Mix Interiors 198 - October 2019

Mix Interiors 198

October 2019

INSIDE 78

UPFRONT 8

86

Seven 21 Steve Gale 22 Perspective 24 Material Matters 27 Deser t Island Desks 28 Proper t y Insight 30

SPOTLIGHT 39 The Big Question 41 Coworking 42

ROUNDTABLE 62 39

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CASE STUDIES 68

Origin, Manchester 68 Office Space in Town, London 78

62 104 94

MIXINSPIRED RE VIEW 86 RE VIEW 94

London Design Festival 94

L AST WORD 104 Criteo's Head of Workplace E xperience, Mike Walley

24 Mix 198 October 2019 | 1

Upfront | Welcome

GET IN TOUCH Editor Mick Jordan mick@wearemixgroup.com Managing Director Martin Mongan martin@wearemixgroup.com Director David Smalley david@wearemixgroup.com

A WORD FROM MICK A couple of days ago, I awoke to the sounds of waves hitting sand and gentle breeze ruffling palm trees (the normal sounds of the Essex Riviera), and thought about the day ahead: London, meetings, lunch, meetings, drinks…

While getting myself ready, I considered what I’d need for the day and which gadgets and bits of kit I should be charging. To my own astonishment, I ended up charging EIGHT different things. EIGHT! I’m not even that much of a gadget man – or at least I didn’t consider myself one.

Yet here I was, with two full four-bars, charging phone, laptop, AirPods, electric toothbrush, vape thingy, hair clippers, wireless speaker and back-up charging unit… I’m surprised Essex didn’t have a power shutdown!

So, I made a decision. While there are, obviously, items here that I can’t function without (or at least do my job properly without), this is slightly ridiculous (from an electricity usage point alone) and I should cut out all the non-essential things.

So I unplugged the back-up charger. Everything else now had full charge anyway.

Speaking of fully charged, the team has been working tirelessly on our second Mix Design Collective (3rd-5th December, Hilton Deansgate, Manchester), where nine leading design practices will collaborate with world-class product partners to design experiences within workplace, hospitality and living settings. Bigger and better for 2019, MDC will be a not-to-be-missed event – so don’t miss out. If you haven’t already, register now at www.mixdesigncollective.co.uk – it costs you nowt!

Finally, let me alert you to the first of a new triannual Mix initiative, which is a seies of boundin supplements. The first looks at the world of hospitality – and you'll find it after p16. Enjoy.

2 | Mix 198 October 2019

THE COVER The logo Shadowy letters of the logo respond to dramatic photographic lighting effects; accentuating subtle curves and the simplicity of the chair design, which was inspired by designer Mart Stam’s first cantilever chair from the Bauhaus movement in the 1920’s. www.squireandpartners.com

Business Development Manager Gary Williams gary@wearemixgroup.com Designer Tammi Bell tamzin@wearemixgroup.com Editorial Executive Chloe Petersen Snell chloe@wearemixgroup.com Head of Events Julie Young julie@wearemixgroup.com

The cover It’s almost a century since Marcel Breuer introduced the very first cantilever chair. Imagine, a chair made of bent steel and without any back legs – described as like ‘bouncing on a cushion of air’ back in the day. Brunner’s award winning, market leading ‘RAY’ cantilever chair immaculately re-imagines Breuer’s original invention.

Courtesy of Brunner

Mix Interiors 197

Business Development Manager Kate Borastero kate@wearemixgroup.com

September 2019

Events Hester Talbot, Georgia Bone, Natasha Nelson Owner Marcie Incarico marcie@wearemixgroup.com Founding Publisher Henry Pugh Contributors Steve Gale David Thame Mike Walley Address 85 Greengate, Manchester M3 7NA Telephone 0161 519 4850

GET YOUR OWN! To ensure that a regular copy of Mix Interiors reaches you or to request back issues, please call 0161 519 4850 or e-mail: natasha@wearemixgroup.com Annual subscription charges: UK single £45.50, Europe £135 (airmail), Outside Europe £165 (airmail)

e-mail editorial@wearemixgroup.com Website www.mixinteriors.com Twitter @mixinteriors Instagram @mix.interiors LinkedIn Mix Interiors

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Thursday 5 December 2019 Manchester Central

GET YOUR TICKETS

DON’T MISS OUT ON THE PARTY OF THE YEAR Last few tables remaining To book your tickets:

www.mixology-awards.com

hester@wearemixgroup.com 0161 519 4850

Upfront |

Mix Design Collective is a three-day immersive design event taking place from the 3-5 December in Manchester, featuring nine curated experiences from leading design practices.

Showcasing the very best in international product design for workplace, hospitality and living, alongside a packed programme of informative and thought-provoking talks and workshops, Mix Design Collective is the biggest celebration of commercial interiors in the North.

While the final concepts are under wraps until the show opens in December, we spoke to the designers about what they have in store for attendees.

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BDP Needing little introduction, BDP are an internationally acclaimed design practice currently involved in a huge variety of projects across several sectors, including the Palace of Westminster refurbishment, and continued work with PwC across their UK portfolio. We spoke to interior designer, Luke Kobolm, about their inspiration for the LEARN experience.

'As curators of the LEARN experience at Mix Design Collective, BDP have been inspired by the psychological link between learning and memory – learning as an acquisition of skill or knowledge, and memory of the expression you’ve acquired. The BDP LEARN experience is a representation of designing a memorable space for learning.'

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3 1. Abstract design 2. Inspired colour scheme 3. BuzziSpark sofa 4. Interface moodboard

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Why are you getting involved in Mix Design Collective?

'BDP has a long history of working with Mix Interiors and has had great success in the Mixology awards – winning seven awards to date! BDP is re-establishing itself as leading interior design firm in Manchester and the North, with a growing design team and some excellent new completions and commissions. Mix Design Collective is a great opportunity for us to showcase our skills and have fun!'

How can design facilitate the learning experience?

'The workplace learning environments share a great deal of similar issues and needs. We work and learn in both. In the learning environment there is perhaps an even greater need for flexibility and agility. The need for multiple use, hackable spaces and a variety of work settings is something the workplace is picking up on as new generations join that environment and expect a level of agility and freedom of where and how to work.'

Mix Design Collective Lead Designers Luke Kolbohm, Interior Designer, BDP Manchester.

Working predominantly on the PwC account, Luke was involved in the design of their award-winning Manchester office and their new Birmingham office, which is currently on site. He is currently leading the interior design on projects with Manchester Metropolitan University and Sheffield Hallam.

Justine Hall, Senior Interior Designer, BDP London In her five years at BDP, Justine has been involved in work for AstraZeneca’s new European R&D and HQ building in Cambridge as well as a number of PwC projects.

Product Partners Interface, Allsfär, Kettal, TopBrewer, Oasis Plants, Workplace Fabric

8 | Mix 198 October 2019

Upfront |

SHEILA BIRD Sheila Bird Studio is a hugely-respected and energetic practice based in Manchester, creating some of the best and most innovative projects in and around the city over the past 30 years. Constantly surprising and delighting clients with exciting and bold spaces, the practice lives and breathes its motto, 'love what you do'.

At the moment, Sheila Bird Studio is working on the Circle Square project in Manchester – with huge projection mapped wall and stairway, and a sustainable food outlet, which even grows its own food on site!

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1 2 What was your inspiration for the HEART SPACE experience?

'Our inspiration for this project has been mazes, cages and secret enclosures. We wanted to get involved with Mix Design Collective to collaborate with some brilliant furniture makers and product designers. It has been a fantastic opportunity to support an event that celebrates great design.'

Product Partners Parkside, Soundtect, Casa Ceramica, Camira, Sixteen3, Bancroft, SBFI

Lead Designers

What’s the quirkiest thing you’ve been asked to put in a project? 'That’s a long list! A cannabis farm, dancing pole in reception, a selfie tunnel and a love tunnel – for starters!'

What do you think the current trends are in the world of interiors, and what do you think the trends will be for 2020?

'Current trends include openness, industrial chic, biophilia. Looking forward, more flexibility, personalisation and increasing crosspollination of typologies.'

What role do good materials play within the world of commercial interior design?

'Good materials are very important. They stimulate all the senses and are essential for the overall ambience and character – they can affect our mood significantly.'

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Jon Humphreys (right), Creative Director.

After studying architecture, Jon pursued a career in branding and media, first working in the emerging digital industry. In 2006 he co-founded The Neighbourhood, a creative design studio delivering brand, moving image, CGI and digital solutions for a wide variety of clients across the globe. In 2019 he joined forces with Atul Bansal (left) at Sheila Bird to continue their shared passion for developing branded spatial experiences that influence working cultures.

6 1. Sixteen3 Calvert drawing 2. Maze inspired HEART SPACE 3. Camira Yoredale Fabrics 4. Plants will be supplied by Urban Planters 5. Hue by Naughtone 6. Parkside 'Greenwich Green' and 'Paddinton Pink' tiles

Mix 198 October 2019 | 9

Upfront |

BASHA-FRANKLIN Mix Design Collective Lead Designer

Basha-Franklin are an award-winning design practice, delivering amazing spaces since 2007.

Experts in commercial and residential interiors, the practice are currently designing a high-end residential interior at the new Herzog and de Meuron development in Canary Wharf.

'The interior spaces connect with the architecture and waterside location. It’s been a great opportunity to develop our interest in craft and ideas about lasting design,' said Olivia Hrvojevic, Associate at Basha-Franklin. 'Several bespoke elements are being developed to explore pattern and materiality. This includes a patterned stone floor finish, a smoked reeded glass screen and custom marble bathroom fittings.'

What has been the inspiration for the LIVING experience at Mix Design Collective?

'Our design is inspired by the rise of emotional design and interest in craft. It explores how spaces can be layered to create a deeper sense of emotional

Olivia Hrvojevic, Associate Olivia is creative, strategic and technically capable in equal measure.

She has design, team leadership and project delivery experience drawn from working across a broad range of sectors including workplace, education, healthcare, civic, cultural and retail design in both Australia and the UK. Her principle goal is to create spaces that make the most of every opportunity to achieve a high-quality user experience.

Her passion for design and pragmatic approach sees an unwavering commitment to maintain design vision and integrity through all project stages.

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connection. In response to digital fatigue and global homogenisation, our design explores a desire for the unique, for character and depth.

'Getting involved with Mix Design Collective is a great opportunity to collaborate with design partners old and new, to creatively respond to the theme of LIVING, and to engage with the Northern A&D community and property market.'

What are the current trends in the world of commercial interiors?

'Alongside a focus on wellbeing, there’s been significant growth in the global craft economy. As more people embrace creative activity as a way to switch off and relax, there is a renewed appreciation and desire for handcrafted, bespoke and unique finishes and products.

'Looking forward, sustainability is at the forefront of our minds, and we see a growing need for sustainable materials with a circular life cycle – particularly the further development of plant-based materials, such as vegan leather.'

What kind of role do materials and emotional design play in a living space?

'Materials and emotional design influence how we respond and connect with any environment.

Simplicity of design, natural materials and warm lighting create a feeling of calm. Nostalgia often evokes feelings of happiness, love and joy, typically people remember positive experiences that are unlikely to recur. Interestingly, people who use home automation technology are better able to visualise their homes and have a stronger emotional connection to them. Materials and emotional design are a powerful way to evoke all kinds of emotional response from a space. In our experience, highquality spaces make people feel valued.'

10 | Mix 198 October 2019

2 3 4 1. Forbo Flooring 2. Vitra Compas Direction & Fauteuil Direction 3. Mello pendants from Delta Light 4. Earth Anatomy from MWC Group

Product Partners Vitra, Forbo, Deltalight, PTS Tech, Earth Anatomy, Formigari

Mix Design Collective is free of charge for architects, designers, manufacturers, end-users, business leaders and those involved in commercial property and construction.

Registration essential, please visit www.mixdesigncollective.co.uk

ray soft The softer side of ‘Ray Collection’, ‘Ray Soft’ utilises 3 shell heights across 5 frame options, thus providing huge versatility for a wide range of settings.

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Upfront |

AFH WEALTH APPOINTS BLUEPRINT INTERIORS FOR NEW BIRMINGHAM OFFICE

▲ AFH Wealth Management, Birmingham office

AFH Wealth Management has recently opened a new office in Bank House on Cherry Street in Birmingham, appointing workplace consultants Blueprint Interiors to complete the interior fit-out.

As an expanding firm that prides itself on the technical excellence of its advisers, AFH wanted a particular standard of fit-out that reflected the values, quality and integrity of the firm, and Blueprint Interiors was selected to help achieve this. AFH was keen to move away from a traditional open plan office, whilst also maximising capacity and space usage to encourage collaborative working.

The new workspace had already been equipped with the basics expected of a leased office but needed the company’s own personality to be

for staff and clients. Commenting on the completed project, Stacey Costar, Head of Operations, said: ‘At Bank House we wanted a unique space for our advisers and support team to work, as well as an environment that enabled and encouraged team members from the Bromsgrove office to hot desk and arrange meetings with clients in Birmingham.

‘Blueprint Interiors listened carefully to our brief and have delivered on all counts. Prior to going ahead, we were provided with floorplans, furniture specifications, a 3D walkthrough, material boards and the opportunity to see design in action. We are very proud of our new offices.

'The space has been utilised really well, with everything fitting together and spaced out perfectly.

reflected through the furnishings and décor, resulting in a space designed to encourage and inspire thought leadership whilst providing a welcoming feel

Our offices now positively reflect our values and enhance the client and employee experience of our brand.’ w

◀ ▼Assman showroom

ASSMAN SHOWROOM LAUNCH German furniture brand Assmann have recently opened a new showroom at 39 Spring Gardens, Manchester, in the heart of the city’s business district. The Design Studio is the third UK showroom to open after London and Glasgow, marking Assmann’s significant belief and investment in its future in the UK. The showroom operates an opendoor policy to the industry – from designers and dealers, though to end users, design and build firms and suppliers.

Showcasing Assmann’s latest designs and bestselling products alongside close partners such as

Interstuhl, Friends of Wilson, Vantage Spaces, Profim and Dataflex, the showroom also welcomes their customers to use the space for their own meetings, design collaborations, events and product viewings. Customers can visit for inspiration, to hold a meeting in the showroom’s conference room, or to attend the latest events, held regularly in the space.

Aptly named ‘The Spring Gardens Design Studio’, the 4,500 sq ft showroom is a space to inspire and motivate. The official showroom launch will take place on 17 October. To RSVP please contact Julie at julie@wearemixgroup.com or call 0161 519 4850.w

▲ Assmann showroom

Mix 198 October 2019 | 13

Upfront |

QUEEN’S AWARD FOR WILLMOTT DIXON

▲ Bruntwood CEO Chris Oglesby, Cllr Andrew Western, Bruntwood Regional Director, Andrew Cooke

BRUNTWOOD WORKS GOES SHOPPING Just as we were poised to ‘push the button’ and send this issue off to print, we received a call from our friends at Bruntwood, telling us about a massive and exciting breaking property story. Stop the press!

Trafford Council and Bruntwood Works have finalised a £50million property deal, which will provide a huge boost to the borough’s regeneration.

The joint venture will see the acquisition of Stretford Mall as well as Altrincham’s Stamford Quarter Shopping Centre and Clarendon House, more than doubling Bruntwood Works’ retail and leisure portfolio.

The Stretford Mall purchase will act as a catalyst for further investment and regeneration of the town, while Stamford Quarter’s acquisition will allow the award-winning Altrincham High Street to continue to thrive.

This announcement also strengthens Trafford Council’s long-standing working relationship with the wider Bruntwood Group, with millions of pounds already being invested in the borough’s town centres to date.w

Willmott Dixon has recently been recognised for its contribution to reducing greenhouse gases.

HM The Queen’s representative for Hertfordshire visited the company’s Letchworth Garden City head office to present a second Queen’s Award for Enterprise for sustainable development to Willmott Dixon in recognition of how it is reducing the environmental impact of its own activities and those in its supply chain. These sustainable achievements include reducing carbon emissions by 59% since 2010 cutting construction waste intensity by 57% since 2012 and being carbon neutral for the 6th year running.

The company has a long track-record for environmentally friendly, low-energy buildings.

Following completion of the Passivhaus certified George Davies Centre for the University of Leicester, Willmott Dixon applied this expertise to Harris Academy in Sutton – the first secondary

This latest recognition by the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise follows a first award in 2014 for sustainable development and then, in 2018, the company won an accolade for Promoting Opportunity. To mark the Queen’s Awards hat-trick, the Lord-Lieutenant of Hertfordshire presented a scroll to Willmott Dixon Chief Executive, Rick Willmott, with a message from HM The Queen.

‘This week’s UN Climate Action Summit was a timely reminder of the urgent action needed to tackle the affects we are seeing of global warming,’ Rick commented.

‘The last four years were the four hottest on record, and the impacts of climate change are being felt everywhere with real consequences on people’s lives. Today’s presentation of our third Queen’s Award for Enterprise will act as a further catalyst for how we set ourselves even more challenging science-based carbon

school in the UK to be built to Passivhaus standards, achieving 0.30 air changes per hour within a building of over 10,000 sq m.

targets, which will place us on a trajectory to be a zero emissions – or even carbon positive – business by 2050.’w

▼ Lord-Lieutenant of Hertfordshire presenting a scroll to Willmott Dixon Chief Executive, Rick Willmott

TARKETT RECOGNISED FOR ITS COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES

▲The Tarkett team

14 | Mix 198 October 2019

Meanwhile, Tarkett has been recognised for its commitment to the environment at the Willmott Dixon Better Together Supply Chain Awards, acknowledging partners who work with Willmott Dixon to deliver sustainable initiatives across its project portfolio.

Committed to ‘Doing Good. Together’, Tarkett’s has an eco-innovation strategy that is based on Cradle to Cradle principles and promotes the circular economy, with the ultimate goal of contributing to people’s health and wellbeing, and preserving natural capital.

One of the key reasons Tarkett was chosen as the winner for the award was for its Restart

Programme. The initiative is dedicated to the collection of post-installation and post-consumer flooring, with the aim of recycling and reusing it as a new resource.

Simon Rogers, Marketing Director at Tarkett, commented: ‘Our aim is to create a future for all, where people and the planet prosper. To achieve this, we have developed a circular economy methodology whereby we responsibly source materials, combat global warming and improve indoor air quality and wellbeing through our products. Being recognised for our commitment to sustainable practices highlights the good we are doing and our positive impact on the environment.’w

Newback Design: Martin Ballendat

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Upfront |

HISTORIC MANCHESTER BUILDING SET FOR 1920S TRANSFORMATION Landmark Manchester building, Blackfriars House, is set to undergo a major transformation as part of Bruntwood Works’ £50m Pioneer refurbishment project.

With a nod to the building’s rich heritage, the new ground floor lounge area will have a 1920s feel with coworking areas, meeting spaces and quiet concentration zones all designed with the iconic era in mind, inspired by the building’s rich industrial heritage.

Ciara Keeling, CEO of Bruntwood Works, said: ‘This is an incredibly exciting time for us as we continue to roll out our Pioneer programme across our portfolio, improving facilities and

workspace and everything in between. Adding different types of spaces to Blackfriars will allow customers to access everything under one roof and flex within the building as their needs change.’

The refurbishment is part of Bruntwood Works’ Pioneer project, which focuses on providing innovative environments with the ‘wow’ factor.

The programme focuses on enhancing six key themes across its buildings, from technology and sustainability to biophilia, wellbeing, amenity and art. It also highlights Bruntwood Works’ commitment to creating connected communities within its regions, helping customers to build

offering next-level service to customers. As well as new workspace, the transformation – designed by architects MgMaStudio and fit-out specialists DragonFly – will bring an enhanced environment with a true focus on wellbeing and collaboration.

‘Our Pioneer buildings offer a full range of space, from meeting rooms to full floors of

strong networks across neighbouring buildings to fuel growth.

It will be rolled out at selected buildings across Bruntwood Works’ regional portfolio, which consists of £937 million of assets across Manchester, Cheshire, Liverpool, Leeds and Birmingham. w ▼ Blackfriars House, Manchester

▲ N02 Recycle

RECYCLE LANE N02 Recycle, a new, all-purpose chair from made from 100% upcycled plastic, household waste is Fritz Hansen’s first chair produced in coloured, recycled polypropylene. The chair’s shell is made of circular plastic, meaning it is made of recycled plastic that can be recycled again if necessary.

The stackable chair is designed in collaboration with Japanese studio nendo, inspired by a simple crease of paper on the designer’s worktable. The folded paper translated into a crease in the chair’s shell that supports the sitter’s upper and lower back.

‘The fact that the material is constructed from everyday recycled plastic creates an extra connection between the user and the chair. It’s an accessible design made for everyday use and made from everyday recycled, household plastics,’ said Oki Sato of nendo.

Christian Andresen, Head of Design at Fritz Hansen, commented: ‘We wanted to do a versatile, plastic, stacking chair in recycled materials.

Collaborating with studio nendo meant the design would be simple and elegant, a really nice blend of Scandinavian and Japanese aesthetics.’w

16 | Mix 198 October 2019

Upfront |

MAKING A SPLASH Award-winning regeneration company Urban Splash has unveiled 100,000 sq ft of speculative Grade I listed workspace at Royal William Yard in Plymouth – one of the final commercial spaces to be created at the waterfront scheme.

Ranging from just 300 to 100,000 sq ft, they offer a range of commercial options for national operators looking for a regional base as well as regional startups in Plymouth and the South West. A 9,000 sq ft pre-let with Everyman has already been confirmed, with the national cinema operator recently securing planning for the space.

Emily Handslip, Commercial Director at Urban Splash, who has overseen the commercial evolution of the Yard in the past 15 years, explained: ‘Royal William Yard has been transformed from a derelict, disused former naval site into what is now a thriving, award-winning commercial hub.

‘It is an entirely unique commercial setting, with workspaces sensitively carved out of a Grade I

◀ ▲ Royal William Yard, Plymouth

listed structure rarely rivalled in the UK commercial market. It is also the last opportunity for office occupiers looking for a chance to locate their business here; we’ll be offering well-designed space by RIBA award winning architects, featuring workspaces packed with original architectural features.’

The new spaces will be available for occupancy from 2020; typical to the Urban Splash portfolio they will offer flexible options, with short form leases available. Emily added: ‘Each business has its own requirements and that is why our model has proven to be so popular here at the Yard – and across the country.’ w

ANOTHER BUMPER YEAR FOR TP BENNETT tp bennett has reported another year of growth.

In its financial year ending March 2019, turnover increased from £29.7million to £31.9million, with profits before tax increasing to £8.4million.

It was another successful year for the awardwinning practice, with a continuing strong UK portfolio as well as a significant increase in international work and ongoing investments in both technology and people.

Providing architecture, interiors and town planning across its core sectors of residential, commercial offices, student accommodation, hotels and mixed-use, the practice has delivered projects internationally, including Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the United States. Testament to the breadth and experience across the practice, in 2018

tp bennett was awarded the Best Interior Design Project over £1m at the Northern Design Awards, for CBRE’s offices in Manchester. The practice also won the Thames Valley Property Business Park Innovation Award for Arlington Business Park – and of course a Mixology award for Public Sector Project of the Year for TfL’s offices in Stratford.

Yvette Hanson, Principal Director at tp bennett, said: ‘The efforts of our team have helped us build on our long history of almost 100 years and deliver strong growth.

'We expect the coming year to be more challenging, with the economic uncertainty, and therefore plan to consolidate our growth while continuing to broaden our sector experience and strengthen our Northern hub.’w

▲ CBRE offce, Manchester

Mix 198 October 2019 | 17

▼ Pets at Home, Cheadle Hulme, Manchester

PETS AT WORK

Beyond desks and chairs For over 35 years, Dataflex has specialised in making ergonomic monitor arms and other workplace accessories.

High quality products for every budget that help you create a comfortable, healthy and inspiring workplace.

So where you work is also a place where you feel at home.

We call it ‘feeling at work’. www.dataflex-int.com

Firebox Design’s approach is always client-driven, but how does this work when your clients include more than 50 dogs and assorted reptiles and fish?

Pets at Home’s passion for putting pets before profit means that colleagues are welcome to bring their pets to work with them – so when Pets at Home planned a move to a new 26,700 sq ft head office building in Cheadle Hulme, Greater Manchester, Firebox Design needed to not only accommodate, but celebrate the company’s unique philosophy.

Creating a pet-friendly environment throughout a large office space brought some practical challenges, such as the provision of additional space under desks to accommodate dog beds and ensuring that all cabling is securely enclosed. Carpets were out, so the entire building boasts hard flooring – from beautifully realistic parquet-style LVT flooring in the boardroom, to ethical, recycled PVC flooring in the corridors and smaller meeting rooms.

Visitors to the building are initially greeted by a moss wall bearing the company logo. From the reception area, colourful wooden batons line the ceiling to guide visitors all the way to the shared meeting spaces. The quirky, modern furniture features British design pieces from Naughtone, Frovi and Orangebox.

As well as the strong emphasis on pet wellbeing, the wellbeing of colleagues was at the front and centre of the brief. The 1,700 sq ft cafeteria offers a spacious and light-filled room where colleagues can relax, socialise and host and cater their many charity breakfasts and events. Just off the refectory is the pet’s kitchen. Bright yellow and blue tones have been chosen to match the two colours canines are able to see, while additional facilities ensure human and pet catering can be kept separate!

The creative development of the brief, in close conjunction with the Pets at Home team, ensured that the wellbeing of colleagues and the philosophy of ‘pets come first’ remained at the heart of the design, while delivering a cheery, modern head office building that stays true to the company’s core values.w

Upfront |

FUTURE HUNTERS

New flexible workspaces focusing on niche industries are experiencing rapid growth based on the latest data from brokers, Office Freedom. So much so, that there has been a 70% growth in the number of new operators registering space with Office Freedom (143 in 2019 vs 84 in 2018).

Niche spaces are now offering experiences such as co-living or childcare and they are opening in spaces considered to be underutilised real estate, such as hotels, restaurants and retail outlets.

With future continued success and succession very much in mind, Hunters Contracts – who scooped the Mixology19 Furniture Provider of the Year award – has revealed exciting new developments.

Founder and Managing Director, Gary Thomas, spoke exclusively to us about MBOs, exit plans and the next-gen Hunters, who will be looking to follow his lead.

‘The Co-founder of the business, Martin Playell, decided he’d got to a certain age and felt it was time to leave, I’m not

was 22, Norman Campbell, our FD, has been here since 2006, Rob (Cannon, Client Services Director) has been here for years and Lewis (Harmon) was our first A&D Director – and they’ve been instrumental in growing this business. We’ve got a great team here and I believe these are the right guys to take Hunters forward. They’re energetic and enthusiastic – and they know how it works.

‘This is not something that’s come about overnight. We’ve thought long and hard about this – and I’m still going to be around

For niche spaces to succeed in today’s market they need to provide more than simple convenience, such as secure WiFi, free coffee or meeting rooms, by supplementing coworking spaces with unusual features and amenities. Their objectives go beyond attracting new members and look to achieve longevity through building and nurturing successful communities. Looking at the latest Office Freedom data, it’s a trend that shows no sign of slowing. w

getting any younger – and it made perfect sense to give the guys, who have come through the business, the opportunity to step up. Stef (Brennan, Sales Director) has been here since he

for the next five years. It’s not really going to be my baby any more – I’ll be like the Director of Football, siting in the stands!’

Believe that and you’ll believe anything!. w

▲ Source: Office Freedrom internal data 2019

CARVING OUT A NICHE

▼ Parkside's Cotswold design studio

PARKSIDE OPEN NEW DESIGN STUDIO IN THE COTSWOLDS Design-led tile specification company, Parkside, has formally opened it Cotswold Design Studio, the fourth in its portfolio. The ability to see the tile collections displayed and to have in-house support has been an invaluable element in Parkside’s existing Design Studios in Clerkenwell, Chelsea and Leicester.

On opening, Parkside launched the exclusive Barneby Gates tile collection, a collaboration that sees the design duo’s stunning wallpaper patterns on extra-large format porcelain tiles. The bold and courageous collection focuses on colourful and playful patterns and represents Parkside’s mission to offer distinctive tile collections. The intention is for the space to be used as a hub for the design community with free wi-fi, great coffee and plenty of working space in a relaxed, creative environment. What’s not to like?

For further information email info@parkside.co.uk or visit www.parkside.co.ukw

Array

BY SENATOR

www.thesenatorgroup.com

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Upfront | Seven

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SEVEN

Things you may not know about LEGO Who hasn’t played with what is probably the recognisable toy in the world – LEGO. Those little colourful bricks kept us quiet for hours and hours, and in doing so created one of Scandinavia’s greatest exports. Here, our friends at CMD reveal that LEGO is far from mere child’s play.

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1

5

The word 'LEGO' is a fusion of the two Danish words

Largest LEGO Store in the world is in Leicester

'leg' and 'godt' and translates to 'Play Good'.

Square, London.

2

6

Ole Kirk Christiansen (1891-1958) created The LEGO

The small Danish town of Billund is the original home

Group in 1932. He was a carpenter and started

to LEGO. Today, Billund is still home to the original

making wooden toys in 1932.

Legoland theme park, Lego office, Lego factory, Lego

3 Six 2×4 LEGO bricks can be combined in more than 102,981,500 million ways.

4

House (museum) and, currently under construction, is the new Lego Campus.

7 The first edition 10179 Ultimate Collector's Millennium Falcon is seen as one of the most expensive sets to

LEGO made a fully working Bugatti Chiron, which

buy. Originally it was only $499.99 but now you would

was tested by Bugatti’s own test driver.

be looking to pay around $3,400 - $5,700.

Mix 198 October 2019 | 21

Upfront

SHELTER FROM THE STORM M Moser's Steve Gale says, when everything

changes, people warm to a bit of stability

I There is a paradox in demanding more change while employees usually want less. Is change imposed while a natural desire for control and predictability is ignored?

Steve Gale is Head of Business Intelligence at M Moser Associates.

SteveG@mmoser.com

22 | Mix 198 October 2019

n the business world, constant renewal is established dogma. Adapt or die! With a straight face, pundits repeat the story about change being the only constant. So how should we balance the nonstop pressure to adapt with the risk of change causing unhappiness, anxiety and even illness?

continues. We must test the organisational demand for flexibility against the employees’ tolerance. The people that use space are not as easily managed as the hardware. Agile behaviour at work comes at a price, often paid in the currency of anxiety. When change brings uncertainty, expect resistance, which is why

We know that new experiences are not all negative. Compare starting a new job with a hospital appointment, or the frisson of landing in a strange country versus the threat of a court appearance. The amount of personal control or choice is a large factor that separates the good from the bad, and can make the difference between enthusiasm and dread, engagement and withdrawal. Can we reduce the exposure to the disabling aspects of change, but retain excitement and spontaneity?

We hear that business survival depends on rapid responses to fast evolving customer demands, and the greater economy craves growth and innovation. Change and growth are the twin pillars of western democratic capitalism, even though they can cause pain and exclusion.

This pervasive atmosphere of change is epitomised by what tech firms call SaaS – which stands for Software as a Service. It refers to delivering applications that are constantly modified for subscribing customers, rather than delivering a finished product, which is sold once with occasional upgrades. A mobile network is a good example – always on, always up to date, constantly responding to user demands in the background, keeping ahead or abreast of competitors – never sleeping.

In the SaaS model, the demand on the workplace is for equally rapid flexibility, agility, adaptability and change, so maybe we should consider what 'Space as a Service' looks like? An office in continuous flux at the behest of the users, chasing better ways to deliver the service, like an unfinished symphony of walls, furniture and IT kit. No longer a fixed environment but a set of instruments, in harmony or dissonance according to the will and ability of the players.

This kinetic environment does not exist yet, but we have loosened up some areas with shorter leases, and agile working practices, so the search for greater flex

change management in our industry is a growth area.

There is a paradox in demanding more change while employees usually want less. Is change imposed while a natural desire for control and predictability is ignored?

In the marketplace, disruption has been elevated to a divine virtue, an acceptable feature of modern commerce, while for humans it is often psychologically challenging, causing discomfort and even distress.

Some organisations are offering more tempered responses to all this volatility. As the corporate calls for change get louder, cries for stability can be heard too.

Employers are addressing demands for sustainability, wellness, mental health awareness, reflection, even spirituality. The value of predictability and calm is getting a better hearing.

Can disruption be healthy? Can we keep it stimulating and interesting, and avoid discomfort and anxiety? What is the difference between being uncomfortably restless and productively active?

Maybe one solution is to design familiar elements into the changing functional landscape. The cafés, lounges and games rooms that we love are as much to shelter people and make them feel at home as to offer space to socialise and relax. They are not just perks to attract and retain staff, but oases of familiarity that can be relied on while everything else moves around – familiar, comfortable and safe, they are an antidote to unpredictable changes of scenery.

If frequent change makes people nervous and resistant, maybe it is slightly more acceptable when it is tempered by these recognisable islands of consistency. With a backdrop of unwanted climate change, deforestation, species extinction, and rethinking basic components of nationhood and government, it is understandable that we welcome greenery, residential motifs and human scale. These familiar and unchallenging fixed points are needed more than ever in our daily battles with changing reality.w

Less is more –

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Upfront | Perspective

PERSPECTIVE Emma Swinnerton, International Partner, EMEA Head of Flexible Leasing Solutions, Cushman & Wakefield

What percentage of office space in London can coworking achieve?

Will all businesses eventually move to into coworking spaces?

make their product stand out from the rest. We're seeing spaces that target specific demographics – for example, The Wing coming to London, which

more mainstream and a larger part of the market – we're seeing the early signs of that already. It was a part of the market that started out with

to be able to react to the changing needs in their business. What's also key is competition for talent; every business is now a tech business and

Our latest figures show that we're currently at 4.8% flexible workspace in London, and we're due to get to 5.5% by the end of the year. This figure is further ahead than where we said we would be 18 months ago. In terms of where it's going to get to... well, who has a crystal ball? There's a lot of statistics, and one that is widely quoted is that flexible workspace will reach 30% of the market. I don't think it will ever be 100% – I don't think everyone will end up working in a flexible workspace, however, from our perspective, 10-15% is quite easy to see. If you look at certain submarkets within London, they're already over 10% of total stock, but to get to 1015% across the board is a doubling or tripling of where we are today. If we want to get further than that it depends on how you define flexible workspace – so if we define flexible workspace as just coworking/serviced office/hybrid spaces, there will be a ceiling. We're seeing a lot of growth in managed space from landlords, and if you then start to add that in then something like 30% becomes a lot more achievable.

is female only. There are also spaces that are targeting industry-specific sectors, such as coworking spaces for lawyers only. People are getting more and more creative as to how they can adapt their offer to appeal to different segments of the marketplace.

customers coming from freelancers, start-ups and small businesses, and now we're seeing large enterprise clients using the space. The best example of that being HSBC taking 1,000 desks in a WeWork centre. It's obvious that it will become much more 'the norm'. There’s going to be at least one more cycle of activity in the next 10 years. Another thing that's interesting is that the things clients are asking for when taking traditional leases are very similar to the things they are looking for in a flexible workspace. Therefore, over time, will we still differentiate between these different products or will the offer across the building be more similar?

if you're competing with the likes of Google and Facebook for the same talent, and we've seen how they invest in their real estate and the services they offer their clients, it will be very difficult if you're stuck in a stuffy 80s head office! Businesses are leveraging flexible workspace to enable them to open up talent pools in different locations outside of their traditional head office.

If you had to choose, what is one current major theme in the workplace? Because there are so many operators now, what we're seeing is a real diversification of the offer. Lots of operators are being quite creative to see how they can

24 | Mix 198 October 2019

What are you most excited about from a property development perspective that was perhaps not considered 10-15 years ago?

10-15 years ago, flexible workspaces were almost something that were seen as a last resort for landlords – they was something they'd put into their buildings if they couldn't lease the space conventionally. Today, in new developments, landlords are building in amenity spaces from the outset – 22 Bishopsgate is a great example, with 10% of the overall building being assigned to amenity and flexible workspace being a key part of that.

Operators are potentially involved in taking on the running and the management of that amenity space, and it just means it's improving the offer more generally for the occupiers of that building. It’s not just about their office, it’s about all the other things they can get from within that building.

As a disruptor we can assume coworking will look differently in 10-20 years – what differences will we see? I need my crystal ball for this one! I think it will become

What factors have influenced the market to look beyond traditional serviced office space? There's a bit of a push and pull thing going on.

On one side you have the operators taking larger amounts of space – WeWork being the obvious example of that. If you've got a bigger space, it would take you a very long time to fill it with a lot of small companies, so they've deliberately gone out and marketed the space to bigger businesses and sold them the benefits of that.

Separately, you've got businesses who, in an unstable economic environment, find it difficult to predict their headcount needs 10 years ahead – so they need more flexibility

What are you working on right now? We do a lot of consultancy work; we're working with several clients who are considering flexible workspace projects within their buildings. It's less about what we're doing and more about how we're helping our clients. What's so exciting is that everyone is currently thinking about this subject, so we're really busy and the breadth of projects we get involved in is really exciting – not just London-focused but UK-wide, and also expanding into Europe. It makes you challenge yourself to think about things in a different way to help those clients adapt – bringing a concept that works in one place into a different building or city in order to meet different needs.w

For additional interview content, visit the Mix Interiors website: www.mixinteriors.com

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Upfront | Material Matters

MATERIAL

MATTERS

In this month’s Material Matters, the team of experts at Material Lab focuses on modern traditionalism. www.material-lab.co.uk Dulux – Heritage Collection Heritage from Dulux is a collection of paint colours from defining periods in British history: Georgian (1714-1837), Victorian (18371901) and Edwardian & Art Deco (1901-1939). The range includes Classic Whites, a hugely popular palette of paint shades, which can complement colours from the period collections or be used as the main shade in a room. Detailed research ensures that Heritage paint colours are as faithful to their period as possible, allowing homes to be restored to their former glory with confidence. Whilst styles have changed frequently and dramatically over more than 200 years, the paint colours often remained remarkably similar.

Vado – Booth & Co. Vado has recently introduced Booth & Co. and the Axbridge Collection, an exclusive, distinctive, Victorian-inspired brassware collection,for the bathroom. Combining time-honoured British craftsmanship with outstanding product performance to reflect decades of superior British design and engineering, Booth & Co. is an industryleading collection of carefully crafted taps, showers and accessories designed to revolutionise the modern-classical home experience. Beautifully tailored to complement traditional and contemporary interiors, the distinctive Axbridge collection is available in two lustrous colours – polished chrome or bright nickel – each featuring their own unique ceramic accents, with a choice of cross and lever handles.

Versital – Stratos

Johnson Tiles – Devonshire and Form Devonshire is a contemporary range of glazed porcelain floor and wall tiles, curated in a neutral palette, featuring four on-trend colourways that are all available in a single matt finish. The bold, traditional, Victorian-inspired, floral pattern of Devonshire is perfect for creating a statement design that blends elements of traditionalism with a modern approach. Johnson Tiles has also introduced the Form range into the market. Form, the perfect accompaniment to Devonshire, is a compact range of larger format brick-bevelled, glazed, ceramic wall tiles, which feature a colour palette of eight co-ordinating shades, all of which are available in a single stunning gloss finish.

Versital has recently launched four new metallic marble finishes into the UK market.

The Stratos range offers a surface material that has beautiful swirls of marble combined with rich coppers, glittering gold and modern silver and chrome metallic accents. Versital creates bespoke, handmade, solid surface materials, which are also known as ‘cultured marble’ or ‘imitation marble’. Each piece of Versital is manufactured to order from stone resin, allowing clients to specify exact sizes where required. Versital surfaces are easy to clean and, due to their protective gel coat, are also anti-bacterial, anti-microbial and can be re-polished if, after years of heavy usage, they show signs of wear.

Mix 198 October 2019 | 27

Upfront | Desert Island Desks

DESERT ISLAND DESKS

Morning Flat White

Penguin Great Ideas

All specialist equipment needs high performance fuel and designers are no different. One of these and I’m all set for a morning’s creativity.

A compilation of bite-sized books designed to keep my mind occupied while sunbathing. From Darwin’s Natural Selection to Machiavelli’s The Prince, its small size belies the big ideas it explores.

Graphite Stick

Jamie Oliver's 5 Ingredients Cook Book

Designed for sketching and shading, I find these far more effective than pencils when illustrating ideas. Plus, they are so long lasting! My first graphite pen got me through an entire year of ideas at college.

28 | Mix 198 October 2019

I love this book for its economic elegance. Preparing good food is all about a few fresh ingredients, which tantalise the palette. That economy will come in handy if island ingredients are limited.

Adidas Men’s Terrex Running Shoes The ideal all–terrain running shoe.

Waterproof, hard wearing and super comfortable. Ideal for those morning beach runs, exploring jungle terrain, or running down cliffs.

Bose SoundDock I couldn’t live without music. This baby delivers pristine sound and is packed into a tiny package. This would accompany me everywhere.

Robert Atkinson, Project Manager, IA Interior Architects Rob has a multi-disciplinary role as a designer, project manager and sustainability consultant for IA Interior Architects – the only global architectural company that specialises in workplace interiors.

Tracks for the Jukebox Paul Weller – Wild Wild Wood: For those moments of quiet island introspection.

Cinematic Orchestra – All That You Give: Soaring melodies, understated rhythm and that voice. Fontella Bass gives us her all.

Tame Impala – The Less I Know The Better: Hazy psychedelic soundscapes produced by Kevin Parker would perfectly accompany my piña colada.

Marvin Gaye – Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology): The standout track from one of the best albums ever produced. 50 years on, I still haven’t found its equal.

Beastie Boys – Sure Shot: One of those fun songs that remind you to never, ever quit.

PJ Harvey – This is Love: Because who wouldn’t want to be stuck on a desert island with the passionate Miss Harvey?

The Juan Maclean – Happy House: Delivers exactly what it says on the tin. This is every euphoric dance floor moment delivered across 12 and a half expansive minutes.

Reece 83% Recycled Content 100% Recyclable

James Brown – Call Me Superbad: For those moments I want to strut across the surf, knowing I’m the baddest mother on the whole island.

Chic – I Want Your Love: Yes, it’s unashamedly disco. I can imagine this playing across a fire-lit beachside café on a warm summer evening. w

www.sixteen3.co.uk

Property | Insight

ACTIVATE! An activated foyer is a must-have for all new office buildings. But is it becoming a cliché? David Thame reports.

30 | Mix 198 October 2019

A

nother day, another CGI of an 'activated' office foyer. By now you know the drill, and Bruntwood Works' images of the 73,000 sq ft Blackfriars House, Manchester, do not disappoint. Cool, lightweight, young people living their best lives, classic lighting, the wooden communal tables – it is familiar stuff. You get the feeling that everyone who uses that space will have active Instagram accounts and a passion for their job.

Activation has become a buzzword in the world of office interiors. Add it to any office scheme and you have a winner on your hands, or so many assume. It is the magic ingredient that turns a dull old office block into the film set for a fulfilling work/life dream-come-true. Activation can also improve the prospect of lettings and, if landlords play their cards right, adds an appreciable premium to the rent per sq ft.

Is any of this true? Or does much of said activation boil down to a coffee machine and some reclaimed furniture, a beverage-meets-midcentury design formula, which largely fails to fool anyone? The property industry is beginning to wonder.

Not because it resists the idea that office buildings should be welcoming and attractive

...surely even Millennials must have got fed up with pool tables by now?

– everyone is signed up for that – but because activation gets muddled with branding and quick fixes and some very tired ideas, and nobody is quite sure how it should be done.

For instance, Adam Higgins, Co-founder of developer, Capital & Centric, confesses to some modest anxieties when ‘activation’ comes up in project meetings.

'You immediately think of those clichéd Google offices, the kind of thing that’s been done to death – the slide, the AstroTurf, the jungle features, the bird song in the background...surely even Millennials must have got fed up with pool tables by now?' Adam questions.

This sense that things can easily descend into banal repetition is widely shared.

Avison Young office property specialist, George Jennings, says that developers have been on a long journey to find new ways to understand their business and their occupiers. They are up for new ideas. But landlords, maybe less so.

'We’ve advised landlords with long-term ownership, and we tell them they have to rethink and activate their buildings, and they are beginning to accept this might mean stripping out the existing reception and even losing ground floor office space,' he says. 'But they do worry about the cost. When they see the designs

Property | Insight

▼ Cove Burgess. 20 Rathbone Place for Lothbury IM. Reception as a simple and casual meeting space, with a strong connection to the street outside.

they say, ‘Jesus, that much?’ and start trimming.

And that’s when it gets too easy to put a coffee machine in and think it's job done, but it isn’t, it isn’t enough. If you do this half-heartedly, tenants can see through it.”

Daniel Cove, specialist workspace architect with London practice, Cove Burgess, has worked on activated office foyers across London.

Schemes include the very different demands of Clerkenwell, Fitzrovia and Docklands.

Daniel says nothing kills activation as quickly as looking like a place that’s been ‘activated.’

And the most common mistake is to over-think the activation idea. 'The least successful efforts

are where activation is all about branding and message, and bashing visitors and staff with ideas about that organisation and how evangelical you should be about their values or your work. To landlords who go for that I say, ‘Step back' – maybe you don’t need all that.

Maybe you just need some nice big windows to watch the world go by,' he says.

'Shouting about branding isn’t cool. The sophisticated approach is a look-at-me-butdon’t-look-at-me thing, accomplished by a lack of design, by looking, in fact, like you are not trying to attract attention. The White Collar Factory in Shoreditch manages it, but it’s a rarity.'

Mix 198 October 2019 | 31

Property | Insight

▼ Blackfriars House serviced office

The consensus is that the foyer or reception area of a successfully activated building should feel like the heart of the building. The place where it all happens, and all paths cross, the workspace equivalent of a well-loved kitchen.

'Reception areas used to be places you saw as you came in and out, you didn’t linger – but now it’s a place in its own right. And if it has connectivity, it’s a place to meet and work and take time out, not a stop-off on the way to anywhere,' says Daniel. 'Maybe all it needs is coffee and a seat and a window. But it does need to be clean, comfortable, and not feel overloaded.'

Mike Hitchmough, Architect Director at BDP, says the tide of coffee culture has helped make activation mainstream. But the trick, if there is one, is to learn from the hospitality sector.

'My guess is that 80% of ground floor office space is unlettable anyway and, in the best buildings, that is roughly how it goes with a good activation plan. The balance is for meeting spaces. The whole point has to be hospitality – eating, drinking, meeting,' he says.

At the Bright Building, part of Manchester Science Park, there’s lots of space and not many rules about how it's used. Today it’s a café. Tomorrow it might be a conference room or performance space. Above all, he says, avoid branding. 'Branding tells people they can’t use space their own way, and that isn’t popular,' he continues.

Is it right that borrowing from the hospitality sector is perhaps the surest way to make an activated reception area work? Capital & Centric’s 25,000 sq ft Tempest at Tithebarn Street, Liverpool, works because nobody is trying hard to do anything, except to be welcoming, says C&C founder Adam Higgins.

'We just created a space that is a café, that turns into coworking space, and if you want to just sit there and work and not pay a penny, just drink water, that’s fine. In fact, we like that

32 | Mix 198 October 2019

because it means its got something going on. The contrast is with those lawyers’ and accountants' reception areas – big, double-height spaces with expensive sofas, which are literally soulless because there is not a soul about,' he says.

Once you’ve found your independent operator for the foyer facilities (Adam insists that nine out of 10 landlord-run efforts will be awful), just leave it well alone. 'You don’t want things too forced, its got to be real – and if it is, it's worth the sacrifice of the ground floor. For instance, we provide free meeting rooms for occupiers on the ground floor, which means they don’t have to rent as much floorspace upstairs, which sounds counterintuitive, but it also means they can be more efficient. Which means they can afford a higher rent. It all works out in the end – sort of!' he says.

Cynicism about the activated office foyer is probably inevitable. But with more focus on people, and a little less on design, branding or fads, it can really work.w.

The contrast is with those lawyers’ and accountants' reception areas – big, doubleheight spaces with expensive sofas, which are literally soulless because there is not a soul about

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Property | Horse's Mouth

TURNING OFFICES INSIDE OUT

Is it time to take place-making to the next level, and begin to think of office buildings inside out?

David Thame talks to one leading office market influencer – who says 100%, yes!

T

here are people in the property industry paid to think the unthinkable (and we’ve interviewed some of them) and others paid to sell the unsellable (Mix has interviewed them, too). But there are very few whose job is to turn their back on property entirely. Which is why John McHugh is so interesting.

John is Creative and Place Director at global consultancy, CBRE. The job title alone is a kind of revolutionary manifesto in the rigidly conservative property consultancy sector.

Of course, for many major office occupiers and the designers and architects that work with them, the idea of being creative is scarcely breaking news. And to be fair to the property industry, they have begun to cotton on. The difficulty is that many landlords and developers are trapped in the thought-prison of their own building. They literally do not see what happens outside it.

But the striking thing about John’s brief is that he is literally outside looking in: standing outside, in the courtyard or on the pavement. Because the focus of his job is to turn property inside out in a role that goes far beyond the clichés of placemaking and amenity.

Ultimately, John wants a direct relationship between the landlord and the people who work there. Maybe not as direct and branded as the relationship between you and your favourite soap powder, but certainly one that cuts across the usual boundaries between tenants, facilities managers and reception desks. 'It’s so much more than about making the reception area more

friendly. It is about creating a neighbourhood, even if it involves buildings owned by different landlords. It’s about pulling everything together,' he explains.

'Customer focus is still missing in the commercial property sector. The focus is on investing in buildings, owning buildings, letting buildings, which is okay as far as it goes, but the focus really has to be on the people who make up these workplaces. The lesson is that landlords and developers need to engage directly with the people who work there – not through intermediaries like the person on reception or the office manager or their tenants. And the outcomes work best when you have that direct connection.'

It is about creating a neighbourhood, even if it involves buildings owned by

▲ John McHugh, Creative and Place Director, CBRE First Street, Manchester ▶

34 | Mix 198 October 2019

different landlords

Spotlight |

Some of those connections can be made through technology, apps and portals, John says.

Their role will grow. But a lot of the connectionmaking has to be face-to-face. And it is at this point that John thinks everyone involved – from landlords to architects, interior design and beyond – needs to have a proper think about what that involves. Surprisingly, it turns out to be external power points, a sensible accessible home for the office management, and an outside tap.

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Property | Horse's Mouth

▲ The Towers Didsbury ◀ First Street, Manchester

The Towers, Didsbury – the 20-acre business park owned by investor, Kennedy Wilson, is John's example of good practice. And since money talks, meaning that well-funded landlords can afford to be more thoughtful, it is worth noting that the park is at the more expensive end of the Manchester Airport out-of-town office market (rents peak at around £26 per sq ft). Tenants on the 300,000 sq ft park include British Airways.

Even so, The Towers shows what can be done.

'We’re doing things like installing beehives, arranging meet-the-bees days and honey harvests, we’re doing outdoor screenings of Wimbledon tennis, with strawberries and cream, we’ve got crazy golf, regular barbecues in the summer – all sorts. And the space – inside and outside – has to be suitable for all that,' he says.

'I would urge landlords and developers not to go for the latest fad, whatever that is, but to make spaces that can be as flexible as possible. We want spaces that can be used for events, and a ground floor that is permeable. We want to push as much as we can out of the doors.'

So landlords and their teams need to think about the outside as much as the inside?

'Absolutely, 100%, they need to think about this,' John insists. 'Things like external power points and a water supply – as simple as that –

36 | Mix 198 October 2019

will help. And the earlier they can think about it the better, because retrofitting can be expensive.

'Also, think about security, recycling points, site access, how you deal with homelessness, rubbish collection – all of this is fundamental to the outside of the building, even if you don’t much notice it inside. The outside can be entirely different if you manage these things well.

'Without all those things under control, you do not have a safe, pleasant outside environment, and you can’t do anything.'

Having a clear view of how the outside of the building works, and its effect on its neighbours, environment and occupiers, is the first step in a long journey. The end-point is a permeable building where the ground floor blends gently and naturally into its setting, using and feeding off neighbouring amenities (bars, cafés etc) and public spaces.

Which, of course, is easier said than done. John is clear that too many landlords think they are being clever when, in fact, they are being tired and predictable.

'They look at what somebody else does and copy it – a pop-up cinema outside in the summer, or ice-rink in the winter – but they should step back and ask what it is they really need, –what do they really want? They should ask themselves

basic questions like…'Is this about the perception of the building to potential tenants, or is this about branding, or is this about staff retention for existing tenants, or what?' You really need to know what your reasons are, don’t just jump straight in. Stop, do nothing, focus on something else and rethink.'

John recalls, but is too discrete to name, horrendously misplaced efforts, which succeeded in doing the exact opposite by bringing in the wrong people for the wrong purpose at the wrong time.

The answer to avoiding these nightmares might be for landlords to open their eyes.

According to John, the best outside-inside approaches to office property begin with taking a good look at the view from the window.

'Landlords and the designers who work for them have got to embrace what is around them. Yes, something like a cinema room could work well on an isolated site, or if the location is shared with residential use, but if you’re in the centre of town, maybe not. But one thing is for sure, a reception desk with a coffee machine does not cut it.'

Placemaking has become an orthodoxy.

But thinking from the outside in is still a novel, dangerous thought. Yet it could revolutionise the way office space works.w

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COWOR K I N G

THE BIG Q UESTION

Why has coworking suddenly become the force it is today ?

Mix 198 October 2019 | 39

Q

Spotlight | The Big Question

THE BIG

Why has coworking suddenly become the force it is today?

UESTION

Andrew Sibley, Director, ege carpets The idea of coworking has been around for a long time, but now it’s truly de rigueur across business verticals. Where the modern 9-to-5 has shifted, flexibility is key, and these

Richard Gann, Managing Director, Rawside The impact the workplace has on its community is what 2020 should be all about. Not only in terms of its environmental impact, but also on the

mixed use and often inspiring spaces can be motivational in and of themselves, presenting the opportunity to network offline in the real world, contra to the increase of homeworking and the isolation that can bring.

people who work within it and the community around it – a broadening focus, beyond the balance sheet, with investment in the social benefits on offer at work, that will encourage a spirit of collaboration and value across our people, supply chain, customers and the community around us.

Sarah​Bewers, Designer, ThirdWay Interiors

Nigel Tresise, Director & Co-founder, align

Commercial real estate is experiencing a paradigm shift and established models are making way for new ones – like coworking. Space is no longer an asset to be managed but a flexible service to be offered and a human experience to be enjoyed. The coworking model has delivered these spaces for end-users where traditional leasing models failed.

I believe the sector’s shift has only just begun… innovation will come in many forms!

First, technology has finally caught up with agile working aspirations and you can now work pretty much anywhere with decent WiFi. There are also more gig economy freelancers and micro-businesses around, looking for decent facilities in good locations, especially those with a cool factor, rather than working in isolation.

Finally, ever since the 2008 crash, businesses have been looking to structure their real estate exposure in a much more flexible way.

Isabelle Dauchez, Associate, Edge The phenomenon of coworking seems to have been a result of a perfect storm of more people working independently, technology, rising rents and travel costs, as well as a changing mindset about the purpose of the workplace, with a real desire for a greater work/life balance. Interestingly, the features of coworking – creating a community and providing inspiration through interaction, which appealed so much to the freelancers who chose to work this way, –evolved to become game changers for workplace design more generally.

David Holt, Founder, 74 Coworking offers low start-up costs, short leases, spatial flexibility, shared resources and larger company sociability for new entrepreneurs. Plus, there’s often an incubator, mentoring culture and strong interior style to create a feeling of belonging. There are still practical challenges, however, including privacy and acoustic controls. I look forward to seeing how we, the design community, can work with experienced users and operational teams to evolve these environments into more mature workspaces.

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Spotlight | Coworking

COWORKING: 3 KEY ELEMENTS As we've set out to explore in this issue, there are seemingly countless varieties of coworking spaces and flexible working options for both young and established businesses to embrace. One thing that is absolutely clear is that a successful coworking facility requires far more than a plug-and-play communal area and a bit of private space. But what exactly should those businesses have on their wish lists when they go looking to 'flex' their muscles?

We've asked a selection of industry experts to present us with their own Top trio…

Mustafa Afsaroglu Co-Founder, Interior Designer, Taner’s Sons Design Studio 1. A sense of belonging: enable users to feel a sense of belonging within a like-minded community. Help each other out. I don’t mean forced conversations by the free coffee bar – more like problem solving together.

2. Scale: linked closely with my first point, limit the scale of workspace to bite-sized environments – ie. Rather than planning large floorplates, break the floor into intimate zones, introduce intriguing pathways through to enable people to discover.

People will feel much more comfortable when they start to recognise faces around the place, which can only happen in a rightly proportioned space.

3. No chocolate digestives please: We are all trying to look after ourselves, and sports and recreation is a good way to get to know one another. So, instead of free snacks, provide spaces for exercise/mindfulness. I could keep going on about a variety of settings etc, but we all know this would be provided anyway.

So offer something special that is either a convenience or novelty to users – how about a roof garden?

42 | Mix 198 October 2019

Jonathan Yates Managing Director, Howarth Litchfield 1. A variety of work areas is the key to a successful coworking space. Specific requirements for individual tasks, along with personal preferences, require flexibility and adaptability in order to provide a multifunctional space for all.

2. Private space: There are many elements of work that require an element of privacy – phone calls, confidential discussions or concentration. To accommodate this, small meeting pods and call booths should always be included in the design, which are also a fabulous opportunity to get creative with colours and textures.

3. A dynamic environment and a sense of community are also vital in achieving a great coworking space. Encouraging interaction between users not only enhances a sense of belonging, but also develops business opportunities. A café or refreshment facilities are a fantastic way of doing this.

Michael Pain Head of Tenant Representation Team, Carter Jonas 1. Worldwide providers of coworking space have a unique selling point – the ability to connect all those who use their space via their ‘global village’ network.

This feature is of particular interest to start-ups and high-growth businesses that offer products and services to a worldwide audience.

2. Coworking accommodation offers greater opportunities to work in communal open plan space, which is specifically designed to encourage interactivity between individuals who work for different businesses – to foster interaction and to engender a culture of collaborative working and innovation that ultimately leads to new ideas/ new business development initiatives that can be monetised for mutual benefit.

3. Serviced office space tends to be more associated with businesses that prefer cellular, self-contained office space that offers less opportunity to interact with other businesses, ie. There is less floor space set aside for collaborative working and, therefore, less opportunity to pool ideas for mutual benefit.

Spotlight | Coworking

Tim Yendell Head of RBS Choice & Design

1. Network speed availability and bandwidth: Given that all businesses, start-up or otherwise, now rely on this, the availability of reliable WiFi bandwidth/ or network with high download and upload speeds are critical to venture, and this is needed throughout the space in all locations. Mobile signal coverage is also critical given that many businesses use this not only as a primary vehicle for their services but also communication between teams.

2. Variety and quality of spaces: To allow choice and freedom for every spot to become a legitimate place to work. Given the nature of people’s activities, the range and quality of the space is critical to allow people to be creative and productive, but also to

allow them the choice as to where this work takes place, whether that is in quiet spaces, more open areas, in the suites, common areas etc.

– so a good balance of look, feel and practicality.

3. Community and networking: Part of the attraction of these space is the mix and blend of people and businesses/teams, providing opportunities to have a curated experience, but also being able to bump into people who are on a similar journey, to potentially create connections, learn from others and feel part of something bigger than yourselves.

Daniel Wright Senior Associate, Bruceshaw 1. As cost management is one of our key services at Bruceshaw, when looking at coworking there is a significant cost benefit analysis to be considered.

Locating in a flexible workspace relieves the stress of paying for furniture and fixtures, utilities and IT infrastructure as this is all included in the price of the rent, which is usually on a flexible contract with a notice period that can be as little as one month.

This makes it a more suitable option for start-ups where there are only a handful of staff and where the medium to long-term location and size of the business may be less certain.

2. The design style of coworking spaces is the second important element to consider. Unlike serviced offices of old, the newer generation of coworking spaces have a highly desirable contemporary look and feel to them, with features such as café space, soft seating for collaborative working and phone booths for quieter phone conversations.

3. Finally, the community element of coworking spaces should not be underestimated. Almost all coworking providers offer a full programme of activities from business skills and thought leadership sessions to non-work specific events relating to food, fitness or culture or even drinks gatherings for members.

Nic Pryke Creative Director, Oktra The three most important elements of a coworking offering are the same elements that make these kinds of spaces successful; demand generation, relevance and space optimisation. When a coworking space is designed with these areas in mind, it flourishes with creative potential.

1. Demand generation is a space’s ability to create substantial membership by responding to the needs of a specific target market. Coworking spaces combine a knowledge of their target membership with competitive pricing and short-term commitments in order to bring members through their doors. The look and feel of the space will also be driven by its target audience.

2. Relevance is the key to maintaining demand.

Coworking layouts offer a high degree of flexibility and, as a result, easily adapt to accelerating change. It’s also important for coworking spaces to understand how to generate a sense of community amongst their members using a mix of services and built-in features.

3. Space optimisation is what coworking spaces are built around. At its most basic level, this means accommodating as many people per square metre of floor space as possible, without compromising on comfort or safety. Providers can make the most of their coworking space by optimising communal and agile areas.

Stefanie Woodward Head of Interior Design, Cushman & Wakefield 1. An efficient space: The key is to plan a great range of spaces but do it efficiently and effectively. You want to create a community and create choice for the user. You can’t be over-generous in how you plan this or you produce an inefficient business plan for the coworking brand. You are highly restricted on those shared amenity/coworking spaces but you can’t reduce your offering to the client because you’re ‘short of space’!

2. Creating community: Anyone can build a serviced office (with a big spectrum of quality of design and operation) or throw a load of desks into a room and call it ‘coworking’. Inhabiting the same space alone doesn’t build a feeling of community. If you don’t make people feel they ‘belong’ and that the space is theirs (whilst being shared!) you fail and you won’t have happy, satisfied and constructive clients.

3. Keeping everyone happy: You may be designing for a particular coworking brand and/or towards a particular demographic (eg. your space is in the City) but you will still have a multitude of business types, brands, and individuals. You must cater for all people and businesses to feel at home in this shared space.

Turnover of clients/tenants is natural within such a serviced space – hopefully they haven’t left because their office didn’t feel representative of them in their shared environment.

Mix 198 October 2019 | 43

Spotlight | Coworking

Nathan Harris Designer, Interaction

1. Community: Each coworking space has its own vibe, most employing ‘community managers’ with the sole purpose of encouraging relationships between members to grow. The range of diverse companies sharing a space results in a vibrant community of bright minds sharing ideas and making new connections, both business and social.

2. Simplicity: Simple pricing, plug and play offering and flexible transparent contracts make coworking more ‘user friendly’ than a traditional lease. Coworking allows space to flex with business growth, which is

attractive for start-ups, fast growing companies and even corporates establishing innovation incubator teams.

3. Access to Benefits: Many coworking spaces partner with organisations to run workshops and offer discounted access to their services. Partners often include business support services, such as legal advice, accounting and crowdfunding platforms.

John Avery Director, LOM architecture and design We’ve been studying the key characteristics of coworking space in order to create a model that can be applied to all kinds of workplace. We have called this model ‘floworking’. We think the three elements that are most important in coworking culture are fluid territory, humancentric interiors and active community.

1. Fluid territory means spaces that can flex easily to different teams and organisations, generous shared space, and spaces like work/kitchens, which mix uses and break down barriers.

2. Humancentric interiors means using design references from the home: hospitality, dining and leisure with a mixture of scales, natural materials and a rich spatial experience.

3. Active community means offering a curated, managed space with food and drink, together with events, networking and social activities. These bring people together and build on the diversity of a successful coworking space to create a collaborative working culture.

Chris Crawford Senior Associate, Gensler 1. Community and collaboration: The atmosphere and the environment play a key role in fostering community and collaboration amongst coworking members. Shared spaces such as kitchens and work lounges allow for random encounters and the sharing of ideas. This also includes space for learning, sharing, hosting and testing new ideas, such as innovation hubs and maker spaces. In a busy and sometimes stressful work environment, it’s important to socialise and decompress. Places that support community and social connection perform better and can yield higher job satisfaction for the user.

2. Branding and personalisation: Successful coworking spaces are branded, hyper-personalised and experience-driven – making people feel connected to the organisation’s brand and culture.

As people increasingly seek human connection, the most successful coworking spaces are designed to offer more than space – they’re providing a lifestyle.

Gensler has recently been working with British Land to develop their flexible workspace concept, Storey.

It’s targeted at small to medium sized companies, giving them the flexibility to brand and adjust their own space whilst not having to commit to a longterm lease.

3. Tools, technology and resources: It might sound obvious but the little things are essential – plenty of spots to plug-in and charge – and high-speed internet! With the rapid increase in technological advancement, tech in coworking space can no longer be a perk and needs to be completely integrated and state-of-the-art.

44 | Mix 198 October 2019

Tom Sleigh Head of Flexible Workspace Consulting EMEA, Colliers International There are many iterations of flexible workspace and the language used can at times be confusing, but they are broadly split into three segments – coworking, private-shared and managed. Most providers offer at least two typologies within their sites and it is important for occupiers to understand the differences.

1. Flexible workspace offers companies of all sizes a range of benefits; be it shorter commitment terms, simplicity of consumption by outsourcing the elements required to run an office, agility, access to facilities and amenities not always available in self-delivered space, cost visibility and, at times, the chance to interact and meet other companies.

2. Coworking is when all services and working areas are shared, with no privacy, usually on month-tomonth agreements and designed for ad hoc usage.

Private-shared is the traditional serviced office concept, where facilities are shared but occupiers have a private demise.

3. Managed space is an all-inclusive office product but is totally private and does not have any element of sharing. This is less flexible than the other alternatives but has benefits in terms of better security and privacy, with the provider operating and managing the asset for the occupier. w

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Spotlight | Coworking

FLEXIBLE FRIENDS It is all too easy to get carried away with the juggernaut that is coworking – from the major brands (the allconquering WeWork, of course), through to the banks and tech firms who are now adopting the model for themselves.

There are, however, alternative flexible options out there.

Although coworking will continue to grab a lot of the headlines, we should forget these alt-multi-occupancy office providers at our peril. We’ve asked a variety of leading ‘MOOPS’ to tell us about their own flex offering. ▶

Spotlight | Coworking

HALKIN Jonathan Kingshott, CEO

As the term is so broadly interpreted by many people/companies now, what does coworking mean to you? Coworking in the international sense is the umbrella term for flexible office space. In the UK it tends to refer to the open plan, hot desking, entry-level product that many providers offer alongside their flexible private offices. In recent years coworking has been referred to as a 'membership', much like for a club or gym, but instead you pay monthly to be a member of a coworking lounge.

From when you started, has your client profile changed? Yes, the flexible or coworking landscape has evolved from being somewhere for start-ups or SME’s to find office space to now also providing project space for blue chip, global organisations. The average size of space sold has increased as a result and, somewhat ironically, so has the length of term taken, from six months to 12-24-month contracts.

This is due to many large corporates being used to a long-term 5-10 year leases. So a 12 or 24-month contract, to them, is very flexible.

Coworking is shifting from being work environments for incubation/start-ups to being flex space for established and blue chip companies. How has this influenced your offering? As a result of this we are taking larger buildings with bigger floorplates.

Which trends influenced the design of your space? Space has become much more designled, with creative space being the most popular in the market currently. The critical element that still remains, however, is the ability for a client or member to still be able to make the space their own. This is something that Halkin has focused on intensely.

Describe what you think workplaces will look like in 20 years’ time. The lease is dead. All space will be flexible and will evolve to the needs of the people within a given business rather than the business itself. This might mean that life and work are completely combined with childcare, gym and leisure space, all located within a few feet of your desk.

Given the accessibility we have to the internet from home, would it be extreme to say that office spaces will soon become completely redundant? There is a time and a place for working from home – sometimes it provides the flexibility needed, but other times an individual might value the separation between work life and home life.

Also, being physically present with colleagues should not be underestimated in terms of providing a sense of belonging within an organisation; the social aspect of a workplace has a huge impact on ethos, culture and wellbeing. w

▲ Clockwise from Top Left Lower Thames St office Hanover Square, Mayfair Roof Terrace, Lower Thames St View from Lower Thames St Meeting Room, Hanover Square

Mix 198 October 2019 | 47

Spotlight | Coworking

▼ Both Office Freedom, London

OFFICE FREEDOM Richard Smith, Founder & CEO

What does coworking mean to you?

The industry has always suffered from a bit of an identity crisis – which I think held back the growth of the sector – serviced offices, business centres, shared space, executive suites, executive offices, coworking, flexible workspace. The problem was that different phrases were used in different countries – executive suites in the US and serviced offices in the UK. These phrases are out of date in my opinion, synonymous with yesterday’s offering – coworking and flexible workspace seem to be phrases that are being coined globally nowadays (but still two phrases!).

Has your client profile changed? Yes, we are certainly seeing more corporate and enterprise clients being attracted to the market. Today’s flexible workspace provides a habitat that supports staff wellness, staff welfare, helping companies become happy and productive places of work.

As a result, the industry has attracted large corporations, enterprise companies, tech, finance, pretty much all business types – even traditional sectors such as legal and accounting, who have previously shown little appetite for flex, have been unable to resist its charms.

48 | Mix 198 October 2019

How has coworking's shift from incubated work environments for start-ups to flex space for established companies influenced your offering? From the beginning, the sector has always appealed to start-ups offering flexible, ready-to-move-into office space requiring zero or nominal capex and many more benefits besides.

However, the industry had issues. Provider’s branding was widespread, large requirements were difficult to accommodate, facilities were limited, and the ‘wow’ factor was missing.

Thankfully these issues were recognised and addressed. The sector is now full of predominantly unbranded space that can accommodate small, medium and now much larger requirements, providing high-end contemporary space with state-of-the-art technology, amenities and facilities that are ideal platforms for nurturing and retaining the existing team and attracting new talent.

Newer coworking environments add value to what is essentially a rented desk.

For example Labs offer technical services and WeWork offer community. What is your USP? As a global coworking brokerage, our USP is our expertise and experience. We were founded in 1993 and were the first real estate specialist to provide global tenant-rep services to clients seeking flexible workspace and coworking space. Today, we offer the full spectrum of flexible workplace solutions, including serviced offices, coworking spaces, flexible leases, meeting rooms, virtual offices, day offices and business continuity space.

Currently, how many locations do you operate in? Office Freedom covers the whole market.

We represent over 13,000 locations across six continents and work with over 3,000 serviced office providers worldwide. Over our 26-year history we have developed great relationships with all major operators and have helped over 38,000 customers find their perfect space.

Describe what you think workplaces will look like in 20 years’ time. With technology moving so fast it’s difficult to visualise the look of the future workplace but there are some key themes, which I expect to shape the future office environment.

I expect the drive towards more flexible workspace will continue with a focus on collaboration, employee health and wellbeing. More communal space, standing desks, enforced breaks, real time health monitoring and fitness facilities are all likely to be evident. I’d expect greater focus too on the environment and sustainability. Reducing environmental impacts and energy efficiency are likely to be high on the workspace agenda.w

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Spotlight | Coworking

OFFICE SPACE IN TOWN Niki Fuchs, MD & Co-founder

What does coworking mean to you?

The demand for coworking is growing and the trend clearly indicates an increasing need for flexibility and ease of collaboration by employees.

Put simply, workers like variety in their office space and a choice over how they work. To support this demand, our offices are designed to make accessibility to communal areas as simple as possible.

How has coworking's shift from incubated work environments for start-ups to flex space for established companies influenced your offering? It is no surprise that a greater variety of businesses are taking advantage of flexible workspaces. Today’s generation of workers want variety and flexibility in the places they work, while employers benefit from the ability to easily adjust their space requirements – that’s not just limited to start-ups. At OSiT, we work closely with our clients and prospective clients to ensure the space we offer suits their needs – quality and tailored service remains at the heart of our business. Combine this with high-standard and technologically advanced offices, and we can accommodate organisations ranging from SMEs to much larger blue chip organisations.

OSiT, Blackfriars ▲ ▶

50 | Mix 198 October 2019

What is your USP? We firmly believe in space as a service, where simply offering a desk and basic facilities just won’t cut it anymore. Today’s workers spend more time in the office than ever before, so our offices blur the lines between work and home life to deliver a rounded offering that meets all the needs of a busy, modern day worker. We provide private desk spaces in an integrated, luxury building, incorporating restaurants, rooftop bars, beauty salons, gyms and even serviced bedrooms. Of

▼ OSiT, Blackfriars

course, our clients also benefit from state-of-theart technical services and a close community environment in our buildings, but for us, our workspaces have to go even further to meet the demands of today’s workers.

Currently, how many locations do you operate in? We are currently operating in seven locations across central London: Monument, Euston, St Paul’s Waterloo, Mayfair, Liverpool Street, and Blackfriars, along with five others outside of London, in Edinburgh, Northampton and Cardiff.

Which trends influenced the design of your space? Our offices are each uniquely themed, often drawing from the building’s location and history. Our St Paul’s office, for example, is located at Little Britain, a road in central London with a rich history of booksellers. To honour this, our St Paul’s office celebrates English literary figures, including Dickens, Tolkien and Shakespeare.

Our most recent office, Blackfriars, was designed around the theme of happiness because positive mental health and productivity go hand-in-hand.

When designing the Blackfriars office, we asked ourselves ‘what does happiness mean to me?’ The

team drew on childhood imagination and fictional fantasy to help ensure the office design uplifts our clients, visitors and staff.

Describe what you think workplaces will look like in 20 years’ time. Flexible working is in its early stages. As businesses begin to acknowledge and understand the added value it can bring, the landscape of office property will be increasingly dominated by flexible and coworking. As work and home life blend for the always-on generation of workers, incorporating natural design features and prioritising the wellbeing of employees will become very much a priority for businesses of all sizes.

Given the accessibility we have to the internet from home, would it be extreme to say that office spaces will soon become completely redundant? This is a theory often put forward, but we’re confident that office spaces, while changing, will never be redundant. While technology has allowed us to work independently, it has also brought us together. Workers enjoy the ability to work flexibly, but they also tell us time and again that they value a dedicated space away from home for work and the ability to collaborate and socialise with their colleagues needed.w

Spotlight | Coworking

WORKSPACE Lisa Carroll, Head of Club Workspace

What does coworking mean to you? At Workspace, we define our dedicated shared work environment as coworking. The customers that utilise this space pay a monthly membership fee and have access to a 'Club', which is specifically set up and designed to meet the needs of smaller groups of business users – from freelancers and entrepreneurs to project groups from large corporate environments. This differs from our core flexible office offer, where our customers take a twoyear lease on a suite or unit that they can customise

Which trends influenced the design of your space? We have a standard specification for fixtures, fittings and layouts within our coworking spaces that have been developed over a number of years in the marketplace, and service all of the day-to-day requirements for business use regardless of the company size. We then overlay a feel or theme associated with the geographic location and history of the centre itself.

to reflect their brand.

work environments for start-ups to flex space for established companies influenced your offering? Agile working is only possible because of technology. Regardless of who occupies a desk, they depend on connectivity to do their work. It is one of the most important investments we make in our assets and, to further reassure our customers, we have committed to ensuring our buildings are independently verified by WiredScore as gold or platinum – so we know our connectivity is second to none.

From when you started, has your client profile changed? We were one of the first to launch a coworking offer in the London market, branded as Club Workspace, just after the financial crisis and in response to increasing demand in the marketplace for one- to four-person office spaces from corporate occupiers as they downsized – it was an important strategic growth area even then. We do still see this type of demand, but we are now attracting more established freelancers and smaller lean start-up teams that would never be in the market for a traditional office space. More recently, there has been an up-tick in requirements for larger corporates looking for short-term overflow and project space.

Unlike a traditionally procured work environment coworking environments are created to generate revenue and as a result density is key. What density (square foot per member) do you achieve? Coworking forms part of our overall offer but flexible office space is our core service, so we don’t tend to focus on the square foot per member statistic. Our coworking product enables us to extend a professional working environment to those just starting out or those not yet in need of a flexible lease on an office. We understand that, by extending these facilities to the freelance community and businesses in their early phases, we are supporting an important sector of the market by offering business services in a trusted and professional environment, which will allow them to grow over time.

How has coworking's shift from incubated

Currently, how many locations do you operate in? Club Workspace is in 20 of our 62 business centres across London – from Chiswick to Bethnal Green and from Kennington to Islington, and everywhere in between!

Would it be extreme to say that office spaces will soon become completely redundant?

There will always be a requirement for flexible office and coworking or shared space, as businesses and those running or working within them will always want to meet, collaborate and, ultimately, do business with others and grow their professional network. Whilst working from home might be convenient or easy from time to time, it will never become a substitute for working with other like-minded individuals.w

▲ The Print Rooms, Waterloo.

Photo: Simon Caldwell The Leather Market, London Bridge ▶ Photo: Simon Caldwell

Mix 198 October 2019 | 51

Spotlight | Coworking

All photos: x+why flexible workspace community

X+WHY Phil Nevin, Co-founder and CCO

What does coworking mean to you? In terms of definition it means two things to us; multi-let, serviced buildings where companies share facilities such as tea points and breakout space and/or ‘hot desks’, where solopreneurs or start-ups rent space in open plan areas of buildings. But coworking is much more than simply shared space – it’s about community and the opportunity to collaborate with and learn from others. It gives solo workers the chance to have those important water cooler chats, young businesses the chance to learn from those with more experience, and bigger businesses the chance to work in exciting environments.

From when you started, has your client profile changed? We have seen a shift in the size of companies taking space in our buildings. More midsized companies are now looking at flexible office space than before.

Landlords have recognised the revenue benefits of presenting their buildings to the market as co-working space rather than CAT A. Many are implementing their own schemes.

Is this a threat? It is increasing the supply of coworking space available, but many landlords are looking to partner with operators in order to do so, understanding that this is about more than just delivering space. Brand, and standing for something, is important. You can’t just deliver space.

So we see this as an opportunity, not a threat. It is representative of coworking taking a bigger slice of the office market more generally, and a shift toward both hospitality and ‘plug and play’ solutions.

52 | Mix 198 October 2019

How has coworking's shift from incubated work environments for start-ups to flex space for established companies influenced your offering? This has started to influence the geography we are looking at for new buildings.

Clearly, larger companies and blue chip companies are used to being in more traditional and developed parts of cities and towns, so in order to provide for them, we need to be in those areas. We have found that even the bigger companies enjoy the communal areas – and spend large parts of the day in the ‘coworking’ spaces, working and having meetings. There is definitely a huge opportunity for flexible workspaces to be supporting collaboration between these bigger businesses.

What is your USP? Our USP is to stand for and promote sustainable or ‘purpose driven’ business practices. We believe that the world of work needs to change and is beginning to change fast. We see ourselves as part of this change. We unite purpose driven businesses, we inspire them through our cultural programme, and then we amplify their success. Our aim is to help prove that the emerging new form of business, which puts people and planet on a par with making profit, is the model that all business should adopt.

Which trends influenced the design of your space? Sustainability has a strong influence on the design of our space. Our flagship site in Whitechapel is BREEAM excellent, and many of the furnishings and products used inside the building are sustainably sourced. A big part of purpose driven business is wellness, so this also has a strong influence on our design – whether that be through dedicated wellness suites or biophilic design. We are also big believers in place and community.

So our design and approach changes depending on the location of the building, with the aim of including, not excluding, the local community.

Describe what you think workplaces will look like in 20 years’ time. How we all do business is changing, and the workplace will adapt to keep up with this. Employee wellbeing and sustainability will be at the heart of this, so I think you will see more hybrid buildings, which offer integrated health and fitness facilities as well as childcare and healthcare.

Tech and AI are going to play a big part in things too. We can see tech transforming the meeting room experience, for instance.w

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Spotlight | Coworking

THE INSTANT GROUP John Williams, CMO

What are the three most key important elements with a coworking offering? Coworking is a growth enabler. It allows businesses to move quickly and enter new markets, injecting flexibility, reducing cost and driving enterprise performance. You can be part of a collaborative community or take your own individually branded private space. But it’s also about the flexibility – the ability to scale up and scale down as the business demands. Ways of working are changing all the time and coworking/ flexible workspace allows a company to adapt accordingly without being tied into a lengthy lease.

What does coworking mean to you? Coworking no longer means coworking – what we are seeing now is the evolution of the flex market. The market for coworking has evolved over time to incorporate a number of different services, which now include serviced offices/executive suites, the coworking membership model and hybrid spaces (incorporating both private office space and coworking), all of which come under the broader umbrella of 'flex space'.

From when you started, has your client profile changed? Back in 2006/7, pre-financial crisis, there was a certain level of prestige associated with the building you took as a business. It needed to have kudos and be seen as a statement of what the business was. Nowadays, while this is still important to many, the majority see office procurement as something that needs to be agile, nimble and able to adapt quickly. This is largely caused by political uncertainty – Brexit, Hong Kong protests – but also comes off the back of changes in the way we work. With flexible and remote working also now seen as more the norm, companies are having to rethink their office requirements.

Landlords are starting to present their buildings to the market as coworking space rather than CAT A. Is this a threat? Absolutely not – 83% of the flexible market is currently made up of independent operators. These are landlords who are waking up to the fact that they need to offer an element of flexible space as part of their portfolio in order to cater to a wider market.

These independent operators are driving the trend of ‘niche-ification’ in the market – opening unique and boutique spaces that cater to specific audiences and interests. As they are small and nimble, these operators can really customise their spaces to provide services to very specific markets.

With competition rife, operators are vying to attract and retain customers by increasing their offering constantly to add more value to users of their workspace.

How has coworking's shifti from incubated work environments for start-ups to flex space for established companies influenced your offering? Coworking has shifted the property market in more ways than one, providing the tenant with choice and flexibility. Instant works with organisations of all shapes and sizes, including Amazon, Barclays, Prudential, Sky, Network Rail, Capita, Serco, Teleperformance and Worldpay. Because Instant works across the industry with all flex space providers, we can suggest the most appropriate workspace provider depending on the client’s wants and needs. With so much choice now in the market, there really is something for everyone.

What is your USP? Adopters of flexible workspace are increasingly focusing on amenities within their workspace. Despite a lot of press on the popularity of free beer, childcare and exercise spaces within a workspace, Instant’s recent research showed that these amenities are no longer a pull for flex users.

While fitness space is important to nearly half of respondents, nearly 40% saw it as adding no value.

80% of users indicated, however, that having a designated relaxation space would add real value to their workspace.

Specific business-related seminars were also cited as more important; over 70% of respondents indicated that an Accounting & Funding session would create additional value for their business, as well as interest in legal advice.

move forward. Changes in human behaviour and developments in modern technology mean that we are already spending less time at the office.

Younger generations will choose office buildings based on the facilities on offer and their lifestyle.

This isn’t just a place to come to work anymore and we may even find that our office space also provides living accommodation too.

Given the accessibility we have to the internet from home, would it be extreme to say that office spaces will soon become completely redundant? When employees can easily work remotely or from home – how do we entice people back to the workplace? There will always be a demand of office space but providing a comfortable place to work will be hugely important, as will the amenities and perks on offer.

These need to evolve all the time in order to keep up with changing interests.

Employees will want their home comforts so we may well see more sofa-focused workspaces and breakout areas. These employees will also be looking for access to their coworkers, something that wouldn’t be possible through remote working, so having collaborative spaces where teams can easily get together will be important too.w

▼ Glandore Belfast

Describe what you think workplaces will look like in 20 years’ time. The way we work has seen a seismic shift in the last 20 years and this will continue to evolve and develop as we

Mix 198 October 2019 | 55

Spotlight | Coworking

▼ Outdoor coworking area

RUNWAY EAST Kayla-Joleen Doris, Marketing Executive

What does coworking mean to you? Coworking to us is more than just shared workspace, with members working side-by-side, but not actively engaging with each other. Coworking here is someone joining us as a freelancer and then ending up as cofounder for another member’s app, or one member investing in another member’s company. These things happen at RWE! It’s actively engaging with each other’s ideas and working together towards a shared mission, and it’s also about curating a genuine community – not everyone can join Runway East.

all our members. Our curated community is the added value of having a membership at Runway East, which is why so many genuine connections are made. However, it’s great that the market is widening and blue chip companies are coming into other spaces. It’s healthy for all coworking companies that the market is growing so much.

From when you started, has your client profile changed? We only offered coworking options when we first started, but before too long we noticed that most of our customers were only leaving us because they wanted a private office!

So now we offer space for teams from 1-100, in open plan or private options. Targeting private office memberships meant that our members have moved from purely start-ups to being ‘scale-ups’ as well.

Which trends influenced the design of your space? .As somewhere where start-ups ‘take off’, we have a slight aviation theme running throughout all our spaces. But fundamentally we design our spaces with our members front of mind – they need to be seamless to use, enjoyable to be in, and occasionally delightful, with small details you would only notice over time, like our meeting room signs, which are homages to famous pilots.

The sort of place you could be in for 12 hours, which sometimes our members need to do!

How has coworking shifting from incubated work environments for start-ups to flex space for established companies influenced your offering? This hasn’t directly influenced our offering as we are specifically for high-growth tech start-ups. We’re a start-up ourselves and that’s what we’re passionate about. All of our offerings are tailored towards helping start-ups grow, from our events to our monthly Investor Digest and our ‘Startup Toolkit’ that we share with

56 | Mix 198 October 2019

Currently, how many locations do you operate in? We currently have four locations – three in London, within Soho, Moorgate and London Bridge, and one in Bristol.

Describe the different area designations in your workplace and how you managed to satisfy the design needs for all of them. The different areas of our workspaces have been designed with our members’ needs in mind. Not everyone works best sitting at a desk all day, so we have lots of breakout areas and social designations. Our London Bridge building has two large social areas – our rooftop, which has

an amazing view of south London, and Ground Control, which has a café, foosball table, books, etc.

They’re open spaces that encourage interaction, whereas our breakout areas have been designed with our members’ need for periods of isolation – whether that’s to make a quick call, have some quiet time, or get an important piece of work done. Our phone pods are comfy but secluded spaces that are perfect for private convos, while our breakout areas vary in design to suit a multitude of purposes. You could find a cosy sofa for a wellbeing break, a private seated area to brainstorm your best ideas or a meeting booth for you and a teammate to collaborate.

Given the accessibility we have to the internet from home, would it be extreme to say that office spaces will soon become completely redundant? I think it is extreme to say completely redundant – we’ve had accessible internet for decades and that hasn’t shown any impact on office space, but has just changed how we do it.

You could argue that the accessibility has played a part in the rise of coworking spaces – freelancers and small businesses were suddenly able to work from wherever they wanted, but they still wanted a working environment, just with a different way of doing it. Working from home or from coffee shops isn’t as productive, efficient or collaborative. It’s hard to scale and build a team without a proper working environment. Human interaction is needed for us to thrive – and that is unlikely to change. w

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Spotlight | Coworking

COWORKING DATA: A PIECE OF PIE

UK Centre Type 2019 Coworking 7% Hybrid 16.3% Other 17.6% Serviced 59.1% 58 | Mix 198 October 2019

Bruntwood -0.9%

WeWork -0.9%

Flexspace -1%

WS Group -0.8% Landmark -0.7% Citibase -0.6% Spaces -0.6%

Other 86.7%

Orbit -1.2%

Bizspace -1.7%

UK Operator Share:

Regus -5%

So you think you know who’s who and what’s what when it comes to the big flex-working players? Think you’re on the ball when it comes to the breakdown of the market? Well, we've got to confess that we raised our own eyebrows more than once while looking through these fascinating facts and figures, which are courtesy of our friends from The Instant Group.

The workplace is evolving.

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The inherent versatility allows the construction of varied work areas without the constraints and claustrophobic effects of solid walls and room dividers. ww.fremgroup.co.uk

Spotlight | Coworking

COWORKING DICTIONARY So you think you know what coworking really is? Well, with even some of our contributing experts expressing confusion at many of the terms used in the flexible working market, we’ve produce a glossary of the most relevant terms...

A

Amenity – Anything that helps employees feel more comfortable. Can range from third space, to dog grooming parlours, to wellness rooms or roof terraces.

C

Contract space – Hiring a large volume of serviced or coworking spaces. Many flexible workspace operators make most of their income from contract space.

H

L

Coworking memberships–- See license.

It may also involve various club-like elements, including discounts, event invitations, free beer.

F

G

Grey space – The surplus office accommodation not needed (for now) by a large tenant (with a lease) or by a landlord (unable or unwilling to find a tenant) but often offered as flexible workspace (on a license).

60 | Mix 198 October 2019

Lease – Onerous, lengthy, complex, penalty-laden document, which, in return, confers rights (such as security of tenure) on the occupier of commercial floorspace.

Once long-dated to 25 years or more, with upward-only rent reviews, today they rarely last longer than 10 years, often much shorter, and rents are off-set by long rent -free periods.

Leased meeting rooms – One of the amenity offers in most flexible workspace.

Normally charged separately and almost certainly not made available on a lease, despite the name.

Dilapidations – One of the big reasons for taking flexible workspace on a license.

Dilapidations refers to the cost required to return floorspace to the state it was before the tenant took a lease. Can be very expensive for the tenant.

Flexible workspace – Anything that is not offered on a traditional lease, therefore allowing rapid upsizing and downsizing of the floorspace requirement. Coworking and serviced offices are the light-touch and high-impact ends of the flexible spectrum.

S

Serviced office – Office space rented on a license, rather than a lease, in which the landlord provides a high level of back-up, whether its communications, meeting spaces or furniture. Everything used is normally priced separately.

T

Third space – Not your first space (home) or your second space (work) but somewhere that isn’t quite either. Café, chill zone, lounge...it might be any of these things, or none of them. Basically meaningless.

W

WeWork – Until recently, regarded as a $47 billion global giant, now regarded as a rather troubled operation that just lost its Chief Executive and pulled out of its IPO. Oh, and pioneer of coworking.

and unusual punishment, now regarded as rocking!

Coworking – Typically self-employed creatives sharing a room, or even a table.

By extension, any space used in a fairly free-flowing way by different people for different tasks.

D

Hot desking – What coworking used to be called before it became cool. A desk anyone can use, with the corollary that nobody has the right to any particular desk.

Used to be regarded as a form of cruel

License – Not a lease, and not offering the same rights of security of tenure as a lease, but useful for short-term flexible office occupancy.

M

Multi-occupancy – An office building with several tenants on leases (not licenses).

O

Open plan – Few or no walls or partitions.

Activity based working – in other words, hot desking, only with even less humanity.

Each task is to be conducted at a desk allocated in a part of the workspace set aside for that activity. Think call centre!

White space – Contract space hired from a flexible workspace operator, but with minimal or non-existent branding, so the occupier can brand it themselves. w

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Roundtable

The power of the inclusive workplace

F

or a business leader or interior designer to not consider the whole of the potential working population is clearly a missed opportunity. Designing an inclusive environment does not mean focusing on physical differences alone; rather there has to be an equal emphasis on different styles of working as well as on mental health. It is also important to consider that some employers might be sensitive to noise, light and air pollutants.

THE DISCUSSION An inclusive workplace is an environment that values the individual and group differences within its work force. An inclusive workplace makes diverse employees feel valued, welcome, integrated and included in the workforce instead of isolated.

However, it is nigh on impossible to design something that is a perfect fit for the entire population – isn’t it?

Julie: The simple answer is no. What is important is to give people the possibility to decide what is right for them. It’s not just about whether you’re an introvert or an extrovert or your gender – during the day, your needs will differ, so you might want a quiet environment in the morning and interaction in the afternoon.

Chris: It’s about providing variety and choice – and autonomy. People need to be able to go and choose environments depending upon how they feel. Sometimes it goes beyond how people feel or their mood – they can’t take really bright spaces or something visually that is going on in a space, so you need to provide more muted, subdued spaces to accommodate for those people.

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THINKING ABOUT YOUR OWN WORKPLACE, WHAT WOULD MAKE YOU HAPPIER? Sarah: I would like to have more natural daylight.

Carlo: I would love to take my dog to work – that would make me very happy.

Julie: I would love to have an outdoor space – a terrace or somewhere I could escape to, even in the centre of London.

Fergus: What would make me happier is to know that our people are happy.

Matthew: I would like to see more variety – more frequent change in terms of furniture layout. I would also like to get rid of those bigger screens that create barriers between teams.

Gordon: We’ve recently turned on the music in our office – and that’s certainly made me happy.

It’s made a big change for us. You begin to engage more with one another.

Beatriz: Coffee! It would be amazing to have barista coffee – and more plants.

Chris: It’s a difficult question to answer because we’ve just moved into our new space! I suppose I would like to bring more people into the office and be able to host more events in our ground floor space – to showcase the type of work we can do.

Isabelle: Coffee and plants would make me happy.

I would, in an ideal world, like a retractable roof – although we have two floors above us! But I would love to be able to work in the sunshine.

Ursula: Reconnecting with my colleagues as friends.

I have developed some great friendships here at Task but we are always busy – so I would like to have the time to just sit and chat with those friends.

So how do you go about providing these options?

People need to be able to go and choose environments depending upon how they feel

Beatriz: You can customise spaces – through lighting, for example – to provide the right settings for a particular task or a particular time of day. You can do this with music as well – you can select the music to suit the task or the setting. There are certain environments that are more conducive to collaboration, therefore you select that space for teamwork, with certain light levels and music, which suit that particular way of working or task.

Sarah: If individuals want different things you can also create non-collaborative spaces that have very different looks and feels – one can be dark with no music and one can be very bright with rave music.

You then get different people using the different spaces at different points in the day, depending on how they feel. Some people might never go into one of those spaces – but they still give an option to move away from a desk. Variety is key – as are spaces that flex through the day; spaces where people can meet, eat, chat...

Carlo: Never underestimate the power of food to bring people together. At CBRE, as part of our diversity initiative, we get people to bring food in from their culture – and it’s such a great thing.

Beatriz: It forces people to get away from their desks and to come together. If you go to Scandinavia – if you go to any office in Copenhagen – at 12 o’clock or one o’clock they all come together, they all completely switch off to have lunch together in the office. It’s amazing.

In Association with

Carlo: I worked in New York City for over 18 years – and that never happens. I never once had lunch with any of my co-workers in the office – outside the office, yes, but otherwise the culture was that you just worked through.

Matthew: This is about the culture of the environment – you can design a space that has multiple settings and plenty of choice, but if there’s a sense of judgement or the culture of the firm is that ‘you’re not at your desk’ then it’s not going to work – and you can’t have a culture that encourages you to do that without the spaces to support that type of work.

Carlo: And do you think that this is a leadership issue?

Matthew: Yes. We’re currently working on a project in Norway and we talk a lot about visibility throughout buildings and being able to see what’s happening throughout a space, but they have a culture where, as soon as you’re seen as not being at your desk, you’re not being productive.

So they have these vast atria that simply sit as sterile environments because no one wants to use them. So how do you find that careful balance of increasing views, bringing natural daylight into the space and people being able to see beyond their immediate surroundings, but also creating little nooks where people can tuck themselves into, so they’re in a different setting but still feel sheltered – and that’s without tackling the culture of the business and the change management that goes with that.

Beatriz: We had a similar issue with a law firm we were working with. We created hubs for people to get away from their offices – they’re lawyers and so still very cellular in how they work. We wanted to encourage people to come together in these hubs – and each hub had a different function. When we talked to them they told us that they never use these spaces because they were worried about what their bosses would say when they found that they weren’t in their offices. This comes from the

64 | Mix 198 October 2019

communication of the leadership – they weren’t telling their people that they should be using the spaces. It definitely comes from the top.

We move on to ask whether, despite these examples, our experts feel that, overall, clients are becoming more knowledgeable.

Isabelle: They are a lot more educated, definitely.

The change over the last 20 years has been huge.

Today, you have hard data to help you. We work with the Crown Estate, for example, and they wanted the WELL Standard and certification and we also worked with Cundall. What really clinched it was when Cundall told them that they could get ‘platinum’ – but if you want to get ‘platinum’ then you have to do all this and if you do all this it will cost you this much money! There’s now so much research about wellness and inclusivity – which is another thing altogether, but they do start to link together – so when they put all these things together they end up with the fit-out itself, which

When we talked to them they told us that they never use these spaces because they were worried about what their bosses would say when they found that they weren’t in their offices

Roundtable

represents not a lot in their annual costs, but which can make or break future of the business. So data really does help!

Chris: I think it’s also about the expectations of the employee. People are now thinking that there are so many opportunities and choices to go elsewhere, so if their employer wants to retain the talent, they have to meet these expectations. They are now changing and progressing. This whole sense of people sharing more – talking out about things and saying that they’re not going to stand for certain things – helps raise the bar.

Gordon: Two things that have really changed things are Instagram and Pinterest. I’ve been shocked at times when a client has come to me with a mood board that I would be proud of! Very nice, very stylish, thanks very much – that’s my job done!

Seriously though, for me, that’s just giving me a sense of what the client is actually looking for. The benchmark used to be Google. Now it’s anything but Google – they don’t want swings, they don’t want slides. Our clients talk more about a blurring of boundaries between hospitality and work.

Julie: We talk about ‘space fusion’ – which is mixing these sectors together. Coworking is also becoming very inspiring for many organisations – that sense of community.

There is certainly an economic concern – you mention biophilia and people think it’s going to cost them a lot of money

Matthew: I think a lot of clients want to be perceived as more knowledgeable, but when there’s a cost associated with it…with the WELL Standard, for instance. We recently completed a job that achieved WELL Gold but the costs just spiralled out of control. To be honest, they weren’t educated enough to deal with the financial impact. Yes, guaranteed over a 20-year plan, you start getting that money back – but this is about here and now.

They’ve got a budget for the year and they’re not factoring that in for the future. So I think clients do still need to be educated from a cost perspective.

Sarah: I think that will feed through in the next five, 10, 15 years, as better business cases start to come out. If you look at how much literature has come out on wellness, inclusivity and all these things – but the bottom line for CEO’s and businesses is still productivity. Now they’re starting to think about how these things come together and how, from a purely business point of view, their people will be more productive if they’re able to work in the best way possible – and that might be in five different places throughout the day – if they’re happy and healthy. Then they’ll get the best out of their people. The most forward thinking and progressive businesses will see this as the way forward.

In Association with

Roundtable

Beatriz: It’s important that this isn’t just a box ticking exercise. You have to look at what you, as a company, want to achieve, what you want the end result to be – and then you work backwards from there. You shouldn’t just start going through certifications just because people tell you that you will be able recruit better people. People don’t look for certifications – they look for the end results. Go back to the basics and understand what you want and need. If you want your people to be healthier or happier, you need to look at which initiatives you need to look at to achieve that. For me, the beauty of WELL as a certification is that it puts a lot of decisions on the client side – and, actually, you have to continue to work on it.

Of course, WELL and other major initiatives do address a number of the issues surrounding wellbeing and inclusivity – but are clients actually talking about inclusivity as part of a brief?

valued employee or less appealing as prospective employee. Now, people are able to stand up and speak out about who they truly are – and are respected for who they are.

Chris: We’ve had a client who has specifically mentioned inclusivity and neurodiversity – although I’m not sure they’ve fully fleshed out exactly what that means in terms of their space. What it does mean is they’re showing consideration for different people, with many different needs. I do think that it’s starting to be at the forefront of people’s minds.

Some of our clients are now being challenged by prospective hires – they’re being asked about their stance on single-use plastics, about their stance on inclusivity. A few years ago, people were less likely to be comfortable when it comes to saying things such as ‘I don’t identify as male or female’ or ‘I suffer from depression’ or ‘I suffer from anxiety’ – because they felt that they would come across as less of a

Julie: We’ve just released a report on neurodiversity.

What was really interesting was that whatever applies to a neurodiverse population actually benefits everyone. It’s about providing choice and flexibility in how and where you work. One in eight people are on the neurodiverse spectrum – and only half of those people actually know it! There are a lot of invisible disabilities and things that people are not aware of – and there’s still a lot education to be done in this area. What we did find is that it’s really about welcoming everyone. So when you think about designing a space, you should already be thinking about what needs it can fulfill.

Some of our clients are now being challenged by prospective hires – they’re being asked about their stance on single-use plastics, about their stance on inclusivity

66 | Mix 198 October 2019

Isabelle: It’s all about care. 25 years ago, most CEO’s wouldn’t care about their staff or their wellbeing – they just wanted people to get work done! Even today, most clients confuse diversity with inclusivity. You can have a diverse workforce – but do your people feel as though they are heard?

We can certainly help – but more than half of the job has to come through the culture and through your client.

CONCLUSION We think Isabelle has summed it up quite perfectly. A truly inclusive workspace can only be achieved when the culture of the business, from the top down, is right. Inclusivity isn’t a box ticking exercise – it’s about giving everyone choice, flexibility, trust and a voice.

As Sarah points out, however, it’s not easy to achieve this and there’s plenty more work still to de done if we want to create a society where inclusivity is the norm. w

Roundtable

OUR GUESTS

ISABELLE DAUCHEZ

BEATRIZ GONZALEZ

CARLO CALLONI

Director, Scott Brownrigg

Senior Project Manager, CBRE

Beatriz, Director within Scott Brownrigg’s commercial interiors team, has over 12 years’ experience of workplace design and delivery and is currently working on the design for Expedia’s Angel Building headquarters. She has led the design for numerous projects for large global clients, including Thomson Reuters, Refinitiv, Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, Watson Farley & Williams, Pernod Ricard, Hasbro and Jaguar Land Rover.

Carlo was born and raised in a very small town in the north of Italy. He accepted an exchange programme between the European Institute of Design in Milan and School of Visual Arts in NYC, where he ended up living for 18 and ½ years. He became a project manager and worked on major projects, predominantly for hedge fund companies. He moved to London two and half years ago and is currently working as a Senior Project Manager for CBRE GWS in London.

CHRIS CRAWFORD

SARAH BEWERS

JULIE LECOQ

Senior Associate, Gensler

Designer, ThirdWay Interiors

Workplace Consultant, HOK

Chris is a Senior Associate in the Gensler London office and the EMEA Regional Leader of their Media Practice. He works with a broad range of companies, specialising in PR, advertising, gaming, broadcast and publishing. For Chris, it’s about being intelligently creative. It’s about designing the kind of space that’s going to make people feel better, enhance their daily lives, inspire collaboration and compel creativity.

Since Sarah’s journey at ThirdWay began two years ago, she’s delivered a range of CAT A & B projects for occupiers and developers alike. She believes her career change into design was the best decision she’s ever made: 'I love how dynamic a designer’s role is. Every client, project and building demands a different approach. My job is to solve humancentric problems through creativity – it’s wonderfully challenging and endlessly rewarding!’

With over five years’ experience in designing working and learning environments, Julie has an incredible passion for the impact of the work environment on behaviours and is an advocate for diversity and inclusion. Julie has successfully influenced and managed change across a variety of sectors in the UK and overseas, from higher education institutions to large, global, blue-chip firms, especially in the financial and pharmaceutical sectors.

Design Team Leader and Associate, Edge architecture + design Ltd Isabelle has 15 years’ experience in interior design and workplace consultancy. She obtains immense satisfaction from ensuring that work environments are designed to improve people’s lives by introducing clients to appropriate furniture solutions, producing well informed spaceplans and designing bespoke solutions reflective of her clients’ culture and aspirations. She is part of the Edge leadership team, working across multiple project teams as a key inhouse workplace specialist.

GORDON BYRNE Creative Lead Designer, Tetris UK Gordon, Creative Lead Designer for Tetris UK, has worked for leading architectural practices and design consultancies across Dublin and London, most recently completing projects for a number of London’s leading D&B firms, some of which have won awards, including Best Designed Office in the UK at the International Property Awards, for the Essence Media project.

MATTHEW PEGG Head of Design Management, Mace Interiors Having trained as an architect, Matthew's experience spans across both workplace and hospitality interiors. With a focus on bringing design concepts to life, Matthew ensures his clients' vision is achieved.

Mace is passionate about giving back to local communities and its recent Corams Field project is up for a 'Lord Mayor Dragon Award' this year for boosting social impact.

In Association with

Spring Watch This might sound a little confused – after all this issue’s Spotlight feature is all about coworking – but when we read that, ‘Origin is not a coworking office’, we knew we should not only take a look – but feature it alongside the best of the UK’s coworking facilities.

T

he reason for this is that it’s not just coworking (in it’s truest sense) that’s helping to create a workplace revolution right now. Flex-space is what it’s all about – and that, as we’re about to discover, can come in a number of guises. After all, what happens when your duckling transforms into a unicorn and traditional coworking facilities simply don’t fit the model any longer? Is there an alternative that doesn’t result in long leases and soulless, empty floorspace? Well, there is now.

We’re in Manchester’s ever-changing business district (Spring Gardens to be precise), where we meet with Incognito’s Howard Powsney, who is more than happy to give us a tour of this

68 | Mix 198 October 2019

It’s actually two buildings formed together. The first was built in 1850 – and was then joined together with a building from around the corner, on Fountain Street

Case Study | Origin

▼ Business lounge

exciting new initiative. ‘The building is owned by a company called Investream and the original intention was to simply turn it around and to see what we could do with it as an office block,’ Howard tells us as we admire the classical Mancunian architecture that is synonymous with Spring Gardens and this part of the city. ‘It’s always struggled as a building because there are several cores to it and everything is really convoluted. To get to one side of the space you had to go to the other side first…it was really awkward.

‘It’s actually two buildings formed together.

The first was built in 1850 – and was then joined together with a building from around the corner, on Fountain Street. So that has created three cores

and you have a number of large load-bearing walls throughout. So, we looked at it and realised that we had to do something a bit different with it.

‘What Simon (Millington, founder of Incognito) sold to them was the idea of a space that was somewhere beyond coworking. We’re already seeing loads of interest from businesses that feel they have outgrown WeWork or outgrown other coworking spaces and are now looking for something else – something in between that startup environment and having their own space.

‘This is very much plug-and-play – absolutely everything is ready for businesses to come in and start. There is a communal pantry, there is a business lounge, meeting rooms – and there’s no

Mix 198 October 2019 | 69

Case Study | Origin

▼ Concierge-style reception

additional money involved with any of that. It’s all part of the service charge. The suites are a really decent size – you have four suites per floor, which perfectly suit 15-20 people.

‘Although the floors are divided into four, businesses can come here and take an entire floor if they want to. ‘ Walking inside Origin, we can immediately see that the bright, bold design we often associate with coworking spaces is replaced with more sophisticated, muted tones and finishes.

‘Previously, people would head straight up the stairs and there was a tiny little reception desk to one side. The original intention was to have a ‘proper’ café on the ground floor suite, but we realised it was probably best if we didn’t manage this ourselves and so there is still potential to break through here in the future if needs be – there’s a lot of flexibility. Rather than replace the reception desk, we decided to put in a concierge-style greeting point, which works really well.

‘We didn’t want people to go straight up the stairs, so we’ve deliberately sent people around

This is very much plug-andplay – absolutely everything is ready for businesses to come in and start

▲ View from the street

70 | Mix 198 October 2019

Leading UK furniture manufacturer the stairs and through to the core of the space – to the pantry and the lounge. It’s got a bit of a moody 1930s feel to it. The lounge certainly has that feel of cigar smoking, boutique space, although we didn’t want it to feel too much like a member’s club – we didn’t want it to feel elitist. We’ve had to be quite clever with how we’ve divided everything because of the fire doors, so we’ve used panelling and curtains and put in hidden doors to mask that.

The artwork was also important here – it was all sourced to tie in with our scheme.

‘All the tenants here have access to the business lounge – there’s absolutely no exclusivity, and there are no hidden charges for using the space. It’s very much part of the offering.

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Case Study | Origin

▼ Communal breakout space

The Client Origin provides first-class office and retail spaces in the heart of Manchester city centre.

Following a transformational refurbishment, Origin boasts more than 20 exclusive workspaces of up to 1,500 sq ft, spread across six floors.

Featuring concierge style frontdesk, plug-and-play connectivity, business lounge on every floor, cycle hub and private roof garden.

All the tenants here have access to the business lounge – there’s absolutely no exclusivity, and there are no hidden charges for using the space. It’s very much part of the offering.

‘We’ve had a few meetings ourselves in here – and it’s a really nice space to work in. There is also a great boardroom off to the side and we’ve ensured there is a real sense of quality throughout, from the timber finishes and flooring, through to the furniture selection, the artwork and the cast iron radiators. That flows through the entire building to the floors above – every floor has that consistent quality and same feel.’

Howard tells us that, when the team first looked at the space, plenty of work was needed to update the services. ‘It was pretty bad,’ he admits.

‘We had to rip out the wet systems and install radiators throughout. The power and data is now fed through the skirtings – but we did find some amazing, original parquet flooring throughout, which gives each of the suites a slightly different, unique look.

‘We had to protect the three cores, so we’ve wrapped panelling around it. It was pretty tricky, but I think it not only hides a lot of those services but also looks pretty good itself.

‘We are currently about to start work on a new staircase, which will take tenants to the basement, where there will be a gym and a cycle store.’

Origin has been developed for businesses that want to have complete control of their workplace – and also enjoy all the benefits of being part of a buzzing business community. This is a place

Origin also provides a range of events and initiatives to help tenants become a part of an exciting new community.

▲ Business lounge

Mix 198 October 2019 | 73

Case Study | Origin

▼ Roof garden

We’ve had a few meetings ourselves in here – and it’s a really nice space to work in

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for the tenants to call home, but with the added benefit of having access to a host of hospitalitystyle services and facilities.

The buzzing business lounge offers ‘Originals’ (we like that!) a great place to meet, greet and socialise with their clients and also amongst themselves and other like-minded people. It boasts two enclosed meeting rooms, fully equipped with the latest technologies for formal occasions, as well as a range of collaborative spaces and individual work settings.

Following Incognito’s transformational refurbishment, Origin now boasts over 20 exclusive workspaces, of up to 1,500 sq ft, spread across six floors. High spec fixtures and fittings, as well as the very latest workplace technologies complement the stylish interior, which takes its inspiration from the roaring thirties. As Howard mentioned a little earlier, suites can be joined together to create whole floors of 5,600 sq ft. Each of the suites feature fantastic original touches on the walls and floors, contemporary teapoints and business

▲ Contemporary teapoint

Case Study | Origin

▼ Boardroom

Every detail matters here – and they have clearly all been considered

▲ Landing space

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lounge and large, revamped windows that allow natural light to flood in.

But we haven’t finished yet. With views across Manchester’s iconic skyline, the Origin roof garden is a special place to relax, unwind and enjoy a well-deserved drink. It’s a place for the Origin community to come together for coffee, lunch, collaboration, meetings and, we’re told, cocktails – although it’s a little early in the day for us to partake.

Every detail matters here – and they have clearly all been considered. From the concierge-style front desk, the plug and play connectivity, the addition of a business lounge on every floor, the cycle hub and the private roof garden, Origin provides a full range of high-quality amenities alongside events and initiatives that will help its tenants become a part of an exciting new business community for Manchester.

The team has achieved something special here, with what is essentially a difficult space spanning two separate buildings.

If you are still in any doubt, as we said earlier, Origin is not a coworking office. It’s original.w

Project Team Client Origin Manchester Interior Designer Incognito (Simon Millington & Howard Powsney) Furniture Provider Hunters Contracts North Flooring Suppliers Havwoods, CTD Tiles, Milliken, Forbo Furniture Suppliers Carl Hansen, Muuto, Senator, Mobili, Quadrifoglio, ORN Surfaces Suppliers Egger, Formica, Polyrey, Corian Other Suppliers Workspace D&B (contractor), Optima & Planet Partitioning (glazed partitions), Bridgewater Laminates & Manchester Joinery (joinery), NuLife and Natural Flooring Solutions (parquet restoration), Contrac Lighting (light fittings)

MAKING SPACES INTO PLACES www.forbo-flooring.co.uk/cloudscape

78 | Mix 198 October 2019

Case Study | Office Space in Town

The Smile Council As we’ve already alluded to in this ‘coworking issue’, flexible workspace offerings come in a variety of shapes, sizes and styles, offering an even greater range of flexible terms, facilities and styles. While coworking continues to make a lot of the headlines, the rise and dramatic improvement in the serviced space offering has often flown under the radar. Well, we think it’s time to put that right.

There is no logo at all anywhere in the building – we want people to feel as though it’s their building, not ours

O

ffice Space in Town, one of the UK's leading serviced office providers, has recently completed and opened its newest (and seventh) Central London office in Blackfriars, following an extensive £8.5 million refurbishment. This, of course, isn’t our first rodeo with OSiT, having been fortunate enough to take a look at both the brand’s Waterloo and Monument facilities.

The new 37,500 sq ft space, in the heart of London’s prestigious midtown district, has been designed and developed in collaboration with Sam Kopsch Studio, with commercial workplace design specialist, Area, overseeing the fit-out.

Those aforementioned previous tours featured fantastic themed designs (Alice in Wonderland and nautical) so we’re intrigued to see what we’ll find in Blackfriars. We’re told that the space is inspired by ‘happiness’, and is intended to help boost productivity and wellbeing. Right up our street!

'We worked closely with our office outfitters, Area, and interior designer, Sam Kopsch Studio, to create a professional, digitally advanced and luxurious office,' Developments Director, Simon Eastlake, tells us. 'Everything has been meticulously designed to offer clients the optimal

Under the Sea meeting room

Mix 198 October 2019 | 79

Case Study | Origin

▼ Spa-themed reception space

When we took the building on, we took it right back to basics – in fact the only thing that’s original in here is probably the ceilings

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working environment that will allow them to thrive whilst supporting the wellbeing of the employee.

We truly believe 22 Tudor Street is the ultimate ‘home of happiness'.'

Opening its doors a few months ago, the new development provides over 475 workstations, split over five floors, offering office spaces for between two and 40 people to rent on flexible terms. There is, of course, much more to an OSiT centre – and General Manager, Roy Jones, is on hand to give us a tour of the space.

Upon entering, we’re struck by three things – firstly, how calm and tranquil it is, secondly, that there appears to be no Office Space in Town branding, and, thirdly, we can’t help but smile at the biophilic ‘green’ ceiling immediately above us.

‘The whole point of this building is to make you smile as much as possible, because work can be tough enough’ Roy begins, noting our faces when we see the ceiling above. ‘We did originally want this to be a ‘live’ feature, but watering it was a bit of an issue, so we have used plastic plants instead.

‘The space here has a real spa feel. We wanted it to be open and a space for people to sit and relax.

There is no logo at all anywhere in the building – we want people to feel as though it’s their building, not ours.’

We ask Roy how he and the OSiT team approached the theme of happiness. ‘We asked all the staff what made them happy and then took

Project Team Client Office Space in Town Interior Designer Sam Kopsch Studio Furniture Provider ACS 365 Flooring Suppliers Quadrant, Desso, Gerflor, Polyflor, Harvey Maria Furniture Suppliers Claremont, orangebox, Morgan, Frovi, Max, Nova, Interstuhl, Boss Surfaces Suppliers Egger, Polyrey, Corian Other Suppliers Vantage Space, Acrylicize, MBD, LTD

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Case Study | Office Space in Town

their answers and suggestions and looked to apply them to the meeting rooms here on the ground floor. So we have a choice of nine bespoke meeting rooms, each of which are inspired by the question: ‘What makes you happy?’

From a quirky hot air balloon and LEGO theme, through to an aquatic ‘under the sea’ theme and Star Wars-inspired design, each meeting room is designed to surprise and inspire – and, of course, make you smile. With jars of sweets and nods to childhood favourites throughout the rooms, it’s difficult not to!

This isn’t just quirky for the sake of it, however.

It’s all well and good offering a cola bottle and making people smile at the hot air balloon, but that feeling of wellbeing and happiness will soon wane if the facilities don’t work to the standards

natural light and reduce heat and glare. ‘As the sun goes around the building and the room becomes brighter, the windows will turn darker. You can have an app on your phone, which means you can have your own window darker and every other window clear. This eliminates the need for blinds, which helps with the carbon footprint and with cleaning.

At eight o’clock at night, the entire building goes dark – so none of our light goes out to the street.

‘When we took the building on, we took it right back to basics – in fact the only thing that’s original in here is probably the ceilings. As we own the freehold – we have a 125-year lease here – we put in new air conditioning throughout. In fact, the air con in these meeting rooms is one and a half times the size it needs to be – and everything can be managed by the users, so each room is managed

expected of a modern London workplace. ‘You’ll see that all the tables have smartphone chargers,’ Roy points out, ‘while the windows change colour with the sunshine.’

The building boasts the first UK installation of View Dynamic Glass – intelligent, electrochromic windows that automatically tint to maximise

individually.’

Indeed, the building benefits from the most up to date technology throughout, with a Wired Score Gold rating. The look may well be (very intentionally) quirky in places – however this new facility also provides some of the City’s most sophisticated office space.

We’ve really tried to get away from plastics, while making things as simple and practical as possible. There’s an awful lot of attention to detail in everything we’ve done here

▼ Safari meeting room

▲ Hot Air Balloon meeting room

Mix 198 October 2019 | 83

Case Study | Office Space in Town

The Client Founded in May 2009 by brother and sister team, Giles and Niki Fuchs.

Office Space in Town offers flexible workspace solutions through the provision of serviced offices, managed offices, coworking space, meeting rooms and virtual offices in London, Cardiff, Northampton, and Edinburgh.

First London centre – Euston Tower – opened in January 2011.

OSiT now boasts seven London centres – Blackfriars, Mayfair, Liverpool Street, Euston Tower, Waterloo, St. Paul’s and Monument.

Furthermore, the finishes (a perfect example being the light, sophistication of the lobby), furniture elements and all-important details are of the highest standard, from the weighty glassware in the meeting rooms, through to the sustainable cans of water in the communal fridges and smart Mikomax phone booths for those private calls.

‘We give all of our clients a reusable coffee cup,’ Roy points out. ‘We’ve really tried to get away from plastics, while making things as simple and practical as possible. There’s an awful lot of attention to detail in everything we’ve done here.

‘This is all about looking after our clients. People are looking for wellbeing today, so we’ve tried to evolve our business so that we tick all those boxes.’

With a background in hospitality, it’s clear that the service levels are a further differentiator here.

‘We’re here to help. We have an open door policy.

My first concern is to get the meeting rooms singing, to get everything right and to make sure our clients are happy. You have to go that extra ▲ A Bug’s Life basement breakout space

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▲ Space meeting room

We’re here to help. We have an open door policy. My first concern is to get the meeting rooms singing, to get everything right and to make sure our clients are happy

mile – we go and see our clients, we don’t like to hide behind emails.’

As well as the stunning reception area and themed meeting rooms, there are bright and brilliant subterranean client lounges and generous breakout spaces, featuring bold graphics and colours. To encourage wellbeing and mindfulness still further, a number of inspirational graffiti quotes have been applied to walls throughout.

Heading back up the building, all of the office suites include individually controlled air conditioning, great soundproofing, impressive sit/ stand desks and task chairs as standard, highspeed internet access and the latest telephony.

Add to that a gym studio, cycle storage (even this is smart and intuitive), shower facilities and well-equipped dining areas, all of which are supported by OSiT’s dedicated onsite team, of course, and even a tranquil roof terrace high above Blackfriars and you’d pretty much have to be made of stone to not raise a smile. w

ALIST NERY

OUP

Review | MixInspired

Workspace: The Next Generation We recently took over a large portion of Aecom’s new HQ in Aldgate – complete with unbelievable panoramic views across the City and a pretty impressive sunset – to discuss the next generation workspace. Equally impressive was our panel for the evening, comprising HMRC’s Estates Director, Frazer Smith, Roxanne Quesnel, Director at Turner & Townsend, biophilic design expert, Oliver Heath, and Novartis Global Chief Architect, Marco Serra.

Sponsored by

Roxanne Quesnel Director & Business Unit Leader, Occupier Project Management Turner & Townsend

SPECIALIST JOINERY GROUP

W

e’ve been fortunate enough to know and work with a couple of Aecom’s most brilliant senior people – Simon Jackson and Terry Gunnery – for many years now.

When we first sat down and thought about our MixInspired programme, we thought it would be great to tap into all that knowledge and talk about the grand, exciting days of their careers at DEGW and Gensler.

But Simon pointed out that this didn’t really tiein with the evening’s subject matter of Next-Gen workspaces.

Therefore, we decided to go to the other end of the Aecom age spectrum and kick things off by chatting with a couple of the firm’s rising stars – Joe Cook and Olivia Madley – to discover what they’re looking for when it comes to their own work, rest and play. Here’s a flavour of the evening’s conversations:

Frazer Smith Estates Director HMRC

Oliver Heath Director Oliver Heath Design

Marco Serra Global Chief Architect Novartis

86 | Mix 198 October 2019

Firstly, we ask Joe and Olivia what they think of their own space here in Aldgate?

Joe: I used to work at our previous office in Holborn and, unlike that space, here we had the opportunity to design our own office, and it's a bit of a showcase – we often host events like this, which is great. In our previous office you didn't really feel like you'd want to bring people in, whereas here you want to come and show it off. In terms of the least appealing aspect, I think it can be a bit of a problem living in a showcase office – people don't want to live in a show home.

I think the big question is whether designers and consultants can figure out how to use that data effectively, and how we use it to inform design.

Mix 198 October 2019 | 87

With that in mind, do you prefer fixed or agile working?

Joe: I like stuff! I do find myself coming into the office and working in the same place with the same sort of people. I can fully understand the appeal of agile working – it's nice to get people to move around and meet other people, and I have previously worked in offices that are completely fixed and, when there's no one there, it can feel a bit dead.

Olivia: When you’re working on different projects, being able to move and sit next to someone who you're working with is really helpful – you can create a team around you for each project. So, flexibility is key.

What do you feel your generation's legacy will be in terms of workplace culture, and where do you think workplace design will move?

Joe: I think it will be about data. Whether it's sensors, wearable technology… data is going to completely transform the workplace in the next 10-20 years. I think the big question is whether designers and consultants can figure out how to use that data effectively, and how we use it to inform design. I think there will come a time when we use that data powerfully, and I think people aren't quite sure, yet, how to do that properly.

Olivia: I think that younger generations are more open to talking about mental health and the workplace can really help with this. So, if you're feeling slightly anxious you can sit away from people or be in a group. This flexibility will continue and will help improve how everyone likes to work.

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Review | MixInspired

I don't think that coworking spaces need all the amenities they have – the real plus is that you’re around a variety of people

Obviously, coworking is huge right now – would you be happy to work in a coworking space?

Joe: I would, although I have a few friends who work in a variety of coworking spaces and they give me mixed feedback on their experience. A lot of them say that, at first, they used the amenities that a lot of coworking spaces have – but over time they’re finding they don’t get a chance to use them. In a city like London, the fewer amenities you have, the better in some ways. If you get the basics right and have the space looking amazing with nothing frustrating, you should be communicating with other companies. For example, one of the things I really like about Aecom is that you can go to Petticoat Lane, down the road, to a falafel shop, and you say to them, ‘I want an Aecom wrap’ – and they give you a discount! I really like that sort of thing – for instance, doing a deal with a coffee shop nearby instead of having a barista inside; getting people to go outside and use the amenities and businesses within the city.

Olivia: I would work in a coworking space - you're around different people and ideas, and even if it's someone who's not in your discipline, it's great to get other people's opinions and see their work.

I don't think that coworking spaces need all the amenities they have – the real plus is that you’re around a variety of people.

Review | MixInspired

Time to introduce our panel for the main session. We begin by asking, fittingly, whether our esteemed speakers think there is any value in discussing different generations in the workplace?

Frazer: I think so. We’ve got quite a varied workforce – from those coming in at age 18-19, through to their 60s and 70s. When you design a new office, you do have to think about quite a large age gap. There will be some things that are the same, but there will be other things that need to be treated slightly differently just because of peoples' experience in the world – those coming out of university now compared to those around during the war. They have different perspectives in life and so you could have a clash if you tried the ‘one-sizefits-all’ approach.

Marco: More than thinking about different generations, I'm interested in having actual discussions with different generations. I work in a big global company and we are very good at hiring young people but then telling them how things should happen and how things should go. Education typically happened by direction and today it happens by example, so I'm really interested in this conversation between different generations. Really, Joe and Olivia should be sat with us, if we're talking about different generations, they should be present! So that's the challenge I see.

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Roxanne: I think what was interesting was that they did say that open plan space is not necessarily what they want – they also want the quiet spaces to work in. I don't think it's all about these cool, fun spaces, you do need spaces for the different tasks and different things that you need to do throughout the day.

Oliver: As Frazer mentioned, it's interesting to recognise that we have different experiences that we use as precedent. As a proponent of biophilic design, I am interested in what we can do to create a universal design ethos that has an appeal for people, that supports their physical, mental – and by mental I mean cognitive functioning, but also emotional wellbeing – throughout the day.

We all have these basic human needs that need to be met.

It's not all about these cool, fun spaces, you do need spaces for the different tasks and different things that you need to do throughout the day

Review | MixInspired

Marco: It's interesting that when Joe was talking about data – which is a big word now too – he linked it to personal interaction, and what I get from young people are two things; one is the lack of physical interaction, and secondly that the lack of privacy is a challenge. At Novartis, we do the pre-move service, the post move service, the data collection – and the most powerful service is interviews. I really like that Joe was linking this big flow of information to the actual personal interaction.

What's your view on post-occupancy research – specifically in terms of whether it's qualitative or quantitative data that is being collected?

Roxanne: I think you need to do both. When we’ve now got all these data tracking systems, where you see which spaces are actually being used, what you really need to do is understand why certain spaces were being used more or less than another space. Was it because people wanted to part of that team, temporarily, or was it because that space actually isn't that comfortable to be in, but you thought it would be? You must have more in-depth analysis of the human side to understand the drivers behind what the data is telling you.

The biggest feedback we get from young people are two things; one is the lack of physical interaction, and secondly that the lack of privacy is a challenge.

Review | MixInspired

Maybe your best ideas aren't in a busy environment, they're when you have time to reflect

With this in mind, we ask the audience for their perspective.

When working on projects that deal with flexible and coworking space, many of our audience members received vastly differing views from senior fee earning clients, who are used to have an office and private space, while the next generation moving into the space wants more flexibility and choice. How would our panel best deal with those differing views, particularly between someone who brings in the biggest fees to their company, versus the larger number of people who form the main body of staff?

Roxanne: We've had some interesting conversations with our clients in terms of those that were resistant to moving out to open plan spaces. What they did was create semi-reserved spaces for those people, and what this client began to find was that they spent more time outside these spaces, and it was more of a comfort factor. That was interesting, but I think we need to provide enough of the spaces for people to break out into, and to have that quiet time to work – because maybe your best ideas aren't in a busy environment, they're when you have time to reflect.

Oliver: We recently wrote a white paper on how biophilic design can enhance a sense of community in buildings, and we were looking at one particular case study – the Patagonia offices in Amsterdam. Whilst there are a variety of spaces for people to sit and work quietly, there are also a lot of collaborative spaces. It's quite prevalent in Amsterdam for lunch to be served and everyone sit around big tables, and you will have people of all ages and hierarchies sitting at a table – you may have an intern sitting next to a CEO, and I think that's really valuable; gathering and understanding different ideas, and what's going on in different age groups and different perspectives.w

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Review | MixInspired

What our partners thought...

SPECIALIST JOINERY GROUP

SPECIALIST

Talks such as Mix Inspired are vitalJOINERY opportunities to GROUP explore the subjects surrounding workplace design and hear views from every possible angle, and so Flokk was very pleased to be able to support the most recent event at AECOM. Flokk has become an expert in the creation of seating for people at work through years of in-depth research and development. The role of learning in this evolution is huge. Taking part in discussions about workplace with those in the industry and those using the workplaces we design has been paramount in this progression.

The chosen subject, Next Generation, provided the platform for some interesting questions around how to design for the future, with fascinating insights from a panel that came at the questions from unique positions.

One of the key takeaways had to be the importance of flexibility in design. Flexibility is a concept well known at Flokk, whose seating is designed to provide options to the sitter through dynamic seating positions and through its manufacturing, which ensures the longevity of the products’ life, with the ability to update materials and parts.

This same flexibility has also allowed Flokk to consistently improve on its sustainable credentials, as it researches the best in new materials and methods, never letting habit or complacency determine its decisions to advance.w

It was our pleasure to join Mix Interiors and coevent sponsors, Interface and Flokk Design, for the MixInspired 'Towards a Next-Gen Workplace' discussion. The event was hosted in AECOM’s beautiful Aldgate Tower home, which provided a great vantage point for enjoying one of best views of London. Of course, we may be biased in our outlook, as Specialist Joinery Group was a key sub-contractor, working alongside Overbury Major Projects in 2016, to deliver AECOM’s new home so, from our perspective, it was a welcome chance to enjoy the space from an alternative perspective.

Our panel of experts ,who are leading key programmes of work in the global market, attracted a record audience for the event.

Specialist Joinery Group was able to draw direct insight from discussions, as we are working on many of the key projects referenced, including Novartis’ new White City offices and the HMRC programme. For us, the consistent message from panellists and audience was the focus on quality throughout all aspects of delivery, from planning and design, through to our area of expertise – project management, manufacture, and installation.

This message of quality resonated with us. It is the foundation of our company and influences every aspect of our business.w

It’s clear the workplace is in a rapidly developing transitional phase – bridging the generations and their varied needs; from Baby Boomers, to Generation X, Millennials and the emerging Gen Z workplace occupants.

Whilst this requires often complicated and conflicting demands for the current workplace, where next looking into the future?

To answer this question, we must remember there remains a need for fundamental workplace activities to be undertaken, including focused work, breakout and creative spaces, collaborative space but also inspirational social space to meet, mix, mingle and share ideas – this diverse mix of spaces reflecting the many needs that occupants and their tasks require to be productive.

To facilitate all of this, attention to the occupant’s health and wellbeing is key – integrating design strategies, which help to reduce stress and maintain energy and focus – are important. Essential to this approach is the evaluation of space and the people in it, through quantitative and qualitative surveys or wearable technology – already a fundamental part of accreditation systems such as the WELL Building Standard.

Biophilic design remains high on the list of essentials, incorporating both real elements of nature, such as natural light and plants, but also making the most of a new wave of materials and technologies. Materials that deliver natural colours, textures and patterns to create more naturalised interior spaces could be as varied as biomimetic carpet tiles, circadian lighting, air purifying mobile green walls and water inspired acoustic systems.

The future is coming – and it’s bigger, better, brighter, calmer and greener.w

Mix 198 October 2019 | 93

Review | London Design Festival

Review | London Design Festival

Fair to Middling The 2019 edition of the London Design Festival comprised some 400 different events, exhibitions and installations, with four major trade fairs – 100% Design, designjunction, Focus/19 and London Design Fair – at its heart. Furthermore, there were no less than 11 official Design Districts, including the brand-new Kings Cross Design District and Chelsea Design District. Impressive? In many ways, yes. However, as most design firms are not blessed with hundreds of employees and actually have a full-time job to do (often with fewer staff and greater client demands than ever), navigating this number of geographically diverse shows and events is nigh on impossible.

L

ike many of the major international events (think Milan), you really do have to cherrypick when it comes to LDF. Our focus was, of course, specifically on the workplace sector – which meant a trip to Clerkenwell, King’s Cross (for the returning designjunction) and then ‘way out west’ to Olympia for 100% Design.

We already have CDW, which has become difficult enough to navigate – such is its own size – despite being a single-borough event. We have always said that, for a major show to really be important, it must be a launchpad for new products, and we simply don’t see enough major workplace launches at LDF anymore.

And we don’t feel as though we’re alone in this opinion. Walking through Clerkenwell on the Thursday evening of the festival (formerly one of THE industry nights of the year), we bumped into a number of industry friends who, having just finished a long day, made the decision to ‘stay put’ rather than head off to King’s Cross or west London.

That’s not to say that there was nothing that caught our eye throughout the festival!

Sustainability was certainly at the top of the agenda at this year’s festival, with several of the main displays looking at sustainable materials and climate change.

Sam Jacob’s Sea Things installation at the V&A, which focused on the global plastic system, was a

sight to behold and was certainly a call to action regarding our relationship with plastic. The huge two-way mirrored cube featured an animated motion graphic suspended over the heads of visitors, reworking hand-drawn textile patterns by Charles and Ray Eames in the V&A’s Textiles and Fashion Collection by adding plastic waste.

Another that caught our eye and imagination was Patternity’s Life Labyrinth, in association with

Opposite Sam Jacob's Sea Things, V&A. Photo: Ed Reeves Above Arper design lounge, 100% Design, Olympia

Mix 198 October 2019 | 95

Review | London Design Festival

Materialise Creative Design and created using Tarkett’s sustainable iQ Optima range. The giant three-dimensional installation at Westminster Cathedral reflected the architecture in the worldfamous cathedral’s geometric pattern, focusing on wellbeing within an urban environment and inviting the public to walk through the structure or take a seat.

As we mentioned earlier, this year’s designjunction re-found its home at King’s Cross, next to Coal Drops Yard. With the sun shining and every inch of outside furniture taken, the atmosphere in this new district was buzzing and, well, happy.

We were impressed by several furniture companies exhibiting, including the STUDIO modular furniture collection from Bene, focusing on creating a flexible and mobile workspace. There was also some beautiful handcrafted furniture on show, including TON’s bentwood chairs, created using steamed wood, manually set into moulds, for commercial and domestic use. Sixteen3 launched its newest soft seating range, Reece, an innovative mix of materials

Top Sixteen3's Circle, with writing arm Right Chip[s] Board, Material of the Year, Second Yield

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allowing room for customisation and designed to create an almost residential feel for commercial interiors.

Making the journey to 100% Design at Olympia quite late in the day on Thursday, we made use of the late opening to visit the Arper design lounge, which returned to the show for the fourth consecutive year.

Offering a space for visitors to relax, network and take a break from the bustle of the exhibition, the space showcased plenty of iconic Arper furniture, including the modular Kiik and Catifa Lounge collection.

Elsewhere, we bumped into Mix favourites Boss Design, Dataflex and Benchmark, with the latter presenting The Sage Collection, a new collection of furniture by award-winning American architect, David Rockwell, which is designed for the workplace with a focus on wellbeing. Speaking of Boss Design, we

Review | London Design Festival

Above Left Bene's STUDIO side table

were really sorry to miss our mate Natalie Murray's DJ set earlier in the day – business coming first for us!

Possibly the most fun part of the week-long festivities was London Design Fair, showcasing a number of interesting and unusual products and materials. The bathroom gallery was a welcome new addition to the fair, offering brands a 20-metre space to curate and transform. The Material of the Year showcase was another highlight of the fair, showcasing ingenuous materials such as Italian design brand High Society’s lighting products made from discarded hemp and tobacco.

So, were there a lot of exciting new things to report? Not really, we’re sorry to say. We’ve been fans of designjunction (especially the King’s Cross editions), however this year’s offering felt smaller and, if anything, a little underwhelming. 100% Design is now a very different and far less relevant show. Again, we have to emphasise that we’re coming at this specifically from a workplace sector perspective. That doesn’t mean we want a ‘London Orgatec’ – and it doesn’t mean we want bolt-on sections to the existing events, we’re just wondering whether LDF as a whole is losing (has lost?) its relevance for this sector. w

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Below BuzziProp LED & BuzziPuzzle from BuzziSpace Right Altrock by Robin Grasby. Photo: Maxwell Anderson

Review |

SELECTIONS

Framed moss pictures for commercial spaces Inleaf’s moss pictures provide a fantastic design effect for commercial interior spaces. Available in standard sizes, or as custom-made, they are much more costeffective than covering an entire wall as they require less moss, yet the ‘negative space’ around the frame forms part of the overall effect. Multiple moss pictures can be combined in a line, grid or random formation to cover larger wall areas. www.inleaf.co.uk/moss-pictures/

Super Matt is the new black UNILIN, division panels, has developed Fibralux MR Black Super Matt, a black core MDF panel with a fingerprint-resistant, satin-soft matt finish on both sides. With an MDF core coloured black and a transparent super-matt finish on both sides, Fibralux MR Black Super Matt delivers a new black for interior and furniture use.

Showcasing the origins of its fibrous construction through the transparent finish, Black Super Matt offers a whole new aesthetic. www.unilinpanels.com

Understanding influences on trends INVISTA Antron carpet fibre recently discussed key influences and the driving forces behind the trends we see today with Anne Marie Commandeur, Director of Stijlinstituut Amsterdam. 'Taking on board influencing elements such as social and moral trends is an important part of the development process and, combined with a strong design, results in a truly successful product,' Anne Marie says. 'It is also important to be clear on the origin and ethos behind the product – a story of provenance, origin, resources, processes, technology, inspiration, morals and ethics, combined with its looks and performance, gives a product a clear value or concept.' www.antron.eu

Amtico brings a modernist touch to flooring Modernist is the latest offering from British flooring pioneer, Amtico. The luxury vinyl tile (LVT) boasts a subtle yet captivating pattern that mimics the effect of light on concrete. The design is available in five softly-toned colourways; Atrium, Frame, Lintel, Spire and Vault. As part of the recently expanded Amtico Signature collection, Modernist features a 1mm wear layer, the thickest wear layer of any LVT on the market. The collection, which carries a 20-year commercial warranty and an A+ BREEAM accreditation, is also available with an optional Amtico Acoustic backing layer, which dampens noise transference by up to 18dB. www.amtico.com/commercial

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Review |

Earth to Sky – and beyond!

Drawing from the undulating landscapes of earth to the shimmering patterns of far-flung galaxies, Earth to Sky is a high-performance carpet tile collection from IVC. Using 30% recycled content Duracolor solution-dyed nylon for stain and fade-resistance, Earth to Sky employs a sophisticated 1/12th gauge loop-pile construction to achieve its striking looks. In three coordinating designs – Living World, Intercosmic and Metagalactic – the collection that can be used to create out-of-this-world floor layouts in busy commercial environments. www.ivc-commercial.com

Meeting the demand for sustainability and style with TRENDCollection Since its launch at Domotex, the TRENDCollection from Granorte has continued to gain momentum with its sustainable and natural cork ranges. From the collection itself, through to its website, brochures, point-of-sale and video, TRENDCollection spreads awareness that cork is a floor of the future, designed perfectly for modern spaces. TRENDCollection provides a comprehensive range to satisfy consumer demand for products that address a desire for sustainability and style, with the added elements of durability and practicality. www.granorte.co.uk

New workspace for the agile working environment Kurt's softer, welcoming sofa units, provide a relaxing and comfortable place to be, while the semi-transparent ‘voile’ curtains provide a degree of privacy, while maintaining a visual connection with the rest of the workplace. Verco's Kurt provides a real alternative to the plethora of simple acoustic booths and has been designed to be used alongside the acoustic option to help provide a variety of different workspaces within the workplace. The highly gathered surrounding curtains and the gentle curves of the sofas bring a softer, less formal feel to the booth, while the options of lighting, tables and power provide a great discussion, meeting or presentation space. www.verco.co.uk

Wilton Carpets appoints new Creative Director Wilton Carpets Commercial, one of the UK’s foremost contract carpet manufacturers, has appointed Damian Roscoe as Creative Director. Damian, who also joins the company’s Board of Directors, is thrilled about his broader-scope role. He is among the industry’s most respected designers and, with over 30 years’ experience within the carpet industry, he brings a strong understanding of the flexibility and natural aesthetic of woven and tufted carpets for the contract sector.

His previous role within Wilton Carpets’ commercial sector as Head of Creative has seen a solid growth in specification for the commercial market and his new position is testament to his drive and commitment to delivering the best service with uncompromising elegance. www.wiltoncarpets.com

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SELECTIONS

IVC scores at Twickenham Home to England Rugby, Twickenham Stadium’s versatile new East Stand development now offers some six floors of event space. Wood and concreteeffect LVT floors from IVC have been used in two key areas of the East Stand for a lasting premium look without the price tag. The floors were selected from IVC’s 55 specification, suitable for the most demanding hospitality, commercial office and retail spaces. With a wear layer just over a half a centimetre thick and Protectonite PUR for easy maintenance and resistance to scuffs and marks, 55 floors can withstand intensive use. With embossed-in-register texture available on selected floors, authenticity is equally impressive, bringing a floor that’s not only tough, but also aesthetically on-point. www.ivc-commercial.com

Flexible and Friendly modulyss Flex Fitters is the flexible installation system for modulyss back2back (bitumen) equipped carpet tiles and planks. These self-adhesive tabs are the ideal alternative to traditional adhesives, have almost no VOCs and also make uplift and removal for recycling easier. The system relies on recyclable PET tabs that lock each tile to the next for a floating-style installation, which eliminates the fuss and mess of traditional carpet tile fitting. Clean and flexible, Flex Fitters is compatible with any modulyss back2back carpet tile installed in any pattern. With no drying time, Flex Fitters installations can be walked upon immediately. www.modulyss.com

Another Capital Quarter solution for Armstrong Ultra-green ceiling tiles from Armstrong Ceiling Solutions once again feature on the latest (and fifth) office building to rise in Cardiff's Capital Quarter redevelopment. Fully recyclable, Dune eVo is the next evolution in ceiling tiles. The tiles provide a balanced acoustic performance of up to 0.65 aw, Class C sound absorption, and a sound attenuating performance of up to 39 dB. The perforation design of Dune eVo is unique to standard tiles, creating a smooth, contemporary finish. www.armstrongceilings.com

Full of Spirit Spirit is the latest Ready to Go woven axminster collection from Wilton Carpets, bringing all-over interpretations of repeating geometrics inspired by Greek key patterns. Impressively versatile, modern and perfect for hotels seeking a glamorous deco feel, Spirit comes in three strong patterns that add poise and purpose to corridors, receptions, lounges and guest bedrooms. Using the rich and luscious colour combinations found in Wilton’s Creations colour palette, Mettle, Moxie and Magic offer an intoxicating and captivating carpet solution for hospitality interiors. www.wiltoncarpets.com

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New climate-positive cork flooring from Quadrant Introducing Band, Block, Flux, Grain and Stripe, which come together to form the Climate+ Collection, alongside the recently launched Corkwood. Every plank is built on the belief that products of the future should have a positive impact on the planet, with a carbon negative footprint and circular economy production. Thanks to its multi-layer system, with a Cork Rigid Core and cork underlay, it’s also Quadrant's corkiest collection yet! www.quadmod.com

Introducing Kolo acoustic phone and meeting booths KOPLUS has recently announced the launch of Kolo acoustic phone and meeting booths in Europe. Constructed from steel and aluminium, the rigid booths are extremely robust and suffer none of the deflection/distortion seen in timber and MFC-framed booths. Kolo already sells in high volume in the USA and was recently selected by Amazon, who selected the Koplus booths for their new Japanese headquarters. www.koplus.eu

Bespoke furniture for luxury casino When Mayfair’s members-only casino, The Colony Club, underwent a refurbishment, interior design practice, Dakota House of Design, turned to furniture specialist, Inside Out Contracts, for its expertise in crafting one-of-a-kind pieces for individual project needs. With a unique interior design concept for each room of the casino, inspired by the people using the space and the variety of cuisine on offer, Inside Out Contracts created a range of bespoke elements including sofas, lounge chairs and stools. The individual pieces encapsulate the opulence of the ‘Hollywood glamour’ theme, incorporating on-trend features such as fringing, marble, patterns and plush velvet. www.insideoutcontracts.com

Introducing the 'Personal Sanctuary' Creating quiet, comfortable and calming spaces – or ‘personal sanctuaries’ – in office environments is more crucial than ever before, according to a new report released by British furniture manufacturer, Roger Lewis. However, research suggests there’s no need for a complete office overhaul to achieve this. The report provides simple guidelines to creating a ‘Personal Sanctuary’ in office environments, without breaking the bank. From acoustic solutions to privacy chairs, Roger Lewis outlines a few ‘quick wins’ to create comfortable spaces, where people can get the headspace they need to complete the task at hand. For more info, download the full report at... www.rogerlewis.uk

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The Last Word | Opinion

I HAVE A CONFESSION...

Mike Walley is in charge of Criteo's real estate. In his latest confessional, he's looking beyond the internal walls of the workplace.

I No longer do we wish to have 10-year+ lease terms with minimal wriggle room for change. The new business world demands agility and flexibility

Mike Walley is Criteo’s Head of Workplace Experience EMEA

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have a small confession. I know the by-line on these articles says that I am Director of Workplace for Criteo, but the truth is I am also in charge of real estate. I know…it’s a shock…disappointing even. Real dark side stuff. I get it, but…

It does give me a slightly different perspective, as I don’t just see the workplace as something that goes

to queue halfway down the street, keeping the front doors open and pushing up the heating and cooling bill for the foyer.

It's time landlords began to think like hoteliers. We probably spend more time in the office than we ever would in a hotel, and yet they are barren places when it comes to amenities. In my company HQ, we now offer a

on within the four walls of the building.

I am beginning to realise that the bricks and mortar of the building (or steel and glass) has a symbiotic relationship with the truly modern workplace. Our concerns now extend beyond the walls of our demise and into the way a landlord operates the building and his business.

I have already mentioned in a previous piece that how a landlord manages waste is a vital component to corporate sustainability programmes. There is no point separating waste into four or five different categories if all the landlord does is chuck it into one huge skip. A few years back, we may have shrugged our shoulders and carried on with our day, but not now. This subject alone becomes a key question when we are considering new space. It has to, as I must report on waste management for our Corporate Social Responsibility Report.

But let’s take a step back and look at how things are changing. The rise and rise of coworking across the world has been great for those wishing to take advantage of small, flexible spaces, but has not done a lot for those of us who wish to put down roots and build a culture of our own within the workplace (other than push the rents up). We have to do business with landlords, who still see their offering as being no more than space within a demise, supplied with power and air con. We need more.

To be fair, some are dipping a toe into this brave new world, but most still just focus on sustainability.

They are a bit like a dad who, on discovering a cool new piece of slang from his kids, uses it constantly and inappropriately. I was recently dragged across a reception area by an excited building manager to be proudly shown the new LEED Silver Award plaque that had been nailed to the wall. I wanted to point out that they might have got Platinum if they sorted out the archaic access gates and didn’t force people

full concierge service and bring in hairdressers, doctors, dry cleaners etc. But why wouldn’t a landlord do this for the entire building and create an environment that is attractive and dynamic for everyone?

Well, one of the answers to that question is, simply, supply and demand. In many areas right now, vacancy rates are very low and it’s a sellers’ market, so no effort is required to get a tenant through the door. But that will not last forever; there is a serious risk that the coworking space bubble will burst, and that is bound to push down rental rates. Landlords will need to up their game to absorb that business. That game will also have to include a complete rethink of the lifecycle of a lease.

No longer do we wish to have 10-year+ lease terms with minimal wriggle room for change. The new business world demands agility and flexibility.

We upsize and downsize regularly to meet the everchanging needs of a company. Under today’s model, that means I end up being a landlord myself as the only option I have is to sub-lease excess space, on flexible terms, to reduce overheads but maintain access to it in case of sudden growth.

I recently discovered, to my astonishment, that in Barcelona (and most of Spain) the concept of a sublet is anathema to most landlords. When negotiating a lease extension I was told, ‘A sub-let is the last resort of a failing company'. Needless to say, we moved to a different building, but even then we had to work very hard to get a sub-let provision into the lease.

Now, we are not quite that bad in London but, when faced with these enormous hurdles, we still have to deal with sub-letting a piece of space – it does feel like we are still using a 1950s playbook.

I am hopeful that the world of real estate is beginning to change, but it's going to need to accelerate if it is to keep up with the businesses it houses.

Now, where did I leave my dry cleaning?w

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