Bursting into Brum
Following our work with flexible office operators Runway East to re-imagine their interior brand in London, we were delighted to be asked to help them to direct and design the evolution of their spaces as the business grows across the UK. The first of these in a newly refurbished building, Arca, located in the heart of Birmingham's Central Business District.
Deviating slightly from their core audience of 'young tech startups', RWE Birmingham is positioned to appeal to a broader customer base of professional service businesses. The design challenge was to develop a sophisticated and professional look and feel without compromising the joyful and playful brand experience that customers associate Runway East with.
“Sheila Bird have long been our trusted design partner helping us define and evolve the look and feel of our spaces as we grow into new locations and markets.
The design scheme they have created in Birmingham gives us a truly distinctive offer in a new city for us. The space captures the warm, creative and inclusive social spirit of our brand perfectly, creating fun work environments that our community just love to be in”
Natasha Guerra CEO, Runway East
A Hospitable Welcome
Vibrant places to meet and socialise are at the heart of the Runway East ethos and we always try to locate those as close to the entry point of the building if possible. In Birmingham, communal zones blend into the reception area to create a warm, welcoming entrance experience.
This entrance presented 2 unique challenges. The first was creating the right flow in a very irregular shaped room and the second was generating an appealing atmosphere in a space with no natural daylight.
We developed a layout that put the kitchen at the centre of the space flanked by other communal and semi private social areas including a hidden sunken sofa, booths and banquette seating. A warm, inviting colour and material palette for the space which together with a subdued and intimate lighting scheme helped to create an attractive ambience conducive to spending time in.
Panoramic Views
The 6th floor presented a unique opportunity to design a fantastic social space overlooking Birmingham City Centre. It's circular shape lent itself towards designing a curved 2 tier seating and bench structure that maximised the views out, a great place to stop for a break and grab a coffee.
Sweet Meetings
Throughout the building you will see subtle references to the locality, particularly in the suite of distinctive meeting rooms that support Runway East's flexible studios. These rooms were inspired by Birmingham's chocolate making history being the birthplace of Cadbury's. From the naming strategy to the colour palettes and curated artwork, each room has a reference to the city's sweet heritage.
Art was an important part of the interior styling throughout the building. We curated a package of 60+ artworks and prints to work compliment our scheme to animate common areas- including a wide selection of prints by locally based artists.
