This week’s instalment of the #SBIDinspire interior design series took a dilapidated former department store from 1906 and re-imagined it to create an inspiring and multi-disciplinary architecture and design practice. The building was stripped of years of incremental additions to reveal original features. Existing interiors were assessed to ensure that elements such as 111-year-old Burmese teak flooring, a grand tiled-staircase and historic colours were preserved, as well as artworks created by squatters dating from the 1990s.
Voids cut through the building, provided volume and connections between levels. A striking reception and model-shop animate the ground floor, while a large basement event space includes cycle storage, changing-rooms and showers. Open-plan office design concepts were used to create workspaces and meeting areas which are also located on first to third floors. Topped by a new rooftop bar/restaurant for staff and the public, comprised of a series of oak-framed pavilions and a bespoke glazed dome that marks the end of a south-facing terrace.
Sector: Office Design
Company: Squire and Partners
Project: The Department Store
Project Location: London, United Kingdom
What was the client’s brief?
Our brief was to take an unoccupied, dilapidated former department store from 1906 and re-imagine the building to create a series of inspiring office design which serves as work and social spaces for our multi-disciplinary architecture and design practice.
We sought to sensitively restore the Edwardian building, retaining and recycling as much of the building fabric as possible to bring it back to life, whilst also delivering a workplace that meets current and future needs in its offering of excellent facilities, with a forward-thinking approach to sustainability and wellbeing.
What inspired the interior design of the project?
Stripping the building back to its raw state revealed a decayed grandeur and an extraordinary commitment to craft and detail by the original artisans. We looked to reveal and highlight these elements, in their found state, as well as exposing remnants left by more recent inhabitants, whilst adding a series of contemporary interventions in order to re-purpose the building as an inspiring modern workspace.
All aspects of the building’s history have been revealed, from its grand beginnings through to periods of misuse and decay, including a decade of use as a squat. Original graffiti sits alongside high end finishes, and modern furniture pieces co-exist with antique retail display cases in a highly curated interior filled with crafted curiosities which span the lifetime of the building.
What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project?
Working with an existing building that had remained unoccupied (aside from squatters) and neglected for 40 years was challenging given its state of dilapidation. However, the building was of a robust construction, and after investigations it was decided that enough of the original fabric and character remained to provide a glimpse of its illustrious past and inform the approach of the new design, where possible embracing and capturing the building’s mistreatment over the decades.
A challenge during the restoration process was communicating to the build team the level of rawness and the overall aesthetic we wanted to achieve, as it was a non-standard finish and often a process of trial and error. During construction it was harder to see when surfaces were at their desired level of finish – we had a strong presence on site throughout the process and would stick signs to walls saying ‘this is finished’!
What was your team’s highlight of the project?
Re-activating the street level, which comprises a series of creative and retail units for local businesses, including an independent coffee roastery, café and record shop and a new home for the community Post Office. The café/bar at The Department Store’s apex is in the spirit of Café de Floris in Paris, which supported the original Bon Marché.
Squire and Partners’ own windows are utilised as a platform for creative arts within the local community, with a rolling programme that ranges from work by established and emerging artists to collaborations with local school children, as well offering views into the dedicated Downstairs events space used year round. These animated uses have transformed the building’s existing impermeable and hostile frontage into a friendly and open part of the community, bringing the building back into their hands following years of neglect.
Why did you enter the SBID International Design Awards?
The chance to be recognised by the SBID International Design Awards is a chance to be recognised internationally, by industry experts, and alongside the world’s leading designers of interiors.
Questions answered by Tim Gledstone, Partner at Squire and Partners
If you missed last week’s Project of the Week featuring a traditional Cape Dutch style house inspired by South African street art, click here to see more.
We hope you feel inspired by this week’s office design! Let us know what inspired you #SBIDinspire
Squire and Partners | SBID International Design Awards
This week’s instalment of the #SBIDinspire interior design series features the ultimate office design created by the workplace design and build specialists, Interaction for financial comparison company money.co.uk, transforming their unique and characterful office in The Castle, Cirencester, UK. A space where you can sneak through a secret door in a bookcase, put your feet up in a ski chalet, traipse through an ice cave, battle against suits of armour and experience a cinema in a galaxy far far away…
The work on the 10,000 sq ft project began in March 2016. There were 38 rooms to design in The Castle and for 6 of these, Interaction collaborated with designer Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, who provided initial concept sketches and a choice of finishes. An important part of creating the ultimate office meant focusing on the functionality of the workplace, designing a space that would allow the team to work effectively. Interaction explored the needs of the individuals and created a multitude of flexible work settings to enable people to work the way they want. This included creating spaces such as the ice cave, ski lodge, and ‘hightech’ room which can all be used to have informal meetings, socialise, or simply relax. This project is a perfect example of how by placing employee wellbeing at the centre of the brief and design you can use your workplace as a tool to incite a positive culture and enhance productivity, creativity and collaboration. The Castle is finally fit for the kings and queens of the tech world.
Company: Interaction
Project: money.co.uk – The Castle
Project Location:Cirencester, United Kingdom
Ranked as the UK’s 2nd fastest growing business in 2015 by The Sunday Times, financial comparison website money.co.uk needed their workplace to support this recent exponential growth. The Grade II listed Victorian ‘castle’ that money.co.uk occupied, having had no major alterations in years, did not illustrate their current standing and vision for the future.
The team therefore needed a workplace that reflected their success, but also one that continued to attract and retain talent in their competitive industry. Representing their success through their workplace was important, but at the heart of the decision for the refurbishment was rewarding staff with the best place to work.
What inspired the design of the project?
Money.co.uk’s people, in combination with Grade II listed building itself, lay at the heart of the project’s design. Not only did we want to create an environment where the team could flourish, fulfil their potential and feel happy, but we wanted to juxtapose the traditional architecture of The Castle with a contemporary finish. The unique building provides a characterful and quirky setting for an office, and the interior needed to reflect the eccentricity of the exterior.
We had to be conscious and considerate to nurture the listed building. We were excited to work with (and accentuate) several original features of the building. This included the windows, archways and some original doors – all of which have become real statement features that hark back to the rich history of The Castle.
The building continuously revealed new and hidden secrets that kept us on our feet and provided us with unique design challenges. The damp was severe – by the time we were finished we had practically re-built The Castle.
Other than successfully bringing past and present together by breathing new life into the space, the moment we held up the “snag free” board was incredible for everyone involved. As a company, we always aim to deliver our fit-out works with absolutely no snags (or defects). To achieve this on such a complex refurbishment project was a great feeling!
We knew that the SBID is highly regarded internationally and that the awards promote design excellence. We entered because we thought The Castle raised the bar in terms of office design – it has been featured in numerous news articles worldwide and has become known as one of the “world’s coolest offices”.
As well as wanting to give the project team the recognition for all of the hard work that went into the 9-month project, we were also keen to prove that workplaces can be tools for change. Rather than hindering a business, they can inspire people, promote collaboration, and increase overall productivity and output – just as The Castle has done for money.co.uk.
Questions answered by Egle Kairele, Creative Lead at Interaction
If you missed last week’s Project of the Week featuring a spectacular residence set across two buildings and garden apartment in London, click here to see more.
We hope you feel inspired! Let us know what inspired you #SBIDinspire
Interaction | SBID International Design Awards 2018
This week’s instalment of the #SBIDinspire interior design series features the verdant, boutique-style project by G-Art Design for financial services offices in Shanghai, bringing a breath of fresh air to the workplace and putting foliage at the forefront of interior design.
The idea behind this project was to create a workplace with a focus on offering innovative financial services. The designer wanted to give employees the feeling of working inside a boutique hotel-style space; they achieved this by blending clean, modern design with lush foliage, creating a personalised workplace designed to be a breath of fresh air. During the planning stages, the architect took advantage of the building design to draw natural light from the exterior into the space while capitalising on the spectacular views of the lush landscaping outside. Existing internal concrete partitions were removed and instead areas are now separated with glass so the interior consists of a series of ‘bubbles’. Stepping from the lift, visitors face an open reception while the functional areas include a lobby bar, boardroom, three-screen conference room, working section one, VIP club, a water bar, oxygen chamber for staff, working section two and the CEO’s office.
SBID had the opportunity to speak with Kim Huang, General Manager & Design Director of G-Art Design International about this refreshing office design project.
Company: G-Art Design International
Project: Shanghai Zhihui CIFI Square Modeling Finance Office
Project Location: Shanghai, China
With innovative financial enterprises being the intended customers, the designer proposes the idea of “working in my boutique hotel guestroom”, which aims to create a fashionable and elegant office space with strong sense of design by incorporating style and distinguished quality with the user-friendly experience endowed by a boutique hotel.
The design is led by the concept of incorporating outdoor landscapes with a pleasant working environment. Instead of a traditional LOGO wall, a penetrating glass box comes into sight as customers enter the office foyer exposing the vibrant and elegantly earthy interior as they get their first glimpse into the office space. The front desk is located on the right side of the reception hall. It is made up of antique copper brushed stainless steel, Shangri-La marble, and wood veneer with Eucalyptus ripple finish to carry the natural, outdoor theme throughout. The feature wall is created by crystal blocks in varied thickness. Meanwhile, the lighting at the back helps to reinforce an artistic conception of Chinese landscape painting.
The office area at the foyer is comprised of several transparent glass boxes, which is designed to provide separated yet continuous space. The upper and lower borders of the glasses are made up of LED light strips which appear to be very delicate. The dark ceiling above the public area is made up of transparent acrylic punched plates. The dimensions of the punched holes have been designed to match those of the lighting fixtures, the spray system, as well as the smoke detectors, air-conditioners and the air outlet of the fresh air system. All devices are integrated with the new material to reinforce the unity of the ceiling. Implementation of these features required meticulous planning, seamless attention to detail and accuracy to achieve the desired finish without compromising on the integrity of the design.
The acrylic light slices at the chamfer of the ceiling, as well as its exquisite inlaying process with antique copper brushed stainless steel, brings a sense of future science and technology to the space. The half-height TV system is well integrated with the plant wall at the back. This space is of great significance which on one hand features the service concept of boutique office area, and on the other hand, advocates the humanistic spirit of providing a holistic, human-oriented office environment.
SBID hosts a considerable number of international awards and has been firmly established as one of the most prestigious design events in the industry in terms of status and specifications.Winning the SBID International Design Awards is a great achievement and an honour for global designers.
Questions answered by Kim Huang, General Manager & Design Director at G-Art Design.
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If you missed last week’s Project of the Week with HMKM for the launch of Robinsons, click here to see more
Entries to the SBID Awards 2017 are now closed. To find out more about booking a table, click here
G-Art Design International | SBID International Design Awards 2017
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