Understanding the Project
The first stages of a project are the foundation on which the whole design process will either stand or fall; investing adequate time at this stage is crucial if the project is to have a good chance of success. Spending time to make sure that each aspect of the project is clearly identified will deepen your understanding of the task ahead, and it will open up new avenues for exploration as the design evolves.
Teasing out information from a brief can be a long process and isn’t always fulfilling in itself, but it allows you to research and formulate a concept; and strong concepts (key ideas) are what the most successful projects have at their heart.
There are several steps to achieving your goal of understanding the project, from meeting the client and taking a brief from them, to developing a concept. Each step is looked at in more detail in this chapter.
2.1 BDP were asked to design a retail outlet for Fritz Hansen. The staircase became the focal point of the design where the clean lines and restrained palette of the interior are realized.
The client
Clients can be anyone from anywhere. A client might just as easily be a company, an organization, or an individual. However, as clients, they all have a common need for the services of an interior designer, though the level of understanding of these needs is likely to vary greatly between them.
For some, the decision to engage a professional designer will have been arrived at after a careful appraisal of their circumstances. For others, it will be a vague idea that there is likely to be someone (the designer) who can provide better answers to their problem than they would be able to arrive at themselves. Some clients may believe that aesthetics are the main issue, and the practical side of their needs may not have featured in their decision to call in the designer at all. For others, practicalities may be the prime consideration, with decorative concerns a secondary issue.
It is for these reasons, and many others, that the designer needs to be able to communicate on many levels with lots of different personality types. From the forthright to the timid, clients need to be understood, treated with respect, and made to understand that they are a key element of the design process.
Because you will often be trying to connect with a client on an emotional level, establishing a good rapport is a must. In fact, it is sometimes a more important part of building a good client/designer relationship than being able to provide an extensive curriculum vitae.
Client profile
The client profile is an attempt to understand better who the client is and how they live or work. It is a general overview and while in itself it may not relate directly to the brief that the client has given, it will provide insights that will help you as you develop your design.
In a residential project, the client profile can help you to understand how the space might be used on a daily basis from first thing in the morning until last thing at night, and it may also give some clues as to style preferences of the client. An understanding of the daily routine can be one of the most vital parts of producing a design that works for the client.
For commercial projects, understanding the work practices of the organization that will ultimately occupy the space is essential. This is another opportunity to look closely at the status quo and determine if the existing work patterns make best use of the space. You may find that they do, or you may be able to challenge these and propose new and better ways of working. Commercial clients often employ designers not just to create comfortable working environments, but as “agents of change” when they know that a new direction will benefit their organization.
Case study: The client brief
Finn Erikson runs a product design consultancy called Finn Design in Brighton on the south coast of England. The location is in a bohemian area full of creative companies.
Finn Design has clients ranging from Muji and Apple, to Bang & Olufsen, who visit frequently. He employs between eight and twelve staff. Most staff have their own desks, but some work in shared areas.
The space must reflect his philosophy: “We care about our designs and our designers.” These values are popular with his clients as the studio produces excellent designs, and they are happy that he cares for his staff.
Finn is moving to a three-story building with a spacious warehouse feel. The move should develop his identity and provide more extensive facilities for his staff and his clients.
Finn is looking for design solutions that provide:
→A clear expression of his philosophy
→Creative and imaginative use of space that will reflect and enhance his business
→Integration of spaces and finishes that maintain the feel of the existing warehouse space
→A considered material and color palette that is both inspiring and practical
The following areas need to be provided:
Welcome area: this is where clients gain their first impressions of the organization, so it is important that it provides the correct ambience and allows the guests to be greeted in an appropriate manner.
Studio: this requires fixed work units for a minimum of eight designers. Each will have a computer and storage space, as well as a small work area and pinup wall space. The designers need to be arranged in groups in a studio environment, which should have a creative feel and have some privacy screening. All workspaces must conform to the relevant ergonomic regulations and guidelines.
Meeting rooms: one area is to be used as a presentation room for up to twelve people; this requires some acoustic privacy and the ability to control lighting levels. In addition, there should be at least two other meeting spaces for more casual use by smaller groups.
Work area for Finn: he likes to be “hands on” and he is frequently in development meetings with his teams. He also needs his own quiet space in order to think and liaise with clients and suppliers.
Display and resources area: this space is the heart of the studio. It needs to be interactive and have a sourcing area, as well storage for materials, product information, and prototypes.
Social space and beverage area: this is where staff can relax, have informal meetings, and make drinks.
Washrooms: these should be spacious and private; have the usual facilities, plus a shower room and lockers; and have a high level of finish to reflect the company’s designs.
The brief
The briefing from the client is the first real chance that you will have to get a feel for a project. Some clients present their briefs as carefully constructed documents that fully convey the scope and detail of the project; other briefs may be little more than a casual chat over a cup of coffee.
Although a written brief is likely to contain a good deal of useful information, quantity by itself does not necessarily mean quality. In 1657, French mathematician, physicist, and philosopher Blaise Pascal wrote, “I have made this letter longer than usual, only because I have not had the time to make it shorter.” Information that is succinct and relevant is the essence of a successful briefing document. In fact, brevity is often a good thing. If the brief is focused and clear, it will be easier for the designer to make incisive decisions and to formulate an effective design solution.
Understanding the brief
It is quite reasonable to ask the client to produce a written brief after their initial contact with you, and prior to the briefing meeting. This is a good tactic because it will force the client to carefully consider their request, and it will also make sure that they are serious about the idea of engaging an interior designer. The chance to talk about the written brief at a later date will allow both parties to sort out any problems or uncertainties that arise from it. The opportunity for mutual agreement is one that should be made the most of; time spent talking over the brief will give both sides a better understanding of each other’s position and can only have a positive effect on the business relationship.
The more complete the brief, the easier your job should be. However, you must remember that you may be dealing with amorphous feelings and ideas about the desired end point of a project, rather than a definitive list of needs. It is entirely possible that the “brief” may consist of the client saying no more than, “I just want somewhere that’s a great place to come back to after a hard day’s work.”
Some clients include practical issues that need to be addressed in the brief. Others may talk in general, abstract terms about the emotional response that they want their space to trigger.
Are there any constraints?
Even if the brief is vague, there may be some constraints that you can establish: time, budget, style, and so on. The word “constraint” sounds negative, but you should actively be trying to seek out the constraints present in the brief. Constraints are actually good; you should look at them as a positive force within the design analysis that will help you define the scope of the project. When a brief seems complex or daunting, the natural constraints can be some of the first elements that help you see the shape of the project.
Many projects, whether domestic or commercial, will have more than one individual as the client. You should try to make sure that, whoever has written the brief or whoever you have spoken to in your meetings, the final brief has been agreed to by everyone who has a stake in the finished project. You also need to take the opportunity at face-to-face meetings to be certain that you and the client understand each other explicitly; what does the client think of when they say “contemporary”? Is their understanding of the word the same as yours? This is the time to find out.
2.2 The island in this modern kitchen has been designed to blend in well with the rest of the kitchen area and to provide a number of useful functions. The countertop matches the floor. Extra kitchen storage is supplied by the cupboards at either end of the island, and there is seating and dining space for the family.
Design analysis
Having met the client and taken a brief, the detailed analysis can begin. You need to be sure that you understand all that the client needs. Sometimes this will have been explicitly stated, at other times you will have to make inferences from the information that you have.
You will need to perform a careful balancing act with the raw information. Your judgment will be crucial in deciding whether the client has actually understood their own needs. Remember that clients have engaged you because they believe that they need a professional, which implies that they are not experts, so some of the assumptions they have made may not be correct, and it will be down to you to put them right.
2.3 This composite image has been produced during research into the site. It consists of several prints that have been roughly collaged together, and as a unique visual reference, it provides an evocative sense of the location of the project. Although technology might be thought to have made this “hand-crafted” approach to visual research obsolete, it should be noted that using such craft-based techniques to recording your research provides a useful opportunity for contemplation, which can be very helpful.
New ideas, new solutions
If you were to produce a finished design solution where you had managed to “tick all the boxes,” a client ought to be content with the solution provided. But “content” is not what you should be aiming for. Something extraordinary, even revolutionary, can often only be realized when you don’t simply provide the client with the answer that they think they need. Special things happen when insight leads to turning an idea on its head, or doing something contrary to what the client is expecting, or doing it in a way that hasn’t been done before—a way that will answer the brief in a better, more efficient, or more beautiful way. Unusual ideas will need to be thoroughly tested and resolved during the later development stages of the design process to ensure that they really do work, but it is these ideas that will yield a delighted client, not just one who is content.
Thinking point: Question the brief
What is arguably one of the most iconic buildings in the world owes its form and success to an architect who didn’t hesitate to question the brief. The building is Fallingwater by Frank Lloyd Wright in Mill Run, Pennsylvania, USA.
The client, Edgar J. Kaufmann, took Wright to his site on Bear Run where he wanted to build a summer house. With broadleaf trees and rhododendron bushes all around, the site overlooked the river at a point where it cascades over a waterfall. At the same time, Kaufmann also gave Wright a survey of the site, which he had commissioned some time earlier. This site survey drawing showed the river toward the northern part of the site, the waterfall, and the hillside to the south of the waterfall. It was clear from the way that the site plan had been laid out that Kaufmann expected to build his house on the hillside south of the river. From this situation, there would be a view of the waterfall to the north.
However, Wright wasn’t content with this interpretation of the landscape. Instead, without any consultation with the client and using the new technology of reinforced concrete, he proposed a design for the house that integrated it completely into the site by using a cantilever construction to launch the house out over the river, above the waterfall, from the northern hillside. Wright said to Kaufmann, “I want you to live with the waterfall, not just look at it, but for it to become an integral part of your lives.” In so doing, he created the building for which he is probably best known, and he gave his client an experience of, and an involvement with, the site far beyond what was originally anticipated.
2.4 For one of his most iconic buildings—Fallingwater in Pennsylvania, USA—Frank Lloyd Wright proposed a design that boldly questioned his client’s brief. Rather than situate the house away from the waterfall, he decided to integrate it completely into the site.
Analyzing information
You may imagine that “analysis” means an intellectual and academic dissection of the data from the brief. This is a factor of most analyses, but it can be a visual exercise as well as a literary one. You are, after all, going to be exploring the aesthetic side of the brief in addition to the practical. You will also be working visually with media such as collage, sketching, and photography, which will help you form links and develop aesthetic ideas in a free and potentially unrestricted way. This style of working is a fast and efficient way for a creative mind to access new ideas as they emerge from the brief, and it connects well with the building and site research that will be looked at later. Ultimately, if you are to produce an effective analysis, you should feel able to work in any way or medium that makes you feel comfortable. This is a skill that may need practice, but it is also a rewarding one that pays dividends.
Two well-recognized techniques that can help in the process of analysis and evaluation are brainstorming and mindmapping. Brainstorming is an activity designed to generate a large number of ideas; it is usually undertaken as a group activity, but there is no reason why the principles should not be applied to solo sessions. Four basic rules underpin the process:
→The quantity of ideas is important; more ideas equate to a greater chance of finding an effective solution.
→Ideas are not criticized, at least not in the early stages of the exercise—that can come later when all the ideas have been generated. Ideas that might have some drawbacks could be built on to produce stronger ideas.
→Unusual, offbeat ideas are encouraged. They may suggest radical new ways of solving a problem.
→Ideas can be combined to produce better solutions.
Mind maps are diagrams that are used to visually represent ideas and associations surrounding a central thought or problem. There is no formal method for organizing the map. Instead, it grows organically and allows the designer to arrange and link the information in any way that feels right, though the different points are naturally organized into groups or areas. Pictures, doodles, and color are as much a part of a mind map as are words; imagery helps to reinforce ideas and the visual pattern created is easier for the brain to process and contemplate than a simple list, encouraging subconscious processing of the information at some later point.
Once you are satisfied that you have extracted as much information from the brief as you can, you will have a secure foundation upon which to build your project research, which is detailed in the following sections.
2.5 This mind map was created for a refurbishment project. As a method of organizing ideas and information, the visual and nonlinear format helps in the generation of new ideas and enables connections to be more easily seen.
Design research
No design for a space should ignore the existing building into which it is being integrated. An understanding of what exists is fundamental to deciding what needs to be done if the space is to accommodate the functions that will take place there.
Broadly speaking, research may be of one of two forms: “soft” or “hard.” Hard research deals with facts and figures, numbers, details of the building that can be classified and measured (for example, a measured survey), and soft research is about feelings, inferences, and intuition—our emotional response to a space. Both are valid types of research to use when trying to understand a space, though they may be recorded and used in very different ways.
When you are creating interiors within newly built structures, there will be a lot of scope to define the look and feel of the interior. However, where the interior is placed within an existing building, the designer is obliged to understand how the previous life of the building has given the space its character. This feeling of character or history, the spirit of a place (its genius loci), is strengthened by the proportions of the volume and the position of existing building elements, such as windows and doorways, all of which will impose a certain sense of order upon the space. The new design can respond to these factors, allowing them to inform the new design. The appreciation of a building’s history may extend beyond the boundaries of the property to include the local area, the street, the village, and the city where it stands.
None of this means that your design should be a pastiche of the existing style references of the building. The best designs respect the existing building and will reference it in some way in their execution—through materials, methods of construction, craftsmanship, pattern, form, and so on—but may be of a radically different style to that which already exists.
All of the preceding research should bring you to a position where you understand the essential points that will have an impact on the design:
→What structure exists? What are its materials? How is it oriented?
→What functions and activities will take place? How will these be addressed practically? What furniture is required, for example?
→What is possible in the space (and just as importantly, what is not possible, due to time, technical, or budget limitations)?
→How does the space function and interact with others around it?
→What emotional response does the client want the space to generate in the user? What aesthetic style is desired?
This is necessary, but for the design to feel considered and complete, rather than being a random collection of elements, there is a need to find a unifying idea that will hold the disparate parts of the design together. This single idea will be one that sets the stylistic tone of the design. It is this single idea that is the concept.
Case study: Researching the existing site
Brinkworth, a London-based design agency, was commissioned by artist Dinos Chapman to transform an ordinary Georgian terraced house in London, UK, into an open and flowing family residence. Through an investigation of the site and the building structure, Brinkworth were able to free the internal layout by removing internal walls, and they also extended the space into the garden to create a more interesting relationship between the house and its surroundings.
2.6 The redesign of the kitchen and staircase enabled the spaces to interact with the rest of the site in a completely new way.
2.7 The more effective use of the available site area allowed for a garden room to be created at the rear of the house.
2.8 The layout plans and section show how the house has been both refigured and extended to create an increased use of the site area.
Researching concepts
Concepts can take many forms. They may be visual or literary, found or created. A concept can be embodied in a story, a photo torn from a newspaper, a collage of images, a poem, a pattern on a fragment of used wrapping paper, a page from a scrapbook, or anything that grabs your imagination and provides an anchor. It is a strong and compelling idea that says everything you need about the project: what it looks like, how it feels—the story that it evokes.
However they are presented, the strongest concepts often make little direct reference to the constituent parts of the project. Rather, they are an abstract representation of the ideas of form, texture, color, style, and mood expressed in the brief by the client.
Concepts work by providing a reference point for the designer. All the decisions made during the development of the design, which define the look or feel of the space, can be checked against the concept. Does the formal, grid-like furniture layout you are contemplating work with the concept? Which furniture fabric strengthens the ideas of sophistication and elegance that the client wants? Check against the concept, and you will have your answer.
Communicating concepts
Some designers like to work in a very abstract way during the first stages of a project, allowing ideas to coalesce about a central idea. Their concept work could be generated in the form of “mood boards” (or “concept boards”). Others will have strong ideas from the start, and without getting into detailed planning they may confidently produce “concept sketches” that are not intended to be definitive, but which serve to illustrate their first thoughts on how a space might work.
Clients may want to see initial concept work so that they are confident that the design will progress in a direction that they are comfortable with. However, both mood boards and sketches may be very raw, visceral, and unfinished. This is exciting and liberating for the designer, but it can be confusing for the client. You will need to judge the personality of the client and, if necessary, modify the work before presenting it. Careful line drawings organized into an understandable if tentative and unfinished—representation of the space, perhaps with color added to define form, can be a very evocative and ultimately persuasive tool for the designer. Concept work is not about perfection; it is about capturing and communicating the spirit and character of a space.
2.9 Scrapbooks are a very useful way of collating research material, especially when this is visual in nature. Rough working like this encourages freethinking and helps in the generation of design ideas during the later stages of the project.
Concept development
Project Orange responded at short notice to a brief for the “Urban Interventions” exhibition (part of the London Architecture Biennale) to look at how architecture can reinvent and enhance the fabric of the city. Local architectural practices were asked to submit pieces of work, which were then displayed as a “collection of road signs and street furniture.” Housed in a disused 1950s shed, the space was painted yellow in order to lead visitors in from the street, the idea being that they create their own “road map” of the exhibition.
2.10 The yellow of the scheme is the same as that used in road markings outside the venue, and graphics for the exhibition reflect graphics found on road signs, continuing the link.
2.11 The “bar code” floor pattern, derived from the bar code of the Biennale, makes a visual connection between the Biennale and the exhibition as it leads visitors in from the street (at left and right of floor plan).
Thinking point: Visual concepts
It is possible to create a visual concept by process rather than by inspiration. This can be helpful when you are under the pressure of deadlines. The technique is to select two or three adjectives from the brief that summarize the experience the client wants from the space. This may be easier than you imagine; clients will often use words such as “sanctuary,” “warmth,” “urban,” “natural,” and the like when referring to the feelings they want your finished design to generate, particularly when dealing with a residential project. You can search for images that are strongly suggestive of these adjectives, and create a single unified collage. Generally, you will collect many images and edit them down to those that best illustrate the key adjectives you have chosen (the best imagery to use will be abstract rather than literal, as abstract imagery creates strong but flexible visual concepts; literal images stop the imagination from working and may produce weaker concepts).
Finally, these few images will be further edited to produce a collage in which each image tells its own story and melds with the others to create a single composition, thus reflecting the story that the client wants the space to tell.
Once you have created the concept, the images can be read to give direction for the decorative scheme. Texture, color, form, and style from the concept can all be echoed in the finishes you select, imbuing the completed scheme with the same sensory experience as the concept.
2.12 This concept collage is exploring the interplay of materials; it was used to examine the texture and colors that might be used in a smart and sophisticated boutique hotel. See the case study to find out how these ideas were developed further.
Case study: Presenting ideas
For her final major project while studying for her BA (Hons) degree at Portsmouth University, UK, student Hanna Paterson developed proposals for a boutique hotel in central London. The main concept focused around the idea of international business travelers being able to feel relaxed and refreshed after a long journey.
The concept, titled “Static House,” is described as follows: “Static House is a concept hotel designed to help global commuters sync their sleep schedules with a desired time zone and reduce the side effects of jet lag. Static introduces a routine throughout the guest’s stay, while considering other factors such as temperature, sound, and light to enforce the transition. The concept behind the design is influenced by the levels of sleep and the threshold between reality and dream states in an aim to complement the guest’s journey, allowing them to feel a sense of release from any stress. The space is divided up into a series of stages, in order to prepare the individual for sleep.”
This was investigated through the ideas of journey, control, observation, scenery, space, and astronomy. The initial ideas were captured through an artifact consisting of a series of photo images, which sought to represent the relationship between the various spaces as planets. This was used to develop and communicate some of Hanna’s ideas and the relationship between destination, route, journey, and time, graphically influenced by the idea of constellations.
Hanna had very strong ideas about how the concept could be visualized, and these were developed in a series of models that further explored the ideas from her original artifact. This began to provide some insights into how design could be used to enforce the function of the hotel, and how it could be combined and ordered to create a narrative for her scheme. These initial studies also begin to show how her ideas could be articulated and represented in a three-dimensional way.
After experimenting and researching further into the subject of sleep, travel, and dreams, Hanna chose to define a series of key elements as follows:
→Route: To enforce guidance
→Levels: To define the stages
→Visual: To escape reality and encourage curiosity
→Landscape: Realistic landscape with unusual twists to create the dreamscape
→Sensory: Light, sound, and touch
Simple yet playful illustrations were graphically produced alongside the models to reinforce and help visually explain the concept of combining the visualization of the dreamscape and the physical levels and route. These in turn informed the ideas about materials and space for the scheme. In particular, the drawings explore how the ideas of movement and journey may develop around the key themes and how this might integrate within the existing building.
2.13 This artifact uses photography and craft elements to form a conceptual map of Hanna’s principal ideas.
2.14 Hanna used simple models to illustrate her ideas and the relationships that might develop between the ideas of landscape, space, time, and journey.
2.15 This abstract drawing is one of several that were used to develop Hanna’s design ideas and to communicate them in a clear and engaging way.
2.16 This drawing explores the ideas of journey and scale within the existing spaces.
2.17 The use of models can help you to express your ideas clearly to both the design team and the client. Models also help you to test the design to ensure that it will work properly and fulfill the brief.
Developing ideas
A monochrome materials palette was used throughout the building, acting as a blank canvas for guests to create their own color experience and light intensity. This not only makes the experience more personal and adaptable but also enables the guests to alter the time of day in a space, reinforcing the aim of syncing their body clock to a suited time zone.
The black-stained timber floor acts as a guide throughout the building, and the raw exposed walls of brick and gray plaster create an unfinished appearance among the clean abstract lines of the installations and the solid black floor, subtly reflecting the idea of the transition between dreamscapes being seamless, unfinished, and ongoing.
Having established and tested her concept, these ideas were then applied more literally by developing the design within the existing building. A variety of methods were used here, including ideas of flow, scale, and journey, to test and establish the validity of Hanna’s ideas within the spatial framework.
The final stages tested the design in a more rigorous manner using technical drawings to establish the size, scale, and relationship between the designed spaces through the use of scale drawings, which were produced in plan and section. These drawings help the designer to create and test the spaces as they will be inhabited and are essential for a clear representation of the design as it will be perceived by the prospective user.
This process illustrates how the development of a series of complex ideas can be visualized using a range of simple techniques, which help bring the scheme to life, as well as serving as a useful design tool. It is not necessary to produce realistic drawings to be a designer; however, drawing is a powerful tool that allows ideas to be communicated and represented in a variety of ways. As demonstrated in the previous case study, design is a developing and interactive activity that requires intellectual engagement as well as artistic and visual training.
Case study: Republic of Fritz Hansen, UK
Fritz Hansen, a Scandinavian furniture retailer, commissioned Europe’s largest design agency, BDP, to create their new Republic of Fritz Hansen showroom. The site was an existing building, comprising 600 square meters (6,458 square feet) of office space over two floors, forming part of an imposing art deco style building in Fitzrovia in London’s West End. The selection of the site was important in terms of visibility and footfall but also proximity to clients and the architecture and design community. The site had been used by a media production company and was a tired space, which had been subdivided into a series of smaller spaces.
The Republic’s showrooms showcase their furniture—a range of beautiful Scandinavian designs—creating a perfect mix of accessories, furniture, and products to combine retail, showroom, and workspace.
The client’s brief was to create a gallery aesthetic to enhance and showcase their products in an appropriate environment with the following spaces:
→Retail and showroom areas
→Sales area
→Workspace for staff
→Open kitchen
→Staff washrooms and shower room
→Storage
One of the early design decisions was to unite the two floors, which were separated, with a staircase and opening that would encourage visitors to flow naturally between the two levels. As the building had a 4.5 meters (approximately 14 feet) grid concrete frame with nonstructural floors, this was relatively easy. However, many configurations of staircase were tested to ensure that it provided a memorable experience through the space.
2.18 The staircase was a major focus of the overall design, and the limited material palette created a strong sophisticated scheme.
The choice of materials provided a simple and honest palette with the extensive use of warm gray screed, oak, and Poul Kjærholm slate on the external steps. The custom-designed staircase incorporates enamelled steel, glass, and oak, which creates an industrial, crafted element reminiscent of Arne Jacobsen. The Fritz Hansen DNA speaks through other elements, such as the burnished oak of the kitchen with its grand-scale high table.
A fully functioning kitchen was designed within the main space; this not only creates a focal point—it also communicates the openness and welcoming nature of Danish culture. This is also reflected in the attention to detail in areas, such as the lighting, which encourages customers to come inside and engages people at night.
The flexibility of the space has allowed areas such as the “experience corner” to be created, which was developed to enhance the customer relationships through the showroom. Here, Fritz Hansen have created an experience similar to buying a car—customers are able to appreciate the materials and get excited about the products, and it allows them to get closer to private customers.
The feedback about the space has been positive. In particular, the flexibility of the space has allowed a wide range of events to take place, for example, events featuring Paul Smith, the fashion designer; Jamie Oliver, the chef and presenter; and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. This means that people from other industries are allowed to use the space, and this helps to broaden the brand’s appeal.
2.19 The kitchen provides a social focus to the space and continues the restrained palette.
Interview: Fritz Hansen
Jan Vejsholt was the vice president of sales for the UK, Ireland, Middle East, and South Europe for Fritz Hansen. He worked closely with BDP.
Finding an appropriate building was challenging. How important is the building and position in retail design?
→In terms of location, the footfall was really important as we were moving more toward retail rather than a showroom. Visibility is critical in retail design, and we wanted a prominent ground floor—ideally with a visible lower floor. The split of space was important to us as this provided a balance of the rent, which helped the viability of the project.
Visibility and the relationship with the streetscape are important factors in the design. How do you think that the design exploits the opportunities of the building and communicates the spirit of Fritz Hansen in London?
→It was important that the language of the building had a fit with the brand and our products, and also an architectural narrative. It is not just the space but the overall language of the building such that “people know that they have arrived at Fritz Hansen.”
The designer (Stephen Anderson) worked very closely with us and made us look at the building in a different light; designers are able to look at the space and see the possibilities more objectively.
At the briefing stage there were some specific design elements that were important. Do you feel these were developed and improved through the design process?
→Our main brief to the designers was to create an open and visible space, which was unfussy, in order that our furniture could speak to our customers. The honesty of our brand is also expressed through decisions such as exposing the services rather than trying to cover them up. Don’t hide; incorporate.
The staircase is another iconic element, and we worked closely with the designers to create a journey through the space to entice people downstairs while encouraging them to experience different views through the space and the streetscape outside. We had a strong idea of what we wanted for our identity, and the designers worked with us to create something more than we expected.
How involved were you with the design process and is it important as a client to be informed at all stages, particularly with regards to budget and program?
→We were new to commercial projects, but the team of designer, project manager, and contractor worked together and really helped navigate us through the process. They preempted pretty much all of the problems before they arrived so that nothing came as a surprise. Overall, the process was a pleasurable experience, and we got exactly what we expected.
2.20 The overall space creates an open and flexible retail environment.
Activity
01. Think about a building or a space that has made an impression on you. Consider how “hard” research could be used to define some of the physical properties of the space, and then consider how “soft” research could be used to capture your own response, or the responses of others, to the space.
→What hard research could you undertake into the history and physical properties of the building or space? How would you record it?
→What soft research could you undertake into your experience of the building/space? What media could you use to record this?
02. How do you anticipate this research informing your design response to a brief?
→Think about the initial conversations you might have with a client regarding their project.
→If the project is a residential one, what aspects of the client’s lifestyle will you need to find out?
→If the project is a commercial one, what aspects of the client’s business will you need to find out?
→Consider your responses to the above questions. What useful information can you deduce from the questions you have asked? Consider how this information might be used to inform your subsequent design solutions.