Mixinteriors 184

Mix Interiors 184

May 2018

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INSIDE Designed for Real People

UPFRONT 13 Perspective 21 Seven... 22 Forward Thinking 24 Material Matters 27

*Life isn’t perfect,

Deser t Island Desks 28

but at least your chair could be.

SPOTLIGHT 31 Big Question 33 30 under 30 34

66 MONEYSUPERMARKET GROUP 66 We're in London's famous West End to take a look around the bright , brilliant and collaborative new working home of leading comparison business MoneySupermarket Group.

PROFILE 50 Perkins+Will London MD Steven Charlton

50 CASE ST UDY 58 True Potential, Newcastle 58 MoneySuperMarket.com 66 Deliveroo, London 74

RE VIE W 7 9 Milan's Salone del Mobile

PRE VIE W 83 Clerkenwell Design Week

THE L AST WORD 112 Opinion – Emma MacLeod

83

+44 (0) 1494 448 000

www.verco.co.uk Mix 184 May 2018 | 1

Upfront | Welcome

THE COVER The logo The logo expresses Michael Laird's ethos of bringing ‘a new perspective', creating a simple, but impactful logo. The threedimensional forms and angular perspective playfully intersect and sharply contrast with the softer natural tones of the timber background. www.michaellaird.co.uk

The cover Expanding its modern oak offering with popular light, neutral tones and statement slates, Karndean Designflooring presents Spotted Gum and Scandinavian Pine designs as part of its Knight Tile collection.

In celebration of replicating natural wood, all handcrafted by in-house product designers to display intricate knots, grains and textures.

Karndean.com

A WORD FROM MICK We were recently fortunate enough to be invited over to Maghera in Northern Ireland for the 30th anniversary of double Mixology awardwinning Specialist Joinery Group. Marcie, David and myself were treated to incredible hospitality and enjoyed time with old friends and new alike.

Congratulations to everyone at SJG – and thank you for your kindness and generosity.

any commercial space – particularly the modern workplace.

Bullitt is carefully considered, offering informal workspace, great food and drink, quirky branding and décor, as well as stylish, functional rooms, rain showers, king-size beds and fast WiFi).

It’s through the impeccable service that this place really wins though. Adam on reception

Following the celebrations, we headed back to Belfast, where we stayed at the Bullitt hotel, in the heart of the city. The hotel was recommended by our friends at SJG, who felt it might be ‘a bit of us’.

They weren’t wrong. Now, I wouldn’t normally review a hotel in Mix, but seeing as this issue comes with our Impression supplement, I thought it appropriate – and what’s more, Bullitt delivers so many of the things that could apply to

was an absolute joy. Then there was a little care package sat outside the room the next morning.

There was real milk in the mini-fridge. Like I said, everything was considered. We were really looked after. How many can learn from that?

Bullitt does everything with a smile on its face. Even the lift made us laugh, when a strong Belfast voice told us, ‘The doors are opening, so they are’!

GET IN TOUCH BACK ISSUES Contact us to buy back issues: rebecca@mixinteriors.com

Editor Mick Jordan mick@mixinteriors.com

Contributors Steve Gale Emma MacLeod

Editorial support Rebecca Sabato rebecca@mixinteriors.com

Address Mix Media Limited 2 Abito 85 Greengate

Sales director Gary Williams gary@mixinteriors.com Director David Smalley david@mixinteriors.com Designer John Hope john@wearemix.com Group managing director Marcie Incarico marcie@mixinteriors.com Founding publisher Henry Pugh

2 | Mix 184 May 2018

Manchester M3 7NA Telephone 0161 946 6262

GET YOUR OWN! To ensure that a regular copy of Mix Interiors reaches you please call 0161 946 6262 or e-mail: G rebecca@mixinteriors.com Annual subscription charges UK single £45.50 Europe £135 (airmail) Outside Europe £165 (airmail)

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Printed by S&G Print ISSN 1757-2371

a desk is…

… a table that works really hard. So we called ours, ‘Worktable’.

Rawside Furniture is a London-based, designer, builder and lover of the most practical office furniture on planet Earth. www.rawside.co ~ hello@rawside.co ~

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Koleksiyon Challenging the Banal Exhibiting a colourful kaleidoscope of furniture, flora and fauna.

Koleksiyon is a global, design led producer of multi award winning furniture and accessories.

Visit our website to see the full programme during Clerkenwell Design Week 2018 featuring artist Finn Stone, Clarus glass, Plant Designs biophilia and Unbuilt visualisations.

Koleksiyon Furniture Limited 9 Brewhouse Yard, London, EC1V 4JR Tel: +44 (0) 20 3405 1885 info@koleksiyon.co.uk www.koleksiyon.co.uk New York / Chicago / Dallas / London / DĂźsseldorf / Vienna / Paris / Barcelona Bogota / Moscow / Breukelen / Warsaw / Sidney / Singapore / Hong Kong / Dubai

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Upfront | Milan Special

STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD

HERE COMES THE RAIN

Milan’s Salone del Mobile marked the beginning of a long-term exploration for USM. Over the past few years, it has become conventional wisdom that automation, along with advances in artificial intelligence, has put us on the path to a jobless future. But all may not be doom and gloom. With the eradication of ‘bad jobs’ we can focus on finding meaning in our working lives. How can we learn more at work?

How can we play?

Designed by UNStudio’s Futures team, USM’s booth explored the shifting boundaries between home and work life by exploding the rooms in which this takes place, creating hybrid domestic and office environments hidden within.

Being highly sustainable, the single parts of the booth can be reused at the next exhibition or event.

In fact, so impressive was the stand, it picked up two Frame Awards – for Best Use of Material and Trade-Fair Stand of the Year.

COSMIC RAYS Milan saw the global debut of the Herman Miller’s new seating line, Cosm, designed by Berlin-based Studio 7.5.

Studio 7.5 has a distinguished track record of designing for Herman Miller. Their design approach is notably hands on; they believe in testing the product first-hand and interactively redesigning until they reach the solution they’re looking for. Studio 7.5 built and tested full-scale prototype after prototype, developed by hand, along with the help of a new technology that uses aluminium dust and resin to 3D-print fully-functional models. This iterative design process recalls the practice of Charles and Ray Eames with a contemporary update.

Not just the product of this intense prototyping, Cosm represents a culmination of two decades of engineering and design research with Herman Miller and a deep understanding of the science behind how people sit and work.

With a move toward shared workplaces and workpoints, Cosm is not only great for individuals, but it’s also described as the ultimate shared chair. Cosm’s unique Auto-Harmonic Tilt instantly provides balanced support and movement corresponding to the user’s body, posture, and seated position.

Salone del Mobile 2018 saw AXOR launch AXOR MyEdition, a collection of taps created in collaboration with the Stuttgart-based design studio, Phoenix Design.

Conceived as an expression of personality, selfrealisation and individual creativity, the AXOR MyEdition range features a variety of surface colours and patterns that enable the tap to be customised for an individual look.

Meanwhile, hansgrohe presented its new PowderRain spray. Inspired by warm, delicate drops of rain, this innovative spray is a component of a new hansgrohe Raindance range of showers and continues the success story of the ever-popular hand and overhead showers.

Thanks to newly developed micro-sized-droplet technology, an individual PowderRain spray is much finer than conventional shower sprays. Rather than just one spray aperture per nozzle, PowderRain boasts a total of six fine apertures, transforming the spray into thousands of micro-sized droplets. Due to their lighter weight, the micro-sized droplets land gently on the skin and automatically reduce the splash effect – of particular benefit for open showers or when cleaning the shower area.

KIIK STARTER Designed by Iwasaki Design Studio for Arper, Kiik is created for the spaces between entry and departure, between waiting and doing. This modular collection of seating, tables, ottomans and consoles creates moments for working, gathering or relaxing in graphic forms with myriad configurations.

Kiik has been created to address the needs of waiting rooms, university lounges, workspaces, meeting areas and mixed-use spaces. Its modular nature and material finish specification options make it a complementary addition to any context. Kiik’s fundamental structures can be created with seats with and without backrests and tables in triangular, circular, square or rectangular shapes and completed with ottomans and low or raised consoles.

Mix 184 May 2018 | 13

TEAMS TALK A Leicester charity dedicated to removing poverty and providing a safe space for the homeless has benefited from design support from multidisciplinary practice, rg+p.

TEAMS (Together Everyone Achieves More Success) is focused on bringing communities together to tackle issues such as poverty, homelessness and poor or no education. One of their local initiatives is the City Retreat, on Church Gate in Leicester city centre. The facility aims to provide a warm and welcoming shelter, community foodbank and space for education, careers guidance, mentoring and counselling.

TEAMS’ expansion plans for the centre include a new community café, which Leicester-based rg+p has designed.

Tahir Caratella, architectural technologists with rg+p, explains: ‘My family has been working with TEAMS for a while, so the trustees asked if rg+p would provide some layout ideas for a new café

rg+p’s design for TEAMS’ new community café space in Leicester

they are hoping to create in three Victorian shop units adjacent to the City Retreat. Work on the conversion of the three units is now underway and it is anticipated the café will open at the end of the year.’

To find out more about TEAMS or how you can help, visit www.teams-ltd.org

YOUNG & NEW UK-based furniture manufacturer, New Design Group, has recently appointed Fraser Young as its Group Operations Manager. Based out of the office and factory in Lincolnshire, Fraser is responsible for orchestrating customer services, distribution, procurement and stock control. As a Business Studies graduate, Fraser’s career began in the finance industry, where he spent over two decades in various roles for a major high street bank. Prior to joining New Design Group, his time was spent away from banking and in the realm of print and mail, assuming roles in client relations and operations, and was responsible for distributing 200 million pieces of mail a year. Fraser brings valuable experience in all aspects of operations and quality control to New Design Group and will, we’re told, be putting improvements in place that will have a direct positive impact for clients and their endusers.

14 | Mix 184 May 2018

HOMES IMPROVEMENT The ever-evolving homes4u has opened a flagship concept estate agency in Manchester city centre. Why are we covering retail you ask?

Because, like most interiors designs, there is crossover that we can all learn from.

With design by Jasper Sanders + Partners, the Deansgate branch combines the latest technology with a welcoming open plan layout to improve the home search experience. The working office is concealed behind a large glass screen, in an acoustically controlled environment.

Carolyn Mellor, Owner and Managing Director of homes4u, said: ‘We wanted to create energy in the space by having people engaged and to set a

new bench mark for the industry. With the latest tech and a welcoming environment, we can offer both.

Design Director, Jasper Sanders, added: ‘We needed to break away from the impersonal, austere feel of the mainstream estate agency environments and create a sense of place where people could feel welcome.’

Carolyn is passionate about property and will offer her insights into the changing world of property at our next MixInspired on 6th June at the wonderful new Spinningfields office of Shoosmiths. Go to www.mixinspired.com for details of our other great panellists and to register your attendance.

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SPATIAL AWARE The Mix team headed out to the opening of the new Spatial showroom in Altrincham, South West Manchester, last month. Although it was the hottest day of the year (so far), fears that guests would head out to catch some much-needed rays on Canal Street were totally unfounded with the wonderful new showroom being packed full of intrigued friends and clients.

Spatial Office is a ‘fully fledged office fit-out service company, providing everything one could need to fulfil office build and furnishing requirements’. Whilst chatting with one of the founders, Paul Eatock, we asked what’s helping the business stand out in a crowded market. ‘We

wanted to give people quality without cutting costs. We are not working to the excessive margins and people like what we do,’ he told us. Up by 46% on last year, Spatial seems to be making all the right decisions – not least of all, managing to increase size from 1,200 sq ft to 5,000 sq ft whilst paying similar rates. Asked if being 10 miles out of Manchester city centre will affect Spatial’s ability to get clients into the showroom, Paul said the team has been pleasantly surprised by the number of clients coming to visit on their way to or from work. Who needs Canal Street anyway when you’ve got this ray of sunshine in Altrincham?

MCM WINS AGAIN For a third year in a row, MCM have won the BCO Best Fit Out of Workplace in London – this year for the brilliant Havas project.

Havas is one of the world’s largest global advertising and communications groups, committed to being the world’s best company at creating meaningful connections between people and brands through creativity, media and innovation. It is this ethos that was the driver for Havas to consolidate all their London offices into one central London location.

Set over 10 floors, the challenging 25-week construction programme was completed in 2017, resulting in a space that has been embraced by everyone who uses it. Not only has it succeeded in bringing people together and giving them the opportunity to work more efficiently and creatively, the building and space are now used as a tool for Havas to win more business, celebrate creativity and engage with the wider King’s Cross community. That’s what we call a win/win!

THE BOSS MEETS BOSS The boss of the country paid a visit to the boss of Boss this month. By all accounts, our Theresa was highly impressed and probably wishes that the Dudley-based furniture manufacturer’s success could be replicated across the UK, with haste. Joined by the Mayor of the West Midlands, Andy Street, the Prime Minister spent most of the day meeting with staff, with the event being widely covered across the media. The Mix team did our own ‘royal’ visit to Boss’ new refurbished showroom in Clerkenwell – and, like Mrs May in Dudley, we were also mighty impressed. After your visit, you’ll know exactly what we mean.

ORGANICALLY ENSEMBLE Changes are afoot behind the facades of Clerkenwell's Goswell Road. ei2 has changed its name – and now has a new business ally. By the time this issue is published, ei2 will be operating under the name Ensemble – the name of the original company when founded over 20 years ago, which Director Alix Boullet says 'better reflects the values of our organisation and people'.

Joining Ensemble for its new showroom opening on 23rd May will be the German award-winning seating specialist, Viasit. Alongside the Mixology winning Drumback, expect to see the impressive new Organic range. After spending some time with Viasit Director, Alan Stanton, we expect Viasit has a hit on its hands!

Upfront |

LIVING THE DREAM Acclaimed bespoke furniture makers, Den Living, are inviting interior designers to become part of the new Den Design Hub, a collaborative workspace concept tailormade for industry professionals.

Located in an extensive five-storey mill in Bury, The Hub will provide a flexible working space for design creatives, along with access to materials, sample books, manufacturing, storage and delivery, all under one roof and supported by a business 15 years in the sector.

The Hub launches on the 28th June and designers are invited to come for a tour and to register their interest in this unique workspace solution at www.den-hub.com.

FROM BELGIUM WITH LOVE On page 83 you will find our Clerkenwell Design Week preview, created to help you make the most of your time at CDW, should you decide to visit – and giving you a taste of what you will miss if you don’t.

Belgian carpet tile manufacturer, modulyss, is based at the Material Lab in the West End – and therefore is taking a stand in Project at St James Church for its first time at this year's CDW. Shortlisted for the Mixology awards in June, our judges appear to be suggesting that popping along to Project for a closer inspection would be well worth it.

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Upfront | Perspective

PERSPECTIVE Alison Wring, Consultant Alison is a widely experienced leader in delivering workplace environments through strategy, planning, capital delivery and operational management. Her particular experience has been with large portfolio owners, covering the residential, commercial, educational and science/innovation, health and defence sectors with national and global organisations, such as Goldman Sachs, O2, GSK and the Ministry of Defence.

What’s the best thing about the job?

Delivering a successful outcome and seeing the satisfaction on people’s faces when something has worked really well, whether it’s solutions to optimise a portfolio’s efficiency (particularly with a focus on wellbeing), minimising operating costs, improving transparency and control of capital and operational expenditure, driving savings initiatives into their estate – plus good old fashioned project delivery on time and to budget. If something has worked well, the feedback you get from clients and stakeholders and the significant improvement that you see from a strategy that has worked is the reason I go to work.

Is the desire to create a great workplace for staff greater than it was 10 years ago?

I don’t think 10 years ago placemaking was even a term used.

Now wellness, human centred design, obtaining that data from end users and more innovative products to drive the strategy on what good looks like are key factors, influencing the way in which assets are being managed and delivered, driving wellbeing, which also drives improvements on capital and operational costs – ultimately the productivity levels of the end users. If done properly, the return on investment isn’t just about the asset capital and operational costs, it’s what makes them work to continue to attract the best people to the workplace in a sustainable environment in which they can

thrive. We spend a lot of our life in the workplace. It would be extremely shortsighted if those end users were not properly consulted about what is important to them. In short, yes – a lot more considered and rightly so.

Can you share with us a lesson learned and never repeated?

Don’t ever be complacent about how your team are feeling. We can often oversee that there are matters affecting team dynamics, particularly when you have a team of three or more generations – whether it’s the environment they work in, adaptation to change, modern methods of communication, technical skills or, particularly, technological advances.

Some will still prefer the traditional methods, while others can’t get enough of regular changes or new improved communication methods.

It’s important to get teams that have a diverse range of perspectives to share all experiences. Being mindful of things outside of the workplace that may be having an effect is also critical. Taking that time to ask if everything is ok. Mental health is a huge issue and having the insight and ability to respond to people’s wellness is definitely something that, if managed properly, will eventually help individuals feel good about themselves, which ultimately goes towards getting the most potential out of them.

What are the biggest challenges you and your team face?

Being match fit for the on-going technological revolution. Its accepting disruptive technology, whether its

AI, Blockchain, big data, automation, robotics etc, having the capacity to adapt and retrain as necessary to accept a number of these aspects will replace some of the tasks taken for granted at present. Look at what

What is the one thing that you would change when working with architects and designers?

I pride myself on my collaborative stance, which is something I think critical to the outcome of a project.

CAD did and what BIM is doing to improve the efficiency of the delivery and management of facilities. The key is not to be threatened but to embrace these changes and not worry about unemployment but redeployment using the skills you already have and enhancing them.

It’s exciting to be part of this rapidly changing environment.

Linked again, to an extent, to my response around assessing human behaviour, the creativity of architects and designers is something to be balanced against the demands from clients, stakeholders, contractors and modern technologies, all coupled with demanding programmes and budgets. The communications plan around making sure the team as a whole focuses on the 80% of things that need to be agreed, leaving the 20% behind, is crucial. Good communications processes support that, as well as having teams with leaders that facilitate rather than dictate meetings, to get the most out of everyone. Make sure the output from meetings are such that time is spent focusing on the key issues as a priority and, if time allows, the non-key issues can be dealt with later, allowing the architect/designer to concentrate on actioning those outputs, with well thought through checklists and sign off by all during the project delivery process.

Name one thing that will have disappeared from the workplace in the next decade.

A significant number of roles are likely to have disappeared, but not completely. With more drive towards Cloud-based storage, the days of clunky old filing cabinets and piles of paper stacked up under people’s desks surely are a thing of the past. Something that will have considerably reduced though, in my view, will be the number of people in the workplace, thanks to the speed of the digital revolution and the way people feel about the need to regularly come into the office. There is a huge cultural shift, particularly with the millennials and Generation Z – of course there will still be the need for people to be trained and mentored in their early careers and some roles will, for the time being, remain in the workplace. However, the evolving workforce is very accustomed to online, technology centric courses.

What does the term wellbeing mean to you?

Wellbeing is putting the human at the heart of the environment they are in, whether that’s an office, home, school…and the outdoor environment that allows them to logistically travel from one to another, to improve their performance and, ultimately, productivity.

Mix 184 May 2018 | 21

Upfront |

7

THINGS THAT GET ON YOUR NERVES 1

We polled nearly 50 of our readers from across the workplace spectrum – from young to mature, and from the design and property sectors through to furniture and flooring – and asked them one simple question: What gets on your nerves? Although we intended to get solely workplace-related responses, we felt it was our duty to also include the most popular, albeit unexpected nonindustry answers. It’s called democracy. Oh, and these responses are not our own!

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1. Salespeople who over-promise and under-deliver ‘I wanted my sample, it would have been nice to get it the next day but time and again I have to chase. Then they complain that we don’t make time to see them. I don’t wish to be rude or controversial, but it’s not the most challenging role.’

2. Project Managers ‘Don’t get me started. I understand if we stick to the RIBA guidelines, have great communication and clarity, then it all works. But I think some project managers take great delight in ‘value engineering’. I know we shouldn’t even call it VE – we should call it VD (value deterioration)!’

3. Having to Pay for Awards ‘As a marketeer I am asked to make sure we enter for everything. Whilst I agree that entering the right awards is important for our brand, don’t the events people need to get a good number and quality of entries to have an event? Then they have a ‘short’ list of 10 finalists! And then they have 25 awards!

Why? To sell tables! It does my head in.’

4. People leaving their cars running in the station car park!

‘Actually, it’s a much bigger thing than someone doing their utmost to pollute (both air and noise) – it’s about the attitude. It’s about the selfishness. They know what they’re doing – they know the effects of leaving that engine idling. They just don’t care about anyone other than themselves.’

5. The Lad Brigade ‘Some men think they have to give absolute zero consideration to women on their team. That’s all well and good if the women are not sufficiently qualified but, surely to God, the fact that they’re not football fans shouldn’t preclude them. The best teams have a mix. Macho boys beware of the Ides of March – your time is coming!’

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D AVISON H IGHLEY

6. Not Listening ‘Anyone can make a mistake or miss something. If that is then repeated – despite constant reminders – you can pretty much guarantee that you’re dealing with someone stupid or someone simply not listening. And the two are not mutually exclusive! Ironically, most of the people we encounter who don’t listen are the ones too busy doing all the talking!’

7. Property Agents ‘In order to shift a property, some less professional agents will promise the client ‘You could do this for £80 sq ft’. By the time it comes to what the client really wants, they are already disappointed that it will actually cost £120 sq ft. Give someone a fiver when they are not expecting and they will be happy. Give them a fiver when they expect a tenner and they will be disappointed. Naughty property agents, take note.’

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Davison Highley London, Lower Ground Floor, The Old Brewery, 16 Brewhouse Yard, Clerkenwell, London, EC1V 4LJ

www.davisonhighley.co.uk +44 ( 0 ) 207 871 1089

I

magic@davisonhighley.co.uk

Upfront | Forward Thinking

VIVE LA DIFFERENCE! Steve Gale weighs up the challenges of working in Europe

In a country where you will always be a foreigner, communication can quickly become weaponised if things go awry

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orking in other countries is part of the pleasure and the pain of having a skill that can cross borders. We think an 'exotic' location will be far away with a very un-British climate, but we only have to cross the channel to find differences that are as challenging as any you

You are likely to be on the spot for an appropriate contract to sign, the amount of specification and detail expected by contractors, how to address local tax regimes and exchange rates, how to respond to landlord demands and local bidding procedures. Europe, even after 50 years of the EU, is far from a level playing field.

could wish for – and we keep underestimating them. We expect more common ground so near to home, but it’s rarely the case.

I detect a recent acceleration in European projects. Organisations in London are establishing bridgeheads in other cities partly because of Brexit, and the same political weather makes designers more interested in following them. For 30 years the natural destinations were usually oil rich states, but now we are involved in Germany, France, Sweden, the Netherlands, Spain – much closer, much safer, much easier? Not always.

European projects offer an illuminating learning curve on one hand – and a meandering journey slowed by potholes and unexpected dead-ends on the other. Local customs and world views are not obvious from the outside, but they inform the legal and cultural backdrop, and they plot the road map to success for our clients, who may be as new to a country as us. Corporate clients who have built in, say, Berlin might expect a similar reception in Warsaw or Paris or Stockholm, but it ain’t so.

Some differences are not surprising, like planning consents or building permits, whose requirements are deceptively familiar but can trip us up because of subtle but unanticipated nuances. Many European states require applications to be made by registered professionals, others don’t. You will find local representatives to steer you, but they are unlikely to know where your blind spots are – and how do you estimate a reasonable fee? They might feel burdened with unpaid translation tasks and be a piggy-in-the-middle for delays when approvals take too long – and will probably have to bear additional insurance risk for handling your work.

From our side, this extra team member will eat into any fee agreed with a client who thought you could do it all for the same rate as the last job.

At the diplomatic end of the scale, the cultural norms will colour every transaction. Some builders see designers as partners in the struggle and others regard you as the client’s policeman. In some countries, the architect is assumed to be all-knowing, and in others is seen as someone who knocks out a concept and steps aside as the trades wade in to resolve the scheme on site.

Relationships with landlords can bring their own unexpected joy. Be sure to find out whether a tenant is perceived as a party with legal rights to alter a building – or as an irritant who should accept what he is given. Do not be surprised to find that fit-out work must be performed by a landlord’s contractor and charged to the tenant.

And then there is language. In a country where you will always be a foreigner, communication can quickly become weaponised if things go awry. In a place where you do not own both sides of any relationship, trust and understanding can devolve into long lasting feuds. Even if you speak a reasonable version of a local language, there is plenty of scope for misinterpretation.

If these learning experiences are for you, the spice of life and central to being part of a beautiful continent of countless languages and cultures, and which fits easily into the land mass of half of North America, then get stuck in – you will go far. If, on the other hand, you see perils and threats, which look like they could take away your livelihood through no fault of your own, then who could blame you for leaving it well alone? You are more likely to be somewhere in the middle, interested but wary, in which case walk with open eyes and ears – you will learn things not found on YouTube or in any books.

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

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Upfront | Material Matters

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MATERIAL MATTERS In this month’s Material Matters, the experts at Material Lab explore the versatility of new surfaces and materials. www.material-lab.co.uk 1. Metall-FX uses cold liquid metal spray to create custom designs and finishes From sculptures and screens to luxury interiors and bespoke art pieces, Metall-FX provides real metal finishing, often using cold liquid metal spray in a choice of veneer coatings from dozens of pure metals and alloys. A closely-guarded secret throughout its production and developed in-house by its founder, Metall-FX is a unique product used by both artists and designers to create a stunning result. www.metall-fx.com 2. CRYLUX cast acrylic glass in a lively palette of vibrant colours Manufactured from cast Poly(methyl methacrylate), CRYLUX by 3A Composites is an acrylic, versatile glass that has anti-bacterial properties to improve

hygiene and inhibit the growth of fungi, algae and bacteria. Used for many purposes, from shop fittings and signage to bespoke furniture, it has superb resistance and UV stability and is available in an assortment of vibrant colours as well as opaque, matt, transparent and translucent finishes. www.3acomposites.com 3. Transience by designer Lex Pott brings out the natural oxidation process Lex Pott employs a raw and intuitive method to his designs, using materials such as wood, stone and metal. For Transience, Pott collaborated with David Derksen to create bespoke, oxidised mirrors in geometric shapes. These mirrors reveal the different states of the oxidation process, which normally occurs randomly and evolves slowly over time. In this case, Pott and Derksen

applied sulphur to speed up the process, to achieve different colour tones – from gold to brown, purple to blue. Custom-made sizes are available upon request. www.lexpott.nl 4. Granorte’s NuSpa is an innovative bathroom collection made of cork Innovative manufacturing techniques adopted

by Granorte have transformed the capabilities of cork into a trend-inspiring interior material, rivalling many other products, not only in terms of design flexibility and performance, but also durability and sustainability. An award-winning example is NuSpa, Granorte’s own bathroom collection that includes bathtubs and washbasins made from cork. www.granorte.pt

Mix 184 May 2018 | 27

Upfront | Desert Island Desks

DESERT ISLAND DESKS Rosie Richardson

This month we’ve cast Gensler’s Rosie Richardson away on our desert island. Here are the things she’d like to have with her – and also her additions to the recently installed Desert Island Jukebox.

Toolbox This would help in building a series

Spotify and a sound system

of treetop Ewok houses, with the

(solar powered).

assumption that there would be

I love listening to loud, fast music. It

trees on the island. I'd love to be

gets me up in the morning, it chills

high up and have great views.

me out when driving and it speeds

Using the roof as a raft would be my back up plan.

me up and focuses my mind when I've got a deadline. I love to travel and salsa music is high on my list whilst on the beach.

Pen and paper I’d want a pen and paper to sketch

Gin No explanation needed really but

with. I'd use this to sketch up

I’ve recently started drinking

the 'Ewok Land' designs before

gin and love both Yorkshire and

building it. Then it would be great

London brands. I’ll admit that the

to sketch every day to keep my

design of the bottle does usually

mind busy. As a designer, it really is a

sway me.

great way to explore design ideas.

Football To kick about and exercise with. I don't play football but I'd have a

I am snap happy and take pictures

Bolton Wanderers branded one

every single day. I'd be happy

and dream that my team were

enough to be low tech without my

back in the Premier League. It could double up as my 'Castaway Wilson' if I get lonely.

28 | Mix 184 May 2018

Polaroid camera and cartridges

phone – but I'd love to document the area and take a sunset picture every day.

Calvert

Tel 01925 850500 Email info@sixteen3.co.uk

My partner Rob He would be great at catching, foraging and cooking. When camping, he loves starting fires so this would keep us warm.

He would greatly improve my chances of survival and be a great companion before we grab an Ewok roof raft and escape.

My tracks for the Desert Island Jukebox: Missy Elliott - Work It Macklemore - Thrift Shop Black Eyes Peas - Pump It Rudimental - Hot Right Now Chase and Status - No Problem 22 - 24 MAY 2018

The Gallery 21-22 Great Sutton St. EC1V 0DY / Project Garden of St. James, EC1R 0EA

www.sixteen3.co.uk

Newly Refurbished London Showroom Now Open 7 Clerkenwell Road, London, EC1M 5PA T: +44 (0) 20 7253 0364 | E: sales@bossdesign.com 22 - 24 MAY 2018

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Spotlight | 30 under 30

SPOTLIGHT ABIGAIL MEW, AEDAS

CATHERINE VAN DER HEIDE, HASSELL

CHLOE BARKER, TP BENNETT

KATE MCDERMOTT, AIS

DAVID DAWSON, BENNETT ASSOCIATES

EWA SYDOR, AEW

JUMANA SHAMMA, RESONATE INTERIORS

KATE JARRETT, SCOTT BROWNRIGG

KAYLIN KING, HLW

DAN JERRAM, THIRDWAY INTERIORS

KRISTY-JAY THOMSEN, OKTRA

LIANA BRENT, MCM

LUCY HARRISON, UNISPACE

NYALIE WATERHOUSE-SHAH, GRIMSHAW

MAX KIDD, BDG

JASPER SANDERS + PARTNERS

REBECCA QUICKFALL,

NATHAN HARRIS, INTERACTION

SHARON JUANTUAH, MORGAN LOVELL

CHARLIE BRETT, LOM

CHLOE MUIR, GENSLER

JANA NOVAKOVIC, GODDARD LITTLEFAIR

KAROLINA SAMUILAITE, MODUS

SOPHIE MCKENZIE, M MOSER

ZARA BOTTOMLEY, SPACE ZERO

ANNA CARNEVALE, BDP

CAITRIONA HOLDSWORTH, MARIS INTERIORS

JONATHAN TAYLOR, PERKINS+WILL

LUCY GEATER, SPACE INVADER

SANEL DURMUS, SPACELAB

JORGE HERMOSO, HLM

THE BIG QUESTION 33 Can you offer our 30 under 30, class of 2018, career advice by saying one thing you would have done differently ?

30 under 30 34 Mix 184 May 2018 | 31

vive les couleurs le corbusier

Bosse modul space With the Architectural Polychromy system, Le Corbusier invented an ingenious colour system in which shades – derived from nature – all have their own individual relevance. Create your own personal piece of furniture art with Bosse modul space and 12 selected lacquered shades from the Polychromy Architectural range.

To get your copy of the Bosse catalogue, please call +44 (0) 7775 798 877 or email at d.sellars@dauphinuk.com.

Or come in and see us at any time.

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

Q

THE BIG

UESTION

Spotlight | 30 under 30

We a sk e d a ll t h e Ia n s a n d Al i so n s w h e t h e r t h e y co u ld o ffe r o u r 30 u n d e r 30 c l a ss o f 2018 a n y c a re e r a d v i c e b y t e lli n g u s o n e t h i n g t h e y w o u ld h a v e d o n e d i ffe re nt l y?

ALISON KITCHINGMAN, MILLIKEN

IAN DRUMMOND, INDOOR GARDEN DESIGN

IAN MATTHEWS, RG+P

While I worked flat-out during my 20’s, I found it

I started out as a technician at Indoor Garden

I would’ve packed my bags, picked a place at

hard to think too far into the future. I’d advise my

Design 25 years ago. I would have given myself

random, booked a ticket and gone! With no

younger self to be a bit shrewder and consider

an easier time and realised that confidence

commitments and life’s big adventure ahead, I’d

(the rather mundane, but nonetheless essential)

grows over time and comes with knowledge and

have spent a couple of years working in design

pension-planning and saving sooner. Millennials

experience. I have always been quite shy and

studios around the world, absorbing everything;

have it harder than perhaps any other generation

sometimes was unsure of myself. I should never

inspired by other cities and cultures. After

when it comes to money matters, but when you’re

have doubted myself. I was working in an industry

returning, I’d set up a studio with likeminded

in your 20’s your energy and dedication is at its

that I loved, in a company that was the best and

people – it’s so important to find colleagues and

height – so try to capitalise on this.

I was good at my job. My best advice – believe in

clients that are equally passionate.

yourself!

IAN WOOLLISON, 8BUILD

ALISON GRANT, HLW

ALISON MONTEITH, MONTEITH SCOTT

Apart from drinking less, sleeping more and

As designers, we have big ideas. We seek to push

I was fortunate when I graduated – there weren’t

maintaining contact with everyone, I would

our creativity to the limit and to invent ever more

as many Interior Design courses as there are

encourage the class of 2018 to always try to

exciting and innovative spaces but sometimes we

today, so there were fewer competing for any

be the best of the best…being from a financial

overwhelm our clients. If we took the time to listen

position. With the teaching I have done over the

background, it took me slightly longer to build up

to what it is that clients need for their business

last 15 years, I have been disappointed that some

my construction knowledge – the more time you

and culture to thrive and apply our talent to that

graduates have been so reluctant to relocate.

spend on a construction site to see the works

rather than the other way around, then we can truly

Chase that job! You are one of many – nothing is

being built the better is the best advice I could give

provide the best service.

yours by right. I should have travelled further than

anyone – knowledge is key!

London when I had the chance!

Umbrella editorial banner Mix Interiors April_May 2018 copy v3 outline.pdf 1 27/04/2018 20:36:31 C

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Mix 184 May 2018 | 33

It's back! Here's our annual look at the rising stars of the architectural and design community – and once again there is a glittering array of talent on display. Whilst we all know that this is very much a team game – here is our list of 30 (under 30) stand-out, dynamic and much-valued individuals...

DAVID DAWSON Bennett Associates David is a designer who is passionate about strong conceptual thinking and visualisation through emerging technologies, such as immersive VR for design meetings and consultant coordination. A visionary and talented individual, he is a pivotal member of the Bennett Associates Visualisation Group and the business group, shaping the practice’s design ethos and efficiency. David successfully ensures design is implemented through various consultants and manufacturers for complex Grade II listed higher education projects. He is currently working on the inspiring and academics-defining Edinburgh Futures Institute for the University of Edinburgh. He recently completed his RIBA Part II diploma: a highly awarded urban intervention thesis, which received the Andrew Grant Scholarship, the George Simpson Postgraduate Prize and a nomination for the prestigious RIBA President’s Silver Medal.

KRISTY-JAY THOMSEN Oktra

As a highly driven and positive individual, she is a dedicated team player who has delivered some of Oktra’s most exciting projects. Unafraid to jump in and perfect any task, Kristy-Jay will frequently attend work on site to ensure the smooth delivery of a project. Known around the office by her iconic crazy, curly hair and big smile, Kristy-Jay exudes an infectious attitude, which is why Oktra is privileged to have her as part of the team.

Kristy-Jay is an ambitious and diligent designer with a passion for innovative workplace design. Born and raised in South Africa, Kristy-Jay studied at the University of Johannesburg before coming to the UK to work in design and build. She joined Oktra in 2014 and has since displayed aspiration and commitment to her craft by her active approach to her role.

LUCY HARRISON Unispace Lucy is a confident and imaginative designer with a passion for the built environment that was inspired by the work of her family. She joined Unispace in 2017, and is a key member of the team, valuing the feedback and efforts of her colleagues, which she believes results in stronger design. Lucy has worked on a range of workplace and high-end residential projects across Europe for many creative and inspiring clients such as Bain Capital, WPP Amsterdam, Ogilvy and MEC. She was part of the award-winning team that scooped awards from the BCO and AJ for Sea Containers House. Lucy constantly strives to create unique spaces, which are bespoke to the client’s brief, and considers how her work impacts the environment around her. She is able to adapt to a challenge and create innovative solutions that are not only stylish but functional and considered, down to the finest detail.

34 | Mix 184 May 2018

In association with

Spotlight | 30 under 30

ABIGAIL MEW Aedas Abigail is a conscientious individual, who is passionate about design and creates environments with personality and purpose. Whilst studying at Nottingham Trent University, she obtained a Diploma in Professional Practice at Workplace Creations. Shortly after graduating, having accomplished a First Class Honours Degree in BA (Hons) Interior Architecture and Design, she joined Aedas Interiors, London. This has formed a platform that has allowed her to expand creative understanding and fundamental skills as she entered the industry. Abigail has worked across multiple sectors within the company, focusing attention on a large-scale, high-end workplace project in Central London. This experience has provided the opportunity to demonstrate versatility within all design stages and, in addition, to build excellent rapport with clients.

EWA SYDOR AEW Ewa is a very dynamic interior designer with a variety of professional skills. Currently delivering extremely fast-pace roll-out programmes for global brands in retail, alongside commercial and hospitality sectors, her confidence and enthusiasm in building and retaining client and design team relations have proved to be very successful. Ewa shows exceptional attention to detail, with a passion for exploring new trends, designs and creative solutions. Ewa is indeed a valuable part of the AEW family.

JUMANA SHAMMA Resonate Interiors

KAYLIN KING HLW A dedicated and proactive designer, Kaylin is passionate about creating innovative workplaces. She joined HLW in 2012, shortly after moving from Australia to the UK, following the completion of her Bachelor’s Degree in Built Environment – Interior Design at Queensland University of Technology (QUT). With a professional attitude, Kaylin is a thoughtful individual who pays close attention to detail. She is excellent at listening to both clients and our team in taking a brief. She has gained great experience, taking various projects from start to completion, working in various locations, such as London, Amsterdam and Haifa. Kaylin has grown within the practice since joining HLW, and her ability as an all-rounder to move between roles and responsibilities on a wide range of projects is truly valued by the team and clients.

Jumana is a lovely, bubbly, and creative individual. She has a huge passion for her work and is a real team player.

Her Middle Eastern background adds a unique flavour to her work and to our studio. Always positive and adding to the atmosphere in the workplace, she is calm when demanding situations arise. She has a hunger to learn and grow within the design environment and is constantly on the lookout for new materials to push the boundaries of design.

Jumana is a great addition to our team at Resonate Interiors.

Mix 184 May 2018 | 35

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Spotlight | 30 under 30

NATHAN HARRIS Interaction

LIANA BRENT MCM Architecture Liana joined MCM having graduated from Bournemouth University and has developed rapidly within the firm, working on some of our most high profile projects. Her calm, reliable manner means she is trusted to work across all aspects of a project and we know she will always deliver and exceed our expectations. She has become so adept at REVIT that she now helps out other team members as we all transition to the new software. Her attention to detail and diligent hard work made her ideal for working on BCO awardwinning projects Havas and Estee lauder and BCO nominated EY Edinburgh. She has become an unsung hero of our team and has a bright future.

As an all-round creative whizz with a knack for conjuring up innovative designs, it’s no surprise that Nathan gained a First Class Honours degree in Interior Design from Staffordshire University. With a career that spans continents as well as companies, Nathan has been with Interaction for just over two years. As a key member of the creative team, he thrives at every step of the workplace design process – whether that be getting to grips with a brief, forming amazing working relationships or generally helping to create inspirational spaces. He is motivated by the fact he is able to put something creative into the world, through designing workspaces that truly cater for the individuals that work in them.

SHARON JUANTUAH SOPHIE MCKENZIE M Moser Sophie graduated from Leeds University after obtaining her Honours degree in Interior Design and moving to London, where she has gained experience on workplace projects in the UK, across Europe and in the Middle East.

Her thoughtful communication and confident design approach has earned her a trusted position with several of our clients. An open mind to learning and passion for collaboration ensure that she continues to be a highly desired resource on any team. Sophie is an enthusiastic designer who has but scratched the surface of her talent.

Morgan Lovell Sharon has been with Morgan Lovell London since January 2016.

She has a palpable passion for design and a weird love of pens and stationery. Her skill-set has grown enormously and she is always eager to try new challenges, which makes her a very valued member of the team. Sharon has worked on various ML projects and has shown a meticulous and dedicated approach, always bringing her own brand of humour to all situations. She has also taken on the position as our Diversity champion and has thrown herself into this role with her normal enthusiasm and is consistently striving to help us challenge the status quo and be the best organisation we can be.

Mix 184 May 2018 | 37

Spotlight | 30 under 30

MAX KIDD BDG Max is an Associate at BDG who has a wide breadth of experience across all sectors throughout Europe, drawing on this experience to provide designs to our clients that are truly unique but functional. Not only a fantastic designer, Max brings to BDG his great sense of humour, brilliance in all things sporting (particularly golf and football) as well as being a fantastic chef – watch this space as he will surely be on Master Chef one day. Max studied Interior Design Environmental Architecture at Ravensbourne, graduating in 2012 – and joined BDG in 2015.

NYALIE WATERHOUSE-SHAH Grimshaw Nyalie is a talented young designer who has demonstrated a flourish for finishes and a depth of product knowledge; advising and guiding clients to their perfect fit and seeking out opportunities for original and inspired product applications.

Nyalie has a talent for developing close relationships with suppliers and using these connections to the benefit of each unique interior commission, consistently delivering quality results.

She is integral to the growth of our Interiors team.

ANNA CARNEVALE BDP Anna joined BDP 18 months ago, straight from London Met University, after completing an MA in Interior design. She had previously gained a BA in Architecture whilst studying in Rome. From her first project working with the BDP design team on the Meadowhall Shopping Centre refurbishment and extension for British Land, Anna showed great flair and a mature and considered design approach. On her next project she was ‘in at the deep end’, designing and planning a next generation food destination in southern Germany for a demanding client. She impressed us all with her quick grasp of planning and designing the complex space – and delivered an inspiring and creative project, which we look forward to seeing realised. Anna has since worked on a range of projects including a new food market scheme in a major Toronto development, to feasibility studies for the Royal Albert Hall. On all of the projects she has touched, she has consistently delivered high quality, creative and beautifully presented work in a calm and self-assured manner.

CATHERINE VAN DER HEIDE HASSELL As a lover of the detail, Catherine likes to dive into a project’s complexity to extract a meaningful and bespoke outcome. Seeing a project fully occupied, thriving and changing throughout time is the ultimate joy in this work. Ultimately, people are the focus of our practice and, understanding how people, space and time play a part in the environment and the curated experience of it, is a continuous learning process. As an interior designer at HASSELL, Catherine has collaborated on a diverse range of projects throughout the UK, South East Asia and Australia. Both diverse in location and complexity, projects range from the Sky Central workplace, through to the design of bespoke furniture hardware, but always with a people-centric focus.

38 | Mix 184 May 2018

Spotlight | 30 under 30

KATE MCDERMOTT DAN JERRAM

AIS

ThirdWay Interiors

Kate is a talented and passionate designer with a friendly and engaging personality that earns her the trust and respect of clients. She joined us at AIS in 2016, after having previously worked in the residential sector following her university studies. In this short period of time, Kate has developed her skill-set and a knowledge of workplace design that has enabled her to develop at an exceptional pace, delivering people-centred workplaces to a number of happy clients.

Kate owns her projects from concept stage right through to final handover on site, ensuring she remains in touch with the project every step of the way to deliver projects with exceptional attention to detail.

Kate is an exciting prospect for the future.

At 28, Dan already has a decade of design experience under his belt. Having worked for ThirdWay Interiors since its inception in 2009, he has worked on many of the company’s most significant projects. From Thomas Cook’s 120,000 sq ft headquarters, to The Aircraft Factory in Hammersmith, Dan’s design expertise is far-reaching and spans full technical design, pitch design and on-site implementation. Dan is now heading up design for TWOne, a department within ThirdWay that helps small business owners take their first steps into an individually designed and branded environment. Quietly ambitious, he is driven by a desire to empower start-up businesses by providing a meaningful office space for them to thrive and grow in.

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Spotlight | 30 under 30

KATE JARRETT Scott Brownrigg

ZARA BOTTOMLEY Space Zero Zara is a passionate and creatively driven interior designer who has been with Space Zero for two years, after graduating from UCLan. Zara has benefited from Space Zero’s extensive in-house knowledge of education projects and has developed as a project lead as a result. Zara now confidently presents in competitive bid situations, as a part of a collaborative consulting team, on multi-million pound projects. Her interior design background and creative intuition means that Zara carefully considers interiors and user experience. This is enhanced by a passion for the specification of FFE and how it enriches interior design concepts, especially in education and SEN design. Zara was also a part of the consulting design team for a Stirling Gold award-winning dementia care home.

Kate is a creative young designer who thrives in all elements of the design process, from initial concept to project management and site installation.

Having joined Scott Brownrigg in 2016, she has excelled in winning the respect of every client she works with. Currently working closely with glh Hotels and Hard Rock, Kate is delivering the public areas for an exciting new hotel located in London’s Marble Arch. She has also been intrinsic in creating a fun, young and Instagram-able hot spot and destination 10th floor bar on the edge of Leicester Square. A key strength is Kate’s allround ability to communicate extremely well with clients, design team, consultants and contractors, with an end goal to produce an exceptional and innovative final product.

REBECCA QUICKFALL Jasper Sanders + Partners Rebecca is a natural leader in the team, bringing superior organisational skills, enthusiasm and ambition to everything she does. She is a detail-orientated multitasker who thrives on fast-paced projects and is the visionary behind many of the company’s operations and strategies. Her ability to combine conceptual thinking with a holistic approach to our total design philosophy is key to the studio's ability to deliver successful projects.

With a concept-driven design mind and extraordinary attention to detail, Rebecca brings all of our projects to life, going the extra mile to inspire the people who will ultimately experience the places we create.

Rebecca's curiosity, willingness to learn and ambition undoubtedly forecasts her as a distinguished designer and a future leader in our profession.

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Spotlight | 30 under 30

JORGE HERMOSO HLM

CHLOE MUIR Gensler Chloe is a versatile and passionate designer, with enthusiasm for all aspects of the retail design process and the way consumers, brands and environments interact – which she leverages to make ordinary spaces feel extraordinary. Chloe leverages her unique ability to convert trends into insights to strategically inform her designs and, as such, plays an important role in the ‘The Set List’, a study exploring the trends influencing the pace of change in retail. She has played a key role in the conception of a number of retail environments for brands that generate engagement with customers, including Radley, Virgin Trains East Coast, ALJ Lexus and, most notably, the strategic transformation of C&A and its Clockhouse brand across its 1,500 stores in Europe.

CHARLIE BRETT

Jorge joined HLM as a graduate in 2010, based in our Sheffield studio. During his time with HLM, Jorge has worked on a wide variety of projects, both nationally and internationally. He is an extremely creative conceptual designer who can turn his hand to the detail to ensure his vision is realised. Over the last couple of years, Jorge has worked predominantly in the hospitality and workplace sectors, designing and delivering fantastic designs for clients such as the InterContinental Hotel London, Balfour Beatty, Mott MacDonald and the Marriott Hotel Group.

Jorge is a highly valued member of our team and we are looking forward to seeing him further develop his skills in the years to come.

LOM architecture and design

LUCY GEATER

A technical, enthusiastic and ambitious designer with an innate ability to conceptualise and resolve complex threedimensional form, Charlie graduated from the Kent School of Architecture with a distinction, is a keen marathon runner and has exhibited at the Venice Biennale – showing digitally scanned threedimensional models of the historic city in collaboration with the British Arts Council. Since joining LOM, Charlie has become a key part of the team, working to revitalise NatWest’s iconic 250 Bishopsgate building to create a modern and flexible work environment. Prior to this, he had built up experience in the public and commercial sectors in the UK and Middle East. Now he is looking forward to disrupting workplace design with innovative new visualisation and design technologies.

SpaceInvader

44 | Mix 184 May 2018

Our youngest Senior Designer, Lucy joined SpaceInvader in 2013 from a similar role in an architect's practice, having obtained a first class honours from Manchester School of Architecture. Her extensive portfolio spans the workplace and education sectors, both nationally and globally. Lucy has an ambitious, conceptual approach, balanced with the technical skills needed to manage projects through to completion. The resulting schemes are consistently imaginative and engaging – a reflection of Lucy's passion for design.

CHLOE MELISSA BARKER tp bennett Joining tp bennett in 2015, Chloe quickly became a highly valued, creative member of the interiors team in the Manchester office. Working on projects from the initial concept stage through to scheme design and completion, she consistently impresses clients and colleagues with her professional and meticulous approach to each project. Chloe was an instrumental member of the team that delivered the prestigious BCO finalist fit-out for DLA Piper in Manchester at One St Peter’s Square and has subsequently delivered multiple regional offices for the top tier law firm.

Her dedication, enthusiasm and attention to detail sets her apart, alongside the fact she is a pleasure to work with.

SANEL DURMUS Spacelab A true creative, Sanel is a designer who is totally tuned into life’s precious details and sees design in everything.

Sanel has the trust of the team – and with her authentic passion and limitless commitment across design and delivery, she makes big stuff happen. Sanel’s most recent project for ASOS won the Regional BCO Award for Best Fit Out.

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Spotlight | 30 under 30

CAITRIONA HOLDSWORTH Maris Interiors

JONATHAN TAYLOR Perkins+Will A dedicated, talented and enthusiastic designer, Jonathan is engaging with clients and colleagues alike, with his calm and reliable nature. He has an innate all-round ability and strength of character to earn trust of design teams and clients.

Jonathan has a breadth of work spanning the UK and Europe with global IT and banking clients.

He is capable of taking a project from inception through to delivery with great success. We see Jonathan as a future leader and will nurture his growth in the industry to meet his full potential.

Cat is an inspirational and highly motivated designer.

She has diligently worked her way to become a Design Director at Maris, having started her career as an intern in 2011! Cat’s approach to design is commercially focused, whilst ensuring that the finer details are never forgotten and that the brief is addressed stringently.

She loves to explore and push the boundaries with design, introducing fun and excitement to all of the projects that she touches, whilst creating beautifully designed spaces. She is a pleasure to work with, always enthusiastic and entertaining – a true role model for all new staff. Cat is highly respected by her colleagues and clients – one testimonial described her as ‘my favourite person on the team’.

JANA NOVAKOVIC Goddard Littlefair Jana joined Goddard Littlefair in 2013 and has since worked on some of the company’s most high-profile hospitality and residential projects, including hotels for Hilton in Dubrovnik, Cologne and Budapest, The Gleneagles Hotel and the South Bank Tower residential development. All three latter projects were Gold winners at the London Design Awards, whilst Hilton Dubrovnik is on the cusp of completing. Jana is specially known in the company for her organisational strengths – but also her great enthusiasm!

Her breadth of vision is partly due to her own international background; she was born in Belgrade, grew up in Bermuda and studied in Canada before coming to London to do postgraduate studies at the Inchbald School of Design, directly before joining Goddard Littlefair.

48 | Mix 184 May 2018

KAROLINA SAMUILAITE Modus Karolina, originally from Lithuania, joined Modus in 2017 and has made an immediate impact on the design bureau with her understanding of the creative process and forward-thinking ideas. She is relatively new to D&B, having previously worked within the private sector and developing public exhibitions, but has quickly found a passion for workplace design through strategic thinking and an opportunity to explore her love affair with finishes and furniture. She knows that projects are all about servicing people and her mild but assertive manner has an empathic approach when engaging with clients and peers alike. Such is her emerging talent, she has recently been asked to be a visiting critique at Chelsea School of Arts.

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Profile | Steven Charlton

London Calling It’s a fast-paced world – and that inevitably results in change. Today, we move at a speed that would leave our grandparents feeling dizzy. Jobs are no longer for life, products are more disposable and we don’t think twice about jumping onto a plane and heading off to new, exciting places for work and leisure alike. Gran would be scratching her head!

F

ortunately, despite all this change, one thing remains absolutely constant; the cream will always rise to the top. A perfect example of this is the London office of global architecture and design firm Perkins+Will.

If you’ve been on a desert island for the last few years, Perkins+Will London is the artist formerly known as Pringle Brandon.

The firm developed an enviable reputation as one of the leading workplace design firms under the leadership of founders Jack Pringle and Chris Brandon. Whilst that reputation remains absolute ( just ask any supplier in London which design firms they’d like to be in front of ), change has inevitably, well, changed things.

New ownership, new name, new leadership, new office…and yet a seamless flow of innovative, impressive projects continue to flow out of the

50 | Mix 184 May 2018

studio. Now that is most definitely worth talking about.

Steven Charlton is some six months into his role as Managing Director of the 150-person London office – and we’re fortunate enough to be able to steal an hour of his time at the firm’s spectacular Aldgate studio.

Steven took the role having spent the last seven years as Managing Director of Perkins+Will’s Dubai office in the United Arab Emirates. ‘It’s gone quickly,’ Steven says of the past six months. ‘It’s been great. I think it was a good time to come back to London – around the Christmas period – because there are a lot of parties and events to go to, you get to meet up with everybody and get to know some of the network. But London has changed massively; the people have changed, the city has changed, the vibe is different…

The speed of delivery is just crazy – it’s twice as quick as here.

When I got back to London I wondered why everything was so slow!

Mix 184 May 2018 | 51

Profile | Steven Charlton

‘It’s been 10 years since I was here and when I left I was a mid-level designer – so to come back as Jack Pringle’s replacement was, well, unexpected. I didn't think that was in my pipeline at the time!

‘I spent 10 years in total in Dubai. I moved over there havin spent two years with HLW in London.

When I got over there it was such a strange new environment. Stuff that you were doing in London was completely alien to them. For the first six months I wondered what I was doing out there. The speed of delivery is just crazy – it’s twice as quick as here. When I got back to London I wondered why everything was so slow!

‘I loved Dubai though. I wasn’t really looking to come back – but when Jack suggested it I thought, ‘Why not?’'

Steven’s promotion to MD in London certainly wasn’t handed to him on a plate. Although he clearly enjoyed his decade in the Emirates, it didn’t come without a great deal of hard work – particularly when it came to establishing Pringle Brandon (which

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shortly became Perkins+Will) out there. ‘I basically started off working out of my living room – and grew the office to be one of the main players in Dubai,’ he recalls. ‘We won a lot of the big contracts – if there was a big job, we wanted to do it. We did all sorts – we worked on the airport, 50-storey towers, hospitals, big commercial offices…

‘We initially set up the office in Dubai to focus on commercial interiors – because that was what Pringle Brandon was known for here in London. A lot of the real estate teams are based here in London or New York. So it was an easier sell to say to people, ‘This is what we did for you in London, can we do the same for you in Dubai?’ The first response you normally get is, ‘How big is your office? What work have you done in Dubai? How many staff have you got?’ So it does take a bit of time to get established. You’ve really got to wait a few years before you get to that point.

Above Perkins+Will reception, Aldgate Below Perkins+Will library, Aldgate

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Profile | Steven Charlton

We focused on working with a lot of our global clients – and the thing is that the scale of those jobs in Dubai tends to be a lot smaller than it is in London, so we were able to cope. You still have to go through the same process to win the job though.’

Steven helped grow the team from two to in excess of 100 in those seven years – an achievement that led to the subsequent return to London. ‘London is such an international city and, in terms of change, this city will feel it first,’ Steven considers. ‘You are right at the forefront here. There are fantastic opportunities and some amazing challenges here.

'Within this context, we are in an interesting position as a design studio. The London office that has a mix of two cultures – the legacy of Pringle Brandon and the global influence of Perkins+Will.

Although Perkins+Will is well known in the US, the name isn't as recognised here in the UK; and many people here still think of us as a corporate interiors practice from the Pringle Brandon days, when actually half of our office is architecture and masterplanning.

'Every Perkins+Will office around the world is sightly different, but a common thread across the company is designing with a humanistic approach.

Our architecture is about how humans interact with a space. It's about how we work, how we live – it's about the experience.

'Often, buildings look amazing – but they don't necessarily work that well. They aren't about the

54 | Mix 184 May 2018

end user – they are about making a statement and about making a silhouette on the skyline.

‘If you’re truly designing for people, you need to approach design differently – contextually; you need to think about how people live, how they interact with their community, what their local culture is – it can't be a one-size-fits-all approach.

That's true on a global scale and on a local scale.

Even in London, someone in the East End has completely different needs and culture from someone in the West End.’

Right Brookgate, Cambridge Above Perkins+Will formal and informal collaboration areas Below Brookgate, Cambridge

We said at the start of this article that change is inevitable. It is, however, reassuring to hear that some important constants do remain – such as Perkins+Will’s continued commitment towards designing for people rather than egos. Steven tells us that he’s still getting to know the team in London – but is excited by what he has seen and heard.

We ask whether he felt pressure at the prospect of taking over from the great Jack Pringle? ‘Strangely, no,’ he smiles. ‘I thought I would, but it actually felt

quite natural. I think because I know the company – it’s not as though it’s a new company to me. The biggest stress was moving into what now felt like a new city to me. I didn’t know many people. A lot of my friends have now moved out of London and my wife has never lived in the UK. I didn’t even know where to find a good dentist or get my hair cut!

‘It was tough coming into the London office and not knowing many people. In Dubai, of course, I knew everyone because I was there from day one.

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Profile | Steven Charlton

Leading the Dubai office wasn’t a stressful job though. It was quite clear what I had to do – or what I felt I had to do.’

So what does Steven have to do in London?

What are the big challenges facing him and the team? ‘We want to be Number One,’ he immediately replies. ‘To do that, we have to focus on being the best – if we do that then we’ll grow and we’ll gain market share. I think London is like a pie – you get a bigger slice or a smaller slice every year, depending on who’s the best or who’s out there winning the best work.

‘I need to focus on our people. I want the best people and I want people to feel supported, I want them to feel that they can make mistakes, they can be ambitious, they can take risks – and we’ll be there for them. We’re not going to tell anyone off for doing that. I want people to feel like they are in an environment where they can thrive and push the boundaries of good design.’ w

Above 150 Holborn Below Perkins+Will cafe, Aldgate Right Perkins+Will library, Aldgate

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Case Study | True Potential

58 | Mix 184 May 2018

True North We really like it when we get to revisit great end users.

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True Potential is a perfect example of this.

Mix 184 May 2018 | 59

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Case Study | True Potential

T

he business has worked with Ward Robinson’s Interior Design Director, Simon Grundy, on several projects in Newcastle and London over the last 15 years as the company has grown.

True Potential, established in 2007, is a group of financial services and technology companies.

A disruptor in the wealth management sector using technology to deliver financial services, the group works with almost 20% of UK financial advisers and their clients. The company has won a raft of national and international awards including European Business of the Year (turnover €26-150million) at the European Business Awards in 2017.

This latest project has seen True Potential take over the whole of the 35,000 sq ft, three-storey headquarters building they have occupied on the first and second floors since 2011. The brief was to create reception space, meeting and training rooms, a large cafe style kitchen area and storage

Left Elegant meting suite Below Breakout space Bottom Exposed ceilings and cool finishes throughout

on the ground floor, and redesign the upper floors for new functions.

‘We work globally with other financial services companies and it’s important to us that when people visit us on home turf they immediately see we are operating at the same level, and that they feel comfortable in an environment they recognise,’ Luke McGrath, Head of Marketing at True Potential, comments. ‘For our staff too it’s equally important that each team has high quality workspace and breakout space, designed to help them do what they do best. Even though each team space is slightly different to facilitate that, there’s consistency throughout.’

In Short Established in 2007, True Potential is a group of financial services and technology companies.

Disruptor in the wealth management sector, using technology to deliver financial services.

The company has won a raft of national and international awards, including European Business of the Year (turnover Euro 26-150 million) at the 2017 European Business Awards.

Based and headquartered in Newcastle.

Mix 184 May 2018 | 61

Case Study | True Potential

This project combines a significant element of hospitality with workplace design

Left Tech upgrades in open plan spaces Below Left Variety of work/ meeting settings

‘This project combines a significant element of hospitality with workplace design,’ Simon Grundy, Interior Design Director at Ward Robinson, tells us.

‘The overall look is streamlined yet comfortable, and the reception area has a very intentional international hotel feel.

‘There’s clear definition between work and breakout space, while meeting and training areas have been designed to have flexibility.

‘We’ve created openness wherever possible. The building itself has large windows with views down the river Tyne and out to the countryside, and all of the meeting rooms have full-height glass partitions and doors. The company makes a lot of its own video training material, so filming can take place in any of the meeting rooms on each floor, using the office areas as a backdrop.'

As we mentioned previously, Simon had worked with True Potential a number of times before. So how did this project come his way – trad tender process or that extremely welcome phone call?

‘The latter. We’d been in discussion for a while on how to reorganise the existing space and the option to take the ground floor of the building as True Potential had grown.

‘It’s certainly the most reliable way to get work.

We stay in touch with our clients, as it’s important for us as designers to see how people are actually using the space on a day-to-day basis and whether any tweaks are necessary to optimise the environments. When you create work that not only looks good but also really performs for clients, they do call back!

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‘The success of True Potential meant that the teams were growing and more people were visiting the head office. There was a need for much more back of house office space, more flexible training accommodation and a significantly larger client reception area providing service and meeting facilities.’

The ground floor has a large reception area with seating, ‘at seat’ menu service and storage for visitors’ luggage, video display and full height awards cabinet, through to an open plan work area for the investment analysts. A series of meeting rooms, all of different shapes and with iPad-based ordering for room service, lead through to a cafe style kitchen and breakout area with training

rooms beyond. The cafe style area has an informal feel with an exposed ceiling, lit in the company’s brand purple, and a large circular bar.

‘The re-stack and rework of all the spaces allowed us to bring a lot more agile workplace settings into the mix. There are many more flexible breakout spaces throughout the working environment and the flexible training area provides multiple collaborative and quiet working options.

‘The floorplan of the building is two wings off a central ‘knuckle’,' Simon continues. ‘The shape and location of the knuckle made it a good choice for the cafe style kitchens and breakout areas on the upper two floors, and this has proven to work well for the teams, so we used this arrangement again and extended it on the ground floor.

‘When the two training rooms are opened up to the cafe/kitchen, this area can accommodate over 300 people – and regularly does for all staff meetings.

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Case Study | True Potential

The spatial flexibility required for running the training programmes means furniture has to be moved and rearranged, and storage space was carefully considered so that furniture not currently in use is completely out of sight.

The first floor accommodates the development team in one wing, with two full-height revolving screens in the centre for developing ideas.

Through the cafe/kitchen and breakout area in the other wing of the building is the growing contact team. This space has a different atmosphere, it is louder and there is more movement. Ceiling tiles have been replaced with boards wherever possible to give a smooth continuous surface, while lighting is softer in the breakout spaces.

The second floor accommodates the administration teams in one wing and the management teams in the other, again connected through the cafe/kitchen and breakout space.

Each management team of six to eight people work in their own ‘pod’, open on two sides, and share a large desk to facilitate communication and discussion.

Light finishes contrast with American walnut for the bespoke cabinets in the reception area and the meeting rooms on all floors.

‘The company continues to innovate and develop. For example, when the previous refit was completed three years ago, there wasn’t a contact team,’ Simon recalls. ‘As space needs have changed over the years, we’ve been able to adapt the building. And as we’ve always invested in high quality furniture and fittings, both from the design and materials perspectives, we’ve been able to reuse some furniture and even partitions that were in storage and they still work perfectly as part of the redesign.’

We ask Simon about the major challenges faced here. ‘Creating spaces that are both great at appealing to high-end financial sector partners and customers and great at helping to attract and retain talented staff,’ he considers. ‘We think we’ve achieved this, creating something truly unique within a standard Cat A space, on time and on budget.'

Commenting on how the design impacts operations for the company, Daniel Harrison, Senior Partner at True Potential says: ‘The real test of the design has been working within it and we’ve found that, without exception, each area is used for the same purpose we intended.

‘Our staff enjoy working in the space as it’s light, open and helps them communicate in smaller specialist groups where needed. Most make use of the café style kitchens for lunch, allowing them to feel away from the work environment and recharge despite staying within the office.

‘When we recruit, one of the first things candidates mention when they interview here is how good the office looks and feels, it’s usually far more impressive than anywhere else they’ve worked throughout the UK. ‘As part of our application for European Business of the Year, we filmed a short commercial for True Potential and were able to shoot in-house using the office as a backdrop. This really helped us show that everything we do happens right here in Newcastle.

‘Simon understands what it takes to design a great working space. With our head office refit, he and his team at Ward Robinson have brought in our brand, company values and an extremely high level of hospitality, all while making sure our employees are in the best place possible to complete their dayto-day work.’

It’s good to catch up with both Simon and True Potential. Potential most definitely realised! w

Project Team Interior Design Ward Robinson Project Management Ward Robinson Contractor Graeme Ash Furniture Vitra Photo–credit © Kristen McCluskie www.kristenmccluskie.com

Above Left Generous space for staff to interact and collaborate Above Impressive array of finshes and furniture throughout the space

Mix 184 May 2018 | 65

Case Study | MoneySupermarket

Sans Comparison 66 | Mix 184 May 2018

A

s you know, we’re fortunate enough to visit a lot of new workplaces and it still amazes us how often we find that crucial (yet seemingly unimportant) design elements aren’t quite as they should be. For example, one of our pet hates when visiting a new project is, upon arrival, having to take that ‘walk of shame’ from the front door, through a vast marble chamber, to the distant reception desk.

Invariably, the person or people behind reception will immediately look up – and often hold that stare as you spend what feels like the next three minutes of your life approaching them. Maybe it says more about us than anyone else, but we can’t help feeling as though we’re being judged!

Well, we’re in London’s West End to take a look at the new working home for the London base of MoneySupermarket Group – and nobody’s making us feel any of that unease here. The new 34,000 sq ft space, at 1 Dean Street, features efficient, friendly concierge/security at street

We don’t like to start features with a negative – so we’re going to begin by telling you that this is a review of a quite brilliant new workplace. Smart, collaborative, logical, people-centric… this is a space that ticks all the boxes.

level (we approve), from where we’re guided up and through to the fourth floor and the new MoneySupermarket Group space. This could not be further from that ‘old school’ reception experience we so deplore. Immediately, we feel as though we’re in the heart of the space – and that’s quite simply because we are.

MoneySupermarket Group appointed BDG architecture + design for the interior design of the space – and the firm’s Colin Macgadie and Adam Childs are on hand to tell us more about this transformative scheme, starting with the client themselves.

‘They’d seen the work that we’d done for brands such as Sky and, despite the fact that they are such a great business – with great people and great leadership, we genuinely enjoyed the entire process with them – they were previously in poor accommodation. They were just around the corner from here, across a number of floors. You had to get in and out of lifts to go to meet other people – the floorplates were over-densified and they were in silos. It wasn’t good.

‘Also, because all they had were desks, they had nowhere to break out to or to meet. The facilities weren’t supporting the business or our people – and everyone in that room was trying to make people’s lives better!’

Colin tells us that this actually created a great starting point for the design team – how could they make the London teams at MoneySupermarket Group’s lives easier? ‘That was a real springboard for us,’ Colin confirms. ‘Looking at this new space, it didn’t originally have any cut-outs in the floors, but there was no way we were going to put these people over three floor and then make them use a lift. So we immediately knew we had to put stairs in – and that gave us the opportunity to create a

Mix 184 May 2018 | 67

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Case Study | MoneySupermarket

space where people could move through the stairs and then stop and get together – to become one team. These are really simple points of design – there’s nothing revolutionary about this but for them it was a massive step.’

As we mentioned earlier, there is no awkward ‘welcome’ here – instead we’re greeted, concierge style, by smiling, truly welcoming people. The business, we’re told, has always been extremely keen for its people to come together, collaborate and interact, however previous facilities made this more and more of a challenge.

Adam was the creative lead on the project and explains that, BDG spent time exploring the opportunities of the space to ensure that there was a true central hub area that connected everyone.

Today, however, MoneySupermarket Group staff in London – regardless of which team or floor they are based – can come to this central space for a laid-on breakfast or (as we are currently seeing on our tour of the space) use the space for coffee and informal meetings throughout the day.

There are further ‘stopping points’ at the bottom and top of the stairs, allowing for more of those accidental collisions and interaction. ‘We’ve now Top Variety of work settings for focused work away from desks

These are really simple points of design – there’s nothing revolutionary about this but for them it was a massive step

Right Staff continue to meet and enjoy breakfast together

Mix 184 May 2018 | 69

Case Study | MoneySupermarket

Above Working space benefits from fantastic natural light, and features personalised lockers and cool rubber flooring.

Project Team Client Moneysupermarket Group Interior Design BDG architecture + design Furniture Supply Spacecraft Rubber Flooring Artigo (supplied by Chroma) Timber Flooring Havwoods Feature Lighting FUTURE Designs Graphics/Branding Acrylicize

70 | Mix 184 May 2018

got that three-storey interaction,’ Colin continues.

‘So it was then all about making this space in the middle work really hard – so we’ve got big sliding doors that can shut the space off and create a town hall environment while people can carry on working beyond. The predominant setting is that the doors are left open because this is all about transparency and visual connections.

‘They also needed some of that conference- style meeting room facilities – and the meeting rooms are extremely smart. In fact, the meeting room suites on floors four and five could be at home in any top-end corporate bank or financial institution.

‘What this space now provides is a real variety of spaces for everyone to be able to work – from casual and informal breakout spaces, through to serious meetings and open working areas where you can see across the entire business. It also means that staff visiting from the Group’s other locations in Manchester and Ewloe have adequate drop in spaces to collaborate and work.’

And this is absolutely key to the space. This is one business – and the design here allows that to happen. There is a real intelligence in the flow and connectivity, with materials, lighting levels and brilliant graphics used to intuitively and seamlessly connect different zones.

‘They were a great client – they really got it!’

Colin smiles. ‘There is a real alignment between the business and its space now. I also think – and no

offence to Acrylicize (who produced the amazing graphics here) – if you strip the brand stuff away, the space is still intuitive and functions in the way that we envisaged it would.

‘If we get that bit right – if we get the base right, the functions right, the principles right, the materials right…the art becomes a great way of promoting the brands. It’s not just a brand colour on the wall and a mission statement – it’s a piece of art.

‘We quite deliberately brought Acrylicize into the process early on. We wanted to express what is a really strong brand in the right way – advertising isn’t branding and we wanted to bring something that would really work for the space and for the business.’

‘We did a lot of work on this,’ Adam agrees. ‘The brands they have are really strong and the colours they use are really bright. When we put them on a page together, they really didn’t work with the look and feel images they had already picked out. This made them think about how they wanted the brand to be applied to the space. We were looking to create a space that wasn’t owned by any individual brand – we were trying to create a really collective space that was open to everyone. So, we moved away from the colours and back to the words – the values of the business.

‘All their brands are trying to make things as simple, honest, down to earth and upbeat as

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Case Study | MoneySupermarket

Above The agile space allows for interaction and collaboration Left Feature staircases offer easy movement between floors

possible for their customers – and this became the driving force behind the look of the space and our choice of materials. For example, when we looked at honest materials, we weren’t going to use anything that just replicated real materials – we’d use real timber.

‘Similarly, they liked the idea of the central space being totally open and approachable. They weren’t scared of a bit of mess or ‘organised chaos’ here.’

‘I really liked that about their business,’ Colin continues. ‘You really do feel as though you’ve walked into their ‘home’. They’re like that because their brands allows them to be – but the brand is like that because they are like they are. It’s a really nice balancing act.’

Balance is an extremely appropriate word to use here. There is a fantastic balance between focused workspaces, formal meeting areas and informal, collaborative areas. All flow seamlessly, subtly demarked by changes in material use and lighting levels. For example, teapoints make use of

72 | Mix 184 May 2018

All their brands are trying to make things as simple, open, approachable and honest as possible for their customers

timbers, lower lighting levels and feature exposed ceiling cut-outs, while the working floors benefit from amazing natural light and brilliant rubber floor tiles. The meeting suites on floors four and five are found in the farthest wing and, as Colin mentioned a little earlier, would be at home in any City bank HQ. Again, beautiful timbers, reduced lighting levels and smart furniture selections set the scene perfectly.

We can’t leave without talking about the central Acrylicize artwork. Colourful and dynamic, it’s also incredibly clever, with a multi-layered aesthetic, which reflects what the business stands for. The Acrylicize team achieved this aesthetic by literally and painstakingly ripping pieces off the wall.

If you hadn’t already guessed, we really like the new MoneySupermarket Group home. So do MoneySupermarket Group – and that, after all, is what really matters.

We’ll leave the final words to the client. ‘Our new London HQ offices at 1 Dean Street are a real game changer for everyone,’ Caoimhe Keogan, Chief People Officer, says. ‘The space has been designed in such a fantastic way that, regardless of which of our three brands you work in, there are numerous opportunities to collaborate and connect with one another. The space has been deliberately designed so it feels like a collaborative space for everyone. Wherever teams are based, it feels like you they are coming to our HQ office; and also feels like an office that anyone, regardless of their geographical location, can work in.’ w

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Case Study | Deliveroo

Perfect Delivery Maybe the greatest mark of a truly successful 21st century brand is its ability to shift from a noun to a verb. British technology company Deliveroo is very much a noun turned verb nowadays! ‘Hungry?

Why don’t we Deliveroo it?’

T

he business has recently collaborated with Unispace to develop a workplace design that would match its sensational growth – and ambitious future growth plans.

Strategy, design and delivery services have been completed by Unispace, who have created a dynamic new workplace for Deliveroo at its new central London location, overlooking the River Thames.

The brief was to create a flexible, fun workplace, which would connect the teams working at Deliveroo.

Just in case any of you have been stranded on a desert island for the past few years, Deliveroo is a British online food delivery company, founded in 2013 by Americans Will Shu and Greg Orlowski.

Based in London, it operates in over 150 cities in the UK, Europe, Australia, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, and Hong Kong.

Deliveroo works with some of the biggest chain restaurants across the UK, with the majority being available exclusively on the Deliveroo app along with thousands of independent restaurants.

The business topped Deloitte’s annual ranking of the UK’s fastest growing technology companies in November 2017.

Deliveroo has grown rapidly in the four years since it launched, outgrowing its offices, moving its growing teams into multiple new offices, and now wanting to consolidate those offices into a new 50,000 sq ft work hub.

The staff wanted the space to reflect their passion for food and create an environment that brought the brand to life, and allowed teams to work closely together in one space.

74 | Mix 184 May 2018

Fantastic array of collaborative spaces throughout

Mix 184 May 2018 | 75

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Case Study | Deliveroo

Deliveroo ultimately sought an environment that supports agile working and the collaborative nature of the company. As they are constantly hiring new, highly skilled staff, they wanted dynamic and varied work settings to encourage sharing – whether cross-departmentally or in the canteen at lunch.

The company employs more than 1,000 full-time staff and works with over 20,000 restaurants.

The firm is now looking to recruit 300 more tech engineers, who will be based in the new London hub. This is the first time the majority of Deliveroo’s office-based staff have been under one roof.

Maintaining the company culture of a start-up was important to the team, and the design of the River Building workplace provides a flexible space, enabling them to adapt to their ongoing evolution.

An immense floorplate of approximately 50,000 sq ft required the Unispace team to be considerate of connectivity between departments, generating movement throughout the space to prevent silos forming and allowing staff to make the most of

‘We wanted to create a fun, creative space and Unispace understood this from the outset of the pitch process,’ the Head of Facilities at Deliveroo says. ‘The resulting workplace is somewhere our team can come together and generate new ideas, helping us to grow and evolve.’

The aesthetic of the space takes cue from the Deliveroo branding as well as the company’s values. It is a fun but considered environment, which is bright, transformable and, most importantly, connects people. w

This Page Further examples of collaborative and breakout space - with staff wellbeing at the heart of everything

sweeping views over the Thames.

The space includes a central area where Deliveroo can hold team events and town hall meetings on their purpose-built ‘rooball pitch’.

The rubber sports floor spans 9m in length – coincidentally, the same distance the average adult kangaroo can jump!

The canteen area stretches along the entire width of the office, offering panoramic across the river, starting at Tower Bridge, past the Shard and Globe Theatre, toward the Tate Modern opposite. The canteen is very much at the heart of the workplace, with a social zone at its centre, then becoming quieter and more individual towards the perimeter.

Mix 184 May 2018 | 77

22 - 24 MAY 2018

Picture Credit: Walking City: © Ron Herron Archive. All Rights Reserved, DACS / Artimage 2017.

EVENT SCHEDULE

DESIGNING THE FUTURE. RESPECTING THE PAST. From creating fabrics to architecture, great design derives from being inspired by and understanding one’s own successes and failures, and those of others.

Please come and visit our showroom at Clerkenwell Design Week 2018 for outstanding design and creativity.

www.edgedesign.furniture Edge Design +44 (0) 20 7253 7277

First Floor I 21-22 I Great Sutton Street

sales@edgedesign.furniture 78 | Mix 184 May 2018

Clerkenwell I London I EC1V ODY

Review | Milan

Dieci dei Migliori As many of you will be aware, Milan's Salone del Mobile isn't small.

Therefore, we asked our friend and furniture specialist Matt Clarke from Umbrella to help us with our review. Ever the industrious improviser, Matt roped in a few brilliant minds from tp bennett and MCM to collate their 10 of the best from the fair.

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1. Moroso – Lilo Lilo is a fun, comfortable, well-crafted chair, designed by Patricia Urquiola and inspired by a combination of Scandinavian design and the 1950s.

Timeless ash timber frame, upholstered in new playful candy colours of pinks and mint green, and enveloping wings to the upper headrest, make this chair a dream to sit in. This particular model is still in prototype stage.

2. Gubi – CDC.1 Lounge Chair A simplistic armchair with a beautifully elegant timber base, CDC.1 offers a slightly reclined angle, resulting in an incredibly comfortable and supportive seating position – the modern day armchair reimagined.

3. Extremis – Bistroo The Bistroo from Extremis was another striking piece. Designed by Dirk Wynants, instead of sitting opposite each other, you sit side-by-side, watching the world go by. Stackable, colourful and with an assortment of accessories including coat hangers and tray tables, with its compact footprint we could see this on a balcony/terrace setting as well as in a café environment. The Bistroo certainly isn’t your average piece of outdoor furniture.

4. Kvadrat – Lila & Raas Crafted by design duo Doshi Levien for Kvadrat, Lila and Raas are vibrant upholstery textiles with an exceptional colour story. The fabric has a forgiving combination of 92% wool and 8% nylon that lends itself well to heavy use commercial environments. The fabric seemed to be everywhere in Milan, which speaks volumes for its popularity amongst product designers’ choice of finishes for new furniture shown this year.

5. Note Design Studio – Macka Chair The concept/narrative by Note Design Studio is beautiful. The Macka Chair’s simple form allows it to be used in a number of settings, whether it is an industrial office space or a boutique restaurant.

The chair’s subtle curves are ascetically pleasing to the eye, modest yet beautiful – the perfect hybrid of Italian and Scandinavian design. I cannot wait to use this chair on a future project.

Mix 184 May 2018 | 79

Drumback meeting chair Design: Martin Ballendat

Your Seating Companion.

Proud winner of the „Mixology task furniture product of the year 2017“ award.

For more information contact us at 07769 88 33 35 or visit www.viasit.co.uk

Review | Milan

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6. Offecct – Dune Offecct’s Dune, by Front, has the understated beauty of a breakout piece of furniture that would sit just as well in a reception setting. We liked the way the frame seamlessly rose from the underside of the ottoman to support the floating tables, which had a clever addition of USB power presented underneath the table. The function could be just as useful for team collaboration or as single occupancy for touchdown working.

10. Viccarbe – Burin Dining Table The Burin dining table by Patricia Urquiola for Viccarbe really stood out for us at this year’s show.

This table wouldn’t be out of place in either a residential setting or a commercial breakout space.

The striking silhouette of the base seems to melt from underneath the tabletop, creating a stunning profile. The table also offers a centrally managed power column that rises harmoniously from inside the base – a fantastic addition that will work perfectly for workplace environments.

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7. Magis – Bureaurama Stool Magis's Bureaurama stool, designed by Jerszey Seymour, was launched late last year in a splatter paint finish. It appealed then for its reduced form but it's now even cooler in the fluoro orange and electric blue shown at Salone. Very Memphis – and would look amazing in multiples. One of these is on the wish list.

8. Cassina 139 Cotone Chair Cassina’s 139 Cotone chair, designed by the Bouroullec brothers, was another standout in Milan. The purist design is timeless but it was the vibrant, intense, green anodised finish that I liked the most. I don’t think I’d ever tire of this chair.

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9. Another from Cassina…

Not sure what the style is here – they appeared to be evolved versions of the 1966 nesting tables and were perfect paired with Patricia Urquiola's new rounded Bowy sofa. Never thought I'd like plastic coffee tables – but these fully channelled the 1970s and are refreshingly different to the Scandinavian style natural finishes we're more familiar with.

Mix 184 May 2018 | 81

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Made

by Camira.

We design.

We spin.

We warp.

We weave.

We dye.

We mill.

We inspire.

We innovate.

We believe in low impact and high performance.

We make classic wool felt Blazer in 50 colourways.

www.camirafabrics.com 8 & 10 Brewhouse Yard, EC1V 4DG

22 - 24 MAY 2018

Preview | Clerkenwell Design Week

Celebrating its 9th year, Clerkenwell Design Week has firmly established itself as the UK’s leading independent design festival, annually attracting the cream of the international design community to ‘our’ little borough of London for three days of exciting events. The 2017 edit saw over 34,000 visitors and more than 300 exhibiting brands.

Integral to the festival, of course, are the showrooms – the residents – who partner with

CDW every year, providing the festival with a stimulating programme of events, seminars, talks, workshops and product launches. These participating showrooms include high-end furniture, lighting, kitchen and bathroom, flooring, surface and material brands. And despite reports to the contrary (oh those C’well fishwives will gossip), there are plenty of top brands returning this year.

Here’s our definitive guide to the best of ’em...

Photo: Philip Vile

Mix 184 May 2018 | 83

Preview | Clerkenwell Design Week

Photo: Philip Vile

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q During Clerkenwell Design Week, Elite’s open showroom provides visitors with the opportunity to view its latest products, including Progress Plus, an enhanced Sit/Stand desk, Alto Bench for agile working, Salto multi-purpose chairs and Bob, its newest bench stool. Elite’s designs are created to engage and cultivate users in environments that are continuously changing.

At Ocee Design’s showroom, artist and workplace consultant, Doug Shaw, takes you on your artistic journey to explain why it is important to sustain creativity in the workplace. Visit the virtual reality area, attend new RIBA CPD’s and relax on newly launched British and Scandinavian designed seating. Follow #OceeFreeArt to find original artwork hidden around Clerkenwell.

81-87 St John Street EC1M 4NQ

20 Old Street EC1V 9AB

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Tarkett and DESSO invite visitors to ‘Meet The Future Human’ at CDW18. The flooring specialists are enticing visitors with thought-provoking talks, virtual reality art workshops, live music and sneak previews of new products. Guest speakers include Caroline Till of FranklinTill, acclaimed futurologist Tom Cheesewright and a panel debate led by Katie Treggiden.

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23-25 Great Sutton St EC1V 0DN

Preview | Clerkenwell Design Week

Connection are specialists in developing innovative furniture and products that ‘Make space work’. CDW18 will see Connection showcase a total showroom redesign with new product development focused around collaborative and co-working spaces. The new showroom redesign will take you through a full sensory journey of the workspace through the application of intelligent products integrated with colour and material trends, wellbeing design and intuitive technology.

Great Sutton Street EC1V 0NA

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Visitors to Boss Design’s newly refurbished showroom will be guided through six ‘Habitats’ to be considered when creating high performing work environments. New launches include Mango – a personal workspace solution created with headspace in mind – and enhanced features for TP4, an innovative telephone booth collection.

Visitors can also appreciate the true flexibility of ATOM, Boss Design’s revolutionary furniture collection, designed by Simon Pengelly.

Having relocated to an impressive new showroom in Dallington Street in the heart of Clerkenwell, Bisley – the British storage specialist – is opening its doors to visitors of CDW18 for the first time as Clerkenwell residents. Industry friends, The Furniture Makers’ Company and Dirty Furniture magazine, will also be present over the three days in Bisley’s dedicated events space.

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32 Dallington Street EC1V 0BZ

7 Clerkenwell Road EC1M 5PA

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Forbo Flooring Systems will be flocking mad at this year’s CDW as it highlights the benefits of its hybrid flocked floor covering, Flotex. The showroom will be transformed into a unique, flocking art gallery experience, which will also display previews of a brand new Flotex range designed by Phillipe Starck.

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79 St John Street EC1M 4NR

At this year’s Clerkenwell Design Week, CBS will examine the theme of ‘inspiration’ through a series of workshops to inspire visitors to learn a new skill. They will also explore what inspires them to continually innovate in the design of industry firsts. Keep an eye on www. colebrookbossonsaunders.com as CBS confirm tutors.

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20 Clerkenwell Green EC1R 0DP

Allermuir designs contemporary furniture that defies expectations. The UK furniture brand has just opened a stunning bright new showroom off Charterhouse Street, so join them to celebrate in style. Allermuir is offering breakfast every morning and the afternoons will see a classic combination of soulful house music, curated by Ella Durston, paired with a carefully selected drinks menu.

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Fox and Knot Street EC1M 6AE

Mix 184 May 2018 | 85

Preview | Clerkenwell Design Week

During Clerkenwell Design Week, Bene will present STUDIO, a new modular workplace system blurring the line between personal and professional working environments. STUDIO designer Thomas Feichtner will be discussing its creation and development – and Bene will also host a panel of experts at the intersection of behavioural science and design to question how working environments will support our future needs.

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Visitors to Cosentino City London can discover the latest on-trend launches for the Silestone quartz and Dekton ultra-compact surfaces and explore their various architecture and design applications. Two striking installations will also be on show: ‘10 Layers’, a sculptural Silestone ping pong table designed by renowned architect Ron Arad and ‘mevo by fussstetter’, a versatile indoor/ outdoor kitchen concept featuring Dekton.

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47-53 St John Street EC1M 4AN

Gresham is a leading British designer and manufacturer of workplace furniture. Established in 1976, Gresham’s product portfolio includes a wide variety of soft seating, task chairs, desks, tables, screens and storage systems. The company manufactures products suitable for use in traditional office floors, teaching facilities, meeting rooms, reception spaces, breakout and hospitality zones.

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28-32 Old Street EC1V 9AB

65 Clerkenwell Road EC1R 5BL

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Koleksiyon is an international brand, producing design-led furniture and accessories for living and working environments. For CDW18 the newly refreshed flagship showroom will host events including: Challenge the Banal: Art by Finn Stone; Celebrating Biophilia with Plant Designs; Unbuilt – from ‘photo’ to ‘photo-realistic’; Clarus ‘Going for Gold’ A&D art competition.

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9 Brewhouse Yard EC1V 4JR

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Research is key to the Orangebox philosophy and, for CDW18, Creative Director Gerry Taylor will be discussing emerging cultural trends within the workplace – the subject of his new book, ‘That’s not a stick, that’s a log’. Orangebox will also be previewing two new products – Coze and Cubb 2.0, – while Eva designer Phil Hallett will be discussing the challenges of becoming a more environmentally considerate manufacturer and how this is shaping the company’s future design thinking.

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38 Northampton Road EC1R 0HU

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Flokk is hosting a series of activities, panel discussions, events and a new product launch from HÅG. Renowned globe makers, Bellerby & Co, will create a handmade giant globe in the pop-up studio, and the team will also be hosting a panel discussion with wellbeing specialists Wellworking, discussing what role movement plays in driving wellbeing and performance in the workplace.

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63 Central Street EC1V 3AF

SEE STUDIO BY BENE DURING CDW AT OUR CLERKENWELL SHOWROOM (47 – 53 ST. JOHN STREET, LONDON, EC1M 4AN)

22 - 24 MAY 2018

C R E AT I V I T Y I S N O T H I N G B U T A M I N D S E T F R E E

LG30

DESIGNERS & MANUFACTURERS OF WORKSPACE FURNITURE

www.gof.co.uk

Preview | Clerkenwell Design Week

D AVI SON H I GHLEY Davison Highley is a British furniture manufacturer known for producing upholstered furniture of the highest calibre. Join the business as it celebrates its new look showroom, previews new designs and displays its beautiful furniture collections. Find Davison Highley on the lower ground floor of 16 Brewhouse Yard, where its lovely outdoor area and expansive showroom will be open each day of the festival.

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16 Brewhouse Yard EC1V 4LJ

In recognition of becoming a founding member of the Well Living Lab, Milliken transform their showroom into a ‘wellness zone’ for CDW. Jeremy Myerson leads a panel debate on the future of wellness. There will be mindfulness writing workshops, drawing to soothe the mind with Liz Atkins, tea tasting and making with Herbal Hackney, whilst renowned artist Supermundane will create a mural. Milliken will also launch new collection, ‘Crafted Series’.

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5 Berry Street EC1V 0AA

Umbrella Furniture is curating a pop-up showroom entitled ‘Umbrella and Friends’ in partnership with Walter Knoll, Established & Sons, Hay, +Halle, Blå Station, Gubi, Republic of Fritz Hansen, Edsbyn, Verpan, Kvadrat and Mitab, to promote the best and latest products shown at this year’s Stockholm or Milan shows for the first time in London. Icons of Denmark will install a Grid pavilion as the main feature.

Umbrella will host a cultural talk with a keynote speaker and guest panel, live stream Q&A with an after-party and resident DJ until late. Drop by for free giveaways, BBQ, drinks or relax in our indoor garden created by architectural film partner ‘T6’.

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9 Brewhouse Yard EC1V 4JR 5

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rMorgan’s Clerkenwell showroom will celebrate the theme ‘The Art of Collaboration’. Join Morgan for a prestigious panel discussion, drinks, jazz and installation by artists Expanded Eye on Tuesday 22nd. Partake in an art workshop and hear from designers Innermost and Bang & Olufsen on Wednesday 23rd. Launches include additions to the Pimlico and Chevy collections.

1 Dallington Street EC1V 0BH

The Water Studio is hansgrohe’s hub of inspiration and this year the award-winning bathroom and kitchen specialist will be celebrating 25 years of AXOR at Clerkenwell Design Week.

Over the course of the week there will be a variety of events, including a new AXOR product launch to mark this special occasion. Visit hansgrohe to experience an artistic expression of water from the company ranked 6th in the IF Design Awards.

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12-16 Clerkenwell Road EC1M 5PQ

Interface will showcase how +Positive spaces need better products, make people happier and create a healthier planet as part of Clerkenwell Design Week. Showroom visitors can take part in thought-provoking discussions on marine plastics, led by National Geographic’s Paul Rose, how to repurpose waste into beautiful products, and get hands-on during design workshops involving Interface’s latest products.

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1 Northburgh St EC1V 0AL

Mix 184 May 2018 | 89

Preview | Clerkenwell Design Week

Verco is a family business, founded to design and manufacture high quality, imaginative and creative furniture solutions. Good design is about the right response to a brief. Verco’s approach tempers its wealth of experience and expertise with meeting the needs of its partners to create beautifully considered products. Join the team and experience the Verco difference.

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Kusch+Co is a leading manufacturer of high quality furniture. The company’s mission is to furnish contract environments with design-oriented seating and tables that excel in functionality.

Kusch will be launching some new and innovative products and finishes during CDW18. Visit the showroom and meet designer Norbert Geelen.

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48-50 St John Street EC1M 4DG

Clerkenwell House, 67 Clerkenwell Road EC1R 5BL

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Actiu is a global office furniture and seating manufacturer with headquarters in Alicante, Spain, and offices in major cities around the world. This is a year of celebrations for Actiu, who is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Its Technology Park factory complex is LEED platinum and becoming WELL certified, with its main features being flexibility, sustainability and design approach.

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28, Seward Street EC1V 3PA

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r Steelcase will be exhibiting its latest innovations

t Celebrating the revolution of ege’s principal

y Isomi will be celebrating Clerkenwell Design

at its showroom during Clerkenwell Design Week.

Series 1 a new task chair, developed at an accessible price point, while retaining first class ergonomics, will be unveiled. The innovative SilQ will also be on display; its high-performance polymer material gives it the ability to respond to natural movement, without the need for a series of mechanisms.

Highline Express collections, making the design carpet choice easier than ever before, ege invites visitors to become fully up-to-date with the latest carpet trends. Join inspirational showroom talks with Rikke Skytte, one of Denmark’s leading trend forecasters and Creative Lead with the Danish trend agency PEJ on Thursday 24 May at 12 noon or 2pm.

Week at their showroom at 1 Sans Walk, where they will be unveiling the brand new collection of modular storage systems, designed by Paul Crofts.

Assembled by Isomi is an innovative collection of highly flexible storage and display solutions, which have been designed to complement Isomi’s existing range of award-winning modular furniture solutions in metal, concrete and solid surface.

77-79 Farringdon Road EC1M 3JU

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13-16 Britton Street EC1M 5SX

1 Sans Walk EC1R 0LY

Studio Set, LVT gets very colourful.

Our new LVT collection, Studio Set, is all about colour.

With 12 shades to choose from – ranging from superbright to gently neutral.

Like our other LVT collections, Studio Set is the perfect fit with our modular carpet, use on its own or in combination to create +Postive spaces™.

Find out more about Studio Set at interface.com

PROGRESS PLUS O U R N E X T G E N E R AT I O N S I T- S TA N D D E S K I N G

ELITE OFFICE FURNITURE UK LTD

Elite_Furniture

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

Elite Office Furniture LTD

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

@EliteOfficeFurn eliteofficefurniture

Preview | Clerkenwell Design Week

Ultrafabrics will be opening its first UK showroom during Clerkenwell Design Week – and with it a whole new world of intelligent fabrics, innovation and creativity. Ultrafabrics is a progressive brand based on a hybrid of American and Japanese expertise. The one-of-a-kind fabrics combine Japanese craftsmanship with pioneering technology to offer transformative tactile experiences across a broad spectrum of industries.

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w What makes a house a home? Great design and fine ingredients are essential in creating innovative architecture, but a considered, bespoke approach is what elevates a project to the next level, unlocking the secret to inspirational residential space. Join Mosa and Grohe to reflect on the challenges and opportunities of contemporary housing design.

With an unrivalled pallet of finishes that moves through the entire portfolio, Alea delivers an aesthetic others aspire to. Even old standards have been revitalised to raise the bar in office design.

Possibly the highest showroom in Clerkenwell and with three terraces, it provides a great venue to stop and reflect on what is great about this fair.

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50-54 Clerkenwell Road EC1M 5PS

56-60 St John Street EC1M 4HG

6 Northburgh Street EC1V 0AY

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Designing the future. Respecting the Past. Edge looks forward to seeing visitors for its dynamic and stimulating programme of talks, CPD's and Design Workshops, plus ‘Phantom Architecture’ – an exhibition of plans and images of inspired and fantastical buildings from architectural history that were never built. #Tweetabeat party at 6pm Wed 23rd, product launches at 12 noon Thurs 24th

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First Floor, 21-22 Great Sutton Street EC1V 0DY

Senator’s tech-driven furniture would be at home in any office environment. After relocating its showroom to Charterhouse Square, Senator is adding a brand new seating studio in time for its first Clerkenwell Design Week. Join Senator for a tour of the new showroom to see its latest products and share in its legendary hospitality.

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25 Charterhouse Square EC1M 6AE

Come and visit the new Frövi showroom during Clerkenwell Design Week, where the company will be launching its brand new ranges of social space furniture. The focus this year is on inspiring customers by using a range of alternative materials, to create truly tailored furniture options – head to the fantastic St John’s Lane space to discover more.

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28 St John’s Lane EC1M 4BU

Mix 184 May 2018 | 93

Preview | Clerkenwell Design Week

q Yorkshire based furniture design and manufacturing company naughtone are preparing to showcase their newest and most comprehensive ranges of soft seating at this year's Clerkenwell Design Week. The naughtone team will be welcoming a variety of visitors through the doors to take a look at the new products on display, and to of course, to take a seat!

6 Bakers Yard EC1R 3DD

w The guys at Deadgood are pleased to announce the opening of their first permanent UK showroom and welcome visitors to experience their collection of ‘products with personality’ first-hand.

Sitting alongside classic designs from the catalogue will be a variety of new product launches, developed in-house and in collaboration with a selection of leading British designers. The Deadgood team are a happy and friendly bunch of folk who look forward to seeing you in this permanent new Clerkenwell home on Old Street.

Start your festival with a stop at Sven as it celebrates the first anniversary of its London Design Studio, reveal striking new additions to the Ligni furniture range, and ‘feel the difference’ of its beautiful new collections of tactile finishes.

Established in 1974, Sven is a British designer and manufacturer of high-quality classic and contemporary office furniture and workplace solutions.

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111 Charterhouse Street EC1M 6AW

46-48 Old Street EC1V 9AQ

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Forma 5’s guests will experience the very best in commercial office lighting, acoustics and ergonomic comfort. This is how all places of work should perform to stimulate employees to greater creativity in an environment that protects their long-term health. A light buffet and drinks will be available all day, everyday.

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14-18 Old Street EC1V 9BH

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Italian seating manufacturer Luxy displays the latest in contract and office seating over two floors in its showroom, new for 2018. The loft style space hosts unrivalled views across London and the three terraces host collections of outdoor furniture, including Ribelle stools and stacking chairs and Incollection tables.

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4th Floor, 50-54 Clerkenwell Road EC1M 5PS

Shaw Contract explores: sensory experience and wellbeing, designing healthy places and the process of product development. On 22nd and 23rd May, a series of special forums take place, as Shaw Contract partners with leading Stockholmbased design office Form Us with Love for the second instalment of Prototypa in London.

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Hub 33, 33 Great Sutton Street EC1V 0DX

OUR NEW SHOWROOM. SEEING IS BELIEVING. It’s a big statement and one we’re happy to stand by.

No matter the size or scale of your project, whether you require ready-to-go storage solutions or tailored and flexible workspaces, we have an extensive and high quality portfolio. Our new showroom will allow you to explore workplace trends and their impact on the latest designs, with that all important face-to-face expert guidance.

Visit our new Clerkenwell showroom this spring at 32 Dallington Street, London.

www.bisley.com

Helping you work better anywhere

22 - 24 MAY 2018

Frem Group Showroom 20-24 Kirby Street London EC1N 8TS www.frem.co.uk

Preview | Clerkenwell Design Week

Camira is giving an insight into the textile landscape, tracing the origin of its raw materials, through the processes of textile manufacturing to create the materials that transform our interiors.

‘From farm to fabric and everything in between’ is part of Made by Camira, telling the company’s story as the maker, designer and manufacturer.

Wool fabrics are displayed, including new colourways in the bestselling Blazer.

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Frem Group’s striking, contemporary Signature furniture collection will be showcased alongside the expanded Oasis range, Novus, and stunning new Impressions reception desk designs. Visitors can see for themselves the premium craftsmanship of the natural wood and metal Signature creations, experience an oasis of calm in Frem’s booths/pods and get a first look at the new receptions range, which is sure to impress.

8 & 10 Brewhouse Yard EC1V 4DG

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21-22 Great Sutton Street EC1V 0DY

The Vault, 8-11 St John’s Lane EC1M 4BF

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This collaboration of six companies creates a complete and integrated solution for office interiors. The Gallery features products from steel office furniture manufacturer Silverline, ergonomic office accessories supplier Ergo, upholstered seating producer sixteen3, desking and collaborative tables brand Tangent, task-seating manufacturer Comfort and commercial flooring company Marlings Surface Design. Aircharge provides the latest wireless charging solutions.

Join the team for a superb mix of activities that will whet the appetite of designers.

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20-24 Kirby Street EC1N 8TS

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ABL is excited to be launching its new London showroom at CDW18 with its partners at the Vault. Join the team for events and refreshments throughout the week, including speakers, demonstrations and competitions. Experience the exciting new range of Chroma Power Modules and be one of the first to receive the 2018 Catalogue.

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James Tobias Ltd has been providing organisations with optimum storage solutions for over 25 years. The company has a range of exciting new products on offer, including Fast Lockers, TeaPoints, railway carriages and student accommodation, and designs and manufactures all its products in-house. Its extensive product portfolio includes the ever-popular StorageWall range and an extensive range of lockers, as well as the EducationWall, MediaWall, Quebix, Partioning and Divide solutions.

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Lower Ground Floor, 8 St John’s Lane EC1M 4BF

The new Humanscale London showroom will be situated at 200 St John Street. The historic building, in the heart of Clerkenwell, will be transformed into a space that reflects health, wellbeing and hospitality. Humanscale will celebrate Clerkenwell Design Week with the legendary Humanscale closing party. The muchanticipated party has been reinvented for 2018 with a new venue and new style at the beautiful and iconic Barbican Conservatory.

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200 St John Street EC1V 4RN

Mix 184 May 2018 | 97

Preview | Clerkenwell Design Week

Created for the collaborative, Tangent’s enhanced Region Table is a perfect workspace solution. Long-lasting, rounded edge, Perfect Sense or Nano Tech Tops with wireless charging combine with a sturdy underframe, a complete cable managed system and attractive oak legs. A new design comes with internal racetrack style connections panel, making it a unique workspace furniture piece.

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TOTO celebrate the launch of their new WASHLET RX with a free daily exhibition of projects from around the world. Events include Talking Toilets on Tuesday 23 May, 12noon12.45pm, where you can find out how esteemed practice David Morley Architects used TOTO. On Wednesday 24 May 12noon -12.45pm, Bathing Rituals for Wellness celebrates the power of water and TOTO’s magnificent new Flotation Tub.

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The Gallery 21-22 Great Sutton Street

Get your creative on at Clerkenwell. Explore colour at the Altro showroom through fun origami and paper cutting activities. Learn how to use colour consciously for wellbeing with applied colour psychology practitioner Karen Haller (11AM-3PM).

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15 Clerkenwell Green EC1R 0DP

140-142 St John Street EC1V 4UA

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Come and discover Kiik, a new modular collection of seating, tables, ottomans and consoles, which creates moments for working, gathering or simply relaxation. Kiik, designed for Arper by Iwasaki Design Studio, has been created to address the needs of waiting rooms, university lounges, workspaces, meeting areas and mixeduse spaces. The showroom will also host the official CDW Bloggers Lounge.

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11 Clerkenwell Road EC1M 5PA

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Era has been trading for over 20 years, where it has evolved from a screen supplier into a bespoke UK manufacturer, best known for flexibility and service, with most success in agile working products, especially pods and booths. This year sees the launch of four new products to enhance the office and way we work; Carnival, Zen, Lily and Gemini.

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The Old Trading House, 15 Northburgh St EC1V 0JR

Havwoods have been inspiring architects and interior designers for well over 40 years. ‘We’re the people they turn to for beautiful wood flooring design,’ they tell us. ‘You’ll almost certainly have worked on one of our floors since they grace some of the best bars, coffee shops, hotels and restaurants across the world.’

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26-27 Great Sutton Street EC1V 0DS

Workplaces That Move You.

Function. Simplicity. Longevity. www.humanscale.com

BEST IN CL ASS. A NEW CL ASS. S TE E LCAS E S E R I E S™ 1 steelcase.eu/series1

©2018 Steelcase Inc. All rights reserved. Trademarks used herein are the property of Steelcase Inc. or of their respective owners.

Preview | Clerkenwell Design Week

Kvadrat Soft Cells offers high-performance acoustic panels, mounted on walls and ceilings.

The panels bring acoustic comfort, aesthetic excellence and tactile surfaces into any design scheme, providing a solution to the acoustic challenges of modern architecture, whilst promoting productivity. Sustainably designed and durable, Kvadrat Soft Cells frames are made with a minimum of 50% recycled aluminium.

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Decca proudly presents a mix of contemporary furniture in response to the changing requirements of the modern office. Decca collaborates with some of the world’s most renowned design professionals to create luxurious furniture for commercial, hospitality and residential interiors. During CDW18 you will have the opportunity to meet Erin Ruby, the New York-based designer of the Gait Collection.

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15 Great Sutton Street EC1V 0BX

At CDW18, Nomique Seating will be introducing ‘Worksphere’, a comprehensive solution for the agile workplace. Worksphere has been designed to combine the flexibility required to meet ever-evolving business needs whilst simultaneously empowering the individual to optimise their productivity and wellbeing.

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The Old Trading House, 15 Northburgh St EC1V 0JR

The Vault, 8-11 St John's Lane EC1M 4BF

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the Winglet collection, Bralco extends r CWithin 98% M 82% Y 35% K 27%

the ergonomic benefits of sit/stand tables from operational areas to managerial spaces and meeting rooms, together with options for breakout areas. Winglet is a collection of sit/stand tables available with many different option and functions: independent workstations, team workbench compositions, complete with easy adjustments of heights, ensuring perfect ergonomic positions.

104-110 Goswell Road EC1V7DH

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CDW18 will see the launch of Creatif’s brand new showroom at 79 Clerkenwell Road – a destination showcasing the company’s leading moving wall systems, acoustic solutions and brand new collection of workplace furniture, Effectif.

Creatif is also launching Seclusif – a new modular acoustic rooms, which will be on display during the show.

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79 Clerkenwell Road EC1R 5AR

Dieffebi S.p.A. presents the new Echo Locker collection, an innovative system of containers for personal but shared use with the new construction concept, which allows the integration of various aesthetic, technological and aggregation solutions, such as the inclusion of an integrated lighting system and practical USB ports to charge mobile devices.

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2nd floor, 104-110 Goswell Road EC1V 7DH

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Preview | Clerkenwell Design Week

Moroso reveals the visually stunning refresh of the London showroom during Clerkenwell Design Week. The iconic Italian contemporary furniture company will be showcasing its creative personality with highlights from their 2018 collection direct from the Milan furniture fair. Sign up for the design workshop, with an opportunity to win a Paper Planes chair on Wednesday 23 May, judged by the designers Doshi Levien.

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Domus is set to launch ‘Piano’ from Mutina at CDW18 and will also host a design talk (on the 24th at 1pm) entitled New & Emerging Tile Trends, with guest speaker Ronan Bouroullec. Domus' Senior Designer will discuss new and emerging tile trends and guest speaker Ronan Bouroullec will also talk through Piano, his new porcelain range for Mutina, designed with his brother Erwan.

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50 Great Sutton Street EC1V 0DF

7-15 Rosebery Avenue EC1R 4SP

From height-adjustable workstations and smart table programs, to acoustic furniture, quirky seating solutions and convenient add-ons, like power-boxes and monitor arms, ThinkingWorks furniture is designed to solve problems in the most beautiful, practical and sustainable of ways. Above all, ThinkingWorks is curious – because curiosity finds new ways. It strives for novel ideas and seeks out better solutions. Because life’s more fun when you’re curious!

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British Ceramic Tile is the UKs largest manufacturer of ceramic and glass tiles. Design and innovation are at the heart of everything the company does, with a service offer to match. The extensive product range covers ceramic, porcelain, and glass, with diverse range options across wall, floor and multiuse solutions, for domestic and commercial applications.

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Seward Street EC1V 3PA

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2018 is Casala’s 100th anniversary year and it also marks the opening of its new showroom in the heart of Clerkenwell. Casala recently acquired Palau, a premium producer of lounge furniture, acoustic solutions and modular seating systems, allowing it to broaden its product offering and strengthen its service.

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2 Sycamore Street EC1Y 0SF

Solus is one of the UK’s most established and experienced suppliers of porcelain, ceramic, glass, metal and natural stone tiles. Join them during CDW18 at their brand new specification showroom at 80 Clerkenwell Road and explore a host of innovative tiling materials in an inspirational design space. CDW sees the launch of many exciting new ranges and guests are invited to enjoy refreshments and entertainment everyday throughout the festival.

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80 Clerkenwell Road EC1M 5RJ

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Brand new collection launching at

22 - 24 MAY 2018

Assembled

An innovative collection of modular storage systems designed by Paul Crofts. +44 (0)20 7388 8599

info@isomi.com

www.isomi.com

Visit our Clerkenwell showroom 1 Sans Walk, London EC1

Roundtable

WELL GOOD

Eleanor McCallum, Associate, Aedas

Douglas Taylor-Saunders, Principal, Unispace

Benjamin Dudley, Design Director, The DSGN Studio

Eleanor’s 10-year career (thus far) has been split between the UK and Hong Kong. Her interest in people and their ways of working has afforded her a deep understanding of workplace environments across corporate and institutional sectors.

Eleanor brings an enthusiastic, hands-on approach as well as practical working

Douglas Taylor-Saunders is Principal, Design at Unispace, working across the Europe region. Doug joined Unispace's London studio having worked as an Associate Director, Project Leader and Workplace Commercial Lead across clients such as Land Securities, Derwent London, The Crown Estate and Diageo.

Benjamin Dudley is owner and creative Head of The DSGN Studio, a central London design & build agency that believes in the power of amazing spaces to inspire people, businesses and markets.

Ben has worked for leading architectural firms, design consultancies and construction businesses in the

knowledge to every project, with the goal of creating enabling, inspiring, evidencebased workplaces.

Netherlands, Italy and the UK, and has 15 years’ experience in the London commercial design & build industry.

Colin Owen, Creative Director, Maris

Gaynor Taylor, Partner, Mansfield Monk

Joelle Rygus, Senior Associate, Perkins+ Will

A tall, Northern perfectionist and one of the hardest working, passionate creatives there is, Colin absolutely loves design and has an innate drive to deliver the very best in every aspect of his life. He believes that office design has many interesting problems to solve, and he loves to push boundaries and disrupt things (in a positive way) to get the very best out of every project. He loves what he does. He eats clean, keeps fit and gets up very early in the morning to keep ahead of things, not least his three children. He’s quite a bit older and wiser than he looks!

An interior architect with over 20 years’ experience in commercial office design, Gaynor has worked with numerous prestigious clients to deliver projects in London and around the UK. A Director at Mansfield Monk since 2001, she applies a hands-on approach to projects, supporting clients from the initial feasibility stage through to site supervision and completion. With many clients moving to agile working, Gaynor sees the future of the workplace as both challenging and exciting.

Joelle’s 12 year interior design career has been built across Canada and the UK. She is currently a Senior Associate at Perkins+Will, leading projects from 7,000 – 425,000 sq ft across the UK and Europe.

With a background in hospitality and experiential design, and specialising in workplace design, Joelle is passionate about digging deep into organisations to understand what makes them tick.

For Joelle, developing strong client relationships, telling brand-based stories and creating unique journeys for every client keeps every day interesting.

Alistair Shove, modulyss Representing our sponsor, Alistair has been with modulyss as a commercial business manager for over a year and is excited about the company's direct entry into the UK market. He has over 10 years' experience in the A&D community, representing various well-known companies. Alistair's current focus is on the London design & build market.

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In association with

Roundtable

For our latest Round Table, in association with modulyss, we invaded the fantastic Material Lab to ask our panel of industry experts: What’s next for Health and Wellbeing?

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e do think that it seems a little odd to already be thinking about the next stage/future of Health and Wellbeing, when most business leaders are blissfully unaware of what it even entails. Specialists in the workplace sector are expected to be ahead of the game, so we began by asking what Health & Wellbeing actually means.

Ben: It’s about looking after both mind and body.

Douglas: It’s about being comfortable in your space. We design spaces for humans to interact with – and I still don’t understand people who design spaces that are uncomfortable to work in, where it’s too light, not light enough, too hot etc. If

you design spaces that are comfortable, with the right settings built in, you find that people want to be there and they work harder and better.

Joelle: It needs a holistic approach – that’s what the world is doing right now. It’s not just about the body – it’s also about the mind, the spirit…

Eleanor: That’s very true. It’s about balance. You can have a fantastic space but still be in a really toxic environment. There’s a crossover we have as workplace designers, where we’re crossing over with people’s housekeeping and their attitudes within their workplace. It’s a really interesting field.

There’s been a lot of change in the past 10 or so years – 10 years ago people were still talking about

ergonomic chairs as if it were a major consideration when it comes to wellbeing.

Ben: Even today you find people ‘banging on’ about sit/stand desks – it’s not really about that.

A workplace isn’t a place where we go to execute tasks – we can do that anywhere, we can go and sit in a café to do that. It’s about coming together and meeting people, it’s about collaborating and being creative – and you need comfortable settings to be able to do that. In our office, probably half is open plan, with different types of work settings. We’ve got desks – people do sit and work – but the major thing is that the lighting is right, the temperature is right, the settings are right. It is a comfortable environment. It feels like a working home to us.

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Colin: I think the word ‘home’ is actually incredibly relevant. I was on the train recently, looking at everyone, with miserable faces – like something from a Lowry painting – and I just thought about all these people, piling into London to get into an office. Why are they not happy about going into work? They spend more time in that office, at a desk, than they are at home with their kids. They haven’t got their work/life balance right at all. What we’re really starting to see now is workplaces that look and feel far more homely. They’re curated to look and feel like a home or a hotel – somewhere people are comfortable to be in.

Douglas: The wider picture of wellness goes beyond the workplace and the home – it’s also includes family, financial, spiritual…all these things influence the way you work. It’s about allowing you to have the capability to adjust your day, to have time with your family – if there is crèche, for example, you can bring your children in and share that load.

Colin: Everyone has different lifestyles and circumstances so it’s important to design a space that works for everybody.

Joelle: In the last five years there’s been a lot of talk about work/life balance and everything overlapping and coming together – and now people are realising that this isn’t very good for us after all. People aren’t being allowed to look after themselves. You’re ‘on’ all the time, you’re accessible everywhere, you’re expected to work 24-hours a day. You’re working at the airport before you fly somewhere and then you get to the office or you get home and do your emails. Bringing those touches of home into the workplace is a reaction to that – but we need to make sure that people take the time to detach and to focus on themselves and their wellbeing.

Alistair: The reason we at modulyss wanted to talk about this subject is because we brought out a CPD this year on wellbeing. It’s been really interesting for me and my colleagues to go out to architects and designers, predominantly, and also design and build firms.

We actually did a CPD this morning where the architect told us that his firm had been practicing this – wellbeing – for years and years. They’d been doing this in houses and workplaces for 30 years! Most people get it – and get the fact that the Government is very much behind it. You do hear a lot of buzzwords being banded around – presenteeism, absenteeism, biophilia, the seven principles of design – but actually all of this is really just about wellbeing.

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The wider picture of wellness goes beyond the workplace and the home – it’s also includes family, financial, spiritual…

Gaynor: For me, it’s about people being happy. If people are happy then they are actually going to be more productive, they’re likely to be healthier and they’re going to be more engaged at work.

Ben: We are the people who envisage the future and can actually change things and influence change. It’s up to us, sometimes, to tell clients that they are wrong. If you just say, yes, yes, yes all the time, you’re not doing your job properly.

We ask about the origins of wellbeing in the workplace. How long has it been something considered by designers and clients alike?

Gaynor: I’d say it’s been 10-15 years – and we’re talking about the simplistic idea of getting a chair and a desk right. People started to understand that posture was important – and employers started to notice that people were absent and understand why they were absent.

Colin: Today, when you go through a staff survey, they will complain about the air conditioning, the lighting, the noise – and also the chairs still. They say that their chair is really uncomfortable and that they have a sore back. Sore backs mean lawsuits – and lawsuits cost money. So, employers invest in good chairs. A lot of businesses are now realising that they are losing staff because of really stupid little things. At the same time, people will always find something they don’t like. This is their ‘home’ after all.

Douglas: A lot of it is that emotive human spirit of wanting to moan about stuff! A client once told me that, in their 40,000 sq ft office space, the biggest complaint was always temperature control and air conditioning. So he put in units throughout the space – which were actually digital duds! He taught everyone how to ‘use’ these units – and after a couple of weeks all the complaints stopped.

And absolutely nothing had changed.

In association with

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Roundtable

Joelle: It’s really interesting – that sense of agency in a person. People want to have their own autonomy and agency. Because we live in a knowledge-based economy nowadays and you’re basically just selling your ideas and not producing anything – we don’t really make stuff anymore – people want to be in the very best environment for that and will always complain about the really small things that stop them from doing that to the best of their ability.

Colin: Some people have every right to complain – because a lot of offices spaces are still terrible. They’re told to sit at a desk, do their work, they get paid however much a year, don’t even get an hour for lunch…because their employers just want the job done.

We’re actually quite lucky.

We all work in a market and tend to work with clients who are really intelligent.

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Roundtable

Ben: We’re actually quite lucky. We all work in a market and tend to work with clients who are really intelligent. We have clients talking about agility, wellbeing, all these good things, all the time.

Joelle: A lot of people like to think that they know what they’re talking about – but there is so much confusion out there. Some of the larger global clients we work with have really bought into it and this is now something that they are rolling out. And they’ve really bought into our ideas and the whole corporate responsibility element. Then there are other clients who need to be competitive in the marketplace and they hear these buzzwords and think ‘Let’s do something about that’. But what does that really mean? I’m not sure they understand what it means.

Everybody’s keen on those buzzwords – but I think there’s definitely some educating to be done.

Eleanor: Maybe they just don’t realise that they don’t know what they’re talking about! They say

Gaynor: I do think there is more of an awareness from clients now than there used to be – they might not necessarily know how to fix the problem, but they are aware that if they don’t do something then there could be a negative impact. They understand that there is a genuine business benefit from having a good

things such as ‘We’ll have a Foosball table’. Tell me how that’s enhancing your employee experience and keeping retention up.

office environment. They know that if they don’t have a good workplace, then they’re likely to lose a lot of their people.

Colin: I think there are three types of clients – the clients who simply don’t care about it at all and want you to just get in and get on with the job, then there’s the clients who need it because they are losing staff all the time – and then there’s the clients who put ‘Wellness’ at the top of the brief. They really want to do it. They have a really nice business and a really nice business owner who really cares about the staff.

They want their space to be amazing for their people.

Douglas: Clients are more aware – but the reality comes when they see the actual lineitem costs involved. They look at it and wonder what this is actually going to cost them – and are they likely to see the revenue come back to them through people working more efficiently, working better and being more healthy.

Eleanor: That’s really difficult to quantify.

Conclusion: Health and Wellbeing certainly continues to move up the agenda, with more and more clients – for genuine and not-so-genuine reasons – understanding the benefits that a comfortable workplace and a happy staff can bring. As Joelle mentioned, education is key – a lot of people want ‘in’ but don’t fully understand what that entails, how much it will cost and how big a leap it might be. You can’t do ‘a bit of wellbeing’ and expect a transformation in your business. As Micky Flanagan might say, you got to be in in! w

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SELECTIONS

Moduleo set to grow by 30% Moduleo is set to increase its product portfolio considerably in 2018 with the launch of many new designs. Building on the successful release of new Impress lines in 2017, Moduleo, which is part of the IVC Group, will launch new decors across its Transform and Select ranges, including new concretes, grey oaks and a selection of patterned tiles. The most noteworthy include Terrazzo and Cementine style tiles, bringing classically Italian and artisan styles into luxury vinyl flooring. Moduleo will showcase a selection of its new designs at this month's Clerkenwell Design Week. https://www.moduleo.co.uk/

Adobe’s creative solution from Style Creating a fluid environment to encourage collaborative working, partitioning experts, Style, have designed and delivered a highly innovative ‘working wall’ solution for Adobe’s new offices in Shoreditch. The cluster of individual sliding and pivoting wall panels can be used to create numerous spaces for impromptu meetings. Delivering further flexibility to the Adobe offices, Style installed a fully-automatic Skyfold vertical-rising partitioning wall capable of delivering 55dB acoustic privacy to divided areas, as well as a semi-automatic DORMA Moveo double-glazed operable wall. www.style-partitions.co.uk

How UNILIN Evola evolves A UNILIN Evola collection is impossible without inspiration and so the development team at UNILIN, division panels, is constantly on the hunt for originality and individuality, looking for new ways to make UNILIN Evola excel in aesthetic and textural integrity. The process begins at design fairs, where product manager Ann De Blanck looks for trends with staying power. Ann’s ultimate goal is to ensure the overall collection is stable, inspired by real life and captures an integrity and honesty in its approach. unilinpanels.com

INVISTA Antron carpet fibre continues to inspire designers with 19 new colours INVISTA Antron Lumena carpet fibre is favoured by carpet manufacturers for its design flexibility and assured performance across a broad range of commercial environments. Now, with 19 new colours for 2018, the carpet fibre is offering designers even more creative flexibility. With permanent stain and fade-resistance, Antron Lumena is solution-dyed, where the colour is part of the fibre’s molecular structure and so Antron works to make sure that the palette available to carpet designers is both commercially relevant and futureproof. www.antron.eu

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SELECTIONS

Maximum performance and incredible style, no matter what With vinyl planks, woven vinyl, broadloom carpet, shiny planks, modular carpet and matting, Quadrant can provide workspace designers with an unparalleled selection of flooring products; engineered to deliver maximum performance and always with incredible style. Introducing high-luxury with shiny planks and broadloom carpet into boardrooms and executive offices, stylish yet functional modular carpet into working areas and coordinated matting at doorways to keep everything looking fresh, almost anything is possible. www.quadmod.com

Street wise designs from Desso Tarkett has launched two Desso carpet collections inspired by urban outdoor environments – Street View and Street Tracks. Each collection is available in eight colours, allowing architects and designers to play with material effects to create an urban, industrial feel. Both collections can be used individually for a design statement, or together by marrying colours to create zoning. In line with Tarkett’s commitment to sustainability, both collections come with Desso EcoBase as the standard backing. www.desso.co.uk

Granorte showcases cork innovation at Ecobuild Granorte’s presence at this year’s Ecobuild exhibition has cemented its position as the UK’s most high-profile cork supplier, showcasing its innovative cork flooring and wall products to the UK construction and specification industry. Showcasing a range of cork-based surface products suitable for use in demanding commercial environments, the manufacturer demonstrated the potential of the material to transform interiors with a fresh aesthetic and remarkable performance. granorte.co.uk

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The Last Word | Opinion

SMART WORLD Driven by the politics and culture of time, our built environment evolves continually to support what we, as humans need, Emma Macleod, Associate Director at leading multi-disciplinary engineering consultancy, Hurley Palmer Flatt, tells us in the first instalment of a new residency.

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Emma Macleod is an Associate Director at leading multi-disciplinary engineering consultancy Hurley Palmer Flatt www.hurleypalmerflatt.com

quick glance at major cities’ skylines is often enough to gain an insight into its years of structural growth through the dominant architectural styles.

However, the next biggest game-changer in our cities will not come from the physicality of structures but how the users interact with the buildings.

As we move to an era of ‘Smart Buildings’, the true impact of technology will help to provide greater efficiencies for

technology moving at such tremendous pace, what is smart today could look quite dumb tomorrow.

It can all sound a little daunting. Data collection is a hot topic right now, with the concerns of Facebook/Cambridge Analytica selling data to third parties, as well as the new rules and regulations around GDPR that have come into play. It is perhaps a cruel irony that, at the very moment we can harness data collection as a progressive force for good, it is also most

occupants – and is already having an impact on the way we use them.

Newly built offices, schools, hospitals and apartment blocks are full of sensors that gather information that can be used to tailor the environments, making those buildings more comfortable, efficient, sustainable and affordable.

But it is not just data garnered from the building envelope itself that can help improve productivity and increase efficiency. By harnessing that, delivered through the Internet of Things (IoT), wearable technology, IT and OT systems and cloud computing, our smart buildings are able to digest information from its users. The collection and analysis of data in a workplace environment has the potential to make not only the building work more efficiently but also its workforce.

Through specific control of environment, the real estate team can provide the optimum working conditions for an individual – and by doing so could help support inclusivity in the workplace and using such smart technology could have an active hand in attracting the next generation of workers to that firm.

By 2050 it is estimated that 60% of today’s buildings will still exist, accounting for as much as 45% of total floor space.

With those figures in mind, it is easy to understand just how important it is for managers to actively look into future proofing their assets. But where, in the past, managers might have focused on longevity, the onus is now on fitness for purpose, rapid developments in technology and selecting those materials used to allow for a reduced lifespan.

Commercial office blocks in the centre of most major cities face refurbishment and fit-out every few years – be it at the end of a tenancy or at the behest of the board. These offer the perfect opportunity to introduce the latest smart systems and materials with a note of caution. In a Tesla world, no one wants to be stuck with a clapped out diesel! But the level of that change will depend on just how ‘smart’ an asset is and, with

feared. Which is why it is more important than ever for our cities to develop smart strategies. Challenges such as security, data protection, ownership, compatibility and future proofing, need to be addressed so that we can maximise the many benefits at our digital fingertips.

It is more important than ever that we understand how a smart lifestyle can help individuals, the organisations of which we are part and ultimately create efficient, effective and sustainable cities.

In developed countries, we have been eased into this world of smart thinking with relative ease, through social media platforms and phone apps for so many elements of our lives. We live in a connected world and the increased use of similar technology in the places where we work will allow the seamless integration of aspects of our lives. Not so that we work more but so we are empowered to work to the best of our ability, in the correct environment at the right time.

Our smart homes, buildings and cities must offer solutions specific to the needs of their users and our digital footprint will be as unique as our fingerprint. If we consider our ‘Smart Day’ with our data collection starting at home, as we travel to work, in the office, in the café at lunchtime and in the gym or pub after work, it is easy to see how we can build up a picture of our lifestyles and what we need and when – and the power of smart means that we can achieve this. As we shift to a ‘one click nation’, managing everything from our finance to retail and commuting habits, in theory everything becomes easier.

Our population is increasing and our cities are becoming more densely occupied, which brings with it an inevitable strain on various aspects of our cities and how we operate.

A smart strategy offers a solution to energy supply and infrastructure, water management, carbon emissions, densification and transport. We can’t make our cities bigger, so we must make them smarter. w

T: 0161 402 3340 E: hello@opus-4.com W: www.opus-4.com

vSmart* Designed for Real People

*Life isn’t perfect,

but at least your chair could be.

+44 (0) 1494 448 000

www.verco.co.uk

The Reach Arm has now been awarded FIRA’s prestigious Ergonomics Excellence Award for the standard 2-5kg option and the new ReachHD (Heavy Duty) 3-9kg option.

It also features a new universal C clamp which includes a top mount fixing clamp as standard and a split clamp for space limited applications.

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2-5kg and 3-9kg Options

Cable Management

180o Lockout

Top Fixing and Split C clamp

Head Office

London Showroom

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