Manchester Studio Completes Iconic Office Refurbishment Projects
15 January 2021
Community, creativity and health are three key pillars of four iconic Manchester refurbishment projects, completed by Independent design practice, Sheila Bird Studio.
Manchester’s Hilton House (31,000 sq ft), Circle Square (400,000 sq ft) and 86 Princess Street (48,000 sq ft) are just some of the iconic buildings that Sheila Bird has helped to transform, whilst ensuring that the building’s character and history are retained.
Watch the Video
The team is renowned for its imaginative office design and rethinking of the office environment, focussing on the creative process to identify the future communities that will use their spaces and how those spaces reflect the changing world.
Every space Sheila Bird creates challenges the office norm, makes people think differently and creates spaces that provoke positive change for businesses
Picture: a photograph of the interior 86 Princess Street, showing a bar area with seating
Creating Places With a Pulse
Atul Bansal, Co-Founder of Sheila Bird Studio, described his vision of creating places with a “pulse.”
“People are realising buildings have to have ‘a pulse’, a purpose and shared values to attract the right occupiers. They need to stand for something and speak to you when you walk through the door.
“As social and environmental responsibilities become critically important in the corporate world, meaningful investment is about more than bricks and mortar and short term thinking.
“For us, it’s not just about just designing interiors anymore, it’s about supporting the creation of ecosystems.”
“Words that were considered soft and fuzzy like health, happiness and creativity are now being seen in customer briefs. Location and square footage are always going to be important, but organisations are questioning the values of a building, and whether it aligns with theirs as a business."
–Atul Bansal
Co-Founder, Sheila Bird Studio
The Values of a Building in Client Briefs
Bansal explained that when his team design buildings, they no longer talk about colours and textures, they talk about what values a building stands for:
“Words that were considered soft and fuzzy like health, happiness and creativity are now being seen in customer briefs. Location and square footage are always going to be important, but organisations are questioning the values of a building, and whether it aligns with theirs as a business.
“We are seeing big tech companies thinking about those sorts of things, because the younger workforce demand more transparency in this area.”
One such project is that of Hilton House in Manchester, a building which features contemporary office space with floor-to-ceiling windows and an art gallery:
“It was a love affair that started 20 years ago; this iconic piece of Manchester architecture was under refurbishment and we knew we needed to celebrate its soul and stay faithful to its history, whilst giving it a tenant base it deserves,” said Bansal.
Picture: a photograph showing (from left to right): Keira Lawlor-Skillen from The Feel Good Club, Atul Bansal and Amy Lawlor-Skillen from The Feel Good Club,
“The building has such a special ‘vibe’ about it, which is brought alive by ground-floor tenants The Feel Good Club, a coffee shop and space focussed on holistic wellbeing.
Picture: a photograph showing a large digital screen at Circle Square
Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 15 January 2021
Landmark Partners with Art in Offices on Competition for Student Artists
London’s art students could see their work showcased publicly and win a series of prizes as part of a competition from Landmark Space and Art in Offices.
Artists...
As the UK awaits the final stage of lockdown easing, research suggests workers are keen to swap home working for a more conventional office setup.
Despite the obvious...
Post-COVID Working – What’s the Future of Co-Working Spaces?
During initial national lockdowns, co-working companies incurred losses along with several other businesses, but what’s the future of these flexible...
According to union safety representatives, some businesses may be asking employees to return to unsafe workplaces as restrictions start to lift across the UK, but...
Colouring the Office – Making Workers Comfortable in 2020
Dulux Trade Commercial Colour Consultant, Lisa J Pilley, explores how redecorating the office can help boost the wellbeing of staff as they return to the...
The colour of the year all good interior designers will be clamouring for in 2020 is...now wait for it...Tranquil Dawn, as revealed in the Colour Futures 2020...
As the corporate world spend millions competing with weird and wacky office designs, new research reveals that Brits actually want a flat white or cappuccino as...
SecuriGroup Supports Knight Frank in Preparing for the Protect Duty
SecuriGroup is working with Knight Frank to ensure security teams are fully aware of the challenges in preparing for the Protect Duty law.
Led by SecuriGroup’s...
FM Qualifications at the College of Central London
Qualifications are essential to gaining recognition and respect. Our mission is to provide skills and knowledge to help you achieve success in IWFM level 5 and 6. Click Image To Read More
ThisWeekinFM – Headline Media Partner
Visit our dedicated EMEX Playlist For All Our Energy Management Focus Interviews. Click Image To Read More
Energy Transition Update
Current energy security issues are rapidly accelerating plans to incorporate alternative energies into domestic energy mixes across the world. Click Image To Read More
The First 100% Hydrogen Combustion Water Heaters
Rinnai has announced the world’s first 100% hydrogen combustion for continuous flow hot water heaters. Click Image To Read More
The C-Suite Checklist for A Confident CMMS Decision
With facilities management evolving to account for newer developments, leaders are increasingly concerned with choosing the right CMMS solution for their organisational needs. Click Image To Read More
Rinnai's CPD On Carbon and Expenditure Savings
Rinnai’s latest CPD demonstrates carbon and cost savings achieved through investing in hydrogen blend ready and BioLPG ready continuous flow hot water heaters. Click Image To Read More
The Critical Importance of Air Quality in the Built Environment
The importance of the quality of air we breathe is something we all intrinsically understand but air pollution continues to pose a significant threat to health worldwide. Click Image To Read More
America on Hydrogen
Chris Goggin examines American interest and usage of hydrogen as a major contributor towards future decarbonizing of domestic energy options. Click Image To Read More
Energy Transition Update
War in Ukraine means that security and decarbonisation of energy supplies has become a main ambition for multiple international economies. Click Image To Read More
Online CPDs for Hot Water Systems
Training and fully accredited CPD courses are now available for booking through the Rinnai website. Click Image to Read More
Energy Transition Update
Global targets to decarbonise energy supplies and secure future sources of national power are highly relevant due to the war in Ukraine. Click Image To Read More
Decarbonising High Performers
Chris Goggin reviews the operational and ecological benefits of using BioLPG and DME as an alternative fuel source for off-grid rural domiciles and businesses. Click Image To Read More
BGIS Global Integrated Solutions Apprentice Day
This half-day event brought the BGIS Building Services Apprentices together to hear from guest speakers on the international Facilities Management scene. Click Image To Read More