FMJ Facilities Management magazine providing industry-specific intelligence to FM and property professionals
Flexible workspace specialist x+why is launching a new in-house design team, whydesign, focused on customising sustainable and design-led office spaces.
whydesign will support businesses in the optimisation of workspaces to meet brand and business needs, whether in one of x+why’s suites or in a managed deal in another location. It specialises in blending modern aesthetics and ethical design, addressing the growing demand for workspaces that not only inspire productivity but also prioritise sustainability.
The fully bespoke service offered by x+why draws upon the experience of a team of designers who have between them delivered nearly 400,000 sq ft of design-led space for some of the most established and recognisable brands and Landlords in the UK.
whydesign recently supported Lloyds Banking Group with a refit of a 65,000 sq ft managed deal in Foundry, x+why’s flexible workspace in Brindleyplace, Birmingham, housing 800 employees. Foundry itself is a case study in workplace revival and sustainable fitout, having previously been an abandoned WeWork space, the x+why team committed to re-using and upcycling as much as possible. As part of the bespoke design service for Lloyds, in partnership with John Robertson Architect’s whydesign conducted an embodied carbon study to examine the carbon emissions of different fitout options.
Utilising new player to the UK market Nornorm’s fully circular furniture model alongside other responsible and sustainable practices such as re-working existing partitioning systems, the total amount of carbon emitted across 65,000 sq ft was a mere 2.6 tCO2e, which is equivalent to only 4.4 flights to New York from London, or 6500 cups of coffee, demonstrating the importance and impact of re-use and upcycling.
x+why’s most recent project designed by whydesign, The Kenrick, opened earlier this month. x+why has refurbished the workspace on behalf of partner landlord, The Rumi Foundation, and it will become the 11th building to be in the x+why group. The 5,000 sq ft building is set to open at 100 per cent occupancy, with three larger enterprise tenants.
Phil Nevin, Chief Creative Officer of x+why said: “We are thrilled to launch x+why’s latest offering with whydesign. The team at whydesign offer a holistic approach to the future of workspaces, providing environments that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also aligned with the principles of sustainability. whydesign helps support both existing members who might be scaling within or between our buildings and new members looking for design led and sustainable space.
“We are delighted to see the impact that this approach has had for businesses such as Lloyds Banking Group who were looking for a bespoke, low carbon, flexible space, and most recently in the opening of our latest building, the Kenrick, Marylebone. The homely and stylish design of Kenrick really helped it stand out in the market for us to pre-sell 100 per cent of the space. We see this as a great marker for historic stock, which from an environmental point of view we as a sector need to become expert at bringing back to life and making it relevant for today’s businesses.”
Service Works Global (SWG) is conducting research in partnership with FMJ, to find out how you are using technology in your role through a short survey.
Whatever your FM role, your responses will help to provide analysis and insight into the use of technology, as the FM industry rises to meet the challenges of sustainability, new ways of working and data-driven decision making. This will enable FMs to gain insight into future trends to stay ahead of the curve, and be able to benchmark against the industry as a whole.
The anonymised results will be published so that you can see how you compare to others within the sector.
The survey should take just 5-10 minutes of your time, and as a thank you, participants will be entered into a prize draw where one lucky winner will be picked at random to receive an iPad 10th Generation worth £499.
To take part click here.
