Manchester’s oldest textile company has, for almost two centuries, embraced change to maintain its position at the forefront of the industry. Now, in response to rapidly evolving working practices, it was time to reimagine its two-story office space and reconnect its teams of hybrid workers. The company wanted to be more collaborative, flexible, and supportive – to offer the kind of working environment that promotes wellbeing, raises productivity, and attracts top talent.
Our response to this brief was fundamentally about light and space. We carved a void in the slab between the two floors to let daylight flood through, and to make the connections between the levels physical as well as digital. We brought Behrens teams closer.
Then we broke up the spaces with relaxed, open, grid-like divisions. Some contained glass, others had nothing but plants and simple domestic ornaments. The effect was at once businesslike and homely; it created an aura of calm and caring professionalism.
The resultant working zones have clarity, yet are open enough to invite collaboration, encourage socialising, create space for individual work, offer privacy when needed, or provide uninterrupted focus for internal and external presentations. There are even spaces for health and exercise classes. It’s the kind of experiential working environment that makes days in the office the ones to look forward to.
Two other spaces pay homage to the Behrens heritage: a display room showing many decades’ worth of fabric and samples, and a storytelling wall that leads from reception to the first floor. The company’s rich heritage is also a source of decorative detail: curtains, lampshades and other fixtures feature fabrics from the Behrens archive.