How a lower-ground space surmounted limited natural light by making a virtue of its cosiness, whilst its feel was transformed using lighting and biophilia.
SpaceInvader – Developers Bruntwood SciTech invited SpaceInvader to consider the best usage for a lower ground space within the newly re-developed ‘Glasshouse’ building at world-leading life science and innovation campus, Alderley Park, in the North West of England. The lower-ground floor, which originally offered 1,425 sq m of open space, presented a challenge however, with only one glazed area facing out onto a sunken garden.
Chairs here are upholstered in a textile created from recycled naval suits.
‘Rather than giving us a brief, our client simply asked, ‘What can be done here?’ John Williams, SpaceInvader Director/Founder explained. ‘Our response was to find the light within the dark and seek to transform the feel completely. At the same time, we realised we could also make a virtue of its safe and cosy feeling of enclosure, creating a kind of hideaway that tied in with some elements of the rest of the building for the sake of integrity, but which was also distinctly individual.’
The plan for the new ‘Nest’ space was to create two small, dedicated work suites that could be rented out to smaller-scale tech companies, whilst the rest of the space would be designed as a collaboration and co-working area, open to everyone in the wider building.
A high-work bench at one end of the co-working area is a bespoke metal unit.
The glazed wall on the space plan had to be allocated to the rentable suites from a sales perspective. Suite 1 glazing therefore, at the north of the plan, runs along 18.3m of the plan, whilst glazing down the left wall runs across Suites 1 and 2 and measures 24.8m.
Functionality was high on the client agenda for the whole space, which needed to hit the mark on acoustics and the offer of a variety of zones, including comfortable destination tables and eye-catching feature lighting, as well as joinery pieces which incorporate planting and plenty of places for people on laptops to move around in.
Lighting design was key to the success of the scheme, with the designers taking inspiration from the hospitality sector in terms of creating atmosphere where there is a low level of natural daylight, whilst pairing this with a practical mindset, to make sure users could work easily in any part of the space. As well as diffused light created by track lighting, other key elements included light panels; curved lighting features; backlit planting; dramatic wall-to-floor lights and curved suspended lights.
Timber display wall within Yoga Room.
The scheme also features a selection of art prints created by SpaceInvader Branding and Graphics Associate Jenny Crossland, designed to expand on three themes: Modernism / Plants / Data, all of which reflect both the design treatment and the tech teams using the space.
Meeting room requirements were for one 6-person room, which could potentially be configured to be part of Suite 2 if required, a Suite 1 meeting room, a boardroom and three 8-person meeting rooms. There also needed to be two teapoints and six Teams Rooms with low-lighting, where people could also work in peace and privacy if they wished, with the spaces offering extensive acoustic protection, as well as relief from sensory overload for neurodiverse workers. A final requirement of the brief was for a Yoga Studio and wellness space.
Lounge seating outside the formal meeting rooms.
‘Our overall design approach’, commented Mollie Ruttle, Interior Designer on the project, ‘was to design a space that immediately felt serene and uplifting when you entered it, through the incorporation of great lighting and biophilic cues, whilst also making the best use of natural daylight. Our client wanted to create a design-literate space for people who appreciate high-quality interiors, with an added focus on wellbeing. We looked to use clean lines, with a less-is-more approach, plus bespoke joinery with radius corners for softness and visual interest, including curved timber rafts, alongside materials such as reflective steel and natural timbers.’
Project: Nest at Glasshouse
Location: Alderley Park, United Kingdom
Project Size: 1,425 sqm
Design Studio: SpaceInvader
Photo Credit: Andrew Smith at SG Photography
Website: spaceinvaderdesign.co.uk
