Main Contractor Reds10 London Office

Southwark, Central London

Reds10 are an innovative, up and coming contractor specialising in Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), who have scaled their business vastly over the past two years.

This meant that they required a new, large, inspiring 200msq office, situated in Central London to accommodate their growing workforce, and chose Apteriors for the task of creating a new inspiring work environment, that has productivity and sustainability at the forefront of the design.

project size

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ff&e budget

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MMC is a more sustainable way of building compared to traditional building, ways in which we made the new office as sustainable as possible were:

The welcoming feature room divider was made from Oak veneer an eco-friendlier option compared to solid wood.
The carpet is made with completely regenerated nylon (mainly fishing nets and carpets) and backed with ECT backing, made out of recycled plastic bottles.
We kept the walls raw to show off the beautiful natural yellow brick and the services in the ceiling exposed.
The office chairs were bought from a refurbishment company based locally in London. The second-hand purchase saved 2880kgCO2e and also the client a whopping £12,000 compared to purchasing these brand new.
We used an instant chilled and boiling tap from Quooker which uses 50% less energy than traditional kettles which get boiled continuously throughout the day and reduces water waste. There is also a zero-plastic policy within the office as the staff now have access to a chilled water tap and refillable bottles.

Value

£110K

The Apteriors design team were confident they could deliver a sustainable solution that was on brand with the whole ‘Metal Box’ vibe that the company operates to. Due to the company’s growth at fast pace, it was important to generate a working environment that could also harvest healthy work culture.

The space comprises of:

A welcoming soft seating area upon entering in front of a warm wooden slatted backdrop.
Sit-stand desks to accommodate 40-50 staff members.
Breakout meeting spaces with screens for collaboration.
A separate kitchenette area with refrigeration and cooking facilities.
Centralised multifunctional high desk for eating/meeting/working.
Centralised hot-desk table with PC’s, a bright frame and biophilic accessories.
Botanical and acoustic elements to spark creativity and provide inspiration.

The whole life carbon assessment was important to us as although the company endeavour to remain and retain this office for as long as possible, we wanted to ensure that the demolition and disposal of any furniture has a minimal carbon impact on the environment.

All furniture is demountable meaning that its transferability for reuse is very feasible.

The majority of the furniture is made from aluminium, steel or wood which is all 100% recyclable. The office itself would require very minimal in order to refurb should another company take it over as we have retained the same floor and walls of the existing building.

We developed a hot desking booking system for the office which reduced the number of desks needed as part of the office work from home from time to time, or are site based. Omitting the concept of every desk having a storage pedestal underneath detracts staff from claiming desks as their own, by storing personal belongings & unnecessary junk which can easily accumulate.

Circularity:

Most of the furniture and features around the office are made from raw materials without harmful VOC coatings, using recycled and recyclable materials. The aim of this was to permanently and sustainably conserve the various natural materials that can be reused several times.

We re-designed the office space to work around the company’s current furniture, meaning that there was no furniture wastage between the old building and the new building. Ensuring that the existing furniture could be re-purposed saved on carbon emissions and also a significant amount of money.

Overall, Apteriors and the client were very happy with the outcome. The space really does create a wow factor as soon as you walk in, and each section of the office has a story to tell. The design and products chosen are subtly on brand and create various functioning spaces within the room for staff to eat, meet & work.