The demands of commercial interiors have evolved radically in recent years and as a result, approaches to office design have had to adapt, modernise, and cater for hybrid and dispersed teams. We stay at the forefront of these innovations, to provide organisations with transformative office interior solutions in Manchester, Liverpool and across the North-West.
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We kick-started 2024 with an exciting furniture consultancy project at NOMA Manchester – the largest development project in North West England. We were brought on board to help dress a plug-and-play space the client is currently leasing. Sustainability was a key part of the brief.
Project Type
Furniture Consultancy
Date
January 2024
Sector
Commercial Property Development
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Getting to know NOMA
NOMA is a 20-acre mixed-use redevelopment scheme in Manchester – the biggest of its kind in this part of the country. The initiative provides ‘a place to live, work, create and innovate’, delivering 4 million square feet of new and refurbished offices, retail and leisure space, homes and hotels
“NOMA has a neighbourhood-led ethos, championing the idea that places are better when people can get involved in them”, which is an important element to capture in all of the spaces.
Plug-and-play design
We were brought in to partner with NOMA’s fit out partner, CubicWorks, to help transform an office space that will be leased to a business looking for a workspace already set up and ready to go (‘plug-and-play’).
The space needed to be ready for visitors to come and view as a completely designed suite, which meant furniture and finishing touches were key. Initially, before the Penketh Group team stepped in, the furniture had already been specified but the client wasn’t 100% satisfied.
We consulted with the client and CubicWorks to rethink and respecify most of the furniture products, to curate a furniture portfolio that excited the customer and met all of their requirements.
Industrial-inspired furniture specification
In terms of aesthetic, the brief required the furniture in the space to compliment and blend with the building. The building has original features and exposed surfaces, which meant an industrial-inspired furniture scheme made the most sense for the space.
One of the ways we achieved this was by specifying furniture with metal legs and frames. This leans into the modern, industrial look and feel while keeping the footprint of the furniture compact and not cumbersome.
Penketh Group’s team liaised closely with CubicWorks to integrate our furniture selections with their bespoke joinery pieces. For example: we built booths to custom, specific dimensions to sit within the wall and created bespoke tiered seating for the space.
Where style meets sustainability
As well as an industrial look and feel for the furniture, sustainability was also an essential part of the client’s brief. We were provided with a list of credentials that the furniture needed to meet, which we used to steer the products we specified for the space.
The client had a keen eye for recycled products so we selected Steelcase desking that contains 100% recycled content. Plus, sustainable chairs also with a 12-year guarantee. The products meet BREEAM standard, which sets best practice guidelines in sustainable building design, construction and operation.
The Steelcase products we specified also meet the WELL Building Standard, which measures certifies, and monitors how the built environment affects human health and wellbeing through factors such as air, light and water quality as well as thermal and acoustic comfort.
Planning a project of your own? Get in touch today and tell us about your ambitions for the space.
