over time.

Should we be thinking about hospitality design that is only intended to live in its current guise for a short period of time; a kind of pop-up approach to interiors, with reuse and adaptability built in?

Generic design is not what guests today are looking for. The other complication is that we don’t yet know what the future functions might be, so it’s difficult to programme that change into the design. Short term pop-up spaces are also not the most sustainable, unless they’re carefully planned to be recycled and reused. So where does that leave us as designers?

The challenge for designers is then to make sure we still create a sense of place and identity, so spaces are not just flexible but also a pleasure to use, which circles back to concept and attitude.

Designing spaces that are considered, directed to the target guest profile (as opposed to function) and that will not go out of fashion quickly will go a long way to achieving these elusive goals.

Or maybe we argue that a well-conceived and designed space coaxes people to use it in a way that facilitates their various needs without having to undergo constant change physically itself? T ina N orden is a partner at Conran and Partners, where she has been a member of the board since 2016

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A to Z Case Study: AstraZeneca

Ekho Studio meticulously crafts the future of workplace for biotechnology giants AstraZeneca UK.

Words: Chloé Petersen Snell Photography: Billy Bolton

With an eclectic mix of art students and tech workers, retail and hospitality, King’s Cross is London’s fastest growing district – outperforming all other London Opportunity Areas for employment and population growth in the last 10 years, with reports from Cushman & Wakefield predicting more than 30,000 people working in the area by 2023. A new addition to the energetic district is AstraZeneca UK’s new workspace, taking over 22,000 sq. ft across two floors at 2 Pancras Square – in addition to the 15,000 sq ft it has occupied since 2019. In good company, in the shadow of the growing skeleton of Google’s monolithic ‘Landscraper’ and a neighbour to Universal Music, TOG and YouTube (to name but a few), the new HQ will become home to staff working across the medical, marketing, digital, communications, finance and HR functions, which support the UK biopharmaceutical and oncology business teams. King’s Cross is Ekho Studio’s first major project – no mean feat for a studio that is a little more than a year old. Founded by Rachel Withey and Sarah Dodsworth,

Ekho Studio describes its approach to design and strategy as ‘all ears’ – and with this energy and passion, they completed the scheme over the pandemic, moving the company from Luton to an entirely new way of working in Central London. “Having worked with AstraZeneca as a design consultant for nearing 10 years, it has been a formative journey, and it goes without saying that within that time we’ve collectively seen big changes within the landscape of their workplace design,” says Founding Partner Sarah Dodsworth. It has certainly been a bitter-sweet few years for the company, which has become a household name, having played a pivotal part in the UK’s fight against COVID-19. Now, AstraZeneca UK will use its new King’s Cross HQ to drive collaboration and innovation both internally and with the diverse ecosystem of companies on the estate and in the area. This workplace culture reflects a change in gear and mindset within AstraZeneca UK which, through its relocation to London’s Knowledge Quarter, is committed to a more open, inclusive and participative business operation.

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A breakout space acts as a transition between more traditional workstations

Moving inside from the hustle and bustle of the external square, the reception space is bright and comforting – not quite what one would expect from a biopharmaceutical company; warm neutrals, soft zoning curtains and modern details nod to residential design. A bright, open-plan office stretches around meeting rooms set into the middle of the space, allowing staff to be close to the full-height windows and natural light. Each variation of meeting room has its own look and feel – from private quiet spaces to two, four and eight person rooms, and a larger flexible event space with bi-folding doors. Warm shades of burgundy and grey sit against timber panelling and textured carpet: “We put a lot of effort into making sure the meeting rooms didn’t feel too corporate,” says Interior Designer Ellie McCrum. “It doesn’t necessarily have to shout, but it all hangs together really well. We wanted to bring that same love [to the meeting rooms] that you’d give to a café or tea point.” In the main office space, suspended ceiling systems have been cleverly modified and designed by Ekho Studio to mimic mesh, offering an impactful finish within a strict budget. Timber flooring from Tedd Todd sits alongside carpet from Milliken and Shaw, guiding visitors and staff throughout the main flow of the space. A breakout space acts as a transition between more traditional workstations. A bespoke ribbed wood and marble coffee bar sits under a curved frame with integrated illumination – the lighting and materials within this more relaxed space offering a distinct hospitality feel that the client was keen to explore. “Our client had a vision for a ‘third space’ which, as they conceptualised it, is an environment that sits between a typical corporate office space and a boutique hotel,” Dodsworth explains. “The design scheme reflects the best learnings from each end of the spectrum and sector specifics - the challenge of the brief was to carefully balance a supremely functional workplace whilst creating a sense of aspiration.”

Client AstraZeneca UK Interior Designer Ekho Studio Flooring Tedd Todd, PUUR, Milliken, Shaw, Clerkenwell Rug Studio, &Tradition Furniture Senator, Humanscale, Spacestor, Brunner, &Tradition, Allermuir, Vitra, Modus, Workstories, Norman Copenhagen, VG+P, Gubi, Carl Hansen, Allermuir, Pedrali, Naughtone, Muuto Surfaces Ekho, J Carey Design, SAS, Chyrsalis Surface Design, Surfaces Mosa, Domus, Arte, Surrey Marble & Granite Company, Kvadrat, Autex Acoustics, Troldtekt, Glass Whiteboard Collective, Solus Ceramics, Fenix, Caeserstone, Foresso Lighting Pholc, Vibia, Muuto, Artemide, Lightforms, Design House Stockholm, Menu Other Michael Murray Art, Ferm Living, &Tradition, Oliver Bonas

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The café area opens out to a panoramic terrace Bottom left image on oppposite page: Smaller intimate settings Bottom right image on oppposite page: A meeting space sits within the open floorplan

Smaller, intimate settings with soft seating are scattered thoughtfully around the more traditional desk spaces, with luxe finishes, soft lighting and warm timber continuing the hospitality feel. Surreal landscape photography by Tom Hegen was chosen to reflect the client’s vision, and touch on issues of sustainability. All wayfinding and branding implementation was designed by Ekho Studio, and live planting throughout the interior and terrace was integral to creating the atmosphere and wellbeing ethos AstraZeneca was keen to promote. “As part of our early visioning process we managed to find a precious slot in-between lockdowns and spent a day benchmarking in London,” Dodsworth adds. “The places we visited included boutique hotel lounges and amenity spaces, coworking spaces and high concept retail experience stores. The idea being that we could take influences and ideas from each of these to weave into the office design brief, with the latter the most familiar to the project team.” The commitment to ensuring the right product was delivered meant that every piece of furniture was trialled and tested before orders were placed, so the

commitment to supreme functionality with beautiful aesthetics was delivered upon – from Senator desks with a slight mid-century feel to custom upholstery from Textile Mania. There’s nothing gimmicky here, Dodsworth notes. “Nothing just for the sake of it everything is here for a reason.” In the large café and social area, a mix of soft and wooden furniture is complemented by mobile planters on castors, tying in with the material language of the workspace and allowing the space to be fully flexible for the various town halls and client events. Huge bifolding doors open out to a large balcony, with plenty of outdoor and transitional furniture and incredible panoramic views of the capital. The new workplace nurtures an easy and informal atmosphere which in turn fosters chance collaborations, Dodsworth explains - as work and social behaviours are no longer siloed and instead mix very naturally. And just like that, by building an impressive relationship with their client and designing with an open mind, Ekho Studio has redefined how AstraZeneca works and engages with the outside world.

Balancing Act Case study: Argent

For related Argent’s reimagined headquarters, Basha -Franklin was tasked with developing a space fit for changed working habits, that is also good for the planet. Words: Clare Dowdy

Photography: Ed Reeves

A meeting of privacy and collaboration Above image: Spaces can be divided for greater flexibility

When mixed-use developer Related Argent moved its headquarters from Piccadilly to Granary Square in 2012, it was 50-strong. As its staff numbers grew to 160, “we kept putting in more desks and losing amenities,” explains Sam Williams, Related Argent’s development manager. What’s more, “the views across the space were blocked and the meeting rooms were in constant use.” In short, the two-storey, 1300 sq m, 14,000 sq ft space felt cramped and teams were siloed. Related Argent, which is the development and asset manager for the King’s Cross Estate, had started looking into changing the way its staff worked in 2019, before the pandemic affected some working practices. By 2020, there was a sense that when people returned to work, they would have higher expectations of their office environment, according to Williams. So Related Argent commissioned commercial real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield to come up with a workplace strategy to determine the best way to use the space. The

result is a ‘dynamic working’ policy, which allows people to choose where and when to work. Design firm Basha-Franklin was brought in to interpret the policy into new interiors for the industrial heritage building at 4 Stable Street. Their concept included introducing biophilia, opening up views and sight lines by removing some internal walls and rooms, improving the natural light, increasing the variety of spaces and creating the sort of welcoming environment that would entice staff back into the office. But this was not going to be a complete start-fromscratch overhaul. Rather, it was about reworking the space in the most sustainable way possible. The project was aligned to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, a set of 17 targets aimed at transforming the world to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. To this end, Basha-Franklin reviewed all materials, sourcing and specification, process and fabrication. This also

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applied to the furniture, fixtures and fittings: “We took everything out and stored it,” says Nicola Osborn, Creative Director at Basha-Franklin, who was part of the design team that created the first iteration of 4 Stable Street. The designers retained, reused and repurposed around 80% of the materials in the existing space, including a section of timber flooring which was relocated to a new coffee bar area. Shards of waste product from the timber were combined with copper flecks and incorporated into terrazzo for communal tables and new coffee bars. And all joinery has been mechanically fixed, rather than glued, with copper caps on the screws which, like the new terrazzo, pick up on the previous scheme’s use of that metal. As for the existing furniture, around 70% of it is out of storage and has been reconditioned and reused. The rest is still stored or has been sold or sent to charity and all the retained light fittings were relamped to LEDs, improving efficiency by 80%. Meanwhile, smart sensors were installed throughout, so lighting achieves optimum function, working in sync with natural lighting levels. CO2 monitors were also installed, to adjust airflow. The existing exposed brickwork inspired the material and colour palette – previously white had been the dominant colour, with some copper. Now, there is brushed copper sheeting on one wall of the ground floor arrival area. The ground floor also introduces the use of green – which is

present in many tones throughout. “People do gravitate to colour,” says Basha-Franklin Director, Rachel BashaFranklin, “and green is restful on the eyes.” On the left-hand wall, there are 3D green tubular tiles laid vertically – mostly gloss with a few matt, to give a sense of movement. More movement is implied on the right-hand wall through the new temporary artwork – lit tubular sleeves of foliage patterns, in reference to the biophilic theme and the new floor is a warm pink recycled terrazzo from Diespeker & Co. The first-floor reception has the original timber flooring, though some was reused for this floor’s coffee bar space, where the counter itself is of recycled terrazzo – red brick, slate and terracotta. New flooring comprises Cempanel magnetic floor, with a natural, hard-wearing waxed finish. Fabrics have been introduced to make the environment more welcoming and as a way of bringing in more colour. Much of it – from curtaining to banquette upholstery – is Kvadrat or Vitra. A team presentation space can be cordoned off with De Ploeg’s recycled ocean plastic sheer curtain and a thicker pink Kvadrat curtain. From this floor, the double-height space allows people to look up to a long trough of greenery on the mezzanine. The plants are in a soya-based ply planter that runs the length of the workstations above.

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80% of materials were retained, reused and repurposed Bottom image on oppposite page: Brushed copper sheeting in the arrivals area

The second floor houses the main work area, where all the old desks and chairs were reused. Basha-Franklin have added lockers from Your Workspace. Throughout, smaller rooms for meetings or individual quiet time have acoustic walls of recycled felt. The second floor also has an informal lounge area, given a domestic feel with a big floor rug, arm chairs and an L-shaped sofa and fabric blinds at the window. “We’ve softened brickwork by layering materials,” says Basha-Franklin. The chandelier has been refurbished and is on its fourth life. This floor has a big kitchen area with new white units. Its existing island has been extended with a half-circle of copper on the end, and also has a new banquette and high-backed chairs. With its design approach, Basha-Franklin has worked hard to balance two needs: that of staff returning to the office and that of the planet.

Client Related Argent Architect & Interior Designer Basha-Franklin Flooring Cempanel, Bolon, White & White, Desso Tarkett Furniture Vitra, Fogia, &Tradition, Icons of Denmark, Norman Copenhagen, Hay, Menu, Muuto, Plus Halle, Senator Surfaces Copper, Forbo, Buxkin, Dulux, White&White, James Latham, Kvadrat, Viroc by Investwood, De Ploeg, Rohi, Banker, Clayworks, Grestec Tiles Lighting Deltalight, Fagerhult Gubi, Ago – from Relay Design Agency, Orsjo Belysning, Miniforms, Wastberg

Left: Space for relaxation

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Bricks and Mortar Case study: The Invisible Collection

For digital furniture retailer The Invisible Collection, the creation of a physical space in London is allowing the brand to better connect with its clients. Words: Kristofer Thomas

Long gone are the days when a retail flagship could stand still. In the experience economy these spaces function as flags in the sand – fluid expressions of company values and centres for programmed activity, community outreach or regular administrative work. Sometimes they are all these things at once. Combining multiple functions with an all-important experiential offer, headquarters of today are more akin to hubs and are increasingly designed to characterise a brand and give customers multiple reasons to visit, stay and ultimately return. This has become a particularly crucial point of consideration for e-commerce brands, who, locked away behind a screen, can run the risk of feeling detached. Indeed, beyond website UX and a few newsletters, online stores can struggle to connect with guests in a manner that transcends transaction. As such, many are turning back to the brick and mortar spaces they were meant to have killed off. This is especially true of fashion and design brands; a sector wherein buyers more often than not want to try before they buy, or else occupy the same space as a piece to discern if there is a connection other than impulse.

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But also curated, for visual effect

Opposite page: A holistic layering of pieces Left image: The HQ is within a row of converted Mews Houses

For high-end furniture platform The Invisible Collection – a curated edit of major designers that brings the kind of interior excellence one might find in a luxury hotel or restaurant to the home – the evolution from online-only to showrooms in Paris and a new HQ in Marylebone, London was a natural progression, and part of a wider expansion on the global stage. Launched to mark the brand’s 5th anniversary, this new flagship project spans a row of converted white mews houses and as well as containing offices, showroom spaces and the library of iconic pieces that made its name, it is also set to host events and welcome guests with creative activations. There is good reason this is being billed as a ‘home’ for the brand as opposed to just another storefront. “Even the most digital of brands need a brick andmortar home,” say Isabelle Dubern-Mallevays, co-founde of The Invisible Collection. “We have always been a digitallyled business but now emerging from the pandemic, the importance of physical retail space is becoming more apparent than ever. People come to our London home to understand the quality of the pieces, to touch them, to be inspired and, importantly, to meet people.”

Featuring a rotating cast of the collection’s most popular pieces, visitors will find the space adorned by wall lamps by Pierre Chareau and curtains by Atelier Autrement in an environment that sees them highlighted as part of carefully considered schemes as opposed to lone objects. Experiential settings of immersive combinations see Studioparisien’s Panther Sofa paired with Pierre Augustin Rose’s Minotaure Armchair and Juliana Lima Vasconcellos’ Giraffe seats, whilst the Mawu seat by Laura Gonzalez is joined by coffee tables by Duo Multi Laque, Luco and Swan. Likewise, a second-floor material and sample library showcases an eclectic mixture of textures, from natural stones and rare woods to metal sheeting and Dedar fabrics. “The pieces on show will be ever-changing, as will the exhibitions,” Dulbern-Mallevays explains. “We have so many incredible designers on our roster and it’s a total joy to give them a real-world platform at the HQ.” Bridging the gap between experience and retail, the most important element of the headquarters is perhaps the manner in which The Invisible Collection will activate these spaces. Set to host gallery exhibitions, solo shows, dinners and talks, a calendar of cultural events intends to underscore the physical presence of the collection’s

wares with a sense of relevance and meaning. First up is a programme of artwork by French female artists guest curated by Marie-Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre, whilst a solo show of work by legendary Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer is also planned. “The London HQ is a creative hub - we welcome clients, designers, artisans, and artists from across the globe,” Dublern-Mallevays adds. “The space gives guests a real sense of the brand and the Invisible Collection’s aesthetic. Housing a changing selection of our beautiful pieces in the HQ also means that we have some of the most amazing furniture on speed dial.” Where a decade ago a significant investment in brick and mortar by a predominantly online platform might have been puzzling, in today’s retail landscape it makes perfect sense. The decision to expand not only in the sense of scale but so to on an experiential front, giving the brand both a suitably engaging home and so too a curated physical presence to reflect its established digital success, is a statement of intent by The Invisible Collection, positioning it squarely as a retailer with its finger on the pulse.

Client The Invisible Collection Architect Alexandre Danan from European Design Office Furniture Supplier Studioparisien, Luco, Swan, Pierre Augustin Rose, Juliana Lima Vasconcellos, Laura Gonzalez, Duo Multi Laque Lighting Pierre Chareau Other Dedar fabrics

Anarchy in the UK Case study: Chateau Denmark

At new hotel, Chateau Denmark, the legacy of rock ‘n’ roll lives on – just don’t throw the TV out the window. Words: Harry McKinley Photography: Mel Yates

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A dramatic guestroom

Above image: Graffiti and tartan feature prominently

Something is afoot on Denmark Street. Behind the listed façades, a mammoth development project is underway – with a 2000 capacity music venue, the world’s largest LED screen, residences, workspace and a host of hospitality venues. A decade in the planning, Outernet has been billed as one of the most significant Central London shakeups in decades. One of the first elements to land in a burst of bass guitar and a spray of glitter is Chateau Denmark – a 55-room, suite, and apartment hotel, that is an homage to the neighbourhood’s rock ‘n’ roll heritage. Developed by Carrie Wicks’ CAW Ventures and designed by Taylor Howes, it’s an immensely ambitious undertaking and, arguably, the most hotly anticipated opening in the capital so far this year.

Why ambitious? Well, as ‘edgy’ hotels go, this one is on the extravagant side, with rates to match. It isn’t the rock ‘n’ roll of unmade beds and unwashed tee-shirts, but the hedonism of in-room bars that rival those lining the streets of nearby Soho; the irreverence of confessional booth wardrobes and near-nude photography; and the gothic glamour of cherry red walls and roll-top baths. When London luxury has come to mean a certain west-of-the-city restraint, Chateau Denmark is not afraid to disrupt. “We pushed boundaries,” says Jane Ladino, director at Taylor Howes, “and when we wondered if we might be pushing the concept too far, the client pushed us to go further.” There’s nothing coquettish about the design, then. Floors are rendered in sturdy black rubber and there are leather

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Black leather floors and bold prints Bottom image on opposite pages: Suites and apartments feature roll-top baths Above image: In-room bars rival those of Soho

lined walls; headboards from furniture provocateur Jimmy Martin are scrawled with audacious graffiti; and handcarved Jesmonite fireplaces depict twisting serpents. “In a lot of ways Chateau Denmark, like the folks who came to Denmark Street to express themselves, is an outlier. It’s quite different to anything that’s out there at the moment, but for good reason – it channels an entire street’s cultural history, while taking it on a journey into tomorrow,” says Wicks, explaining how the desire to challenge and even innovate is rooted in the spirit of the location. “It’s for people who don’t go in for half measures; people who are searching for good times with bad company.” Denmark Street is, of course, renowned for its place in musical history: The Rolling Stones, The Kinks and The Sex Pistols all recorded at various studios; David Bowie and Jimi Hendrix socialised at its bars; and, in 1970, it’s where Elton John wrote his first hit song (Your Song) with Bernie Taupin. Chateau Denmark takes in much

Left image: Headboards feature punk-inspired motifs

of its footprint, with various room tiers spread across 16 buildings. The majority of the standard guestrooms, or ‘session rooms’, are in the new main building, while suites and apartments are mostly in the historic listed ‘uppers’ of Denmark Street itself, each tier with its own design theme and signature stylistic elements. Walking from the lobby to the entrances of separate buildings, there’s a real sense that the street itself is part of the fabric of the hotel, as integral as the hallways.

less loaded, there are also witty, spirited touches, that speak more to period counter-culture, such as safetypinned, Vivienne Westwood-esque tartan curtains and chairs featuring Sex Pistols song titles. But even if some designs are less risqué that others, Chateau Denmark is a property that wears its identity on its arm, in indelible tattoo form. It isn’t, therefore, for everyone; it may even shock some. Then again, what is more rock ‘n’ roll, or more Denmark Street, than that?

“The challenge was to blend design schemes while having distinctive narratives,” continues Ladino. “We dialled into the rebellious spirit of Soho, the history and the fact that music is key. The overall narrative imagines a time when punk rock and vintage gothic meet modern psychedelia. We played with timeless grandeur and Victorian historical layering. From a design detail approach, we embraced a ‘saint and sinner’ storyline, with the playful idea that guests arrive a saint and leave a sinner.”

There are still uncompleted elements to come, in justaround-the-corner future phases of development. A bar, for example, will soon be unveiled at the corner of Denmark and Flitcroft Streets, a place where locals can rub shoulders with guests over one too many.

Although approached with a nudge and a wink, this classic tussle between good and evil is manifest in multiple design notes, from the ‘fallen angel’ brand motif to the snake as a tempting force on fabrics, artwork and on wallpaper. For those who prefer their interiors

“A lot of places talk about community, but it’s rare that history and community is literally at the heart of what this brand is about. Denmark Street is, and has always been, a community – a street about creativity and expression,” explains Wicks. “I want guests to feel free from the traditional confines of hospitality and, who knows, perhaps even free from themselves.”

Above image: Views of the nearby Centrepoint Building

Client Chateau Denmark Architect Ian Chalk Architects (ICA) Interior Designer Taylor Howes Designs (THD) Flooring Stark Carpet, Pierre Frey, Unique Tiles, Bert & May, Porcelain Tiles, Ultimate Impact Rubber Flooring, The Cork Flooring Company Furniture Andy Thornton, Arteriors, Blackpop, Coach House, Global Views, JLC, John Dollimore, Mattesons, Roberto Giovannini, Eichholtz, Timorous Beasties, House of Hackney, Willis and Gambier, Seletti, Rockett St George, Rug Society

Surfaces Ceramic Solutions, Mandarin Stone, Botteganove Studio, Kaza, Romo, Dulux, Timorous Beasties, Pierre Frey, Arte, Cole & Son, House of Hackney, Chisel and Vice, Armourcoat Lighting Curiosa & Curiosa, Arteriors, Goodwin & Goodwin, Lotus Lampshades, Northern Lights, Pooky, Roberto Giovannini, Visual Comfort, Ralph Lauren, The Blackened Teeth, Eichholtz, Chelsom Other ArtIQ, Fameed Khalique

By the River Case study: Affinity Living

NoChintz delivers an adaptable, flexible design that speaks to our times, at Affinity Living’s latest Manchester residential project, Riverview. Words: Harry McKinley Photography: Laura Hutchinson

Though Manchester has often been touted as a place of grey skies and bolshie musicians, today it is more accurately described as a city of glass and millennials. Its skyline, once relatively ground-hugging, is now punctuated with towering silver splinters that brush the clouds and reflect the surrounding clusters of cranes – evidence of yet more glass and yet more steel to come. As one of the fastest growing cities in the UK and one of the most rapidly expanding tech hubs in Europe, much of Manchester’s building boom is residential: those gleaming high-rises set to house, or already housing, young urbanites keen to take advantage of the city’s buoyant employment market, competitive rents and electric social scene. With four buildings across the city centre, Affinity Living is one of the most prodigious BTR (build-to-rent) operators; its polished, community-centric offer targeted at the mobile mid-twenties and up.

Below image: The colour palette is inspired by the nearby River Irwell

The latest to open, Riverview, sits on the banks of the Irwell and Affinity tapped local studio NoChintz for the design of the extensive communal space. “The scheme is grounded within the landscape of the city,” NoChintz’s Head of Design, Katie Lea, explains. “It pays homage to the river, which was once the lifeblood of the city. The space then, like the river, is a story of connectivity, industry and leisure.” Indeed, in function, it is the embodiment of all three: a coworking space, a locally-founded coffee and cake hangout and a cinema snug; a neat encapsulation of the work, play and stay ethos of the Affinity Living generation. In the main thoroughfare, comfortable, yawning sofas in neutral tones threaten to swallow lunchbreak residents – stylistically enlivened with Hem cushions in bright colours and soft patterns. Rugs from Studio Knot are bespoke and intended to evoke the rolling sediment of the nearby river. A long, glossy, laptop-beckoning table is

flanked by dramatic lighting from Flos and Tom Dixon. A statement tree with wraparound seating marks a focal point by the main doors – a grand nod to nature, along with the assorted, wellness-centric pot plants. Although a commercial project, the choice of brands feels unashamedly consumer; lavish even. These are, after all, expensive pieces and materials for a vaguely-public space, but their use conveys a deeper message: that this building is a home, even if populated entirely by renters, many of whom will pass through only transiently. Strips of light-filtering Kvadrat fabric gently zone the space, the main drag giving way to Loaf Mcr, a coffeeshop that specialises in pricey loaf cakes laden with Instagram-friendly toppings. It isn’t just a coffeeshop, though – as the rails of aggressively pink merchandise attest – but an increasingly cult brand, one that feels keenly aligned to the residents above and those Affinity Living wants to ensnare. “The concept is ultimately about flexibility and autonomy,” Lea continues, “about balancing residential and hospitality needs, which create a welcoming and enticing space for residents. It’s all about allowing residents to get out of their apartment and feel a social connection with neighbours.”

Client Affinity Living Architect Denton Corker Marshall Interior Designer NoChintz Flooring Moduleo Furniture Supplier NoChintz; Hay, Muuto, Menu, Pedrali Surfaces Diespeker, Corian, Egger, Kvadrat Lighting NoChintz; Flos, Foscarini, Muuto Other Studio Knot

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A café area is operated by Loaf Mcr Above image: The main reception area

Above image: The communal areas features space for flexible working

It’s arguably onwards, in the compact ‘living room’, that the sense of community-building is most directly realised. A snug with wide sofas and a large projector screen is sectioned off with a heavy curtain – bookable for film nights or Netflix afternoons with larger groups. It’s a nook to be shared with neighbours or, for those in pocket sized apartments, for hosting visiting friends. “The project is perfectly positioned to respond, adapt and cater to the current needs of society,” says Lea, who recognises that as city centre living space becomes increasingly squeezed, it’s important to offer more opportunities for tenants to extend outwards, as well as to facilitate human interaction. The notion of blurring the private, communal and even the public within the confines of one towering residential eco-system speaks to our times, and in particular to a

demographic that eschews traditional working practices and embraces a more cluttered model, where the lines between on-the-clock and off; between home and away; and between necessity and lifestyle, are hazy. Is this all part of an immediately post-pandemic pivot that will soon shift back towards the traditional, or a sign of sustained things to come? Well, for NoChintz, part of developing the design for Riverview was also considering its longevity. There are a healthy few years baked into the interiors, with furnishings and decorative elements intended to last. But, equally, in the living room for example, very few elements are fixed. In short, most can be whipped out at a moment’s notice should the space need to function differently or be, somehow, reoriented. A testament to the fact that if flexibility and adaptability are central to how spaces today are used, they must also be central to how they’re designed.

Positive Impact with Rob Atkinson

On the Right Track Rob Atkinson, lead designer, project manager and sustainability

consultant at IA Interior Architects, discusses the big step companies can take to hit their sustaianability goals.

During the past couple of years as awareness of the climate emergency has grown, an array of countries, several states in the US and major corporations have started to respond by setting targets to control their CO2 emissions in line with the latest climate science and the Paris Agreement. And more operational changes are coming, with over 2000 global companies now undertaking commitments to programs like the Science Based Target Initiative (SBTi), a global body that focuses on large companies and SME’s (small and medium sized enterprises), tailoring carbon reduction strategies that encompass everything from real estate to transportation. SBTi’s goal is to halve emissions before 2030 and achieve net-zero before 2050, thereby limiting global warming to 1.5°C, a crucial threshold for the future of the planet and its inhabitants. While larger companies with a presence across multiple countries are leading the charge, organisations of any size can play their part in pivoting towards a low carbon model. With the UK government having already signed up for a zero-carbon economy by 2050, companies that take the first steps in adjusting their business strategies will build both brand and investor confidence. Likewise, an understanding of how to design and build sustainably is no longer just an optional enhancement for architecture firms offering design services to clients — it is key to providing a competitive advantage. As a global architecture practice, IA Interior Architects recognizes

our industry’s responsibility to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions and wants to be one of the first to undertake its own SBTi commitments.

are included in our approach. Since the timeframe is five to 10 years, it is important that we not be too constrained by what is currently possible.

To support sustainability, we are learning how to change some of our practices as well as advise our clients how to do the same. Though the expertise of our Ecos Studio team, comprised of IA Interior Architects and Brightworks Sustainability, we are on a path to accomplish this through a series of measures across our studios which includes working with SBTi.

Our next step is to submit IA’s targets for validation, which involves a process relevant for architecture. Because we will be setting goals for IA with future fulfilment dates, this action is both challenging and exciting. To ensure companies remain on track, the SBTi validation process also considers near-term steps along the path and provides mitigation strategies for operational difficulties that come with business growth.

How does that work? The first stage is for a company to register online, signing a standard commitment letter. Once signed a company has a maximum of 24 months to develop medium and long-term sustainability targets aligned with specific science-based criteria. Once targets are established, SBTi offers assistance for understanding target requirements and how an organization can best apply them. In addition, SBTi monitors the organization’s progress annually, providing expertise and tools to validate the information gathered over time. IA is currently in this phase which means examining current factors like our facilities’ energy and waste policies, the commuter patterns of staff, and business travel. However, we are also setting ambitions for projected initiatives and professional practices yet to be developed, like green leasing agreements for future offices, best practice guidelines to improve circularity, and construction waste management, as well as making sure our specifications prioritize low carbon materials and our supplier agreements meet enhanced sustainability criteria. Indirect emissions and renewable energy targets

Most large corporations use their communications platforms to inform stakeholders once SBTi approves their targets. For IA, which is currently working towards that step and employee owned, it will be about communicating the implications to staff and clients and putting measures into practice through changes in technology, software or policy. Then the hard work will really begin as we monitor the movement towards our targets and disclose emissions savings annually. The idea is to reveal this progress not only through annual reporting, sustainability reports, and across our website, but also through CDP, a notfor-profit charity that runs the global disclosure system for investors, companies, cities, states, and regions. By accessing that network, we can track and benchmark our progress against peer architecture firms, learn how to improve our progress, and identify risks and opportunities that can inform our industry. For designers whose awareness of sustainability has transformed their approach to our profession, the stakes have never been higher or more exciting.

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keith isaacs photography

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DPR Construction photo:

peter molick photography

Bottom image on opposite page: Orthodontics Only photo:

andrea calo photography

Mix Roundtable

Dismantling the Sustainability Myths In partnership with Tarkett, we explode some of the myths surrounding sustainability; consider whether good in practice trumps perfect on paper; and ask if sustainable design is an ongoing journey, not a destination.

Lucy Townsend Sustainabiity Team BDP

Clay Thompson Senior Interior Designer Perkins&Will

Anna Foden Head of Sustainabity UK Fit-Out

Etain Fitzpatrick Associate Director

Diane Karner Workplace Design Manager

Michael Aastrup Sales Director for Workplace and Hospitality

Chris Webb Head of Sustainability and Environmental Management Systems

Ana Rita Martins Senior Associate Sustainability

ISG

Tarkett

John Robertson Architects

tp bennett

Landsec

Woodalls

In partnership with

Words: Harry McKinley

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We’re in the heart of Clerkenwell at Tarkett’s showroom. The huddle of streets surrounding are a sardine tin of suppliers, manufacturers and design brands. It is here that the decisions are made, projects envisioned and, perhaps, the future decided – with lead times seeing the products selected on these thoroughfares today, defining the shape of the built landscape tomorrow.

“Well, firstly, people often don’t understand exactly what’s involved, how deep it runs and how complex it can be,” says tp bennett’s Chris Webb. “It’s quite an emotional subject that means a lot of different things to different people. One of the biggest misconceptions is that ‘sustainability’ is one objective when, in actual fact, it depends on the individual.”

Once on the periphery and now at the centre of design discussions, sustainability is arguably the defining issue of our times. But are we making those decisions based on sustainability fact or fiction, and how honest are the sustainability narratives driving commercial interior design projects?

BDP’s Lucy Townsend agrees: “And because it means different things to different people, there’s a commonly held view that approaching something sustainably requires sacrifice; that a sustainable decision comes at the detriment of something else.” Or, as many around the table note, that it will come at a heightened literal cost.

Our assembled roundtable participants are all experts in their fields, all passionate proponents of a more environmentally conscious path, and each representative of an organisation of scale that has – to some degree – an ability to move the needle. But we’ve assembled not to discuss what they know to be true, but what they know to be false, in a bid to dismantle the myths surrounding sustainability and tackle the misunderstandings corrupting how we address it.

Weighing up investment on a commercial interior can be nebulous: there’s the ticket price, the cost over lifetime and, of course, the impact that one decision could have on other elements or factors – and the associated cost impact there. But ultimately, at its most fundamental level, does designing sustainably cost more? “No, of course not. I don’t think sustainability has to be more expensive at all,” explains ISG’s Anna Foden.

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“That’s absolutely a myth. But what is accurate is that you have to do the work. I’m not saying it’s easier.” For Tarkett’s Michael Aastrup however, it needn’t be more difficult: “Another myth, then, is that you can’t find products to tick all the boxes a specifier needs. It’s absolutely possible to find truly sustainable products, without compromising on design, functionality and even price.” Granted, it may not easier, but if no more difficult, then it might be tricky to understand where the rub is. Yet the journey of development and design is a long and sometimes tangled one. Regularly quoted research by the EU Eco-Design Directive suggests 80% of a building’s impact may be decided in its formative stages; that within the first 1% of budget commitment, 70% of lifecycle costs could be determined. Those numbers are, admittedly, debated, but the table bristles.

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“Well, there’s the next myth,” notes Landsec’s Diane Karner, “that it’s possible for us to solve these issues alone. Let’s be honest, there’s quite a big gap between what we’re talking about and what’s actually possible. It’s very difficult to actually design and deliver a sustainable building or interior. The parameters need to be set at the very beginning of a project and everyone needs to be on board. So not just the designer or the developer, but also every single supplier and every manufacturer, so they’re all working together. If we all start from the same place, then we can get it right.” For Woodalls’ Ana Rita Martins, it’s also about involving all stakeholders at all points: “A client can’t get to a late stage in development, realise they haven’t introduced strong sustainability ambition, and then try to force it in. That only leads to poor outcomes and spiralling costs.”

A more inclusive process, greater sustainability consideration from the outset and a recognition that making the right choices may pose a few challenges: it all sounds a rather easy fix, but one predicated on a ‘business as usual’ approach. For Perkins&Will’s Clay Thompson, it’s not so simple. In fact, he attests, what we really need is radical, rapid change. “All of us here have a certain way of looking at the world, which is maybe a little bit more utopian. People earlier downstate in the process see the world in a slightly different way, if we’re being candid. So the biggest misconception we have to grapple with is connected to the scale and urgency of the issue,” he says. “A lot of people are saying that now’s the time to act. But the truth is, we should have been acting 20 or 30 years ago. And I don’t say that from a point of negativity, but as a kind of impetus to push us forward. We really need to be

radical in our aims and quite ruthless. It’s not the time to walk slowly if we want to make real impact.” “Which means looking at sustainability from all angles,” continues Etain Fitzpatrick of John Robertson Architects. “The UN has 17 points for sustainable development, which encompass poverty, wellbeing and everything that would contribute towards a more sustainable world. As professionals, we can probably address specific points in terms of construction and the products we specify, but we can also do more to engage with programmes and local communities. And we forget that individually we can make an impact as well, through the choices we make as consumers.” “We have to pick our battles a bit,” continues Webb, even if, for Aastrup, the built environment is a good place to start: “It represents the largest area for

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consumption of energy and it’s the source of 60% of waste, after all.” If our cities, our buildings and our workplaces are contributing so ominously to the climate emergency then what are myths driving poor decision making with poor tangible outcomes, and what can be done differently? “People often think they’re doing the right thing, but the best way is to interrogate the choices; ask questions,” says Foden. “Ask a facilities manager if they’re really going to use 500 heat meters on every floor. If the answer is no, then don’t put them in. Has anyone else ever tried to install rainwater harvesting? Has it ever worked? I already know the answer is no. Great idea, but one of thousands that in practice don’t really work.” For Rita Martins, it comes down to usage: “We need to ask how we make buildings useful for the most amount of time. There’s a huge misunderstanding that if you design a space sustainably, it’s therefore sustainable. But if you only use it 20% of the time, how sustainable is that?” “And how sustainable was it really, to begin with?” poses Karner. “I was once tasked retrospectively to do embodied carbon measurements as part of a furniture installation. I contacted all of the suppliers and manufacturers and, digging deeper, most of the information was completely valueless, because it was just taken from some benchmarking documents; so looked great on paper, but actually meant nothing. So one solution is to dig deeper.”

Responding, Townsend notes the need for longer term engagement: “Sustainability isn’t a straightforward target. We don’t do anywhere near enough postoccupancy evaluation. Back to that misunderstanding that you either make a good or bad choice – in reality, sometimes it’s necessary to go back three years down the line and see what worked and what didn’t. In terms of driving us successfully, sustainably forward, that kind of examination is what we need.” “The industry absolutely doesn’t consider beginning-toend enough,” Webb agrees. “I mean, 30-years is a great lifespan for a Tarkett product, but a 25-year warranty from a supplier is meaningless if someone is going to rip it up after seven years.” “Which is why end of life and recyclability is as important to us as how well a product functions when it’s in use,” Aastrup acknowledges. One of the core messages our table agrees on is that myths and misunderstandings are fuelled, mostly, by a lack of education and not by unsound judgement. In that respect then, they coalesce around the idea that combating them won’t come from criticism or condescension, but from solidarity. “We all need to approach this challenge from a position of positivity,” Fitzpatrick explains. “We have to work together to achieve our aims and it’s vital we take everyone along on the journey.”

In partnership with

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Creative Thinking with Steve Gale

A Digital Aesthetic The office will get a post-COVID shake up, on this we can all agree. Maybe a recalculation of user numbers, or a greater focus on social and collaboration facilities. More of some things, less of another, but what will the new workplace look like? Apart from the space and the hardware, there is an important feature of working life that has not yet found expression in our design language. I am talking here about the rapid growth of the invisible workspace: the virtual world of data and our complete dependence on it. How do we stitch this into our office design? At work we swim in a virtual data ocean that was not even dreamt of 20 years ago. Data has mushroomed with the devices and systems we now use to connect and communicate. Now, almost anyone can operate flexibly in a way that was until recently reserved for a chosen few. On top of this, the urgent demands of sustainability and the need to understand working patterns means huge growth in the number of sensors in our buildings – to measure and control air quality, energy and the use of facilities – creating even more data flying around the ether, completely out of sight. We are half aware of this heaving mass, but it is not easy to grasp its nature, size or how it moves. It is more enigmatic than even the electricity that it is made from. The increasing quantity of bits and bytes being stored, or swirling through electronic rivers, has surpassed numerate expression or words to capture it. It is like

contemplating the stars in a galaxy, exciting and terrifying at the same time. Can the existence of this vast information network influence our design? Can we give it some form of expression to raise awareness and expose it to people outside of the specialist users? Put simply, can we develop a digital aesthetic? Art and architecture exist to express philosophical ideas in concrete form, like classical references and democracy, mathematical patterns and Platonic order, Brutalism and the rejection of nostalgia, and streamlining in the 1930s to represent the speed of the machine age – including streamlining static objects. A beautiful example of showcasing the invisible is the Centre Pompidou in Paris, which breaks all the rules by sticking the ductwork and structure on the outside, instead of hiding it in the usual way. Architects Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers invented a new aesthetic, much borrowed and copied, which gave rise to a ‘high-tech’ school that changed the appearance of large buildings from airports to industrial sheds. To communicate live data, some artists have created interactive installations energised by real time streams like stock prices, weather conditions or pedestrian traffic. Data is visualised in hypnotic and engaging ways to make people aware of its constant presence, but these are currently singular works of art, not yet a design language. Can we find a Pompidou way to make data visible?

S teve G ale is head of strategy at M Moser Associates

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Event: Mixology22

Mixology22 Finalists We reveal the products, projects and people shortlisted for this year’s influential Mixology Awards, with the winners announced on 23 June at Evolution London. Chosen by our influential panel of industry judges, the finalists set new category benchmarks – be it for design, sustainability, innovation or function. ‘A beautiful means of addressing a need’, ‘a remarkable example of ingenuity’ and ‘thoughtfully engineered’ are just a few of the comments supporting judge selections, which meet rigorous criteria and are ultimately chosen from hundreds of annual entries.

Sponsors

Katie Taylor Interior Designer

Aqilah Amran Architectural Designer

Joe McCall Interior Designer

Katie joined AECOM in September 2019, from which time she has grown in confidence and her design skills have flourished through her enthusiastic involvement on complex, large scale, high profile and often challenging workplace projects including ESB Headquarters in Dublin and Exxon Mobil Business Centre, Prague. Skilled particularly with research, Katie has a great knowledge of new materials and products, creating innovative look and feel concepts that capture local materials and products in different countries.

Aqilah is an all-round star of the studio, developing in capability, confidence and charisma when working with clients. She’s fearless in the face of challenges and has a great attitude towards learning new things. Aqilah has recently worked a workplace revamp for engineering giants Cummins. Whilst the second phase is a re-imagining the post-Covid workplace, the first is a wellbeing block for staff, including a full occupational health medical suite and wellness rooms. Aqilah has helped to incorporate hugely-improved sustainability programmes in both phases to reduce energy and water usage.

During his relatively short tenure at Attelior, Joe has achieved a great deal - developing a brand-new F&B concept called Firin (for the owner of Blakes Hotel and Nobu) to be located at Manchester Airport. Joe stands out from the crowd with equal strengths in conceptual design, graphic design and attention to detail making him a great all-rounder. He executes his work with a fully integrated and considered approach, which is demonstrated in his ability to complement concept designs with extremely appropriate FF&E, art and signage.

Martha Andrews Interior Designer

Tessa Faddy Interior Designer

Catherine Bason Head of Design

Martha joined BDP as an ambitious young graduate who wanted to make a difference through design. She came with an understanding of how the built environment can affect the health and wellbeing of individuals. With that knowledge in hand and seeking to learn, she has become a vital part in some of the biggest healthcare schemes within Ireland and the UK, including Dublin Children’s Hospital, a complex 250,000 sq m project. Martha has impressed BDP with her energy and passion for design and has embraced all the challenges that projects present, creating some wonderful solutions with the end user in mind.

Tessa’s project experience has included a variety of Hospitality and Residential projects in the UK, Europe and further afield. Working to develop her skills alongside a talented team, she always brings her personality, style, and professional approach to her design. Tessa’s passion for ID ensures her involvement at all stages - from concept research through to design development, drawing packages, FF&E and site observation. With a growing and diverse project list under her belt, Tessa has been a fundamental part of projects such as Mercure Antwerp City Centre, Marriott Ghent, private residences and currently is selecting finishes and FF&E for a luxury hotel in Mayfair.

Catherine has produced some of the most beautiful and efficient offices over the last few years for Build Generation, and has continued to do so over the past 18 months despite the pandemic. As Head of Design, Catherine covers a multitude of roles, and is always so involved in all of her projects that she even undertakes an element of project management to ensure the specification, procurement and build of her projects are in line with the design aesthetics but also the budget. Her understanding of the build process is second to none, always considering buildability allowing those on site to truly deliver the shared vision of the firm’s clients.

Aecom

BDP

Align

Buckley Gray Yeoman

Atellior

buildgen.

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Katie Gathercole Interior Designer

Adam Britnell Middleweight Interior Designer

Sarah Yuma Interior Designer

As soon as Katie joined Claremont, the team knew that not only was she talented and full of creative ideas but she was focused, committed and keen to develop her skills. In 2020 Katie started working on a large, £1.2m project for Eastlight – with several logistical challenges, not least because of the pandemic. Acquiring another housing association and rebranding shortly after, Eastlight reconsidered how they would use the building to attract and retain talent. These aspects required a complete redesign to create a ‘destination office’. The project was a finalist in the SBID Awards in 2021 and the result speaks for itself.

Approaching every project with sincere enthusiasm, Adam’s passion for interior design is evident as he sets out to excel in every task he is handed. In the last year, Adam played a vital part in the design team for Level 2 at 22 Bishopsgate – the first major London building to apply for the WELL Building Standard. Being the biggest project Adam had ever undertaken, he pioneered several new award-winning design environments which both embrace the past and look to the future.

Since joining DMA Sarah has been pivotal in its success in pitches and on key projects. Sarah has recently been promoted to interior designer and now mentors the junior designers within the team, imparting her knowledge and providing support and encouragement. Sarah is a key member of the team and its inclusivity group which she helped to set up and contributes weekly, providing research, updates and key dates and focal thoughts for the overall office.

Ellie McCrum Interior Designer

Emily Segal Interior Designer

Chloe Dent Part II Architectural Assistant

Ellie’s career has gone from strength to strength working across numerous high-profile schemes - namely the Headingley Stadium corporate hospitality redevelopment and the AstraZeneca UK workplace portfolio, as well as schemes for Quorn, Gilbanks and Leeds Building Society’s new HQ in central Leeds. Ellie took a huge leap of faith when approached by Ekho Studio, still in its infancy in the summer of 2021. Ellie has been hugely instrumental to the creation of a new business, whilst being an important trusted persona to continue to deliver exceptional design solutions and services to a very loyal client base.

Emily is a talented designer who always brings a detailed sensibility to her work. Her ability to merge new details with old ones is part of her drive to reduce a project’s carbon footprint and embrace upcycling and the circular economy. Alongside Emily’s expertise in reuse strategies, she always brings to the table a positive attitude. She has been working on developing spaces for our tech and communication clients, including the Vodafone Luxemburg project. Designed to better support connection and collaboration Emily helped reorganise and repurpose new, open plan areas which will continue to evolve as Vodafone experiments.

Chloe has been a valued member of the GNA Birmingham studio since 2017 when she joined the practice after graduating from Birmingham City University with her degree in Architecture.Chloe brings flair and passion to her work at GNA, which she has demonstrated through several notable projects. Chloe was part of the team working on the aparthotel scheme ‘211 Broad Street’, one of the UK’s first approved super-slender highrise buildings. Proving herself skilled in project delivery and construction detailing Chloe is currently on site delivering bespoke amenity space at the forthcoming Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022.

Claremont

Ekho Studio

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DesignLSM

Gensler

Dexter Moren Associates

Glancy Nicholls

Camille Lepage Interior Designer

Mhairi-Claire Wilkes Interior Designer

Danielle Frommolt Interior Designer

Camille is a strong, strategic thinker in her overall approach to projects from the briefing stage right through the design process. Competent designing both large- and small-scale spaces, she loves the detail that can make projects shine. Early into her career with Hermantes, Camille took responsibility for the design of some important public spaces on two projects, including UCLH Central London and a complex, 700,000 sq ft offshore project where she has been instrumental in providing innovative design and wayfinding strategies, quickly becoming the studio’s sustainability champion.

Over the last 3 years Mhairi-Claire has played a key role within the HLM design team delivering flagship projects. Her work includes the refurbishment of the voco IHG Grade II Listed Glasgow Grand Central Hotel, the award winning Whitehorn Hall student accommodation at St Andrews University and multiaward-winning James McCune Smith Learning Hub for Glasgow University. the Inspiring Learning Spaces category at the Learning Places Scotland Awards 2021. Alongside project delivery, Mhairi-Claire guest lectures at the University of Glasgow.

Danielle is a passionate and creative designer who has excelled working on multiple projects for Amazon, Lend Lease and Lewis Silkin, continuously exceeding client expectations. Danielle has a strong work ethic, with a keen interest in sustainability which has helped with ensuring environmental sensitivity for Lewis Silkin and a new hub for Lend Lease, where she has dived into tasks with fervor. She is also working on a project in Cairo, Egypt, to help a client confirm the best building for their needs.

Julianne Sandvik Designer

Jay Forward Senior Designer

Zoe Bailey Associate Interior Designer

Imagine joining a new company during a global pandemic. Starting in a national lockdown, when you can’t go to the office. Some might find this intimidating. However, this certainly wasn’t the case for Julianne. From day one at M Moser, her approach to work was extremely proactive. From overcoming the challenges of virtual meetings with new colleagues to being face-to-face with clients only a few months later. Her creativity is demonstrated across a broad range of sectors including gaming, technology, finance, insurance and more. Julianne’s personable style aligns perfectly with M Moser’s ethos to design and build human-centric workplace environments.

Jay started her design journey in event design, designing events in prestigious London venues including a David Bowie exhibition launch at the V&A, gala dinners at the Natural Portrait Gallery and MasterCard brand experience pop ups throughout London venues. Jay loved the commercial interior aspects of event design so was driven to pursue a career in interiors. Since joining MCM in 2018, Jay is involved with creating initial concepts and progressing them to fully developed designs. Jay is also an advocate for keeping MCM’s culture thriving during the pandemic, as well as taking a leading role mentoring new graduates.

Zoe is an extraordinary young designer who joined the MoreySmith team in 2016, before quickly working her way from a graduate position to her recent promotion to Associate. Her design approach is authentic and instinctive and reflects the trust clients instil in her to create bespoke spaces. Zoe’s knowledge of products and materiality is second-to-none and she has shown a continued passion for expanding her abilities. A collaborative team player, Zoe mentors junior employees and works with her former University to support students. She brings a proactive attitude to new business and marketing and has been instrumental in the continued success of the studio.

Hermantes Studio

M Moser Associates

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HLM

MCM

HLW

MoreySmith

Karolina Samuilaite Senior Designer

Sara Doherty Interior Designer

Shabazz Chapman Interior Designer

Karolina has been a valued member of the Morgan Lovell design studio ever since she joined the business, and her attention to detail and creativity in creating wonderful interior spaces is evident in everything she does. Karolina has shown she has an effortless ability to deliver on all accounts, from creativity and innovation to detail design and the build on site. Karolina’s recent works include work with Great Portland Estates, Teck Resources and Howard De Walden, each pushing the boundaries of new ways of working in the workplace sector.

The pandemic has bought about shifts in the way we are working, and as a team NoChintz have had to adapt and grow to accommodate this. Despite re-joining NoChintz during this period of turbulence, Sara has bought nothing but enthusiasm to the studio, and remains a grounding and positive influence on all she comes in contact with. Her previous role at a creative agency allow her to focus on storytelling narratives, finding unique and authentic ways to bring concepts to life and develop a deeper understanding of clients, cultures and design processes.

Having graduated with a degree in Fine Art, Shabazz began her creative career in visual merchandising, which sparked her interest in experiential and spatial design and led her to workplace design. Her artistic background and passion for sculpting give her a unique perspective when it comes to colour, texture and shape, and how people will react to the space surrounding them. Shabazz has become a fundamental part of her team’s success, playing a key role in winning new business and inspiring the wider team with her energy and enthusiasm.

Zoe Martinez Project Designer

Clay Thompson Senior Interior Designer

Shreena Patel Interior Designer

Zoe continues to push the boundaries of design even in the face of adversity. Joining Peldon Rose mid-pandemic, Zoe has continued to drive change with thinking and passion to people at the heart of each design. With seven years working in the design and build industry, Zoe’s design inspiration stems from wanting to improve the wellbeing and happiness of end users. 2020 and 2021 have accelerated the direction that the design landscape had previously been trying to move towards, and Zoe strives to create spaces that encourage human connections and a sense of community, with the goal of achieving happier and healthier people and workspaces.

Clay is driven by his interest in how things are constructed and sees his work lying at the perfect intersection between nature and construction, with a responsibility to design for a carbon zero future. His most recent project has been for a global bank at Canary Wharf. Clay was responsible for the design of a large, tiered auditorium and associated areas, as well as a feature staircase and research and specification of environmentally friendly materials. Designing for disassembly has been part of this journey, liaising with contractors and suppliers to find new ways of constructing without glue.

Shreena is a talented Interior Designer, and her ability to bring a laugh and a smile to the studio makes her an asset to the SpaceInvader team both professionally and personally. Shreena has had the ability to manage projects and clients from early on in her career. She is also a real team player which she regularly demonstrates when working on large scale projects with other designers in the SpaceInvader team. She brings fresh and innovative ideas to the table and adds value to any project she turns her hand to whether it be a workplace, hotel, retail bank, restaurant or even a retirement village.

Morgan Lovell

Peldon Rose

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NoChintz

Perkins&Will

Oktra

SpaceInvader Design

Irfan Sonmezkan Interior Designer

Eloisa Ronchi Interior Designer

Habab Ahmed Designer

Straight from finishing a masters degree in Milan, Irfan joined the team last summer and very quickly became an integral part of the team. He is so quick on software - they can barely keep up with him. The practice has thrown so many different tasks on various projects his way, and he took them on and worked diligently. From working on a huge masterplan for EPFL in Lausanne to a restaurant design in London, he continues to prosper, and his team can’t wait to see where he gets to in the next couple of years.

Eloisa is an important member of the THDP team, currently working on several hospitality projects and trade show installations being involved 360 design services with a focus on FF&E and all the creative process there-in, helped by her degrees in interiors design and design and engineering. Working in several hospitality across the UK and Italy, Eloisa has keen interest in her project’s most creative aspects, as well as product design and artistic direction.

Habab is TOG’s secret weapon bringing the magic and beauty to its projects. She sources and finds incredible furniture, designers and artists from around the world. She finds designers and suppliers who are just starting out or not well known and supports them in any way she can. Throughout the pandemic Habab managed the design of the FF&E of 6 large scale projects. Her style has moved from strength to strength with each project getting greater feedback from clients and TOG staff alike, and it’s thanks to her that TOG’s projects continue to receive multiple design awards and huge industry kudos.

Hayley Marcroft Senior Interior Designer

India Cornish Designer

Maisie Cox Designer

Hayley’s passion for design stems from her aspiration to make a difference and create places of value. She applies her creative approach, rooted in healthy architecture and design principles, in an original way to all projects, making sure there is a strong design concept behind each scheme. Confident and proactive with a relentless eye for detail, she has great energy, giving 110% always. Hayley is great at encouraging and mentoring junior members of the team, building a strong and talented team around her. She enjoys a challenge and applies her cross-sector experience and knowledge to deliver innovative solutions that are compelling, responsive, brand-focused and award-winning.

India is an incredibly passionate and enthusiastic individual and enjoys being able to deep dive with her clients to understand their requirements to produce the best outcome for them. India has been critical in building a key relationship with Work Life. Her recent work designing their Old St co-working space stands out as project where she flourished, pairing her creative flair and natural eye for design with practical and versatile solutions. A natural leader, her confidence helps to instil conviction amongst the rest of her team - backed by her detailed and research focused designs.

Maisie is a creative designer fulfilling a client facing role taking briefs and developing concept designs through to completion within the work of Design & Build. With a detailed knowledge of furniture and materials specifications, she works seamlessly with her colleagues, professional consultants and most importantly clients to maximise opportunities. A certain star of the future, Maisie’s recent project highlight is for Northeastern University. A new university campus, Maisie’s involvement in managing a US based client has led to a hugely successful project.

Taner’s Sons

tp bennett

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THDP

Two

The Office Group (TOG)

Workplace Creations

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Review: Clerkenwell design Week

Back in Business Clerkenwell was once again awash with activity for the 11th edition of Clerkenwell Design Week, with visitors from far and wide gathering to celebrate the latest from the world of design.

With a distinct sustainability theme across the festival, over 150 showrooms opened their doors for three days of talks, workshops and festivities, and more exhibitions and installations than ever before. As we hurtle towards a prepandemic sense of normality, it was a pleasure to see the crowds spilling onto Great Sutton Street once again. Let’s start at the end, which saw Mix take over Senator and Allermuir’s impressive London showroom with the Mix 30 under 30, celebrating the Class of 2022 with their colleagues and our partners Senator, Allermuir, Amtico and Hunters. Thank you to everyone who joined us for what was a fantastic recognition of young talent in the industry – and the biggest celebration yet! A veritable smorgasbord of new products made a debut at Clerkenwell Design Week, including the Pearson Lloyd-designed Revo workplace seating collection for Profim. Endlessly configurable (and recyclable) the collection includes sofas, benches, screens, and stools in softly contoured, organic shapes. Aesthetically, Revo was inspired by the concept of ‘squaring the circle’, creating a gentle geometric language that makes the collection distinctive, but also allows it to be assembled in a huge number of different ways. Andreu World also presented new, circular designs Alfredo Haberli, Patricia Urquiola, Benjamin Hubert and Philippe Starck. The showroom has been completely

renovated to accommodate the new collections as well as exploring with new typologies of furniture in collaboration with Gensler. This year’s festival featured a record-breaking nine exhibition venues, including the new Contract exhibition as part of Project at St James’ Church. Showcasing emerging commercial interiors brands as well as leading manufacturers new to EC1, we have high hopes for Contract next year - leaving feeling a little uninspired with the 2022 offering. Inside Interface’s new showroom, a series of events delved into regenerative design and how interior designers can help deliver a Net Zero built environment, as well as designing for cognitive and sensory wellbeing. Special guests including architect Michael Pawlyn and Oliver Heath were invited to discuss sustainability and wellbeing, and how these can co-exist to create beautiful spaces. Just outside the showroom in St John’s Gate, Interface displayed a showstopping art installation which represented the company’s sustainability journey from petroleum-intensive manufacturer to leader in climate conscious design and manufacture, which was made from the 100 per cent recycled ECONYL® yarn used in Interface’s carpet tiles. The district was overflowing with new and revamped showrooms – including the refreshed Ege showroom on

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Britton Street. With a talks programme including guests TOG’s Nasim Koerting, Accor’s Arun Rana and colour trend predictions from Crown Paints, Ege closed CDW with possibly the most popular event of the festival - with over 700 registering for their HedKandi closing party. Nowy Styl and Kusch+Co’s new shared showroom has opened in the capital, inspired by the Tate Modern gallery, bold colours and a closeness to nature. Upstairs, a bright and transparent space forms a non-distracting background, bringing the design of the furniture to the fore, while downstairs has warmer and more subdued interiors – reminiscent of residential and hospitality design. Visitors checked out Kusch+Co’s latest product V-Care, which has just won the prestigious Red Dot Design Award 2022 for its unique design. Formica Group, the world’s original manufacturer of laminates, has also announced the launch of its European flagship showroom on Clerkenwell Road. Visitors enjoyed Formica’s own time tunnel – charting the company’s history in surface innovation, and a samples zone that includes the newly launched ‘Colours’ and ‘Woods’ ranges for 2022. Other new showrooms include natural stone specialists, SolidNature and RAK Ceramics, both opening new spaces in Clerkenwell in time for this year’s festival. SolidNature celebrated their opening with an installation by Squire & Partners encouraging visitors to explore, touch and play – featuring the stone tapestry table the design practice first created for Surface Design Show. Elsewhere on Clerkenwell Road, Arper opened the festival with a bang, celebrating in typical refined style at their annual Opening Night Party. On display were the latest collections: Mixu, designed in collaboration with Gensler, as well as new iterations of the iconic Kinesit Met and Aston Club chairs. At their award-winning showroom Autex Acoustics showed off their latest range, Acoustic Timber – a beautiful high performance acoustic treatment designed to imitate timber with impressive sustainability credentials. The Mix team were lucky to squeeze into their fabulous rooftop closing party - Autexfest - which was full of surprises and left us all with sore heads on Friday morning! As always, the Tarkett showroom remained a central hub for visitors to CDW – this year hosting a series of thought-provoking workshops and talks around the theme of REIMAGINE. Discussions included a panel with Note Design Studio and The Office Group offering insight into the design process for Douglas House and Summit House, and an inspiring ‘Made to be Remade’ talk with research agency Franklin Till – with whom Tarkett collaborated to create this issue’s cover. Continuing their REIMAGINE theme, Tarkett also hosted a craft exhibition, with local designers creating the extraordinary from everyday items. Next door at The Gallery, IVC Commercial and Unilin hosted a series of talks with Material Matters podcast’s Grant Gibson. Guests included the team from Oktra discussing the hot topic of home vs office – and whether the ‘homeification’ of the office is a tool to

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Revo for Profim Converations at Clerkenwell

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Nowy Styl and Kusch + Co’s showroom

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encourage employees back to work, or the start of a lasting trend towards comfortable and compassionate working environments. At the Orangebox showroom, Perkins&Will took over the entire ground floor of the building for this year’s Unboxed project, exploring the theme of the ‘CoUniverse’ and transforming the space into a series of flexible areas for coworking, quiet focus and meetings. Talks included a panel discussion with the creative teams from both Perkins&Will and NoChintz, discussing the vision of the project and the innovation needed to overcome the challenges faced when designing the future workplace. KI returned to Paxton Locher House on Clerkenwell Green, with a stunning floral display by McQueens Flowers woven into their latest products including the popular Colonnade series. Highlights from the KI talks programme included insight from the Myers Briggs Company, discussing the impact of hybrid working on office design based on their recent primary research – keep an eye out for their findings in the next issue of Mix. Next door, Karndean’s new showroom offered a boutique, friendly welcome – showcasing their new collections including the Knight Tile collection. Around the corner at Old Sessions House, Baux and Form Us With Love created the BAUX Acoustic Lounge - an impressive installation to introduce its first foray into the ceiling market with Acoustic Ceiling Tiles. The new panels are made from Wood Wool; a material that has been installed in ceilings to improve acoustics for generations.

At the Humanscale showroom, the ergonomic experts launched NeatCharge, an innovative cable free charger for mobile devices that can be integrated into task furniture and soft seating. Elsewhere, the über-sustainable Smart Ocean and Liberty Ocean chairs were proudly on display, utilising material from discarded fishing nets pulled directly from the ocean. The nets are transformed into plastic pellets and then used to manufacture the chairs; the materials for each product are listed on Declare Product Database. Humanscale also teamed up with Square Mile Farms, who put urban farms into the heart of cities where people live and work. Two of their urban farms provided Humanscale visitors with fresh, healthy zero travel miles produce. At the end of the three days the farms were harvested providing herbs for end of festival drinks. Conversations at Clerkenwell returned to Spa Field: the Fieldwork Architects-designed Talk Space providing a colourful setting for a series of equally colourful daily talks from the likes of Tom Dixon, Adam Nathaniel Furman and ‘Materials Matter’- a discussion on responsible design and the importance of materials, in the fight towards a circular and sustainable future featuring guests from Benchmark, UltraFabrics and BAUX. Phew! With over 400 events and 150 showrooms to visit across a mere 72 hours (allowing a few hours for sleep, of course) we did manage to see more inspiring talks, showrooms and workshops than ever before, and certainly too many to mention here with the restraints of print. In short: a triumphant return for the much-loved festival.

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Human Insight with Chiara Vascotto

Control or Release? As humans, we need both a sense of control and the joy of release. Spaces must acknowledge this tension, and either resolve it, or pick a side. In my work as a commercial anthropologist, I have often seen people inhabit conflicting inner worlds and trying to negotiate opposite needs. One example is our daily dance between control and release. The imperative to stay on top of it all and the yearning to cut loose. Now, more than ever, we are having to carefully manage finite resources – be it time, money or even fuel. We seek products and solutions that help us save on bills, cut down on waste, reduce calories and so on. Brands that offer this become powerful allies, peoples’ champions, helping us face the growing challenges of everyday life. But there’s only so much restraint humans can take and post-pandemic most of us feel like coiled springs. Many have embraced life again, from going out-out, to choosing bright colours for their wardrobes and their homes. Of course, brands want to occupy this space. It’s where consumers feel off-the-hook, unbridled, joyful. These are aspirations that, incidentally, can justify a premium price.

and a more complex agenda. When you can work, shop and exercise from home, doing it elsewhere is a choice that seeks greater gratification to warrant its investment. We will expect a greater sense of reward from the spaces we choose to visit. We will want each experience to count. This new hunger for reward can be leveraged with exuberant, luxurious hospitality spaces. Offices may need to become more enticing and to offer more spaces for collaboration. Retailers will need to seriously rethink their physical environments and invest more boldly in flagship stores. ‘Sip and shop’, literally throwing booze at the problem, is an interesting new development, but clearly not the answer. Whilst perhaps less sexy, the ‘control’ benefit is no less needed. We will prefer transforming, flexible spaces that let us do more with less; we will welcome agile pop-ups, zero waste shops and no frills everything, from gyms to coworking.

This dynamic applies to commercial interiors, too. As individuals furiously ping-pong between the two needs, it pays for the built environment to take a clear stand and meet one or the other.

And then, the unicorns. Those concepts that manage to resolve the tension, delivering a sense of release without negating the need for control. Think IKEA’s Wonderful Everyday, with its nod to both our wallet and our need for aesthetics. Primark’s price point, allowing for experimentation and playfulness, now teamed with environmental efforts. Budget restaurants, where cash-strapped parents can declare that nothing on the menu is off-limits.

In terms of release, it’s all about raising the bar. We will re-enter commercial spaces with a heightened awareness

So, it pays to acknowledge the tension, pick a side, or, if you are really brave, resolve it.

C hiara is an anthropologist working in consumer insights and branding, and is part of H ologram , a design and research collective

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The Global Perspective with Harry McKinley

Life in a Bubble I recently attended the opening party of The Standard Ibiza. It was, as you might expect, a pretty boisterous evening – Roísín Murphy performed; actress Florence Pugh made headlines dancing with actor friend, Will Poulter; and the rooftop heaved with those who had jetted in specially. Although I hadn’t flown in just for the occasion, I had come by private jet.

It isn’t just about a glamorous offer, it’s about the feeling of total, contained escape. Imagine living in Barcelona and booking a few days’ retreat just a few blocks away at a place that has poolside cabanas, multiple terraces, a world-class spa, huge guestrooms and several restaurants; everything a resort has, essentially, minus the travel.” And minus outsiders, one imagines.

I appreciate this all sounds terribly highfalutin, but it is the job of someone who writes about these things to experience first-hand how people are travelling and, ultimately, what this says about the times we’re living in.

Which brings me back to that opening party, that we can call a full-circle exhibit three. While I’m sure the rooftop bar at such an Ibiza hangout will not wont for custom, this was something different: quaffed, ‘clipboarded’ PRs guarding the door to keep out those who weren’t part of the family. Nothing new, but interesting in the evolving context of hospitality.

For me the jet was a first and yet I was invited onboard to discover why, remarkably, this most exclusive, environmentally-questionable mode of transport is on the up – to badly pun. My own decision came with some ethical toing and froing but according to research published by Wingx, 2021 saw the most private jet flights on record: 3.3 million. Europe and the US are leading the way, with one Malta-based firm saying demand for planes has soared and as many as 71% of its incoming requests are from those who aren’t regular private fliers. Consider this exhibit one. Exhibit two then: a recent conversation with an industry chum, who heads up EMEA design for a global luxury hotel group. She’s happy to be quoted, on the cloak-anddagger condition of anonymity. “Our eye is now on the urban resort. Imagine all of the amenities, elevated design and opulent touches of a luxury resort, but contained within a city-based property.

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Exclusivity and privacy have always been in demand but we’re arguably seeing a broader movement at play, one that sees guests and travellers – luxury or otherwise – seeking connection but also distance; interaction but isolation; freedom but fortification. Perhaps COVID has left us feeling vulnerable or, perhaps, in experiencing a brief window in time when contact was reduced, many of us got a prolonged taste of what it’s like to travel without someone sat either side; what it’s like to lie by the pool when the next nearest sun lounger is three metres away; or what it’s like to occupy a hotel running at reduced occupancy with quiet hallways and no queues. As the world ramps back up, not everyone can turn to private jets to sate the continued appetite for ‘secure separation’, but if this is part of the new consumer desire, the question is: what can hospitality design do to make that feeling, well, the standard?

Competitive Socialising Property

Competitive socialising is getting cleverer, more profitable and changing shape. We explore the surge in demand for new floorspace which you cannot afford to ignore. Words: David Thame

Have you heard of Hatchet Harry’s? The indoor axethrowing business has six outlets in the UK and is about to open a seventh in Derby. Axe-throwing is, on the face of it, a niche activity. But the real novelty of this deal is not the axes but the location: Hatchet Harry is signing up for a former greetings card shop on Albion Street. In its small way, this is a revolution, because competitive socialising – the catch-all expression for everything from crazy golf via axe throwing to ping pong – was born in an entirely different world. In 2018 when the first tentative concepts were launching in the UK, competitive socialising was almost exclusively to be found in large windowless basements. Today, a rapidly expanding postpandemic market is looking at smaller spaces, in all kinds of locations – including prime retail – and is re-thinking concepts in ways that mean fit-outs have to be cleverer and more flexible. At the same time, landlords – who used to regard crazy golf bars as convenient floor-fillers and not much more – are starting to see real potential to improve the value of their real estate. This means smarter fit-outs to meet demand from corporate users. It all adds up to a might change in a sector that is barely four years old. So, let’s get some context. First, exactly how much competitive socialising floorspace can we expect to see developed in the next 12-18 months? Estimates are hard to get right because operators’ formats differ so much, but according to Savills there are as many as 50 active requirements, with all but half a dozen for small or midsize units of 8,000-15,000 sq ft. The balance are for larger units that can range from 30,000 sq ft to 50,000 sq ft.

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It is probably safe to say the total current requirement is somewhere near either side of 1.5 million sq ft. But the important thing to know about this number is that the volume of suitable well-located commercial floorspace available for competitive socialising – large basements, former shops with big floorplates, all of it near established leisure pitches – is appreciably less than 1.5 million sq ft. Meanwhile, competitive socialising concepts have come out of the basement and onto the high street. Top of the list of examples comes Boom Battle Bar, a bar offering a bewildering range of games from axe throwing to beer pong, which has signed up for 16,000 sq ft on Oxford Street, the first to make it into such a top drawer location. Sascha Lewin, chief executive of London-based developer W.RE, explains why landlords are co-operating and how operators need new kinds of space. “The default use for a windowless basement used to be storage space, or a plant room, and the next best option was a gym. Then along came competitive socialising, which often works without windows,” he says, hinting that landlords mainly saw competitive socialising as making the best of otherwise barelylettable floorspace. “But today it is different, landlords see competitive socialising as a real amenity for the building, if it is the right kind of competitive socialising. That’s why we signed up Pitch Golf London to our new Meard Street development. We felt they made the building a more exciting place to rent offices.”

Below image: Competitive socialising at Pitch

Pitch have taken 8,000 sq ft and, like many of the new brand of competitive socialising, the feel is more upmarket (and less family-centred) and the emphasis is as much on the sport as on the socialising. The 20,000 sq ft units standard pre-pandemic are giving way to something more homely as some operators decide small is beautiful. As Lewin explains, the latest concepts in competitive socialising usually need less floorspace. “New ideas like Formula 1’s driving concept, and it is interesting to see brands try and get into this area, probably won’t need so much floorspace,” he speculates, adding that the use of AI headsets means less floor area needed. The aim – to promote the brand, whether Formula 1 or Harry Potter – also demands less floorspace. Whilst some concepts are opting for smaller spaces, others are planning to get bigger. Swingers, the crazy golf concept, is about to add 50% to its West End

footprint as it adds another course and some outside socialising space. They plan a similar inflation in their growing list of United States locations. Private equity firm Cain International is putting up the money for the expansion – private equity is behind most if not all competitive socialising operators – and say their growing focus on pleasing corporate occupiers means they need larger and smarter spaces. The rationale is that if it’s going to be a works outing or a client treat, it needs to be good. “If you want a corporate event space – somewhere to hire out – and you want some outdoor space too, you wind up with something quite big,” says Cain’s global head of private equity Nick Franklin. “Design has evolved too. In our New York outlet, opening in June, we will have three courses on one floor [their largest so far] and that has given us the opportunity

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to create some interesting transitions between those areas. We have a rose tunnel – a bit like a country lane with overgrown hedges – between two of them.” The idea is that it will look amazing as the backdrop to users’ social media posts. “The rose tunnel is very Instagrammable, and we’re increasing those kinds of opportunities to capture shared experience,” Franklin says. Franklin is also very clear about how the socialising and the competition have to balance. “Food and a couple of drinks is the core of what they are doing, and the competition is having another point of energy whilst they are doing it. The more people who can do whatever it is, the more it works,” he says. Other concepts work in reverse – the competitive golf or cricket is the main story, with the eating and drinking playing second fiddle. Franklin says we’ll see gravitation to more social, and less competitive, concepts as time goes on, simply because anything involving skill tends to exclude more people than it includes. The concept is also paying top dollar: about £45 a sq ft, with a turnover top-up. Fit-out costs are equally toppy. Other new concepts are replacing restaurants and bars. The new Sixes cricket-themed outlet at Great Portland Street fills a gap once occupied by a swish all-day dining offer. Rents and fit-out costs will be high here, too. “This change from windowless basements to high end bars has been in progress since before the pandemic. The model has changed too, to appeal to more corporate users and young professionals. We’re also seeing these concepts move into shopping centres,” says Savills leisure analyst, Tom Whittington. “First generation competitive socialising fitouts were low cost, but that grew during 2019 into a few million for the swishier locations, and the spending is still high. Some users want small smart spaces to attract professionals, others like Gravity was 30-80,000 sq ft spaces which fit multiple activities under one roof,

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ensuring dwell times increase and that nobody leaves until they’ve had a go on everything.” There is also a new emphasis on design flexibility. Today’s crazy golf might morph into tomorrow’s beer pong or pool or augmented reality darts. “The operators want flexible fitouts to allow them to stay relevant. So if, for instance, table tennis is suddenly no longer fashionable, then they can whip that bit of the setup out and try something else,” says Whittington. Landlords have almost always contributed (heavily) to fit-out costs for competitive socialising. In the early days four or five years ago, when the panic about shops closing was at its height, they doled out the cash because it was worthwhile to create a potentially useful tenant in otherwise unlettable space. Now they spend a little less, but it is still worth spending if it means the right tenant mix. It is hard to generalise how large the landlord contribution might be – from £20 to £40 a sq ft is not unusual, sometimes higher. It could mean seven-figure sums change hands. Generally the more people spend on cocktails the higher the fit-out contribution. As landlord contributors and rent-free periods have fallen back, so operator profits have grown – and this has helped to keep the fit-out spend high. Smaller floorspace needs also militate to fancier fit-outs. The more bar-like a concept is, the smarter the look. “Some concepts can get away with 4,000 sq ft, there are a few with 3,500 sq ft. They are making money. A traditional leisure operator might be happy with £15,000 a week turnover. But competitive socialising, by adding something extra, can hope for £100,000 a week. That is why landlords are embracing it,” says CBRE senior director Nigel Costain. With around 1.5 million sq ft of growth likely this year, and some big fitout budgets to target, this is not a sector you can afford to ignore – even if you’ve never heard of Hatchet Harry.

Material Matters Head of architecture and design, Yaara Gooner is the creative eye behind the carefully designed spaces at workspace provider LABS and hospitality brand STAY, transforming iconic properties to create hubs of enterprise designed for wellbeing and growth. Prior to LABS, Gooner was an architect and designer at Baranowitz + Kronenberg, where she led interior design projects for high-end hospitality properties in Israel and Europe. A specialist in premium and boutique design, Gooner has worked across five-star hotels, luxury restaurants and flagship commercial property. Here, Gooner and her design team offer up their favourite selection of finishes and materials.

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St Leo - Dolomite Plaster Plaster adds texture and warmth to an interior, resulting in a dynamic feel that increases depth through the way it enhances the light within the space. The application of plaster is an exercise in craftmanship – it brings an artisanal quality to the interior that other wall finishes can’t compete with. At LABS Victoria House, aesthetic harmony was achieved through a delicate balance of neutral wall colours and alluring textures in furniture to ensure the space always felt warm and inviting.

Atelier Franssens - collections no.1 A family-run company based in Belgium, brothers Wouter and Tom Franssens, combine their knowledge, strength and experience as an architect and craftsman to create bespoke architectural clay tiles, individually made by hand. Collections no.1 is a complex and refined study into honest material usage. The products vary widely in colour, shape, size and texture, while simultaneously embracing what makes them imperfect and unique. The customisable aspect of this collection means that the possibilities are endless, which can lead to a truly exciting result in a project. Rose Uniacke – Heavy Weight Linen in Teacake There is a resurgence in specifying linen in interior spaces. The natural tone and texture of Teacake is fitting to achieve a relaxed, comfortable look while introducing gentle patterns into the space via the upholstery and soft furnishings. The versatility of this product means it can be used in many different forms and sizes – whether it’s used as small, multiple cushion covers or a bold statement sofa, it adds visual interest to the space in an understated but meaningful way. Made from 100% linen with a Martindale value of 30,000, this is a suitable solution for specifiers that need durability while creating a relaxed, effortless atmosphere through their textile choices. Airlite – Interior Paint, Poppins White Most specifiers tend to prioritise colour and cost where paint is considered, but Airlite have done extensive research into their product to create one of the first climate positive paints that helps to eliminate exhaust gases and harmful chemicals and purify the air we breathe. We look forward to specifying this product in our future projects. Buxkin – Ribbed We specified the Buxkin textiles to serve as acoustic linings in our phone booths and enclosed spaces in LABS Victoria House. The ribbed collection has excellent sound absorption properties and the tactile nature of the fabric has a cosy, intriguing quality that helps lift smaller, more enclosed spaces. The Buxkin is both functional and simplistic while simultaneously being decorative. We chose a shade from the Ribbed collection that complements the existing colour and material palette, adding interest to the wall that helps to verticality extend the intimate booths.

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The Final Word with Mike Walley

A Shot in the Dark I am not usually a gambling man. The distress I feel on losing my stake is never offset by the adrenaline rush of placing the bet and awaiting the outcome. Professional gamblers will tell you that it’s not a random choice, but about building data on the event before betting and balancing wins against losses over the long run. They may be right. So, as I look at the decisions we are having to take on office design and portfolio management, I feel like the greenest of punters placing my annual bet on the Grand National. Like many companies, we are responding to the changing world and are offering our people the opportunity to work from wherever suits them best. This could be home, the office, or a combination of the two. We are not mandating any minimum attendance and are aiming to create office spaces that prioritise collaboration and connection. We started this project just over a year ago and targeted six sites across the globe for renovation and re-build. We based our designs on comprehensive feedback from the staff and our space needs on detailed surveys asking people to estimate how many days per week they would attend the office. All well and good you would think. But it appears a year is a long time in a pandemic. Many people who couldn’t wait to get back to the office and envisioned themselves working two to three days per week onsite, now realise how nice it is to be at home and think that they will only go in when needed. We are seeing attendances

significantly below our original forecasts. There are also big regional and departmental differences: Europe more likely to attend than the Americas; research teams more likely to attend than any other function. So, the big question is, why is this happening? Is it a hangover from the pandemic? Are people still wary of commuting and being in the office? Or does it indicate the preferred flavour of hybrid working is now mostly from home? Well actually, the really big question is: ‘am I building the right kind of office’? We have large office renovations underway and are betting on them being what people want. But unlike the professional gambler, we don’t seem to have the data we thought we did. Those who do come in, do so for different reasons than just to collaborate (can’t work at home due to lack of space or noisy environment or find it tough being alone). This skews the demand on the planned infrastructure and, for example, leads to a higher need for individual spaces and much lower demand for collaboration spaces (overbooked meeting rooms and empty cafeterias). But is this the end game? Are we in the twilight days of the pandemic, or the dawn of a new era of work? I honestly don’t think I can tell you yet, so I can only put the form book down and place my bet on the pretty one with the plaited mane.

M ike W alley is Senior Director of Global Real Estate & Workplace Strategy at C riteo

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