078 FOCUS
BASED IN central Glasgow, the Bank of Scotland’s flagship branch on Argyle Street received a makeover that would personalise the brand and reflect its Scottish roots. Specified by M Worldwide, a range of Forbo Flooring Systems solutions were installed throughout the building to help create a warm and welcoming space, and give the bank its own identity.
With the Bank of Scotland established in 1695, ‘this refurbishment project,’ said Helen Shelley, creative director at M Worldwide, on the interior’s unveiling, ‘gave us the ideal opportunity to establish the brand’s character and to create a rich visual story of its Scottish heritage. ‘With the bank being spread across three large floors, we opted for a design concept based around the idea of a “workshop”. We took a very tactile approach and specified simple, crafted furniture, finishes and materials – including the floor coverings – which would create inviting spaces where customers and colleagues could meet and work together.’
Forbo’s Tessera In-Touch carpet tile planks in a variety of colourways, including a bespoke shade, and Allura Wood luxury vinyl tiles (LVTs) were chosen to create an integrated flooring scheme that would seamlessly connect the various areas of the space.
Alessia Crescentini, senior designer at M Worldwide, said, ‘Te colour scheme throughout the building was influenced by the natural elements of the Scottish landscape, with the suite of meeting rooms using colour palettes based on woodlands, highlands, lowlands and lochs. We chose colourways from Forbo’s Tessera In- Touch collection that would enhance this natural aesthetic, including the brown earthy tones Crochet and Macramé, the green-hued Fresco and the blue Calligraphy. ‘Forbo also created a bespoke Tessera In-Touch colourway for us, which we used in the main banking hall where we wanted to embrace the brand colours, while adding a little twist of colour from shades of heather.’ Te Tessera In-Touch tiles offer a hand-woven, craft aesthetic and texture. Te colour concept for the range is made up of five ‘pairs’ giving a palette of ten colours in total,
Bank of Scotland Argyle Street
Glasgow
with each one offering colour hues that diffuse along the width of the plank.
Shelley and Crescentini also created a bespoke feature using Forbo’s Allura Wood LVT to mimic the saltire of the Scottish flag, which was used on the first floor in the business hub area, and on the lower ground as a central flooring design.
To enhance the ‘workshop’ design concept, M Worldwide also wanted to create a large communal table, which features a graph-and-scale design printed on to it to replicate a tailor’s table or a drafting table. ‘After a lot of investigation and then discussions with Mark Jackson, the key account manager at Forbo,’ Shelley explained, ‘we came to realise that we could have our design printed on to Forbo’s Furniture Linoleum [surfacing material]. Te exceptional quality of the print, combined with the beautiful and soft finish of Furniture Linoleum, has created a wonderful and warm crafted effect.’
forbo-flooring.co.uk/retail |
mworldwide.co.uk
77 Coleman Street ofice
London
ITALIAN MARBLE-BASED composite stone from Strata Tiles has been used in the 3,200ft2
reception of 77 Coleman
Street. Tis CAT A office and retail development provides 84,000ft2
of prime space in the City of London, retaining much of the building’s original facade with the addition of two new floors. Featured within the large open entrance, cafe and shared workspace, the composite stone finish can be found on the floor, bar area, tabletops and reception desk.
Inspired by the original 4m-high ceiling of the building, the floor uses large terrazzo-effect slabs inlaid with contrasting grid inserts in a divergent colour, with the terrazzo flowing across the reception desk and bar. Mark Hughes, specifications manager at Strata Tiles, said in support of the project, ‘We proposed the Italian marble composite because of its versatile nature, broad colour palette and the scope of application required. Terrazzo-effect stone composite is perfectly suited to the demands of 77 Coleman Street, providing a highly resilient surface.’
Te company was able to fabricate the large 1m slabs with gridded inserts, reflecting the original cast ceiling design and bespoke contemporary lighting. Each contrasting grid insert was glued into place at the factory, with each tile then repolished to achieve a homogeneous finish.
With the terrazzo effect carrying through into the lift, the challenge was to ensure a floor that would not exceed a suitable weight. While a 20mm thickness was used in the reception, the stone composite proved too heavy for use, so Strata Tiles created a 12mm-thick version of the same design, specifically for this area.
77 Coleman Street is the latest project from architecture practice, Buckley Gray Yeoman. Spanning two roads and featuring two distinct facades, the building has retained a huge amount of the existing concrete frame, reinstating a pedestrian cut-through and introducing a further two floors topped by a colonnaded walkway with views over the Square Mile.
stratatiles.co.uk |
bgy.co.uk
NEALE SMITH
DIRK LINDNER
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