Mix Interiors 203 - April 2020

Mix Interiors 203

April 2020

H E C TA DESIGN SIMPLIFIED

DESIGNERS & MANUFACTURERS OF WORKSPACE FURNITURE

www.gof.co.uk

10

UPFRONT

41

SPOTLIGHT

56 62

ROUNDTABLE

80

LAST WORD

62

30

56

27

Opinion 16 Seven 20 Steve Gale 22 Perspective 24 Material Matters 27 Desert Island Desks 28 Property 30

Technology Report UnWork 42 GoSpace 46 Cundalls 48 WellTek 50 Measuremen 52 Spacelab 55

CASE STUDIES PwC Bir mingham 62 McKinsey & Company 72

Criteo's Head of Workplace Experience, Mike Walley

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 As many of you will already have heard or read, following this issue we’re going to take a little break – at least a break from the printed word. We have decided that we won’t be publishing the magazine in May and June.

This difficult decision has been made as we recognise that our customers’ budgets will be under pressure and to prevent putting the health of our own staff and those of our print and distribution partners at further risk.

This will be the first time in the 20-year history of Mix that we have not gone to print and, whilst this decision has significant financial implication on a business of our size, we feel it is the right thing to do for all.

However, that doesn’t mean there’s going to be complete radio silence from us. Far from. Our website – www.mixinteriors.com – will become the main vehicle for us to keep you all up to date with all the industry updates, news, case studies and features during May and June.

As always, please keep sharing your stories with us and, of course, we would be very happy to talk with you about commercial opportunities at a time when more people than ever are engaging with our website.

Please email sales@wearemixgroup.com for commercial enquiries or chloe@wearemixgroup.com for editorial enquiries.

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

Kate Borastero kate@wearemixgroup.com

THE COVER THE LOGO

DV8 were inspired by Camira’s contribution to sustainably. Using the logo within the woven yarn, as an indication of the plastic debris, helps to highlight the unnatural affiliation and emphasise the important process this fabric has been through to aid in preserving nature and evolving the unnatural waste into a product with another useful purpose. www.dv8-designs.co.uk

Stay safe and well.

2 | Mix 203 April 2020

Tammi Bell tamzin@wearemixgroup.com EDITORIAL EXECUTIVE

Chloe Petersen Snell chloe@wearemixgroup.com HEAD OF OPERATIONS

Lisa Jackson lisa@wearemixgroup.com HEAD OF EVENTS

Lesley Fair lesley@wearemixgroup.com EVENTS

Hester Talbot, Georgia Bone, Olivia Wright-Lewis OWNER THE COVER

Woven entirely from recycled plastic taken from the sea and rescued from the land, Oceanic is a fabric born of the SEAQUAL Initiative to achieve a waste free environment. Camira's first textile to contain plastic marine waste, each metre contains the equivalent of 26 plastic bottles. Contemporary and striking, Oceanic is a recycled polyester with a purpose.

Courtesy of Camira

Marcie Incarico marcie@wearemixgroup.com FOUNDING PUBLISHER

Henry Pugh

CONTRIBUTORS

Steve Gale, David Thame Mike Walley ADDRESS

85 Greengate, Manchester M3 7NA TELEPHONE

Incidentally, we fully intend to come back with a bang – we’re already planning a bumper issue for July.

I’m going to sign off with a bit of positivity.

There are, even amongst what feels like a desert out there, a few green shoots. Even as we go to print, we’re getting wind (thankfully not a symptom!) of virtual handshakes on property deals, letters of intent being signed and long-term project plans carrying on regardless. I really like the positive spin one industry friend put on the current situation: ‘We’ve actually got time to consult, collaborate and properly design a space,’ he enthused.

Happy designing.

DESIGNER

0161 519 4850 E-MAIL

editorial@wearemixgroup.com WEBSITE

www.mixinteriors.com

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UPFRONT

▼ 51 Moorgate London

JOHN ROBERTSON ARCHITECTS COMPLETES DESIGN OF NEW SKANSKA HQ

J

ohn Robertson Architects (JRA) has finished a major refurbishment programme on behalf of Skanska at 51 Moorgate, London. The premises will provide the world-leading project development and construction group with a new regional headquarters for its London projects, as well as offering additional sustainable Grade A office space to other occupiers.

The building comprises a total of 45,000 sq ft of office space across eight levels, including the addition of a floor on the top of the building. The design incorporates living walls, breakout spaces, dining areas, cycle facilities and kitchenettes on each floor, as well as a dedicated technologyfree ‘wellbeing room’. These spaces have been enhanced by a Scandinavian-inspired natural colour palette and material choice.

Angela St Clair-Ford, Project Director at John Robertson Architects, says: ‘Our design is aimed at creating a ‘family feeling’ in the office, reflecting Skanska’s established approach in its offices in Sweden (Malmö and Stockholm). Employees from different parts of the company are encouraged by agile working methods, rather than by hot desking, in the spaces where they need to work. In addition, the lower ground floor space provides an area for staff to socialise during breaks, fostering a strong collaborative culture.’

▼ Rachel Bishop, BDP

The brief placed the concept of wellbeing at the centre of the refurbishment, and JRA’s approach was partly shaped by the WELL Standard, to incorporate measures that improve user experience and health. The building aspires to be one of the first in the UK to achieve certification to Version 2 of the WELL Building Standard, alongside BREEAM Excellent. w See more at www.mixinteriors.com

RACHEL BISHOP TO LEAD BDP MANCHESTER ID TEAM

B

DP has appointed Rachel Bishop to lead the expanding interior design team at its Manchester studio.

Starting her career at Foster + Partners in London, Rachel joins BDP from her role as Project Director at tp bennett Manchester, where she spent five years delivering major office schemes and winning awards, including Interior Design Project over £1m at the 2018 Northern Design Awards for her work for CBRE. BDP Chair of Design and Head of Workplace, Mark Simpson, says: ‘Rachel’s appointment is very much a strategic hire for us. We have been looking to strengthen our capability for some time and wanted to make

10 | Mix 203 April 2020

the right appointment. We are sure we have done that. Rachel has a strong reputation in the North and, with her expertise, we aim to build on the Manchester studio’s recent record of interior design awards and winning major projects.’

Commenting on her new role, Rachel says: ‘I am delighted to be joining such a dynamic interdisciplinary practice with a prolific portfolio of work. It is an exciting time for the Manchester studio, and I look forward to building on the work of the already accomplished team.’ w

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UPFRONT

▼ Overbury BCU School of Jewellery

GEM OF A STORY

O

verbury has revealed images of its £730,000 fit-out for the postgraduate site at Birmingham City University’s School of Jewellery.

The leading fit-out and refurbishment firm undertook a wide-ranging refurbishment of the 15,000 sq ft building in St Paul’s Square, in the Jewellery Quarter, which houses the University’s postgraduate jewellery design and research facility. The newly renovated building comprises design studios and offices for staff and doctoral researchers, as well as the school’s library and computer suite.

Birmingham City University appointed Overbury to undertake refurbishment work at the former Abbey College site, including installation of furniture and AV equipment.

With the opening of the new facility, the University was able to convert rooms at its Vittoria Street site for

undergraduate studio space. Overbury refurbished four separate areas and restored the parquet flooring in the hall.

Penelope Mitchell, Education and Public Sector Business Development Manager for Overbury in Birmingham, explains: ‘As a former college, 10 St Paul’s Square was already set up for educational purposes, and working with Associated Architects, we helped to transform it into a spectacular creative space for postgraduate students.’

Professor Stephen Bottomley, Head of the School of Jewellery, says: ‘We are delighted with the work undertaken

by Overbury in refurbishing our new site at St Paul’s and repurposing rooms at Vittoria Street. One of many inspirational spaces is the renovation of our hall at Vittoria Street, with its beautiful parquet flooring and new lighting.’ w

GOOD VIBRATIONS

I

n these times of national emergency, it is, of course, so important that we all do whatever we can to help those who are currently battling on the front line. With this in mind, we take our hats off to our friends at Welltek, who have taken the initiative to provide special technology-based furniture to a London hospital.

They have answered the call of help from Whipps Cross Hospital in North London and provided a Neurosonic wave and a neuron activation pod for their makeshift Wellness Centre at the hospital. The Wellness Centre provides a space for hardworking NHS staff to have a break when working their shift.

The Wave mattress and N.A.P from Loook Industries – the groundbreaking Finnish company – work via sensory tissue stimulation, helping the mind and body relax and recover on a 10-minute programme. The mattress and pod use Neurosonic technology to increase the user’s wellbeing by helping to improve sleep quality, reduce migraine problems, relieve stress and many more physical and mental ailments.

Neil Jenkins, Founder and Managing Director of Welltek comments: ‘I had the pleasure of meeting many hard-working doctors and nurses at Whipps Cross Hospital in London – our NHS staff are working tirelessly to keep us safe in these very difficult times without a thought for their own safety and we are delighted to be able to help in any way we can.

By providing the Wellness Centre with a wave and N.A.P, we

hope to make much needed recovery breaks more relaxing and comfortable. Products have only been on site for a few days and already the feedback has been incredible.’

Welltek has now started a campaign to get as many Neurosonic products to hospitals as quickly as possible and are in the process of working with partners to do this. w

▼ N.A.P

Mix 203 April 2020 | 13

UPFRONT

▼ Neil Andrew, Perkins and Will

PERKINS AND WILL APPOINT NEW DIRECTOR OF HOSPITALITY

P

erkins and Will has announced the appointment of Neil Andrew as Director of Hospitality – further expanding the practice’s hospitality portfolio. Neil has over 15 years’ experience in interior design across hospitality and lifestyle projects, with specialist knowledge in luxury hospitality, residential and commercial design.

Neil’s appointment comes at a time of expansion for the leading firm, having recently announced new practices in Dublin, Ireland, Monterrey, Mexico and Canada.

Having previously spent nine years in Dubai, Neil managed a team of 25 designers at an internationally recognised architecture firm, leading the design and delivery of interiors for a number of Dubai’s top hotels.

Turning his focus to sustainability in design, in particular the reuse of salvaged building materials, Neil’s experience supports Perkins and Will’s approach to sustainability – a key pillar of the firm, which has been recognised as a trailblazer in sustainable design since the early 2000s.

Neil commented: ‘I am thrilled to be given the opportunity to drive forward a new era of hospitality design at Perkins and Will. In the next few years, I foresee a dramatic shift in consumers' wants in the luxury market, with the next generation growing in favour of branded boutique design over some more traditional trends. I am excited to explore new design concepts within upcoming projects and build upon the practice’s impressive portfolio.’ w

14 | Mix 203 April 2020

DMFK AND BUREAU DE CHANGE COMPLETE THE GASLIGHT

d

MFK architects and Bureau De Change architects have completed the transformation of an Art Deco building on Rathbone Street, creating a contemporary and flexible workspace in Fitzrovia. The Gaslight on Rathbone Street was originally the Gas Light and Coke Company and is now occupied by I.S.A (Holdings). The new workspace celebrates the distinctive and utilitarian design heritage of the building and surrounding area, famed for a history of artisanal workshops and craftmanship – while also embracing innovative modern design. dMFK has refurbished, reconfigured and extended the original building with a new extension inspired by the inclined glazed

▲ ▼ Architectural details of the Gaslight

roofs found in artist studios and ateliers, as well as a new core and roofline. The extension doubles the depth of the building and provides each floor with a terrace overlooking a planted garden at ground floor level. Bureau de Change has created distinctive interiors, with bespoke materials, patterns and geometries adding an artisanal character to the fabric of the commercial building. In the workspaces, bespoke joinery, linear lighting and exposed surfaces complement the building’s structure.w See more at www.mixinteriors.com

Upfront |

▼ Marlowe House

WILLMOTT DIXON INTERIORS LANDS MET POLICE PROJECTS

W

illmott Dixon have secured projects worth £18m to refurbish existing Metropolitan Police stations in Peckham, Ilford, Colindale and Brixton.

The company’s specialist framework team secured the projects as part of the Metropolitan Police’s Minor and Intermediate Works Framework, which is the procurement vehicle for the force to appoint contractors for projects ranging from £500k-£10m in value to update, modernise and rationalise its existing estate, creating better energy efficiency and working environments.

Graham Shaw, Managing Director at Willmott Dixon Interiors, says, ‘We are delighted to be continuing our work with the Metropolitan Police, our experienced teams understand the sensitivity required when delivering secure accommodation projects and it is a pleasure to be making such a positive difference to the Met’s working environment.’

Willmott Dixon Interiors already has an extensive track record for restoring property – last year the company was appointed to refurbish Wolverhampton's Civic Halls, as well as currently working on the Old Admiralty Building, adjacent to Horse Guards Parade, and The National Gallery in Trafalgar Square. Recently, it also upgraded Dagenham Civic Centre into Coventry University's new London Campus, as well as turning the iconic former Commonwealth Institute building in Kensington into a new HQ for the Design Museum. w

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MixMix 187198 September October 2018 2019 | 15

UPFRONT

GLOBAL TIME OUT: COULD TWO WRONGS MAKE A RIGHT?

H In the first of a special mini-series of thoughtprovoking articles from our leading designers, Yorgo Lykouria, Creative Director at Rainlight, looks at the real bigger picture – and why now is the time to be proactive rather than reactive.

16 | Mix 203 April 2020

istory repeats itself. It also informs us, if we choose to listen. In 1918 we had the Spanish flu, which is estimated to have killed 50 million people (2.75% of the world’s population at that time). In the 21st century we have seen the horrors of Ebola, SARS and MERS affecting 30 or so countries.

Bill Gates – one of the most well respected minds of our time – warned several years ago that the world was unprepared for the pandemic we are now faced with.

So why didn’t we listen? We live at such a fast pace, chasing the thrill of success and enjoying the rewards, that we don’t see (or don’t want to see) the problems. To our great forfeiture, we become reactive rather than proactive. This has left us with an unprecedented global emergency that has the potential to devastate the world economy and the health we take for granted.

Running parallel with the COVID-19 crisis is the climate emergency, again decades in the making. It is a problem we are still unwilling and unprepared to solve with any sense of urgency.

In 1963, Buckminster Fuller wrote: ‘The future is a choice between Utopia and oblivion.

If we choose oblivion, we can go right on leaving our fate to our political leaders. If we choose Utopia, we must initiate an enormous education program - immediately, if not sooner.’

Well, there was no reaction in 1963 and, 60 years on, we are still being selective about what we choose to act on.

Like any tough times, there are lessons to be learnt, and I am wondering whether this enforced pause is calling for the developed world to stop and examine our motives. What is truly motivating us?

If it is making money, we can surely couple greater aspirations that elevate our humanity in order to build a sustainable civilisation. It is uncomfortable to see the anguished cries of a teenager being ridiculed although, in my opinion, Greta Thunberg is a voice of reason and an absolute hero and leader of our time.

Political motivation is often judged by the sliding scale of left wing or right wing. I have never seen a bird or airplane fly using one wing. We need bold business initiative, together with a balanced sustainable viewpoint. Now we need leadership, which will do the right thing at this very right time.

The current situation panics the markets because we use the narrow metric of GDP to measure growth. We can destroy the planet and still feel like winners as long as GDP points upwards; now is the time to move to a model that celebrates prosperity linked to sustainable growth.

This may seem utopian thinking but I cannot help but hope that this global pause just might be the emissions reduction our planet desperately needed while we lacked the courage and the tenacity to make change. The enforced slowdown

by COVID-19 has led to an immediate reduction of pollutant emissions. If you take a look at any environmental maps since the virus took hold, in China particularly, air pollution has dramatically reduced. The dolphins and fish can be seen once again in Venice’s clear lagoons now that the waters are freed of the pollutants brought by excessive tourism, the Vaporetto and the speed boats churning up the seabed. The skies are clearing as air travel and road traffic diminishes. We are seeing how our planet regenerates if we would allow it to breathe again.

Climate change and pandemic viruses are huge quandaries of our time, and solutions aren’t simple, but while we have this downtime, we can be thinking about what we do next. We can ask ourselves, do we want Utopia or oblivion? The choice is ours.

As we temporarily surrender the liberties we usually enjoy with ease, such as flying to another country for business or for pleasure, dining in a wonderful restaurant, or spending a hedonistic evening at a theatre, concert or nightclub, we appreciate that our modern life is beautiful.

This temporary reduction in freedom could very easily become a more permanent state of affairs – all it takes is another virus that is a little more deadly, for the temperature of the earth to increase by a degree or two; the consequences would be devastating and each time harder to solve and reverse. Lest we forget, tipping points do exist.

We have too much to lose so, for all our sakes, let history teach us this time. Let’s rethink our future and commit to change through our actions, not just empty rhetoric. At this time, we are not isolated from each other – we are all in this together. When our lives return to normal and we can walk out of our doors without fear, what kind of world do we want to create? w

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UPFRONT

MOMENTS IN TIME AND THE POST-VIRUS WORKPLACE We are all having to adjust to the restrictions imposed by the Government to tackle the spread of COVID-19, BroomeJenkins’ Barry Jenkins considers.

But what will this all mean to the workplace and how we all work in the future?

B

eyond the difficulty of adapting or the immediate economic impact, the sudden measures have reduced activity and travel, achieving in a very short space of time what environmentalists have so far been unable to achieve, despite a huge effort. Perhaps this global crisis will recalibrate our approach to many things that we take for granted and, like trying to quit an addictive habit, this unwelcome and deadly event may help us change our ways for the better.

Thinking beyond the immediate situation and considering how the workplace and the industry that serves it will be once normality returns, it is reasonable to assume changes will be felt in the workplace. Momentous events always leave a legacy. Airport security has never been the same since 9/11. However, the current crisis is more than an economic slump or a conflict of ideologies.

It is going to cut to the core of modern life, and the behaviours we are used to will inevitably change.

The economic crisis of 2008 exposed the tendancy for financial excesses. In the office furniture industry, a number of companies questioned the cost and commercial value of exhibiting at large trade events. Some decided to stop attending. Interestingly, the many design festivals, such as Clerkenwell Design Week, that have grown since 2008, are an improved way of showcasing an industry. CDW – and events like it – allow manufacturers to exploit their showrooms, which is a costly resource they have all year round.

With fringe activities around the periphery, districtwide events create civic benefit and (in the case of Clerkenwell) have encouraged the furniture industry to cluster. So for those who decided not to exhibit at trade shows, was it commercially damaging? I doubt it.

In this time of imposed isolation, we need to reflect on the actual priorities that will provide new opportunities when we emerge on the other side.To that end, does the past provide any clues?

Each recession I have experienced over the past 30 years has shaped the workplace and the furniture industry. In the mid 1990s there was an economic downturn, very modest in comparison to now or 2008. However, I remember at the time a headline in a trade journal. It was a quote from the CBI addressing an industry conference. I may be slightly misquoting here, but it said that ‘the challenge the (furniture) industry faces in difficult times is that furniture is the ultimate deferrable purchase!’ Sobering thought, but true.

Comparing the industry then and now, well known companies disappeared or were acquired by others, leaving a reduced industry. Importantly, in the workplace, it changed the amount spent on workstations due to the sudden expansion of IT and the use of PCs. Although, at the time, PCs were readily available, the timing of the slump was perfect as it expanded the use of IT across all aspects of work. As the economy recovered, firms with now reduced workforces found that using the newer multitasking PC,s saved the work of several people, improving efficiency and shrinking the workforce permanently. Some of the budget previously spent on furniture now went towards IT, and desks became much simpler and cheaper.

Although ideas like Activity Based Working and hot desking had been circulating for a while in one form or another, in the wake of 2008, with improved mobile communications, smartphones and Cloud computing, the benefits of ‘nomadic’ working accelerated as the tools were readily available. Although beneficial to the worker, some may say the benefits to the employer were far greater, as they could reduce real estate cost and downtime. So was the motive to improve work/life balance for the worker or a cost saving exercise for the employer?

The recent instructionfor those who can, to work from home was given fairly quickly. It was a viable decision as most people today have the

tools and technology available to work from home either on an informal or permanent basis. The main network providers have said that the capacity to cope with peak times at weekends for streaming media would be adequate for the increased traffic during the working day. Although reassuring words from service providers, mobile networks have experienced outages and there are bound to be interruptions, simply because of the extreme times we are in. Does this event therefore make the decision about who delivers 5G more pressing and possibly inevitable?

What interests me are the cultural aspects of this sudden and imposed experiment in remote working. In the past few days, I have made several calls to deal with different business related issues.

The teams in question have been disbursed and direct communications with individuals have become almost impossible. I expect the teams are finding it challenging to remain engaged with each other, and contact with line managers is no longer a call across a dividing screen in the same office.

So will an imposed 12-week break force us to reflect on the things we really value? The environment will benefit for a while due to the suspension of travel and manufacturing. Will normal service resume, or are we being taught a tough lesson, the hard way, about our excessive consumption and bad habits? Or being a social species, will we rebound like a tightly coiled spring, and resume our normal pattern of behaviour in reaction to the imposed isolation? In terms of the workplace, will large scale home working test the infrastructure, workers and companies to a degree that results in a rejection of remote working? Will a prolonged period of isolation make us value human contact and interaction more? It will be interesting to see what opportunities there are once we have dealt with COVID-19 and counted the human, cultural and financial cost.w

Mix 203 April 2020 | 19

UPFRONT Seven

SEVEN

Things You Didn’t Think You’d Hear About Tech

S

ome of us love technology and some of us loathe it. However, none of us can ignore its influence. As it continues to transform our working world, our friends at Durable UK present seven things you probably thought you’d never hear people say about technology.

Technology has improved my physical health at work We often think that technology encourages us to avoid going outside, which in many ways it does. Each of us spend up to 90% of our time indoors, which can have detrimental effects on our health. However, an increased number of technologically advanced WELL buildings are being created, which monitor multiple factors within the workplace to provide a healthy environment. Combined, they combat many chronic diseases, with Cundall reporting that their WELL certified building notably reduced sick leave and attrition within just three months.

Technology increases engagement You may think that technology encourages workers to hide behind emails and make themselves look busy when they’re watching cat videos. On the contrary, technology has given rise to the concept of gamification, where a digital environment is used to spark engagement with and

20 | Mix 203 April 2020

between employees. According to Anadea, 90% of employees are more productive when they use gamification and 72% of people believe that gamification inspires them to work harder. A great example of human psychology and technology working together in harmony.

Technology has improved my mental health When out on the road, working from home, or in isolation due to a worldwide pandemic, many of us can feel disconnected from society.

Technology has come to the rescue to reconnect people from a work and personal perspective, which gives our mental health a real boost. Additionally, when you can’t go outside, human centric lighting solutions, which can mimic natural sunlight, help stabilise our circadian rhythm and sense of wellness.

Technology isn’t expensive Using technology in business can improve the productivity and health of staff, which in turn

reduces absenteeism and increases profitability. Many organisations are recognising the value of investing in technology and are increasingly purchasing well-made and highly functional tools, living by the mantra ‘buy cheap, buy twice’.

Technology has personalised my workplace Much focus has been given to desking and seating in workplaces, but a recent study by Raconteur found that only 57% of workers are satisfied with the light levels in their workplace. This isn’t surprising when someone in their mid-50s requires twice as much light as someone in their mid-20s to see to the same level. Advanced lighting solutions from organisations such as LUCTRA enable workers to adjust the light levels over their own desk space to their personal preferences.

Technology has improved my posture We all recognise the image depicting evolution, moving from monkey to human, to human hunched over a computer. Despite the impact this has on our health,

we all still use technology every day for work and pleasure.

Manufacturers have therefore worked to develop ergonomic tools to improve posture whilst at work. Not only are sit/stand desks becoming the norm, ergonomic mounts for monitors and tablets are also on the rise.

Technology is making us more human Administrative tasks are often repetitive and a little boring.

Technology has enabled us to automate many day-to-day operations, which has given back workers up to 40% of their working week. As we move through the 2020s, hyper-automation will increase too, which will enable technology to complete ever-more complex tasks for us. This makes us more human as it gives us time to focus on collaboration and to think creatively.w

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UPFRONT

COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWN Virtual communication is the workplace ‘staff of life’ says M Moser's Steve Gale

T The idea of using computers to do drawings, write letters or play games would have been as laughable as growing tomatoes in your car

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

SteveG@mmoser.com

22 | Mix 203 April 2020

he short history of computers has been mainly about the pursuit of speed and power, but in the workplace the most commonly used technology is a side shoot of this space race, focusing on our primordial need to communicate. Working remotely during the COVID-19 lock-down will shine a strong light on the ways we interact virtually. Instead of raw processing power, the tech story is about convergence of platforms, technology and infrastructure, and we are on a steep learning curve.

Specialists have their own snazzy applications, like accounting or graphic software, but everyone needs to be able to remotely issue and receive instructions, ask questions and get answers, negotiate and influence, exchange knowledge and diffuse information.

Workplace technology is an emerging sector, still in the development phase, with its origin easily traced to a hard engineering domain when computers were for big calculations aimed at big numerical problems. The idea of using computers to do drawings, write letters or play games would have been as laughable as growing tomatoes in your car.

Something we might call ‘tech’ in the workplace first appeared with the development of personal computers (PCs) that you could park on your desk, and then a graphical user interface (GUI) that made them user friendly. Take-up was limited until a real breakthrough came as PC pioneers realised that people did not need the calculations that computers were made for, they just wanted to streamline some of the tedious tasks in their office life. So developers gave us word processing, spreadsheets and a thing called desktop publishing.

These ‘killer apps’ used processing power in a really new way.

And then came the Internet and the mobile phone to join everything up. The tech that started with huge mainframe calculating machines was liberated for communication, for conversations and knowledge sharing. Applications and kit started to proliferate as processing power was put to a very novel use.

Now we all have access to voice calls, teleconferencing, texts, messaging, live chat, email and file transfer – virtual collaboration has come of age. These facilities and their resilience will be tested very hard while we shelter separately from an invisible health risk.

My first week working at home seems to have passed reasonably well with client video calls as always (usually Google Hangouts), and additional ones to speak to colleagues who would normally be in the office (on Microsoft Teams). My wife sits in her study communing with her global business partners as she has done for years (either Zoom or Skype). My neighbour, who works for a clearing bank, is reviewing the next three months of projects using Cisco WebEx, and another insurance broker neighbour speaks to clients on his mobile phone, even though they are in the US. All of these tools are completely reliant on the connecting infrastructures of broadband and mobile networks, and already some cracks are appearing.

After just one day Microsoft 365 and Teams crashed, but quickly bounced back. My bank employee neighbour claims frequent issues with WebEx due to bandwidth issues, and I am hearing from others about slow connections due to their student kids returning from recently closed schools and colleges and hogging their home broadband.

Netflix and YouTube have reduced their streaming quality for 30 days to free up bandwidth, but gaming sites are reporting a massive increased demand, while all service providers claim their networks can handle the additional loads – but it’s early days yet.

We will learn from this global homeworking experiment, apart from testing the limits of our Internet provision. I bet we will learn about the balance between remote and face-to-face working, and how to help the people who need support running the teleconferencing apps. We will also subconsciously learn the protocols for effective remote conversations – it is different to being in the same space. After my first chaotic Friday afternoon virtual office drinks, it can only get better!w

Hung up on sustainability rawside.co

UPFRONT Perspective

PERSPECTIVE Although we couldn’t head out to Canary Wharf for a face-to-face, we were able to virtually chat with Christina Sigliano, Senior Director, JLL and CoreNet Global UK Chapter President, about her exciting dual-role.

You are now the CoreNet Global UK Chapter President, so what are the key initiatives for the association going forward?

Wow, what a fun year to take over the CoreNet Presidency here in the UK! We have been immersed in uncharted times, due to the COVID-19 outbreak. This is not a ‘business as usual’ year. Sadly, CoreNet won’t be able to host the typical insightful events and enjoyable networking opportunities, so the entire board are having to all roll up our sleeves and plan relevant, virtual events. Working from home poses all sorts of challenges and lack of human interaction is definitely one of them. Being able to connect with other members and still feel part of the CoreNet community is a key focus for me. In the next two weeks we will be announcing the CoreNet Virtual Events Calendar. ▲ Threadneedle Street

What is the best bit about your day job with JLL?

I love the people I work with and, in my view, the real estate industry is so interesting and rewarding. My role is EMEA-wide, so I deal with lots of different cultures and that adds to the charm of coming to work each day.

The ‘war on talent’ is a major focus for our clients, so helping them find the best spaces and 24 | Mix 203 April 2020

subsequently transforming their offices into wonderful locations, where employees can thrive and feel a sense of belonging, is a great journey to experience with a client.

Working across so many different countries means you have to help clients overcome a plethora of hurdles, including different ways of working, workplace guidelines and building regulations, to name a few – and helping clients navigate through these matters is what I most enjoy.

What advice would you give someone starting his or her own career? I was fortunate

enough to have started my career in the real estate industry – despite having studied economics and thinking I would work within banking. I followed my instinct and joined a great company straight after leaving university. I can still remember that interview and immediately knew it was the right company for me. My advice would be to work hard, be passionate about your job, hone your ability to ‘read’ situations – as some of the most difficult decisions cannot be based on data alone – have a positive outlook, take the time to get to know colleagues and clients and, most of all, enjoy the journey.

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

I am not sure I would change anything – but choosing the right designer is key to the success of a project. I think there should be a healthy tension between the client and the designer, to get the best outcome. The client understands the company culture and the company brand, whilst the designer knows how to interpret this into the physical built environment. This relationship is key to exploring the boundaries of what can be achieved, within the confines of an office space.

A well-designed interior can propel a company’s culture forward and help the workforce behave differently. Good design is a powerful tool and shouldn’t be underestimated.

Besides your current position, and if money didn’t count, what would be your perfect job? If money didn’t matter, I

would buy a ranch in Australia and I would spend my days on horseback, with my two crazy sons, having a giggle with them whilst rounding up cattle, enjoying the outdoor life as well as the magnificent scenery and abundance of wildlife.w

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UPFRONT Material Matters

MATERIAL MATTERS This month we look at the rapidly growing world of materials created from waste plastic – from the post-industrial to marine waste.

For more information on these materials, visit www.mixinteriors.com.

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Plasticiet: Mother of Pearl

Surface Matter: Durat

Camira: Oceanic

The Mother of Pearl collection from Rotterdam’s Plasticiet is made from polycarbonate, a highly technical plastic used in construction, electronics and even bullet-proof glass. To create the pearlescent finish, Plasticiet melt the material, and then begin to knead and mix it whilst still warm. ‘The technique we use is very similar to taffy making for sugary candy canes. During this process the material is stretched and folded numerous times, aerating it. The tiny stretched air bubbles captured within the translucent plastic reflect light, resulting in an iridescent glow resembling mother of pearl,’ Co-founder Joost Dingemans explains.

Durat is a colourful solid surface material made with recycled post-industrial plastics that can be used to create seamless surfaces in interior applications.

Durat uses post-industrial plastic waste collected from manufacturing and waste management companies in Sweden and Finland. The recycled flecks give the material its distinctive terrazzo appearance and allow Durat to reclaim all of its waste from production so it can be reused in other sheets. At the end of its life, the material can be refinished and repurposed in a new application or returned to be recycled.

Created entirely from post-consumer recycled plastic, Oceanic has been created in collaboration with SEAQUAL, using the initiative’s yarn – which is created from plastic debris sourced from the sea as well as bottles from landfill. With a colour selection of 16 shades, Oceanic provides a versatile palette that reflects the natural inspiration behind the collection, as well as including a number of trend-led colours. The diagonal weave of Oceanic is designed for upholstery onto both task and lounge seating within commercial spaces, and is Camira’s first fabric to contain recycled plastic marine waste. w

Mix 203 April 2020 | 27

UPFRONT Desert Island Desks

DESERT ISLAND DESKS

Ken Bundy, Creative Director, Claremont Born in Stirling, Scotland, Kenneth Arthur Bundy grew up in a very typical, very Scottish environment, with a hard working family who had strong work ethics – and plenty of humour and love. Much of his free time was devoted to music, with young Ken attending lots of concerts, including hitchhiking from Stirling to see bands in London, Paris and Belgium, and even winning a competition to see Supertramp at Madison Square Gardens in New York at the age of 17! Ken studied and lived in Edinburgh for six years before being offered a job in Manchester – and he has been working as an interior designer ever since. ‘Design drawing and art is my passion and I have been very fortunate to have worked with some amazing clients,’ Ken says, ‘and the 25 years I have been at Claremont have been the best.’

28 | Mix 203 April 2020

PENCILS AND PAPER ...and a sharpener and a putty rubber. I need to draw every day, so I would need at least that.

I could be annoying and say I would manage with a burnt stick and I would draw in a cave – but do I have to be that basic? No comfort whatsoever!

FAMILY ARTWORK Both of my children are artists.

My son is a cartoonist and my daughter is a sculptress. I wouldn’t take this to remember them by, I would just take it so it's a piece of them. I love them so, so much and I would miss them.

It would just be unbearable.

KITE OR RED BALLOON When I have a kite I think of playing at home when I was a small boy. Every time it’s windy I need my kite. A red balloon was something I would always want as, again, it was a feeling of fun – and just made me think that, if I held on to it, I would be able to fly...

CATCHER IN THE RYE My favourite book. I read this when I was in the hospital having an operation on my knee.

SAXOPHONE I always wanted to learn how to play the sax, so I bought one but then had to sell it to pay for my daughter’s christening. Then, a few years ago, I bought another – but I’ve just not had the time to learn, so I would like to take that with me.

STATUE OF BEAU BRUMMEL When my dad was courting my mum, he won the best-dressed man in Stirling, back when it was usual for everyone to meet at a dance hall. The competition was the result of the movie, Beau Brummel, and so the prize was a statue of the icon. How romantic!

TRACKS FOR THE JUKEBOX Supertramp – Hide in your Shell

The lyrics are a bit sad and sometimes explain how I see myself a wee bit. It motivates me as 'no one can beat me'.

David Bowie – Heroes

My all-time hero and someone I wanted to be, but was never brave enough. I remember hitchhiking to Berlin to see him live and this song reminds me of the adventure I had in Berlin and the people I met. Just amazing!

David Bowie – Young Americans

I love the musicality of this whole song! Love the intro and, whenever I hear it, I feel young myself.

Blondie – Sunday Girl

This song makes me happy and I really fancied Debbie Harry – she would have been a cool girlfriend! It also makes me dance like crazy.

Sensational Alex Harvey Band – Hot City Symphony Parts 1 and 2

Strange one this and not many people will know this band, but they were a punk rock band with some very intense band members. The lyrics seem to make no sense whatsoever but, funnily enough to me, I have a whole story in my head when I listen to these two pieces and I’m transported to 'VAMBO'.

Prince – Nothing Compares 2 U

Prince was someone who could make you dance like a freak! His songs can be dirty and make you take your clothes off – then suddenly he sings this sensitive and beautiful song. It reminds me of the person I love. w

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PROPERTY Horse's Mouth

THE TECH WORKSPACE HYPE CYCLE (AND HOW TO ESCAPE IT) Jack Sibley is Head of Innovation and Tech Strategy at Nuveen, one of the world’s largest office property asset managers. Speaking exclusively to Mix he says beware of fancy tech and golden bullets, and watch Gartner’s Hype Cycle. David Thame reports.

▲ Interior 70 St Mary Axe

30 | Mix 203 April 2020

PROPERTY Horse's Mouth

N ▲ Jack Sibley, Head of Innovation and Tech Strategy, Nuveen

uveen is one of the big beasts. It acts as investment manager for a host of sovereign wealth funds, household-name insurers and mega pension funds. Its office schemes, including the 70 St Mary Axe ‘Gherkin’ skyscraper in London, are unmissable landmarks.

How Nuveen approaches tech really does matter. And the message from Nuveen’s Head of Innovation and Tech Strategy, Jack Sibley, is that tech in the future workplace may not look like you think it will.

Businesses like Nuveen expect to own buildings for six to eight years, which is long-enough to outlast any current fad or trend, but not long enough for a clear view of the future. The upshot is they need to focus on basics like the customer experience, along

We pick a few innovations we want to trial knowing that we can absorb the risk of failure, because we like to see things tried and tested, even if it has to be by us

▲ Gartner's Hype Cycle.

Attribute: Jeremykemp at English Wikipedia

with ensuring there is enough ducting and a sufficiently flexible building skeleton to adapt to whatever comes next.

Jack suggests tech’s real significance is not in oversold 5G connectivity, or fancy cooling systems, or smart lighting that can flick the switch on or off when office workers push up the carbon dioxide levels. No, the impact will be in a changed, vastly more dynamic landlord, who will have a much larger role in who does what and where. And this includes turning the fit-out tap on and off.

Nuveen expects the sustainability and climate change agenda to make itself firmly felt in workplace design and management. There will be more emphasis on

energy efficiency and indoor environmental quality such as the prevalence of particulate matter. What absolutely won’t be happening soon is anything that looks like fully integrated artificial intelligence in building management, or any of the fancy approaches involving block chain. ‘Pipe dreams at the moment,’ says Jack.

Remote diagnostics and tenant engagement apps have a role, providing a digital overlay for tenants, behind which sits a lot of fancy technology. As the cost of the sensors (for air quality, for instance) come down, landlords will adopt this kind of tech, but routine adoption is still some way off.

Jack is not so much cool as he is watchful about new tech

Mix 203 April 2020 | 31

PROPERTY Horse's Mouth

▼ 70 St Mary Axe, London

Beware! Investors and developers are watching you Tech in the workplace might not be the biggest innovation that office designers and interior fit-out specialists have to contend with. Nuveen’s Jack Sibley says that asset managers and landlords are working on ways to package design and fit-out services for potential tenants as they strive to provide a seamless service for their occupiers.

‘What we want is a single pane of glass, a consistent interaction, between the occupier and the landlord, because today occupiers have to deal with agents, then property managers, then with fit-out firms, and the aim for us is to streamline this process. The outcome might be that you deal with all those same people but occupiers do it through us, the landlord, through one interface. That would make the landlord a real partner for the occupier, and not just a rent collector,’ Jack predicts.

The idea is that tenants would be approached about office fit-out early in the courting process, before leases are signed. The landlord’s one-stop-shop would put them in touch with trusted design partners who could show them how the new floorspace could work to meet their specific needs.

‘This is about giving tenants options.

They may want help with their workplace strategy, or they might want to be left alone. The landlord might end up more involved or not.’

Jack predicts that, at some point, there will be vertical integration so that landlords don’t just act as a clearing house or consultant on design and fit-out, but also offer a direct hands-on service.

‘It must feel to the occupier like there is no inconsistency between the different services that affect their workspace. We’re trying to make real estate easier and more convenient, more enjoyable, and not a fragmented headache,’ says Jack.

32 | Mix 203 April 2020

solutions – and points to Gartner’s Hype Cycle as one way not to get over-excited.

Devised by consultants at Gartner, it tracks each innovation as it passes through various stages of enthusiasm and disappointment, ending in a stable state of success or failure. The five phases start with the light-bulb moment when it emerges that something is technologically possible, followed by what Gartner call a Peak of Inflated Expectations, and thereafter a Trough of Disillusionment, Slope of Enlightenment and Plateau of Productivity.

Jack suggests those involved in the tech workplace of the future would do well to keep this Hype Cycle in mind. Because not everything in workplace tech is going to be a winner, and much of it will go through a period of intense doubt.

I wouldn’t say I’m sceptical about 5G but there are definitely areas that are over-hyped

‘Of course, what a landlord or developer is prepared to try depends on their risk profile. We pick a few innovations we want to trial knowing that we can absorb the risk of failure, because we like to see things tried and tested, even if it has to be by us,’ Jack explains.

In the United States, Nuveen are looking at new water-saving technology, which promises to cut consumption by as much as

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PROPERTY Horse's Mouth

▼ 40 Holborn Viaduct

40%. They are also looking at new integrated security technology yoked to 5G technology and mobile phones. It’s hard to know if this innovation will make the grade. ‘There’s a problem with 5G indoors, and there’s also Apple software complications. But we’re tracking it – it might make sense for some assets,’ says Jack.

5G makes an interesting test of the approach of serious international office market players like Nuveen.

5G is at the top of Gartner’s current Hope Cycle projections (just a fraction ahead of biochips – a potentially revolutionary medical diagnostic tool). This means 5G is at the most dangerous point in the life of a new technology, the moment when hopes are at their highest, before a sharp dose of reality and disillusion sets in.

‘I wouldn’t say I’m sceptical about 5G but there are definitely areas that are over-hyped.

The roll-out will be over a much longer timeframe than people are now saying and, in the early days, the benefits won’t be much greater than for 4G mobile,’ admits Jack.

‘5G is a prospect to be considered over the next three years, definitely, but what we need to know now is that a building can be upgraded to 5G connectivity. In the longer term, it could be a great support to facilities management, but in the next 12 months, probably not – and I’m not sure, even if it was available, that real estate could adopt it fast enough for that deadline.’

For now, Nuveen is more interested in standard mobile, WiFi and broadband connectivity and prefers not to wait for super over-sold tech solutions. ‘Sometimes people are looking for the magic bullet, something that will be relevant for 5-10 years but, if you are waiting for that magic bullet, you’ll be

waiting a long time. When we run investment cases for new buildings, we look at the basic infrastructure, the building’s skeleton, and things like natural light. We do not look in the same way at the latest app or the latest clever sensor, because that is not the right place to look for sustainability.’

Nuveen is not the only player in the property market with an eye on the ways tech can change workspace. But they are among the canniest. If their approach is more widely shared, it could mean the workspace of the future opts for lighter, brighter tech than many current predictions suggest.w

Sometimes people are looking for the magic bullet, something that will be relevant for 5-10 years but, if you are waiting for that magic bullet, you’ll be waiting a long time

Mix 203 April 2020 | 35

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PROPERTY Horse's Mouth

Tech plus workspace equals what?

Excitement about new tech workspace solutions needs to be kept under control, say Nick Taylor and Keir Dixon, Directors in Savills’ building and project consultancy team.

‘It’s a constant battle,’ says Nick. ‘For instance, everyone wants the stripped back warehouse look, but if you strip out the suspended ceilings then you struggle to get consistent temperatures. Cool air gets dumped in some places and not others. We try to solve this with oversize fan coils, but it’s a problem.’

According to Keir, it’s not so much the new tech itself that causes the headaches, as the fancy apps and management systems that control it. ‘There are dozens of smart systems on the market, ranging from Bluetooth sensors connected to oxygen sensors, to light controls, to ways of using data from sensors to direct cleaners to the right part of the building.

But they all tend to be separate apps or systems. There isn’t really anything yet that brings it all together.’

‘The risk is that it’s so complicated you get a lot of fantastic systems that only a specialist can control. That would mean, to run a smart building effectively, you need to have an engineer that comes with the building.’

The danger that expensive systems will not deliver is multiplied if the original building design is not respected by the interior fit-out.

‘You can find sensors in the wrong places very easily. When tenants start doing their own thing, you often find that good tech solutions in the building just do not work as intended.’

Worse still, some systems are seriously pricey, adding several pounds per square foot to the development cost. Developers naturally balk at high additional capital

▼ The Smart Office

expenditure, but they also worry that, if they do invest in fancy kit, the tenants won’t value what they’ve done.

‘Developers have to take a gamble that they will end up with a forward-thinking tenant who gets what they’ve done. And they might not get that kind of occupier,’ says Nick.

The final worry for developers is that, by making their buildings as up-to-the-minute as they can, they will, accidentally, make them redundant.

‘The fear among developers is that they promise the town planners that they will do X or Y to meet sustainability targets. But by the time the building is built and occupied, the technology they promised is out of date.

Or just not adequate – as is the risk with something like electric car charging points,’ he says.

Their conclusion is that the safest approach to workplace tech is to multiply the amount of ducting and chose new tech with care.

Manchester-based Truth Creative has recently completed all of the interior design work for UA92, the fancy new university academy from the Class of ’92. Darren Scott, Founder and Creative Partner, says: ‘The problem with tech isn't necessarily the way it has changed workspaces but the way that it has allowed work to take over aspects of our lives away from those workspaces.’

The result is a stressed-out workforce.

‘The next great wave of technology will allow us to connect with ourselves a lot more than we do with each other,’ he says – with one eye firmly on wellness apps and trends.

Umbrella editorial banner Mix Interiors Jan 2020.pdf 1 28/01/2020 13:42:00 C

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Mix 203 April 2020 | 37

PROPERTY Insight

VIRAL LOAD: RETHINKING WORKPLACES AFTER COVID-19 A consensus is emerging: the global COVID-19 pandemic will cause acute short-term disruption, and medium-term recession, but it is ripe with long-term opportunities for real estate. David Thame reports.

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t is still early days – nobody quite knows how the longer-term consequences of the coronavirus pandemic will play out. But if you listen to the chatter, read the research and watch the trends, it is possible to spot some early directions of travel in UK real estate…

Warehouses will be your new favourite buildings Investors and developers were keen to buy into logistics property long before anyone heard of the coronavirus. But the pandemic has starkly revealed the importance of the supply chain, and the surge of investment into warehousing is likely to grow once normal life resumes, according to analysis by US logistics property giant, Prologis.

The big money will head for so-called urban logistics (think parcels depots, only bigger), which usually have only a small office element, but there is still high demand for typically 350-450,000 sq ft regional and 600-800,000 sq ft national distribution centres (RDCs and NDCs). These enormous buildings contain a larger and increasingly sophisticated office element. Look, for instance, at the 30,000 sq ft of CAT A offices included in Evans of Leeds’ latest 437,000 sq ft warehouse at Fradley Park, Lichfield. Expect a lot more office floorspace, and a lot more of that floorspace to be CAT A, in the postvirus logistics sector.

38 | Mix 203 April 2020

Densification is yesterday’s news Nothing delivers a sharper reminder of the value of generously proportioned living areas, and the joy of gardens, than being confined to your home for 12 weeks. Once the Covid-19 pandemic is over, tenants and buyers will look with newly enlightened eyes on the UK’s still nascent coliving sector, and on pokey one-bed and studio apartments. Some, like FT columnist, Janan Ganesh, go a step further and suggest that the idea of networking itself will become less obviously a virtue as the most networked cities on earth, like New York and London, reveal themselves to be the most vulnerable to viral spread. Could it be that, after 30 years of hectic growth and prolific ‘densification’, the tide will turn as more people see the virtues of open air, relaxed widely spaced suburban life? The idea that living and working in a city isn’t the be-all and end-all of life will come as a shock to Millennials. To the over 50s, who have seen cities come in and out of fashion before, the adjustment will be easier. So, whilst the thirtysomethings head to the ’burbs, priced-out oldies may make a return to the city?

Senior living could be one of the surprise winners.

PROPERTY Insight

Coworking takes a hit This reporter listened-in to a tech-based business’ team video conference soon after the UK lockdown. ‘We’ve got over a 100 people on this conference, and you’re all working from home, so we’ve realised we really don’t need to rent offices anymore,’ said the Finance Director, who promptly announced the business was terminating every lease in its portfolio – almost all of it in serviced or coworking space. And they don’t plan to hurry back when the pandemic is over. Decisions like this will mean a big hit for serviced office operators. The emerging coworking sector always looked vulnerable to recession, but the coronavirus pandemic has multiplied their problems. London-based IWG, the world’s largest serviced workspace operator, has asked for a rent-free period on its 62 million sq ft portfolio. Meantime WeWork’s woes have multiplied. Expect a rapid correction in the coworking sector: some (perhaps many) operators will not survive. Landlords may take over their space and operate coworking suites directly.

New town centre opportunities The coronavirus lockdown will be an extinction event for many retailers, particularly if they already had worrying balance sheets. Simultaneously, many more shoppers will learn online habits during the lockdown, habits they will not shake off, which spells problems for those retailers that survive. It all adds up to trouble for traditional shopping centres. Major landlords, like Intu, were on the brink of collapse before the outbreak, and now their chances look dire. So expect a rapid pivot away from retail by some landlords (of the kind Hammerson is already trying to execute), expect shopping centres to close, and expect their often valuable town centre sites to be rapidly recycled for housing and workspace (there is surprising enthusiasm for office development).

Forward-thinking landlords, like New River Retail, are already calculating the value of alternative uses of their shopping centres.

Today, they are almost alone in doing these kinds of sums. By this time next year, they will have many, many rivals.w

Mix 203 April 2020 | 39

THE TECHNOLOGY REPORT

SPOTLIGHT Technology Report

DEVELOPMENTS IN WORKPLACE TECHNOLOGY When we first sat down (back in the days when we could sit down together – remember them?) to discuss this Spotlight on technology, we instantly agreed that there was only one place for us to go when it came to what’s new and innovative in this arena – UnWork.

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e’ve been fortunate enough to know Philip Ross, CEO and founder of UnWork – the global management consultancy focused on the future of work – and his team for more years than we’d care to admit. Philip is very much the go-to person when it comes to looking to the future. Here, he tells us where we’re heading and what we’re going to need in order to stay ahead of the fast-moving technological curve.

It seems now, more than ever before, we need to rely on technology to complete our work. We also lean on technology to understand how we’re working, reduce unecessary costs, gain access to our places of work and, most importantly, to collaborate with colleagues around the world and more topically, around the corner.

Based on UnWork’s work, supporting some of the world’s leading organisations into new ways of working, we’ve pulled together a list of developments in workplace technology that you should be keeping an eye on.

42 | Mix 203 April 2020

Artificial Intelligence Many people are worried about AI coming into the workplace. The truth is, AI is already in the workplace, but has not yet achieved its full potential. AI refers to a set of machine learning techniques that can use inputs from their environment to direct their resources towards achieving a certain goal. Where AI differs from traditional computers is that it can learn for itself and manage a diverse range of tasks - and can achieve all of this independently of human direction. Most applications of AI in the workplace are used to streamline processes that are time consuming for humans.

Today, organisations are utilising AI to analyse job applications and the video interviews of candidates, to process thousands of payments to detect fraud, and spot patterns in data to predict technical faults in things like elevators, limiting downtime.

SPOTLIGHT Technology Report

Augmented and Virtual Reality Virtual Reality (VR) is a system of immersive simulation of experience that tends to engage the user in the generated reality at the expense of their normal perception of reality.

This means that users are totally engaged with the simulation and typically unaware of things occurring outside it. This is normally achieved using headsets and tactile controls that replace audio and visual inputs, and then records feedback.

Augmented Reality (AR) is similar to VR, although reality is overlaid with the simulation so that both are still visible. AR is used to present digital information that enhances and adds to the experience of the user.

As the way in which we interact with the digital world changes, so too will the ways we interact with the physical world. These kinds of changes will be built into the fabric of the workplace of the future, as they help to determine exactly what we need a building for. As real estate prices continue to rise, less and less work needs a physical office.

VR has the potential to make all offices predominantly, or in some instances completely, virtual (think: unlimited virtual display space, programmes, notes, etc. – these can all be displayed within VR or AR glasses). Unlimited virtual space means less physical space is required, freeing up additional space for when people do need to come together and collaborate in person.

Sensors: Data is the lifeblood of any smart structure in the workplace and there is none so powerful as real-time occupancy and utilisation. UnWork research has shown that, on average, office space is underutilised by over 40%, translating to a cost of roughly ÂŁ4,000 per employee, per year. Despite this, costs are not the only reason to consider utilisation technology.

Understanding and managing facility space is about more than square footage or the number of conference rooms. Visibility into the modern workplace means knowing what types of spaces there are and how often they are used, and what types of employees are using which space. Providing an environment that complements the agile workforce and enhances productivity by better promoting collaboration hinges on the availability of live, accessible data about worksetting availability; the productivity gains through increased space efficiency are an even more powerful outcome than the considerable cost savings on real estate.

Many workplace occupancy sensor providers offer their service as a simple plug and play solution that operates separately from the corporate network.

The more advanced solutions use imaging sensors to accurately count the number of people in each space, others monitor environmental factors such as noise levels, temperature and CO2.

Recommendations: PointGrab, bGrid

Mix 203 April 2020 | 43

SPOTLIGHT Technology Report

Internal Position Systems: Where occupancy sensors monitor bodies rather than identifiable people, an Internal Position System (IPS) unlocks a multitude of services by providing submeter accuracy for in-building locations of individuals through their mobile phones. Previously, the technology relied on the extensive deployment of infrastructure through beacons or Wi-Fi Access Points, but new innovation is utilising in-built sensors in smartphones to provide an entirely hardware-free solution that allows employees to ‘opt-in’ to a number of location-based services. By tapping into inertial sensors (accelerometers and gyroscopes) within smartphones and processing the data in a unique new way, software-only location platforms are providing hyper-accurate and continuous location services indoors, outdoors and underground, without the use of any external hardware.

For the modern, agile office, the applications of indoor positioning are particularly far-reaching.

Relevant contextual messages can be sent to occupants in certain areas of the building regarding anything from corporate gatherings to maintenance issues, while office navigation can guide users to colleagues, facilities and meeting rooms across floors of the building or around the local area.

Recommendations: Navisens, Oriient

44 | Mix 203 April 2020

Biometrics: Biometrics is the measurement of unique biological markers, namely on our fingertips and faces, that can be used to identify us. We are already becoming more comfortable about the use of biometrics, with many of us already using our faces to unlock our phones.

One of the most prominent use cases for biometrics in the workplace is for access control, as dated physical passwords and key cards have measurable costs and disadvantages – they can be easily forgotten, lost or stolen. With differing

laws and regulations around the use of biometric data in different areas of the world, the best biometrics strategy is one that, much like IPS, requires an opt-in.

To ensure uptake from staff, facial biometrics should unlock a number of useful services; seamless access, ‘follow me’ printing and catering/workplace preferences being some of the most in-demand.w Recommendations: Ayonix

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SPOTLIGHT Technology Report

THE GO TEAM When talking with end users, specifiers and property professionals, we increasingly find that the conversation turns to data. Indeed, a number of our Roundtable events have focused on how businesses can measure productivity. Is it even possible?

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ntil recently, the answer to the question was blurred at best. But the latest advancements in technology might well provide that very Holy Grail.

A perfect example of this is GoSpace. Unlike existing technology, GoSpace goes beyond just collecting data and providing analytics, by intelligently evolving team space allocations in seconds.

With over five years R&D, GoSpace is the first artificial intelligence system for the workplace that both improves business performance and reduces property costs. Not just once, but over the life of your property portfolio.

If you’re skeptical about such claims, you should know that the person who brought 46 | Mix 203 April 2020

this innovation to our attention is property, workplace and change expert (not to mention leading author, contributor and Mixology judge), Neil Usher. In our opinion, if Neil puts his name to something, we really should be checking it out. So, taking our own advice, we asked the former Sky Workplace Director a series of questions about this new tech breakthrough and also about his latest musings.

Neil, in layman’s terms, what is this new innovation?

GoSpace AI is a dynamic workspace allocation system. It ensures the right people are always working together in the right amount of space.

That is, how workspace is used for the greatest

benefit of both the organisation and its people, rather than what it looks like.

It first creates an effective workplace, and by doing so then ensures an efficient and environmentally responsible one too. These goals, often seen as a compromise, we see as entirely complementary.

It’s technology for good – it makes our lives socially, environmentally and commercially sustainable, mutually beneficial and supportive.

It will be especially useful in the coming months as (hopefully) the pandemic is controlled and organisations begin to consider how they’re going to re-occupy their workplace. It’s unlikely that everyone will revert to the old normal.

What makes this unique/different from what is already on the market?

The industry presently sees the workplace as a static creation. Yet, as the organisation it accommodates changes, it needs to change with it to stay relevant and appropriate.

No-one else uses AI in this way to generate solutions. All other applications we’re aware of still require humans to decide what to do with

SPOTLIGHT Technology Report

the data accumulated. Very often that results in hunch or guesswork. We use science to identify the minor adjustments necessary, rather than saving it all up for a big blow-out move when it can’t be contained any longer.

No-one else can move as quickly as GoSpace to capture the data needed to evolve the workplace, as there’s no major install, no capital cost and we don’t even need an up to date space plan. It’s not only unique and incredibly powerful, it’s also simple and easy to access and use.

What will this do/change for the client? Why is this so important/ valuable to your client/the market in general?

The client will be in control of their workplace and the changing patterns of demand for space like never before. Recent events globally have made that all the more pressing. No-one knows how the demand for space will pan out from here, so it’s vital to have a tool to be able to plan for any eventuality, however quickly it changes.

They’ll not just have data and a strategy report in one lump at the beginning of a linear process, they’ll have

▼ Example of the data which can be collected using GoSpace

an understanding of their workplace over its lifecycle. It makes GoSpace ideal for a project, for post-occupancy – and for the management of the facility.

Again, in layman’s terms, please tell us a little about the technology behind this.

The data is fed into an AI engine that uses advanced algorithms to solve highly complex problems in a non-linear way. It’s not just ‘smart’, it’s genuinely intelligent.

Creating a workspace allocation scenario takes less than a minute. That means planning can be achieved at a pace never thought possible, and decisions can be taken in real time.

Who/which sectors do you think this will most benefit?

The application is being used by a number of large international organisations.

We have also engaged with designers, strategists and developers, supporting workplace projects and post-occupancy evaluation – or, as we would rather call it, perpetual occupancy evaluation. The market is essentially all medium to large workplaces across the world.

Is it easy to use?

We’ve made the interface as straightforward as possible, with the intelligent stuff going on in the Cloud. Taking in data on space usage, collaboration needs and forecasting, creating a scenario involves hitting the Evolve button – and you have an optimised workplace.

What has your role been in the development? How did it all come about?

I’ve known the founder and CEO, Bruce Davison, for about five years and watched GoSpace take shape from the seed of an idea to US-patented genius. It was about 18 months ago when I realised this was a total game changer. You know I wouldn’t get involved in something unless I thought it would shake things up!

Congratulations on the fantastic success of the Elemental Workplace? How did you find the process? Did you enjoy touring/launching the book?

Thanks! It’s been tremendous fun. I’ve been to a lot of places with it and met a huge

▲ Example of the data which can be collected using GoSpace

number of people. I’ve even signed a few of the Indian version. I still haven’t seen anyone reading it on the tube yet – but there’s still time. My favourite moment was going to see a CFO about an assignment and taking a book along when he said, ‘I already have it – and have some questions’. Sure enough, there in his notebook was a list of questions. I’d still like it to break out of the sector a little more, but I’m hopeful that will happen.

We hear book 2 is coming. What can you tell us about it?

You may see something around September – still a way to go yet. It’s tough turning writing into a hobby and doing it every spare minute you get, when you don’t get many spare minutes. Even less now, with the schools closed too. You’ll be the first to know, anyway…well, almost the first.w

Mix 203 April 2020 | 47

SPOTLIGHT Technology Report

HEALTH DESKING Over the years, there have been many different philosophies of how to arrange workstations in an office space to encourage collaboration, maximise productivity, minimise footprint, define hierarchy, save energy etc. Andrew Bissell, Director at Cundall Light4, looks at how lighting technology can make a radical impact on our working health.

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umping the gun slightly, but in a very timely manner, once the world gets through the current pandemic, we could see radical changes to the workplace market, with companies choosing to pay their staff rent for their home office space and utilities rather than paying for corporate office space. Until then, if it happens, we are now in a phase where office design is firmly about every aspect of the occupants’ health and wellbeing. Health desking is about working with the limitations of a building design and the needs of people to maximise occupants’ long-term health with respect to sunlight and views.

It is well established that views of nature and access to sunlight and daylight are fundamental components in our health and wellbeing. Yet, despite this knowledge, the commercial pressure to maximise a building’s footprint on a piece of land and the density of construction in some cities, mean this fundamental need is not always being

▲ Office space with plenty of natural light

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met. Deep plan offices or an office building that simply provides views of an even taller adjacent office building are common causes as to why this need is not met. Apart from tearing buildings down and somehow finding a financial model that allows better quality buildings to be built, how can we use the latest research and technology to provide views and sunlight to every occupant in an office?

If we start with what we want to achieve and work backwards then we want each member of staff to have access to views and sunlight. In designing or refurbishing a building, we have control of elements such as windows, blinds, reveal depths and angles, and these allow us to maximise the quality of the building – but we will inevitably be limited in what we can do. Through analysis we can create a sunlight and view heat map, which tells us where the desks should be placed and how they should be angled to maximise views and access to sunlight. However, what we will typically find with this heat map is that we cannot provide every member of the company access to great views and sunlight all of the time. This is where the latest research, coupled with connected smart technology, has been used to establish the concept of health desking.

The latest research shows that we are more tolerant of sunlight when we are on the phone and less tolerant when undertaking focused tasks.

What this information provides us with is more knowledge about where to locate the desks and pods associated with each type of task, e.g. phone booths, collaboration tables and fixed workstations.

Essentially we have added task data to the sunlight and view heat map.

We now have building and task data, but what we are missing is detailed information about the

occupant. The data we first need is their daily and weekly daylight experience, both at home and at work. A crude method could be to ask a series of questions about a person’s home and use associated weather data to estimate their exposure to daylight and their quality of views. A more refined method would be to have them wear a piece of connected technology, which measures the sunlight they experience through the day, night and week. This data, coupled to the building and task data, begins to allow us to manage – and maybe all we can do is suggest where people sit such that access to sunlight and views is shared through the business.

This maximises each person’s access and therefore health and wellbeing. Ideally, you’d tell someone where to sit each day – but that is not going to work. However you could suggest where to sit in order to improve a person’s health and wellbeing, and they may respond more positively.

Additional data, such as each person’s calendar, could be added to the system to further refine the occupants’ experience of the office and the ease with which they collaborate – e.g. If you know when a person is due out of the office or going on holiday, then where they sit can be adjusted based on the daylight they will experience when out of the office. If you notice a person has received low levels of sunlight, you can suggest alternative routes home to enable them to walk a little further and receive more natural light.

Where to sit could be something the turnstile in reception tells you, or the company’s app could tell you to move desks after lunch as Ms X has left for the day and the views are better. The question will be whether people will accept a concept such as health desking as beneficial or if there will be resistance as it is seen as intrusive and demanding.w

AIR APPARENT Talk about being in the right place at the right time. During what was to be our final day ‘out and about’, for a while at least, we met up with the guys from WellTek and Finnish company, Air0, whose latest innovations couldn’t be more relevant. WellTek’s Neil Jenkins was happy to answer our questions.

In layman’s terms, what is Air0?

Air0 Clean Air System is an air purification solution ensuring that indoor air is clean and safe to breathe.

This new innovation is continuously measuring the levels of air pollutants in indoor air with high quality indoor air quality (IAQ) sensors. At the same time as monitoring, Air0 purifies those extremely small pollutants from the air, before they end up in anyone’s lungs, thanks to Air0 Purifiers. Combining these elements into one IoT system, air quality and air purification can be monitored and managed centrally from anywhere.

What makes this unique/different from what is already on the market?

Firstly, Air0 Purifiers provide exceptionally high amounts of clean air. Air0’s patented smAIRt air purification technology is different from traditional air purification technologies due to the amount of clean air it is able to produce. Whilst traditional air purifiers need to compromise between purification efficiency and the amount of airflow, Air0’s smAIRt technology excels in both, which is very important in order to be able to efficiently clean the air for the whole room.

Secondly, it doesn’t look like a traditional plastic box purifier. Nobody wants to see that.

Air0 Purifiers are made of wood, with handcrafted details, and they are customisable to fit the interior colours of any office.

Thirdly, the IoT sensors enable users to see the invisible – what we breathe. Air0 IAQ monitoring comes with portable, wireless sensor units, which continuously measure air quality, while an intuitive traffic light classification gives increased awareness.

Finally, Air0 Clean Air System is designed for commercial purposes, running efficiently even in large properties with many different rooms and spaces that require clean air. It is a unique combination of stand-alone purifiers and a centralised system, which is easy to install and modify.

50 | Mix 203 April 2020

What will this do/change for the client? Why is this so important/ valuable? Indoor air is polluted by multiple everyday sources (traffic, smoke, bacteria and viruses, and chemicals to mention a few). The pollutants are so small that the human eye cannot see them. The smallest pollutants are also the most harmful to our health, yet they are impossible for the human body to detect or stop before they enter our lungs and even all the way into our blood circulation. Hence, viruses and bacteria may travel in the air, spreading infectious diseases. Air pollution causes elevated health risks from lung cancer and strokes as well as less severe symptoms from respiratory illnesses. On a general level, polluted air will also make people less productive, feeling dizzy or tired at work.

Air0 Clean Air System is a proven solution to tackle these indoor air quality issues. It is modern, state-of-the-art solution for safe indoor air, removing even the smallest pollutants from the air.

The majority of air purifiers in the market are designed for consumers. They are not sufficient for the larger room sizes of most offices, so the purifiers end up cleaning only a small portion of the air in its closest proximity. In larger facilities, high number of ‘dummy’ air purifiers (i.e. not connected online) would cause several management issues – are the air purifiers on?

Have they been on as planned? What power level are they set to? Is the amount of clean air sufficient? Where are the purifiers? How has the air quality changed since the purifiers were turned on?

SPOTLIGHT Technology Report

Air0 Clean Air System combines Air0 Purifiers and IAQ sensors into one integrated and centrally managed solution, giving answers to all the above questions, providing the necessary tools, data and remote control for the people responsible for the indoor air quality management of the facilities.

With Air0 Clean Air System, our clients will be able to provide cleaner and healthier indoor air, and thus safer working environments for their employees. This will increase general employee wellbeing and productivity while decreasing absence due to sickness. All of which has a positive impact on a company’s bottom line.

Again, in layman’s terms, please tell us a little about the technology behind this. The core of the Air0 Clean Air System is the patented and highly efficient air purification technology, smAIRt, which combines the best of mechanical and electrical filtration to enable the maximum amount of clean air to be produced.

The smAIRt filtration technology includes four stages: 1) Pre-filter to collect dust and other bigger particles. 2) Charger followed by a charging chamber, to effectively give electric charge to the air pollutants. The charged particles are easier to catch. 3) Fine-particle filters. 4) Activated carbon removes gaseous components from the air.

The beauty of the smAIRt technology is in the charging chamber. The pollutants pass the charger with such speed that not all of them get an electrical charge. However, spending some time in the charging chamber with other charged pollutants, the pollutants will effectively get charged. This is very different from traditional electrical filtration, which is limited by the airflow speed, as it needs to directly charge all the passing particles.

Continuing forward, the fine-particle filters will then collect the charged pollutants effectively.

The charge enables filter material to be looser-knit than traditional, very tight-knit HEPA filter, again enabling high airflow through the filter.

Very high filtration efficiency and very high air flow results in exceptionally high amounts of clean air.

Air0 Clean Air System is an IoT solution, meaning all the elements are connected to Air0 Cloud. The connected system scales up to any needs (unlimited number of sensors and purifiers) and can be fully managed and monitored centrally via the Air0 app and web solutions, anywhere and anytime.

Who/which sectors do you think this will most benefit? Offices, coworking spaces, schools and healthcare…to mention a few. Basically all the larger properties, where it is important to stay healthy, breathing clean and safe air.

Is it easy to use? Yes, user experience has been in the core of the development from the beginning. Some of the most loved features include; simple and intuitive traffic light colour index for the air quality. This helps the user to understand the current status of the air quality

at a glance, without being an expert on the air quality. The same colours are used in reports and data analysis, and throughout all Air0 solutions.

The air purification can be scheduled to run on weekly purification programmes, which in most cases means ‘set and forget’ – e.g. for an office, the programme could run on ‘turbo’ mode for a few hours before people get in, before setting to a nice, quiet level for office hours. Air0 Purifiers can also run on automatic mode for full- or part-time – in this case, the purification will be adjusted continuously according to the current IAQ data from the sensors.

To make indoor air quality management even more care-free, automatic alarms to email and phone can be set for any unexpected events, whether something happens with the purifiers, their programmes or with the air quality.w Air Q is available in the UK from WellTek. For further information please go to www.welltek.co/

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SPOTLIGHT Technology Report

YOU CAN HABITAL Measuremen have been providing occupancy data to commercial and higher education institutions for over 15 years. With headquarters in Amsterdam, their Workplace Maturity Model is a blueprint for improving workplaces worldwide.

Former-ttsp man, Noel Brewster, can tell us all about it.

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cknowledge, validate, manage and optimise are the four pillars of the model. The Habital app is one of the technology solutions Measuremen provides to capture data on workplace preferences and allow organisations to improve their working homes.

Together with asset inventory, observation study and workplace sensors, Habital provides organisations with all the tools required to improve their space. Whereas some companies provide sensors or staff engagement tools, Measuremen are the only provider of all these services. This allows their customers to partner with them on any aspect of their journey to improve their workplace.

Measuremen Portal is a business intelligence platform user interface that puts all these data streams in one place. The Measuremen Portal is the culmination of years of experience in data analysis, combined into a unique online business intelligence tool.

Noel Brewster, previously a workplace consultant and now Customer Success Executive at Measuremen, tells us more about Habital.

‘The advent of the recent global health crisis has forced a lot of organisations to be agile in their working practices and deploy working from home initiatives at very short notice,’ he tells us. ‘While the technology that supports remote working, in the form of software and hardware, is holding up relatively well, the human interface is, at present, not as well tested in conditions such as these. Measuremen have developed tools to assist employees and the organisations they work for to get the best out of any working environment.

‘The Habital app has been developed following research from the University of Applied Science in The Netherlands. It is a free app that is downloadable on iOS, Android and via the web. It provides insights into the working preferences of individuals and their ability to undertake tasks in various settings.

‘There is a short questionnaire to understand user preferences and demographics, followed by a two-week study, where four simple questions

SPOTLIGHT Technology Report

are asked four times per day. These questions are designed to provide the information of where, why, what and how more objectively than any other engagement study of this type. Most studies rely on a subjective response from the user when asked questions about their working environment. Questions illicit a response based on memory of an activity or setting, resulting in biased results.

‘Because the samples in Habital are asked across a longer period, when users are undertaking the activities, the responses are more accurate. The samples over an extended period also remove the subjective responses given by users in positive or negative states of mind.

‘It is primarily for corporates where the workplace has evolved to be more dynamic. As it captures users’ information when not working in the office, it allows a mobility profile of the organisation to be developed. It can also be used in HE environments where administration and teaching staff undertake a multitude of activities in various locations.

‘The app has been designed to be simple to use and engaging, with a bright and attractive user interface. Navigation is easy and the app

It is primarily for corporates where the workplace has evolved to be more dynamic. As it captures users' information when not working in the off ice, it alows a mobility prof ile of the organistion to be developed.

even has some gamification added so that the individual feels compelled to continue using it for the duration of the study. There are targets to be reached during the study and these can be tailored to each company’s needs to suit the project-specific outcome.

‘There is no other technology on the market that allows organisations to capture data from their employees in this way. The technology is scalable in such a way that Measuremen have been able to launch a global study to understand the impact on productivity and wellbeing that the current crisis is having. Measuremen are experts in providing infographics that provide valuable and, more importantly, actionable insights of data sets. A new dashboard has been created on the Measuremen Portal to represent the outcome from this unique study. While there is a global study happening, individual organisations can still request a study to better understand the impact of remote working on their employees.’

Intrigued? Why not download the app yourself and be part of one of the biggest studies into remote working ever undertaken? w

Mix 203 April 2020 | 53

SPOTLIGHT Technology Report

SENSOR STORY

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his is the future – and we are working to make it a reality. We founded Spacelab, back in 2002, with a belief that great design can make a real difference to people’s lives.

Despite what most people in the industry believed, for us, people have always mattered more than architecture and design aesthetics. More than the colour of a wall or carpet tile. More than generating big profits. Don’t get us wrong, all of these things do still matter, to varying degrees. But, more importantly, we believe we have a collective responsibility to put people first in order to make a positive impact on the world. And this belief runs true through everything we touch, make and do.

From the start, we realised that to create spaces that put people at the heart of everything, we must first truly understand the people who use a space, and what they need from it. So, we started to gather data to inform us exactly how our clients behave and work, both organisationally and spatially, to develop and deliver human-centred design solutions that really function for the longterm. After all, no two businesses are the same, and so no two spaces should be either.

Imagine a self-regulating space that is kind to the environment and harmoniously connected with nature. Where the architecture has been conceived, designed and created from the inside out. An agile, healthy and sustainable space where everything has been designed around you, so you can be brilliant and get on with what you do best. A utopian dream? Not at all – and certainly not in the mind of Spacelab Co-founder, Nathan Lonsdale.

But we never settled for the approach that we had, and as the world started to evolve into a more technological place, so did we. We continued our research partnership with the Bartlett School of Architecture at UCL, and hired an in-house tech team. We embraced Virtual Reality, changing the way we design, developing a more integrated and iterative approach.

As we progressed, we could see it wasn’t just about delivering great spaces for organisations and the people within them. As businesses grow and evolve over time, their space needs to also.

Whether that’s over 10 years, or on a day-by-day basis – spaces need to adapt. Our clients need to know how to manage their space in a sustainable manner, for the long term. We started thinking: how can we use technology to guide them through this and help automate the process?

It was around this time that the first sensors started to be used in the built environment, mainly to help control lighting and temperature levels.

So, we thought, if sensors can be used to detect and automate these things, then surely we can use them to help clients to measure and automate how spaces physically adapt over time to suit their needs? We realised the huge untapped potential that this technology could have in design and for workplaces, if we continued to push and develop it further.

This is where our story about developing our own sensors begins.

We knew that our solution needed to acknowledge and fully optimise the power that space has for people, organisations and the environment. And we held three key objectives in mind, essential for making space great:

Agility: Great space should be agile and continually adapting to an organisation and its people, as it grows and evolves.

People: Great space should keep people healthy and productive by continually monitoring the quality of its environment.

Sustainability: Great space acknowledges the fact that buildings account for 30% of CO2 emissions and should be run as efficiently as possible.

As we progressed, it was clear that there was no single technology that was going to achieve all three objectives. It was also clear that achieving these objectives would require more than just technology alone. We started building a platform, the foundation of which would integrate ‘best in class’ sensor technologies, our deep understanding of space, and the latest research on workplace culture and agile working. We’re still on the journey. But we are now trialling the first iteration of our sensors and, so far, the response from our clients has been exceptionally positive. We’re now integrating sensors and software into the fabric of our research and design process. Our long-term ambition is to build our technology not only into the new spaces we design, but to retrofit existing urban infrastructure, whatever the function – be it workplaces or residential. We believe everyone should work and live in space that is agile, healthy and sustainable.

It’s been a long process. You could say it’s been 17 years in the making. But we’ve now started to create a solution that truly works, and that, we believe, is going to completely change how organisations operate and use space as their business grows and evolves over time. w Mix 203 April 2020 | 55

Roundtable ROUNDTABLE

It’s Been Emotional The world has never been so prosperous and yet, it seems, never as unhappy (and we’re not even talking COVID-19 here). Whilst we have to take individual responsibility for our own destiny, is there now an obligation on business leaders to create a feeling of happiness within the workplace? Is this the new norm even?

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e’ve gathered an expert panel at Gensler’s spectacular new home in Thomas More Square to consider how design can help create an environment where innovation is simply part of daily life, and ask whether design alone can create a sense of belonging and evoke a place of harmony, refuge, security and happiness. If so, that’s a great deal of responsibility on those interior design shoulders.

Thanks to the generosity of our hosts and our sponsor, double Mixology awardwinning Specialist Joinery Group, there’s certainly a sense of harmony and happiness as we take our seats in Gensler’s impressive client suite, high above the square below and with spectacular views of the City and beyond. Will that harmony last? Well, time will tell as we begin by asking our guests whether the standing of the interior designer has increased over recent years, as end users have seen what their space can do for their staff?

56 | Mix 203 April 2020

THE DISCUSSION Franky: I’m actually architecturally trained – I trained as an architectural technologist – so I chose to take the interior route because I realised that, although it was amazing to study the externals of buildings, it was even more interesting to focus on the internal environment and the psychology behind that. I think that, in the UK, there is no such term as ‘interior architect’ – you can’t call yourself that because it is regulatory – but actually the role itself is handin-hand with the architect; you’re reconstructing a journey for someone, and the two of you need to work together. I do think that the standard of interior design has improved.

Rosie: Spacelab really grew through that collaborative approach. We grew through our collaboration with UCL – the partnership was very much about bringing in academic thinking and ways of really understanding how people used the space. This is why research and strategy are so integrated into our whole design process. I’m not saying that the aesthetics aren’t important, but it is so much more important to make sure that the space functions for the people who are working in it. That has definitely increased in value. Maybe even six years ago, it could be a really hard sell – it could be difficult to get people on board with the idea that you need to understand your people first in order to get the space right. Back then, clients were coming to us with very aesthetic briefs, but that has now changed.

Yes, what I do is interiors, but my role is also about understanding the brand, understanding the people, understanding the business…

Very small things can make such a big difference. If you do this, people come to work with a spring in their step

But is the perception of what an interior designer does still an issue?

Simon: I think it does depend on who’s looking at the interior designer role and the architect role. If you’re talking to informed people, who understand office design and the fit-out world, their perception will be very different from someone outside of the industry.

If you look at the space we’re in right now, I’d suggest that the interior design of the space is far more important to

Gensler than the exterior. If you are part of this industry, then you will understand and know the importance of the interior design. It’s quite obvious – just look at the spaces we’re all working in now and how much they’ve changed over the past year, two years, 10 years…I do think that, within the industry itself, the levels have shifted and the role of the interior designer is on a par with that of the architect.

Kathryn: I think there are two sides to the coin.

Workplace has certainly evolved over the years and I think it’s less about interior design being more respected – 10 or 15 years ago there were designers really pushing boundaries – and more about a greater emphasis on the environment than just the interior design. Because clients want to impart value into that, environments are now getting more attention. I don’t necessarily feel that the bar has been raised – and I also can’t stand the term ‘interior designer’. I’m a designer.

Yes, what I do is interiors, but my role is also about understanding the brand, understanding the people, understanding the business…

Simon: One interesting thing that often comes up when talking about interiors – even with people who are not part of the industry – is that they all have a perception of how to be an interior designer, everyone has an opinion – but not many people would turn around and say, ‘I’d be a great architect’.

Chris: It feels more accessible to them. They might have had an experience of it when designing their own home – maybe not the architecture of their home – but in making the inside their own, personalising their own space.

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What is really interesting is that developers are really waking up to the fact that there is something really attractive about talking in a more emotional way

Karen: That’s often the case when they haven’t had any input into the architecture itself – so they do want to make it their own, they want to put their own stamp on their home.

Chris: I do think that this leads people to not appreciating just how much work, acumen, intelligence and thought really does go into professional interior design. They think it is just about the curtains and the cushions – and I definitely felt that when I first came to Gensler; it felt like we were the ones who had failed our exams! Now, however, there’s so much more conversation and appreciation between the two disciplines. We really do feed off one another.

That’s happened over the last four or five years.

We’ve seen that the projects that have embraced this approach have been that much more successful.

Karen: When we went on that journey of building and fitting-out our own factory, we used the experience we gained from the large number of construction and fit-out contracts we completed over the years. We listened to our people who told us about the things that didn’t quite work for them. We’d then take on that experience and those lessons. One thing we did learn very early on was to get those people involved earlier, to have those conversations at an early stage.

Ciaran: It’s so important to engage people. Like Karen said, we did listen to our people. I firmly believe that a happy workforce is a productive workforce. Very small things can make such a big difference. If you do this, people come to work with a spring in their step. Remember, these people spend longer in their workplace than they do at home! We probably didn’t ask enough at the beginning – but we’ve definitely learnt from that. One of the largest investments we’ve embarked on is to bring in a company to help coach our people – to help them with work, with home, with life. I firmly believe that this is one of the best decisions we have made.

Simon: That would have been unheard of five or 10 years ago – to just get someone to talk about themselves and their work.

So, has the way we all communicate with one another changed? Is everyone now adopting a more human-centric approach?

Franky: We did an exercise recently about how we talk to different people – whether that’s our suppliers or our clients. What is really interesting

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Nikos: The end users are demanding this now – they’re demanding this of the developers.

At the moment, the only building in London that is considered to be truly human-centric is, apparently, 22 Bishopsgate – and that’s not even completed yet. Everything else has been designed and built some time ago. The first building that will really provide all those good things – the community, the coworking – and offer humancentric designed space is 22 Bishopsgate.

Ciaran: I think, sometimes, this is all very simple. Human beings have needs and needs have to be met. And they have to be met in a healthy way.

It’s almost like keeping up with the Jones’s – because the bar is being raised so high across the board

is that developers are waking up to the fact that there is something very attractive about talking in a more emotional way – from a sales perspective and a business perspective. This is not just a ‘nice to have’ – this is about a realisation that, if you don’t talk in this way, people won’t buy from you.

There’s a new generational movement where sustainability and emotion are at the forefront. If you don’t tap into that, you’re missing out. This is what people are looking for now; they don’t want cold and sterile, they don’t want trendy and cool – they want to be part of a community, they want to feel supported and they want people to be open and communicative.

Simon: It’s almost like keeping up with the Jones’s – because the bar is being raised so high across the board.

Simon: Everyone has woken up to the opportunities that are out there. The working environment plays a much bigger role for employers because people can now choose where they want to work. There’s so much choice for employees – so employers really have to fight and step up to those marks.

And are the majority of employers really stepping things up?

Kathryn: Many are – but I think a lot of this is a bit tokenistic. Clients will ask for a token bit of amenity space or a café on the ground floor or a coworking lounge – but is the space well designed? We have come some way – and that’s got to be positive – but people have to consider how this all works.

In Association with

CONCLUSION

Nikos: We have to talk about the economics of all of this. People want to attract the best talent, they want to reduce their recruitment fees and they want to create a place where people can have a home-away-from-home, so they can work longer hours – and all of this is done because there are economic benefits. The big problem is that everything is moving so fast nowadays and yet all of this takes time. To achieve all of this might take seven years – to get through planning, design etc – so the developers will always be left slightly behind.

We’re going to conclude this summary slightly differently, by reflecting on how much our world has been affected since the afternoon of this Roundtable. Of course, we all discussed how serious this situation would probably become and how radically and quickly things could change.

Indeed, we even discussed how this could well be the last time we met in this way for some time to come. However, throughout the ‘formal’

Ultimately, who has the power?

Chris: People these days don’t necessarily see themselves working in the same company or even the same career for the rest of their lives. People don’t attach themselves to a company in the same way they once did. It’s almost inevitable that we’ll see more churn. It is going to be costly and it’s going to be very different – but with that comes a sense of freedom. Employees are now able to demand what they expect from their workplace – whether that’s to do with health or wellbeing or with some of the additional needs they might have, such as work/life balance. If they can bring value to a company, the company is then obliged to meet those needs.

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People these days don’t necessarily see themselves working in the same company or even the same career for the rest of their lives

discussion, over a couple of drinks after the session, and then more drinks in an amazing east London bar after that (and before anyone screams ‘irresponsible’ at us, this all took place before COVID-19 fully threatened to decimate our normality), our incredibly generous sponsor (Specialist Joinery Group), hosts from Gensler and guests all continued to talk about a variety of subjects, from workplace trends and issues, through to their best ever gigs. Despite the sense of finality, it was a great evening and we’d like to thank everyone involved for their time, expertise and company. We just hope we can do it all again in the not too distant future. Thinking back to the subject of this Roundtable, we know that this would certainly make us happy.w

ROUNDTABLE

OUR GUESTS

CHRIS CRAWFORD

NIKOS MICHALAKIS

ROSIE HASLEM

SIMON COLLINS

SENIOR ASSOCIATE GENSLER

ASSOCIATE, GARDINER & THEOBALD LLP

DIRECTOR, SPACELAB

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, FRANCIS HUNTER

Chris is a Senior Associate in the Gensler London office and the EMEA Regional Leader of their Media Practice, working with a broad range of companies, which include 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.

Nikos is currently an Associate within Gardiner & Theobald’s Cost Management team, specialising in office fit-out. He started in the sector in 2008 and has been involved in a plethora of office fit-outs with companies from a variety of sectors; legal, banking, pharmaceutical, professional services, advertising and others. Although a QS, he has an appreciation for good design and works to ensure that the end product is in the client’s best interests.

Rosie leads the research and strategy work on all projects, recently including Dyson, Asos, and University of London. With a background in a researchdriven approach to analysis and design, she has a deep passion for understanding people and how spatial layout can influence human movement, behaviour and interaction. She has contributed to government white papers on how evidence-based design can improve the quality of the built environment.

Simon heads up the landlord division at Francis Hunter, supporting landlords in their commercial property portfolios.

Having more than 17 years’ project management experience from working at companies as diverse as WeWork and Arcadia, Simon has delivered over 1 million sq ft of office fit-out space and believes in a consultative and informed approach to project management.

CIARAN O’HAGAN

FRANKY ROUSELL CO-FOUNDER & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, JOLIE STUDIO

KATHRYN O'CALLAGHAN-MILLS

KAREN TRAINOR

MANAGING DIRECTOR, SPECIALIST JOINERY GROUP

With over 23 years’ progressive experience in the business, starting from joinery apprentice and working many roles, including site install, manufacture, operations and Operations Director, Ciaran now has the well-earned position of Managing Director. He has driven a significant upturn in the factory’s overall performance and led the technological developments that are the cutting edge of the industry. Ciaran’s mantra is 'Making the Impossible, Possible!' – and always finding a way.

Franky studied and trained as an architectural technologist in Bristol before moving to Manchester and landing the role of Head of Design for leading commercial property developer, Bruntwood, at the age of 23. After four years at Bruntwood, Franky went on to create commercial interior design practice, Jolie Studio, with Cofounder Chloe Cotard. Jolie Studio was born out of a greater need to put humans first and understand the impact of their environments.

DESIGN DIRECTOR, AREA

With over 14 years’ experience, Kathryn is passionate about designing exceptional working environments; bespoke solutions that inspire and spark joy, making each working environment that little bit better. She thrives on problem solving, working with clients to obtain their goals and vision. She leads the team at the regional HQ , taking ultimate responsibility for the quality and detail of each project. Her clients include Virgin Holidays, MBNL and Battersea Power Station.

DIRECTOR SPECIALIST JOINERY GROUP

Karen has nearly 20 years’ experience with Specialist Joinery Group, working throughout different departments to her current role as a Director. During this time, the company has grown from a £2m business to a £27m company, manufacturing the highest quality architecturally led bespoke joinery to many of the UK’s Tier 1 and 2 contractors and architects.

In Association with

CASE STUDY PwC Birmingham

Account Details We’ve reviewed a number of PwC’s forward-thinking workplaces in the past. There’s a reason for this (and the clue is in the opening line). PwC has been at the vanguard of new ways of working for pretty much as long as this magazine has been around.

It all started with a simple question; what makes Birmingham what it is today?

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T

he leading multinational professional services firm has recently turned its attention to its Birmingham space. To create what is described as a new ‘work-home’, BDP used references from the second city’s rich heritage, together with evidence-based design, to provide a unique working home for PwC Birmingham.

Prior to the relocation to One Chamberlain Square, PwC was situated not far from the Paradise development at Cornwall Court.

Constructed in the 1980s, Cornwall Court was home to PwC for over 20 years and, in 2004, the space scooped the BCO National award for best ‘Fit-Out of Workplace’ and ‘Best of the Best’. However, in recent years, the firm started to outgrow the space, and the building started lacking some of the key attributes the firm now looks for in its office space, including natural light and large contiguous floorplates.

So what were the chief hopes and aspirations when it came to the development of this new home? ‘At the onset of the project, the firm brought together a cross grade and multidisciplinary group who were tasked with preparing the aspirational brief for the project,’ Matthew Hammond, Partner, Midlands Region Chairman, explains. ‘The aspiration was to provide a distinctive destination for our people,

A stunning new staircase links three of the working floors

CASE STUDY PwC Birmingham

▼ Level 6 client suite

clients and community, while ensuring it was a responsive and connected space.

‘A place that is responsive to the needs of the firm, layout options with different types of spaces with the ability to quickly change to meet the evolving demands and needs of the business, both in terms of our own and our clients’ ways of working.

‘We wanted our space to be distinctive, an open and inviting visual environment that at its core promotes greater awareness, accessibility, interaction, collaboration, provides a strong platform for better decision making, better management and a real sense of community and a real sense of self.’

▲ Variety of breakout and private spaces

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PwC wanted to connect people through their networks and through their technology, and create a connection to the workplace, a connection to their clients, a connection to the world and a connection to life.

‘It all started with a simple question; what makes Birmingham what it is today?’ Matthew tells us. ‘It has a rich history of progressive entrepreneurial sectors such as textiles, jewellery, manufacturing, printing, confectionary, art, literature and engineering. This really triggered the development of an intricate and functional canal network during the industrial revolution, connecting people from around the world within a cultural trade hub.

‘The development of One Chamberlain Square embodies a forward-thinking, aspirational workplace with interior design concepts that take inspiration from these sectors. The building purposefully embraces Birmingham’s diverse heritage with each of its seven floors taking on a unique theme, ambience and identity. Colour, texture, organic substrates and clever use of workspace settings will intrigue people’s curiosity and mobility, fostering a collaborative energy within the building.

Project Team CLIENT

PwC

CONTRACTOR

BAM

INTERIOR DESIGNER

BDP

PROJECT MANAGEMENT & COST MANAGEMENT

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MEP AND ACOUSTICS

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CASE STUDY PwC Birmingham

The Client PricewaterhouseCoopers was founded in 1998 and ranks as the second largest professional services firm in the world.

PwC firms operate in 158 countries, across 721 locations, and with 250,930 staff.

The firm provides services to 420 out of the 500 Fortune 500 companies.

▲ Exposed ceilings and high-end furniture and finishes throughout

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‘Like the Birmingham canal network, the building provides elements of commonality, a thread of familiarity and connectivity throughout – intrinsic to business infrastructure, development and progression. A staircase connecting floors 3-5 further enhances mobility of people and provides a great connection for the business within the heart of the building.

‘In addition, the project team were able to develop their approach to evidencing the design through data and understanding the typical work styles of their people. This formed the foundation of the approach taken to create a functional workspace at One Chamberlain Square.

The new staircase connects three of the floors, allowing users to easily seek out different places to work to suit their work tasks. Adjacent refreshment points assist in localising ambient noise enabling further areas to become quieter for focused working.

BDP’s focus was to use finishes and furniture linking back to the culture of the city to imbue a ‘homely’, less formal space culminating in the creation of a workplace more akin to a ‘workhome’. To achieve this BDP placed emphasis on the attention to details; from

the timber grains used in the joinery, the textures, tones, colours and patterns of the tiles and fabrics used on the furniture including historical links within bespoke larger graphics, to the lighting and accessories used to dress the space. The challenge was to ensure they all complemented each other as one to

The building purposefully embraces Birmingham’s diverse heritage with each of its seven floors taking on a unique theme, ambience and identity

▲ The space features both dark and light rooms

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CASE STUDY PwC Birmingham

▼ Flexible, agile space

present a coherent, tangible aesthetic without overpowering the space.

PwC wanted to challenge the status quo here, pushing the boundaries on how they designed, stacked, managed and worked within its buildings. Breaking down silos, creating spaces that are flexible, adaptable and encourage cross line of service interaction. The space had to provide a balanced mix of work settings to suit formal and informal working, with a variety and choice according to the task at hand.

Aesthetically, the firm wanted to create destinations – spaces where their people and clients would want to work; memorable spaces that are vibrant, welcoming and fun, with surprises along the way. ‘We wanted to provide spaces that inspire creativity, have a buzz about them and are injected with the PwC brand,’ Matthew says. ‘The office of the past is dead.

The community thrives and a workplace is created. These workplaces then bring together people with shared values, ideas and potential, while expressing the spirit and purpose of the PwC community.’

▼Generous connecting space features quality flooring and finishes

While there are many aspects of this space that stand out, it’s the level 6 client collaboration suite that brings all the themes together into a ‘market’ floor, which – we’re told – created an unprecedented buzz on social media by PwC’s people.

Consistent with the local office’s desire to take the history of the City and Midlands as the inspiration for the design of One Chamberlain Square, the team used the motto ‘Everything is Possible’ in an endeavour to create an unrivalled environment for clients, colleagues and visitors.

That motto itself is taken from graffiti art on the brutally angular aspects of the old library, created by the now exhibiting artist, Lucy McLauchlan.

Level 6 provides 20 collaboration settings aimed to invoke an experience for clients, colleagues and the communities PwC serves; from the ‘dark rooms’, which have a feel of entering a quiet and very focused environment, akin to entering a cinema, through to the light rooms, which are almost clinically white and bright. Two secret rooms, hidden behind

PwC wanted to challenge the status quo here, pushing the boundaries on how they designed, stacked, managed and worked within its buildings

Mix 203 April 2020 | 69

CASE STUDY PwC Birmingham

▼ Breakout space on working floor

We wanted to provide spaces that inspire creativity, have a buzz about them and are injected with the PwC brand

70 | Mix 203 April 2020

bookcases, which are opulent environments, resembling relaxed 5-star hotel lounge spaces, have been particularly popular with PwC’s visitors and guests.

Finally, to recognise and celebrate the opening of One Chamberlain Square, PwC commissioned local spoken word artist, Casey Bailey, to write a narrative, telling his personal story of the Midlands. Casey is from inner city Birmingham, a mathematics and PE teacher, deputy headmaster and artist. With Casey's kind permission, PwC re-created his work 'Midlander' on the level 6 client reception area. ‘This special and heart warming narrative is replicated to reach out to all our colleagues across the City, the Midlands and put Birmingham on the map nationally and internationally.’ Matthew says, ‘It tells everybody a story about our region, your place to make your mark.’

Overall, One Chamberlain Square has received an unprecedented level of positive feedback from both clients and staff, truly demonstrating that, in PwC’s words, ‘Everything really is Possible’.w

▲ Flexible, open floorplates

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CASE STUDY McKinsey & Company

▼ The space offers spectacular views across the capital

▲ Client business lounge

Postal Working There are usually (during a ‘normal’ point in time) one or two major London projects that you constantly overhear industry folk chatting about, such are their prestige and influence. This is very much one of those projects.

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M

oreySmith, in conjunction with project manager, CBRE, and fit-out contractor, BW: Workplace Experts, has completed the regeneration of The Post Building, London – the former sorting room of the Royal Mail – for McKinsey & Company’s new London headquarters.

McKinsey & Company is a global management consulting firm with 30,000 employees. When the firm decided that the time was right to leave its Jermyn Street home of the last 25 years and relocate, it appointed MoreySmith to design an exceptional workplace for its people and clients. The new office is located in Holborn, in the heart of London’s Knowledge Quarter, surrounded by a cluster of

▼ Variety of work settings, including private booths

over 100 academic, cultural, research, scientific and media organisations, and easily accessible via both Tottenham Court Road and Holborn tube stations.

The vision here was to create a new destination with a focus on McKinsey & Company’s people, creating a place for employees to reconnect with their like-minded knowledge community. The building has employee wellbeing and sustainability at the forefront of its design.

The MoreySmith team initially spent six weeks immersing itself in the firm’s culture and daily activities to develop a deep understanding of the firm. The result is a pioneering new flagship destination, with a light and

contemporary environment that feels fresh and dynamic, and enhances wellbeing, happiness and productivity.

Areas within the workspace range from quiet and studious to open and energetic, and have been designed to encourage choice, allowing employees to select their optimum working environment. Plug and play technology allows absolute flexibility across the various spaces, encouraging collaboration between teams and across sectors.

MoreySmith’s design has increased natural light throughout the workspace by reducing the number of enclosed spaces on the building’s façade, thereby maintaining natural light filtration deeper into the floorplates. This, we’re

The vision here was to create a new destination with a focus on McKinsey & Company’s people, creating a place for employees to reconnect with their like-minded knowledge community

Mix 203 April 2020 | 73

CASE STUDY McKinsey & Company

Biophiliic principles are applied throughout the space ▼ ▶

Plug and play technology allows absolute flexibility across the various spaces, encouraging collaboration between teams and across sectors

74 | Mix 203 April 2020

told, was a key and early request from the initial immersion and focus process.

A new central interlinking staircase, made from beech plywood, connects the main workplace floors and helps to maximise natural light throughout, whilst acting as an artery between the floors, enhancing visual and social connection.

At the base of the staircase, biophilic design principles have been applied through the creation of a glazed greenhouse, filled with plants and trees, to bring the outside in. This approach extends across all floors, with plants included throughout the new spaces. Direct views and access to outdoor space further support these biophilic principles, with each floor featuring an outdoor terrace, plus an extended wraparound terrace on the 7th floor.

The Post Building also has its own rooftop terrace, complete with 360-degree views, which creates a space away from the workplace for McKinsey employees to enjoy.

MoreySmith also used technology to respond to McKinsey’s health and wellbeing brief and incorporated circadian lighting along with internal green spaces to further support colleagues’ wellbeing.

Project Team CLIENT

McKinsey & Company ARCHITECT

MoreySmith PROJECT MANAGER & QS

CBRE

FIT-OUT CONTRACTOR

BW: Workplace Experts FURNITURE PROVIDER

Day2

STAIRCASES

Clifford Chapman Staircases STORAGE

Euroworkspace ACOUSTICS

JBH

FLOORING CONTRACTOR

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CASE STUDY McKinsey & Company

▼ The 10th floor client and 11th floor mezzanine

The Client McKinsey & Company is an American management consulting firm, founded in 1926, with 127 offices globally.

The firm’s consultants regularly publish books, research, and articles about business and management – spending roughly $50-100million a year on research.

This space has clearly been designed to take client entertaining and hospitality to the next level

Healthy food and drink options are offered on each floor and the space includes a staff restaurant and coffee and juice bar. Further spaces dedicated to health and wellbeing include a gym, mother’s room, calm (or relaxation) rooms – all of which are intrinsic to MoreySmith’s designs.

The experience for McKinsey’s clients, which includes organisations across the private, public and third sectors, has been carefully considered to foster greater collaboration and provide a premium experience, while maintaining discretion and confidentiality, with a range of architectural solutions providing privacy. The 10th floor arrival experience is enhanced by 360 degree views of London, and ‘Astral Projection’ – a spectacular neon light installation by Welsh conceptual artist, Cerith Wyn Evans, which is suspended in mid-air. This space has clearly been designed to take client entertaining and hospitality to the next level.

The top two floors of the building enable McKinsey to serve its clients with more agility, seeing a doubling of client space, with coworking space alongside the premium client suite, encouraging coworking and co-creation via hackathons, design workshops and sprints.

▲ Breakout facilities enable employees to work collaboratively.

Mix 203 April 2020 | 77

CASE STUDY McKinsey & Company

▼ Mesh spiral staircases connect the 10th and 11th floors

This off ice provides us with the perfect environment to foster creativity and collaboration

78 | Mix 203 April 2020

The 10th floor features two concrete and timber staircases that flank the concierge area, and a further two mesh spiral staircases that connect to the 11th floor mezzanine and provide direct connections to the rooftop terrace.

‘McKinsey is defined by its commitment to its clients and ensuring that sustained success is achievable,’ Linda Morey-Burrows, Founder and Principal Director at MoreySmith, says.

‘Their values of innovation and collaboration in the workplace inspired us to create a varied environment in which everyone can thrive.’

‘We are delighted to be in our new home,’ Dame Vivian Hunt, UK & Ireland Managing Partner at McKinsey & Company, enthuses. ‘This office provides us with the perfect environment to foster creativity and collaboration. Most importantly, our new office will help us continue to attract and retain the best talent and bring cutting-edge insights to our clients.’

The new space accommodates a multitude of impressive features, including an open plan reception with meet and greet area, open plan workspace and cellular offices, breakout areas, conference rooms and quiet phone booths. The

quality of finishes and fittings throughout is equally impressive.

Indeed, sustainable materials are used effectively to achieve a unique aesthetic, whilst still aiming to reach LEED Gold standard – which, we understand, the project is very much on target to achieve. The testing of various details and finishes in a real-life working environment at McKinsey’s previous office allowed the team to refine the design to create the optimal collaborative and flexible solution for the business.

There were, we’re told, a number of stakeholders involved in the project and therefore clear and open communication was essential to enable rapid decision-making. With this in mind, BW invested in a dedicated studio space near MoreySmith’s office, where the team built full-scale mock-ups, prototypes and an extensive library of sample materials. This assisted quick and early sign-off, in addition to helping resolve complex design issues, including full-scale staircase sections and specialist rafts.w

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Mix 203 April 2020 | 79

THE FINAL WORD

THE SPACE-TIME CONTINUUM Adversity has always driven innovation, Criteo’s Mike Walley tells us. In the past, war has created technologies that underpin the way we live today. Radar, microwaves, rocketry, medicine, etc – and I am beginning to see the same thing on a smaller scale in business.

We will have learnt through adversity that work is no longer a location, but simply a state of mind and, for many, in the knowledge economy, real estate will be an overhead that can be reduced

Mike Walley is Criteo’s Head of Workplace Experience EMEA

80 | Mix 203 April 2020

I

have often quipped that the single largest block to technical innovation in the corporate world is the IT department. This is completely due to the fact that their customers (us) demand that every tool they roll out works perfectly from the first day and, if it doesn’t, we yell and fume and stomp up and down bemoaning the ‘techies’ who make our life so hard. Naturally, this does tend to make them a little risk adverse.

But, in these adverse times, we seem to have dialled back our need for perfection in favour of ‘mostly works’. The example I have in mind comes from my own company.

As we planned for our employees to work at home, it was realised that one particular part of our business relied on telephones to support our clients with sales and technical help. Currently, all those phones, in the time-honoured tradition, are tied by cables to the desks in the very office we were planning on vacating. Therefore, those ‘techies’, so often the butt of our collective complaints, identified, tested and rolled out a global, computer-based telephone system (AKA Softphone) in 10 days. No mean feat.

But the part played by the users was crucial. We didn’t stress when it took three days to fine tune the system to 100%. We allowed it to be a little flaky and didn’t act like the sky was falling. Nobody suggested that the very future of the business was at risk because the audio quality was less than perfect and nobody threw their headset to the desk declaiming, ‘I simply cannot work like this’.

What fabulous forbearance.

What actually happened was that we were grateful to the IT guys and sympathetic to their workload. They, in turn, stepped right up and hammered away at the issues until they were solved and helped keep our business running. Kudos guys!

So, for me, the big takeaway, that I hope we hang onto when life gets back to normal, is not to let perfect be the enemy of good and give the innovators in our businesses a little room to fail occasionally. It will pay real dividends.

Talking of dividends, another thought occurred to me. Like many of my colleagues in the workplace industry, we have been leading our companies to look at how we utilise space and considering changes to the way we design it. I am, of course, talking about Activity Based Working, Neighbourhood working and the introduction of flexible working practices. One of the big challenges we have all faced, I am sure, is the resistance to change from the more traditional managers in our companies. Well, we are all in a global pilot scheme for flexible working now.

I have a feeling that a lot of the natural resistance we have faced to date will evaporate in light of the hard data we are gathering through this challenging period. It is going to show businesses all over the world just how flexible their workforce can be. Now, I admit, it will not work for all businesses and some will have their current model simply reinforced, but for others it will be revelatory.

How will this revelation affect real estate strategy in the future? I have a feeling that a lot of space will hit the market in 2021 as companies realise they simply don’t need all that square footage. We will have learned through adversity that work is no longer a location, but simply a state of mind and, for many in the knowledge economy, real estate will be an overhead that can be reduced.

Hopefully, this will push landlords to be more service driven and less hands-off in their approach to tenants.

I believe the future lies somewhere between traditional leases and serviced office space (not coworking as, these days, who wants to spend time in close proximity to a bunch of people you don’t know), providing a range of value-added services for tenants, including cafeterias and social networking events, all the way to agile leases and a willingness to take a shorter term view on deals.

I can’t say how long this challenge will last, but maybe its legacy will be that, when we go back, it will be back to the future. w

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