Director Maria Cheung and Associate James Halliday were invited to speak on expert panels at the Workspace Design Show, 27 February at the Business Design Centre.
Maria joined host Hamish Kilburn and guest speakers Tina Norden of Conran & Partners and Angela Bardino of Jacobs, to discuss ‘Finding common ground: when workspace, hospitality and residential design collide’. The panel explored how to confront the challenge of designing flexible public spaces that work for everyone and identity what all three sectors look and feel like in 2023 and beyond.
Maria commented: "I can see some very interesting projects on the horizon that combine retrofit with this merging of sectors. The blurring becomes very exciting when you use existing buildings and add new typologies to create different mixes, for example converting hotels into offices or residential, and vice versa. Buildings that are no longer suitable for one purpose might be perfect for another!"
James then joined host Mick Jordan and speakers Christopher Crawford and Susan Nash to discuss the topic of ‘Local, responsible sourcing’.
James pointed out that beyond being ethically right to source sustainably, "using sustainable materials enriches the story of the project. People want to understand the story behind the spaces that they use."
Both panels threw up some interesting conversations around the future of sustainable design.
International Women's Day: Part W's map launch hosted by Squire & Partners