Boxer moves into stunning office at Fort Dunlop

A home fit for one of the UK's fastest-growing design consultancies, Boxer, has been created by award-wining interior designers redjacket.

Design company Boxer's cutting-edge new offices cover 7,674 square feet of space in the prestigious Urban Splash developed landmark Fort Dunlop.

The offices have been designed to allow the agency to explore and maximise its creativity, which has brought it global clients including McDonald's and Johnson and Johnson.

Boxer's offices have been designed to encourage creativity and let the agency express and impose its own personalities.

Texture is key to the design - the original raw brickwork has been left exposed in sharp contrast with the sleek shine of the polished glass walls.

Boxer managing director David Poole said: "With such an iconic building it was a challenge to ensure that our creativity was encouraged to flourish and not be subsumed by our surroundings." "The approach redjacket has developed is to provide a canvas on which we can paint our values." "The emphasis is to allow Boxer's work and thoughts to be displayed at various points around the office: this will encourage the creative process for all members of the team." From the moment staff and visitors walk in, the effect is dramatic.

A solid glossy black box forms the reception area - in homage to the tyre factory's former function.

A rubberised finish was initially considered, but dismissed as too unsubtle - in the end a highly glossy finish has been employed to give a glamorous contemporary look.

The reception area is linked to the rest of the office via a cut-through window onto one of the break-out areas.

This explores one of the themes of the Boxer space, allowing communication to flow through the space.

Three black glass display walls have been introduced to the space creating drama in the otherwise open-plan office.

These dramatic walls are offset at unusual angles and slope backwards giving the impression of infinity.

Two aluminium shelves run the length of the walls and staff are encouraged to display any pictures, ideas or images they find interesting or inspiring.

The walls also provide the structure for the managing director's office.

Poole explained: "Pitch development is never about the most senior people - great ideas can come from anyone and we want to create an environment which encourages everyone to get involved." At the other side of the office a glossy magnetic white wall runs the entire length allowing the agency to leave brainstorm thinking for all to see.

The board sits proud of the wall and is haloed in light, whilst a 3D cut-out silhouette of a tree protrudes from the board allowing staff to hang ideas or inspiration from its branches.

A semi-private area in the middle of the office is sectioned off by a bespoke wooden lattice book case and semi-opaque honeycomb screens (by 3D Foils) diffuse vision but not light, allowing for some privacy but keeping the area light, bright and open.

Specially made elongated lampshades by RS Robertson give the area a warm domestic ambience.

Flexibility is key to the design, from the two conference rooms that join together to become one and Vitra's Join office furniture system, which will allow for communal working as teams can easily be grouped together.

The office has been laid out so that creative and account managers work close to each other with break-out areas close by to allow for impromptu discussions and catch-ups.

Thoughts and ideas will be less formal, quicker and more instinctive.

A state-of-the-art kitchen and dining area also encourage staff to eat together.

Poole added: "We wanted to work in an inspiring environment that would encourage everyone to work together and share ideas - the environment in which we work now reflects the creativity and quality of our business." "The space meets the needs of our fast-expanding business, and also reflects the creativity that is its cornerstone." Martyn Bullock, creative director of redjacket, explained: "The practicalities of the build drove the brief, we wanted to design an environment that would help to challenge the agency's creativity." "Creative businesses ebb and flow with ideas and it was important that the creative environment allows and reflects this." "The building has such a strong personality - with deep terracotta-coloured brickwork, black mortar joints and a strong factory grid, so it was challenging to come up with a design that worked with this but allowed Boxer's personality to shine through." Boxer was the first tenant to sign up to the development having first encountered the scheme in 2004, when it was appointed by Urban Splash to create the identity for Fort Dunlop.

It has also designed the brochure and website for the development and is now working on the scheme's final signage.

Having learnt more about how the iconic building was being developed into contemporary commercial space, Boxer was determined Fort Dunlop would be its new world-class home.

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