KI Furniture Brings Versatility and a Sense of Heritage to PwC’s New Belfast Office

PwC, a renowned professional services provider, has made a significant investment in the city of Belfast by relocating its offices to Merchant Square. The move to the city centre comes from a desire to not only support the growth of the company, but to signal its confidence in the area and encourage other businesses to take a similar initiative.

The new workplace is spread across 200,000 sq ft over nine floors and provides the regional hub for around 3,000 employees. The building is an amalgamation of three existing structures with a dramatic feature staircase linking floors four, five and six. The hope is that the new office will help to increase employee numbers over the next few years, meaning the design needed to have versatility as well as longevity. To meet both of these requirements, a wide range of KI furniture was specified by the lead interior designer, BDP.

On four of the levels, KI’s Colonnade system is being used to create user-controlled, open-plan spaces which the teams can quickly customise depending on the immediate need. Each Colonnade comprises 800 Series cupboard and drawer units integrated with 800 Series Shelving. Semi-sheer Kvadrat Acoustic Drops curtains feature on each open side of the structure and divide up the space for meeting or work settings. To maximise the system’s flexibility, Colonnade Cube stools were also chosen as they can be neatly stored away within the unit’s structure. The stools are upholstered in a variety of fabrics and colours to best complement the Colonnade units.

Moveable easels hook over the overhead gantry rails at any point and these are accessorised with magnetic backed whiteboards which also store away neatly in the open shelving when they are not being used.

Two different colour schemes were specified for the Colonnade systems, one of which uses vibrant colours that echo the shipbuilding heritage of Belfast. Bright yellow powder coated easels pay homage to the nearby Harland and Wolff cranes, whilst bright blue and red powder coats emulate well-established maritime engineering colour schemes.

Annabelle Hadlow, project architect at BDP, said: “Materials and furniture specification is always important to PwC. We have a fantastic understanding of its design aspirations and how the offices reflect the cities in which they are located whilst providing functional and flexible spaces. For Merchant Square, the furniture was crucial in achieving the right, characteristic design and the right levels of adaptability across all floors.”

Throughout the office space, a variety of other KI designs provide seating and tables to support both the impromptu and more focused work practices that are required. These include Zig poseur height tables and Work2.1 Sit-Stand tables in a variety of finishes such as graphite Fenix tops on raw steel, black and yellow under-structures. These tables provide ideal settings for dropdown work and casual collaboration.

KI’s Take5 high back armchairs adorn multiple areas and are upholstered in a variety of fabrics and colours. Ruckus chairs on castors are located around collaboration tables and inside the Colonnades. The innovative design of the Ruckus is also ideal for sit-stand tables, allowing a person to either sit in the chair or perch on its backrest, depending on the height setting of the table.

Throughout the building are 800 Series personal lockers fitted with RFID wireless lock technology which can be remotely monitored and controlled by the facility management teams. Some larger versions are also located in the basement area to provide cloak and leisure storage. Other specifications of matching 800 Series cabinets, recycling units, and tambour cupboards – a PwC standard – can also be found in the back office service areas.

With the aim to turn this apartment into a truly luxurious gentleman’s private office, Juliettes Interiors was commissioned to design a working environment that wasn’t only practical and professional for Zoom and in-person meetings, but a space that was also strikingly beautiful and sophisticated. The option to stay late at the ‘office’ as well as provide an overnight base was also required, with a living-style zone added for maximum comfort.

Due to the apartment’s compact size, spatial planning was not an easy task, so Juliettes Interiors chose to introduce customised pieces of furniture to ensure the right flow was achieved throughout the space with each piece working in harmony together. In one small living space, Juliette and her team needed to create three zones: a living area, kitchen/dining and office.

With detail at its core, the design scheme needed to be cohesive. Dark tones and luxurious fabrics have been skilfully layered, paired with a variety of textures and bold brassware accessories – from the striking pendant light above the table to the dressing table in the bedroom. The large windows allow for plenty of natural light to flood the rooms, adding depth and interest to the dark décor.

The living area has been designed with a strong entertaining social element in mind, with a variety of different zones. Each zoned area was as important as the other. Bang & Olufsen equipment has been installed for a high-tech finish, ideal for meetings, and the client wanted a perfect backdrop from behind as a Zoom screen for international meetings. The office is set up in the living space at the centre of the apartment. A premium Italian leather desk and chair complement the dark wood and brass detailed designer desk, blending together for an incredibly opulent final product.

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In this week’s interview with SBID Awards Interior Design judge, Head of Cities Solutions Europe at Jacobs and Co-Chair of the ULI UK Infrastructure and Urban Development Council, Carlo Castelli discusses the change in development of post-pandemic cities, highlights the benefits of holistic approach to design, and shares valuable insight for designing workplaces that attract employees to come back to the office.

What is the importance of holistic and collaborative design thinking? How does it generate value for its users, customers and wider communities?

Thinking holistically about design ensures social, environmental and cultural considerations are embedded into solutions. We have a great opportunity to blur the boundaries between inside and outside, public and private by creating hybrid spaces. For example, in Union Street, Aberdeen, we created a flexible urban space capable of supporting on-street activities and allowing ground floor activities to spill out on streets, all while considering inclusive design. We see the street being multi-functional, resilient and contributing to the wider transformational change in Aberdeen.

Taking an integrated design approach means all these considerations are used to create a space which is flexible for those using it on a daily basis and is a sustainable addition to the community. It also means that we can create and measure wellbeing and quality of life value substantially changing the way we look at projects and programmes.

When thinking about the future of the built environment, how can we expect our cities to develop? What are the post-pandemic considerations?

Cities have existed for millennia and consistently maintain a fundamental role in our society. They will become more resilient, with the influence of the changing climate and increasing technological innovation.

Successful cities in the future will celebrate social, environmental and cultural differences. We don’t have to choose between a ‘working from home’ or ‘15 minutes city’ model. We can embrace complexity and recognise individual lifestyle choices within inclusive societal progress.

The way we live, work and play has fundamentally changed. How do you think new lifestyle trends will continue to impact on the design industry? What are the opportunities?

Live, work and play conditions have changed globally. The pandemic and environmental concerns have seen a significant change in how people view work-life balance and commuting. As we come out of the last two years there’s a significant appetite for flexibility in our spaces. For example, unused shipping containers units are being converted into retail units, and workshop space, rooftops into urban farm, and ground floor spaces into housing. This allows for creativity and flexibility in our designs, as well as optimising space usage and future proofing our cities. It is critical to imbed generosity into our buildings and places.

The opportunity for designers is to use their innovative thinking to create solutions that contribute to the challenges we are facing. They are often uniquely placed to work from ideation all the way to delivery so they can meaningfully work with the entire value chain to create better cities and places, integrating nature-based solutions and circularity early into their designs.  With nature at the forefront of design, we can plan and develop climate-smart, nature-positive building and infrastructure solutions which enhance quality of life and make our future more resilient.

How has your approach to the design of workspaces evolved? Why is the role of interior design so important when it comes to bringing employees back into the office?

During the past two years, workers have become used to working away from the traditional office, so there needs to be a draw to bring them back. Quality, variety and generosity are now key. Workplaces need to provide enhanced environmental quality and a greater variety of spaces. Improvement in interior design can also allow for a boost in employees’ health and wellbeing.

Design of workplace should include elements of nature, natural lighting, diverse spaces, and areas for employees to relax and manage anxiety about their return to the office. There should now be heavier emphasis on the type of spaces needed for collaboration. Offices should offer a broader range of experiences than sitting at a desk all day, something people could easily do from home. Workplace design should also facilitate work-life balance and promote a sense of community to encourage employees to return.

Finally, what advice can you give to designers entering the SBID Awards?

For me, what really matters is to work with stakeholders and communities and that designers are true to themselves, values and passions. Passion goes a long way in my mind and that needs to be communicated to our changing audiences.

Questions answered by Carlo Castelli, Head of Cities Solutions Europe, Jacobs and Co-Chair, ULI UK Infrastructure and Urban Development Council.

This week’s instalment of Project of the Week series features a modern high-tech office and urban farm design by 2021 SBID Awards Finalist, Wolter & Yu.

Within a factory in an industrial district of Hong Kong is the future of farming – a high-tech urban aquaponics farm, sustainably growing high quality vegetables and flowers.
Part office and part grow room, the design takes the concept of flexibility and mobility to the extreme: Ceiling-mounted, bi-folding glass panels create a private meeting room when needed, but opens up the whole room for other needs. Dry erasable paint, is applied across the entire office wall, facilitating the free flow of ideas. Height-adjustable desks and ergonomic chairs create comfort for employees, behind HDTVs displaying operational metrics.

The plant room uses 3D printed plant walls mounted onto movable archival track shelves to create dense vertical grow farms. Nutrient rich water from a fish tank and electricity to power perpendicular panels of light are funnelled across the ceiling and down each movable shelf. This allows the farm to adjust the distance between each light panel according to the requirement of different types of vegetation, while excess water is filtered and returned to the fish tank, creating a closed ecosystem. The result is a sustainable, compact, flexible office and urban farm design. You can view a virtual tour here.

What was the client’s brief? 

The brief for Full Nature was to convert a 180sqm unit in an old high-rise factory building in Hong Kong, into a high-tech urban farm that specialises in growing sustainable, aquaponic vegetables and edible flowers. The office is divided into 4 areas: 1. Entrance corridor, pantry & print zone; 2. Office Area (work zone & meeting zone); 3. Farm / Grow Area and 4. Washrooms & Shower.

The design responds to the client’s objective to find ways to improve sustainable farming. While aquaponics uses fewer resources compared to traditional farming, the design is a multidisciplinary approach to create use space more efficiently by introducing flexibility for both the company and the product. More importantly, we created a scalable modular system for the grow area by tackling product as well as spatial design.

What inspired the design of the project?

The words flexibility and mobility really drove the concept – instead of creating spaces that are dedicated to hosting clients and visitors, or plant rooms with corridors between each rack of plants planted in soil, we sought an intersection of design: hospitality, office and coworking, product, agriculture, and technology. For example, by using 3D printing to create vertical pockets of vegetation, we reduced the amount of soil needed, vertical water pipes mean no excess water would pool in one area but not another, and the amount of light and electricity required to run the whole farm was significantly reduced. It is definitely an unconventional project. We ventured into a collaboration where Full Nature had the urban farming know how, and we brought in our design knowledge, to create a comfortable office design that was also doing something good for our planet.

What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project?

Definitely space – one of the biggest tasks was to increase as much production as possible, without the detriment to the office and its employees. We wanted people to also feel happy to work there, and for guests to come in and feel in awe of the product. So we used only glass to divide the office room from the plant room: Every day you are going to work in an industrial building but no view, but you get greenery and bright warm light coming through while you work! The other difficulty was when we were designing the movable track system – trying to get water and electricity connected to long heavy shelves that move is very difficult and took some trial and error. We created prototypes with 3D printing to test out our ideas until we found a solution that worked.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

The nature of the project is unique, current and forward-thinking. It’s not every day a client who wants to improve farming approaches you and says ‘I want to increase efficiency of my office and farm, but also make it look good!’ It’s a project that responds to current global issues, sustainability, limitation of resources and space. When we first started talking about this project, we found it was so well received amongst industry leaders but also the general public, so it’s a great feeling to have our design doing something good for our city, and having the great response to it afterwards.

Why did you enter this project into the SBID Awards?

The esteemed SBID awards is well known, well regarded and well received. We wanted to share our experience and work with other designers and industry leaders. Being an SBID  finalist is an honour, and we look forward to entering other interesting projects in the near future!

Questions answered by Christina Yu, Lead Designer, Wolter & Yu.

This week’s instalment of Project of the Week series features a modern industrial office design by 2021 SBID Awards Finalist, JN Interior Designs.

What was the client’s brief? 

The brief was to design a really funky and cool space to attract the best/most talented people to work for this new and exciting tech finance company.

What inspired the design of the project?

When I looked at the initial space it was your typical office style set of rooms, although in bad need of repair and renovation. However there were some unique features that caught my eye such as the exposed brick pillars. There was a false ceiling in place, part of which was falling down so I could see there was a huge expanse of room above it. This gave me the inspiration to take down the false ceilings and create a really high loft style industrial type design which also made a small space seem much larger.

What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project?

The main office space was not huge so there was a lot to fit in to a small area to not only make it look nice but function for both now and a future expanding business. Removing the false ceiling created an amazing airy space and meant that additional design and storage features could be incorporated, such as a separate mezzanine office with pull-out filing and storage units underneath.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

Seeing the design features come together; such as the Floor-to-ceiling glass partition walls, graffiti art mural and a 3m high bubble wall go in, as these elements set the tone for a really funky creative work space.

Why did you enter this project into the SBID Awards?

The SBID Awards are one of the most prestigious global interior design Awards and to receive recognition from being chosen as even a finalist is a real honour. Therefore, I wanted to enter the awards as I was extremely proud of the finished project and the hurdles we overcame to deliver a successfully designed space that my client was amazed with and truly exceeded his expectations for what could be done with the space.

Questions answered by Jennifer Neill, Owner, JN Interior Designs.

In this week’s interview with 2021 SBID Awards winners of the Fit Out Contractor of the Year – Workplace category, Modus Workspace, share the key elements they focus on when designing workplaces and predict future changes in workspace designs.

How important is it to enter the SBID Awards & receive industry recognition for your work? What are the benefits?

It’s so important to our team and our clients. I’m lucky enough to work with a group of people who get up every day and truly love what they do, no matter what. It doesn’t matter if an award is waiting for them at the end of a project, but it sometimes helps. For my team, it gives them the recognition that they deserve and keeps them motivated to continue to aim high, always. We have seen just how powerful winning awards can be for our clients, from stakeholder management to employee retention and hiring top talent, it also reaffirms to our clients that their investment and trust in Modus was worth it.

As a specialist in workplace fit-out projects, what are the most important considerations when designing for working environments?

For the past 30 years, Modus has been designing and delivering office spaces with the objective and empirical evidence to support, that this helps our client’s businesses perform better and have happier, healthier work environments. Every project is unique, and we approach each one with open minds, because it is about understanding the fundamental needs and wants of our clients including their goals and ambitions. However, there are a few key areas that form the baseline for all decision making: workplace strategy, sustainability, wellbeing, culture and future proofing their space for today and tomorrow.

What insights can you give regarding the future of the workplace? How should office designs evolve alongside changing trends?

There’s a lot of talk around the future of the workplace and how it will evolve and change. The digitalisation of spaces will be a big thing. From ‘zoom’ kitted out meeting rooms to intuitive tech, the office of the future will be designed for a different kind of working and a multitude of different office landscapes.

Now that you’ve won an SBID Award, what are the next steps? Is there anything new you are excited to be working on?

We’ve got so many exciting projects already in the pipeline for 2022, we’ve been venturing abroad with projects in Dubai and Europe – it’s all under wraps for now but watch this space!

What advice can you give to young designers starting out in the design industry?

Think big, think broadly and have a go. Be brave with your designs and send that email to the D&B firm you’ve always wanted to work at, you never know what’s around the corner. At Modus, we pride ourselves on nurturing the designers of the future. It’s something we take very seriously and I particularly love doing. We are always looking to take on new talent so if you’re looking to start a career in design, get in touch with us at [email protected].

Questions answered by Vidhi Sharma, Creative Director, Modus Workspace.

Skandia is an insurance company founded in 1855, with current operations in Europe, Latin America, Asia and Australia. The systematic work environment has evolved in the same way as people and their ideas, which drives the creation of strategic environments where creativity flows and concepts of collaboration and innovation multiply. Simultaneously, the demand for workspaces that encourage social interaction, contemplation and transdisciplinarity increases.

The present project succeeds in increasing creativity and productivity within a framework of comfort, and the collaborative work in the organization becomes more visible through areas that inspire effective communication between everyone to strengthen the pride of working there. Spaces that integrate and promote both working and recreational life are designed with solutions that allow people to create the environments they need and choose the workspace that improves their individual experience of habitability.

Spaces with natural lighting, fresh and air-conditioned. Application of acoustic materials in interiors and open areas. Lightweight and transparent materials. Integration of dynamic and functional furniture. Open-door privates. Different types of Boardrooms and Casual Collisions (informal meeting spaces) between work teams that facilitate interaction. Balance between workspaces and common areas, suitable for appropriate technological connection between all users.

Skandia is equipped to meet every need that may arise within the workspace, surrounded by colour accents in functional spaces specially designed for efficiency and productivity. Workstation trains rotate at different orthogonal angles, following ceiling planks and apparent slab with coloured accents on the carpets. The colon of the space responds to the colour theory, adopting the combination of neutral and warm tones to uplift concentration and productivity, with details in green, blue and yellow to energize the people who inhabit it.

Game tables, TV screens and seating spaces were installed. As well as the University space, adapted with dynamic furniture, moving walls, front-bleachers and high-tech equipment to facilitate communication and videoconferencing. The Work Café was designed with a bar on the ground floor to enjoy the terrace, accompanied by some cabins, benches, tables and chairs.

Skandia redefines the concept of traditional offices, based on clear objectives of socialisation, creation, agility, connection and inspiration that strengthen the trust between collaborator and client relationships. By offering an iconic, productive, natural environment of social interaction and well-being, the highest standards of quality in infrastructure and service are met, and the barriers of the common functional and habitual are surpassed with spaces designed to increase work performance through comfort and versatility.

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In this week’s interview with 2021 SBID Awards winner for the Office Design category, 4SPACE Design talk about how they ensure a design for a commercial space represents the company’s ethos and explain their process of integrating lighting into workplace designs.

How important is it to enter the SBID Awards & receive industry recognition for your work? What are the benefits?

Winning an award and being acknowledge by the SBID Awards gives us untold recognition in the field of interior design. Receiving such praise is a testament to the team’s exemplary hard work and commitment to being the best firm in Dubai. The accolade allows us to build trust with our clients, both current and new. The international award gives us the opportunity to promote our award-winning name globally.

What do you think made this particular design an award winner?

Designing spaces for the innovative and forward thinking team at the BE Meliorism office allowed us to weave the personality of the brand into the interiors. The minimalist and sleek lines of the furnishings allowed us to be creative with the use strong colours throughout the office. BE Meliorism is tech reliant and the designs embrace the futuristic core of the business. Open plan spaces allow for ample natural light whilst clever screening affords the idea of privacy.

When designing for commercial office spaces, the interior becomes an extension of the company’s visual identity. How do you capture and communicate a company’s brand ethos through interior design?

As a team, we reviewed the brands guidelines and spoke to the owner and the staff to understand the company vision and its core values. We used this vital information and chose and translated the inspirations into the design. Various design elements give good ambience to the space by underpinning the company values

What are the key considerations when specifying lighting solutions? How do you integrate lighting design into your projects, and specifically for working environments?

Life in the office was studied to understand how many users there would be throughout the day and into the night during any given 24-hour time period. We were careful to provide the necessary function with beautiful aesthetics so not to detract from the overall design.

Now that you’ve won an SBID Award, what are the next steps? Is there anything new you are excited to be working on?

We want to continue to support SBID over the coming years. We have lots of exciting projects in the pipeline throughout the rest of 2021 and into 2022. The projects are diverse and cover unimagined F&B venues, entertainment, virtual reality and metaverse. Excitingly, we are exploring many possibilities of designing spaces; we are bearing witness to a new world of tech, design and a major shift from the real economy to the digital economy, which have all accelerated since the global pandemic.

What advice can you give to young designers starting out in the design industry?

Be brave and soar high, strive higher and be patient. Be bold, innovative, and sustainable. Leverage your effort for exponential growth, find ways to navigate the digital jungle to market yourself across different platforms.

Questions answered by Firas Alsahin, Co-Founder, 4SPACE Design.

“A brief from the team to the team”. The new 4SPACE Design offices are designed for the team. The leaders put together a questionnaire asking the team to imagine their new workspace. Overall, the team wanted there to be an intrinsic sense of wellbeing and belonging within the space. They wanted light. And lots of it. Neutral monochromatic schemes and a large breakout area with a games and relaxation space for the team to draw breath and find a sense of peace from a busy day.

Concept

“When brutalism meets minimalism with a twist of industrial”. 4SPACE has paired unfinished concrete breeze blocks with a smooth monochromatic pallet and verdant trees to nod to biophilic living. Richly covered modern furniture, exposed piping, stainless steel accessories, and fluorescent lighting create exciting spaces for work, meetings, and play.

Various design elements

The 4SPACE Design offices are exciting. The exposed breeze block walls are treated with sealer material to enhance and preserve the brutalist look. It’s raw, unfinished, and playful. Modern angular lighting bounces light throughout the open spaces and communal workstations.

The central atrium of the offices boasts a beautifully preserved, semi-artificial olive tree that has been hand-fashioned by craftsmen in Dubai. The trees have come from historic groves across the region. Olive trees are known to flourish until they are several thousands of years old. Introducing biophilic design elements into a space can help alleviate stress, improve cognitive function, and enhance mood and creativity. The space is multi-functional, with open spaces for teams to assemble, but the team can create private spaces with impressive pivotal doors for important meetings.

The execution and ambience

This project was extraordinarily fast and only took a month to complete. It was a complete family affair where the 4SPACE design team, contractors and suppliers all contributed to the seamless execution of the new office space. Each person provided valuable support to achieve the tight timeline for the transition from the old offices to the new.

The 4SPACE office has the appeal of a solid but inviting fortress. The distinctive concrete modernism provides light-hearted intrigue yet is minimalistic and intimate. The office is set amidst endless city skyscrapers. As a result of the open workspaces, the office possesses spectacular views across the Dubai waterfront and the iconic Dubai Eye.

Challenges overcome and the unique key features

Contractors struggled to manoeuvre 2.70-metre glass partitions in the elevators; their hard work and brave efforts have created a remarkable installation. The concrete flooring was quite challenging; it had to be poured, dried and levelled precisely. From the questionnaire, the entire design process and construction took a mere 45 days.

There are many focal points, but the most exciting key features are the olive tree, concrete and exposed breeze blocks, the neutral monochromatic colour scheme and the open ceiling concept with exposed industrial metal piping.

Material selection: concrete, glass, metal, aluminium, wood and black leather.

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