Despite overblown predictions of the demise of the office as an institution, for Conran and Partners the pandemic highlighted the importance of a place of work that creates a sense of belonging, and stimulates creative collaboration; and for that space to be desirable and to attract and retain the very best team, to entice people away from home-working. default. The new Clerkenwell studio is a continuous flow of spaces, without formal or traditional hierarchies, over two floors, connected by naturally-lit double-height volumes at either end. Designed as an enfilade through the use of large translucent sliding screens that allow privacy or connectedness, and create changing vistas, animated by a landscape of lighting and furniture, throughout the studio.
Whilst natural light penetrates from both ends of the studio, a great deal of attention has been given to the lighting landscape as a whole. Natural and artificial lighting, designed in collaboration with Into Lighting, is used to generate intimacy or even cosiness. Flat light is avoided, other than in the sample library where daylight luminaries are used functionally for looking at materials. The use of timber in the Scandinavian tradition: blond oak flooring with birch ply ceiling battens, softly reflect light and highlight the sense of unity and fluidity throughout the space. In contrast, the flank walls and shelving are constructed out of dark stained poplar ply with its exacerbated grain, whilst the fluted bronze glass panels and screens create additional texture but lift the space through light reflection.
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