The site was originally an Interwar Functionalist style factory building, built in 1940 but reconstructed 15 years ago by a property developer into a jointly owned commercial office building with 72 suites and a motor court. It now functions daily as busy individual working spaces for photographers, designers, from fashion to jewellery, architects, film directors and even a hairdresser. Clients, couriers, contractors and celebrities all come as visitors. Our design studio is also in this building.

The building needed to reinforce and build on one main entry, so the solution was to redesign and relocate the directory board into that space. The goods and passenger lift entrance needed to be clearly identified, and four external decision points for directions to the suites were agreed and accepted. The pillars were perfect for wrapping signs and multi directional arrows as they captured people approaching from all entry points.

It was two years of design development simply because there were so many people involved. The project nearly came to a halt several times. Not only were the clients a challenge by nature but the building itself was its own canvas of industrial remains, such as exposed pipes, fire hose reels in the middle of blank walls, uneven surfaces and odd dimensions. 

I love seeing it work. Nothing finer than to discreetly watch people see the suite they want on a sign or the directory, and proceed to where they want to go.