Since 2013, Manchester has been home to global cybersecurity company, Coalfire. With the city’s digital strength and international connectivity, it is the perfect location for the tech business. Last year, the company revealed its need for a new home to facilitate the growth of its EMEA operations. As a result, Coalfire relocated to a larger space in the heart of Manchester Piccadilly, appointing Denton to design a destination office for their employees and clients.
Our brief was to create a contemporary, fresh, and vibrant workspace that reflected the company brand & culture. By creating a hybrid office with seamless AV Technology, the design empowers staff and enables them to use various areas to suit the different working styles needed for their everyday tasks.
For the visitor’s area, the client required a variety of spaces, including a flexible conference space and a lounge-style meeting room that could also be used for interviews. The welcome area featured a bespoke brand wall – combining polished concrete, routed LED lighting and an illuminated logo – for a statement entrance.
The designers at Denton incorporated various task-based settings within the design for the new office space, including focus rooms for concentration work & skype meetings. For impromptu meetings, project benches and collaboration tables were placed in the peripherals of the workspace to limit disturbances for people working in the desk area. The collaboration spaces also featured acoustic baffles that reflected the Rocky Mountain landscape in Colorado to create synergy with their HQ.
Creating a local connection to Manchester was a key element of the design. We worked in collaboration with Michael Wylie from Sketchbook Design to create a bespoke mural, celebrating Manchester’s heritage.
The design team created a dynamic social space with various settings, including traditional dining, a breakfast bar for impromptu conversations, a Fussball table and a ‘gaming alcove’ to break away from intense work. The space was finished with a statement auditorium-style bleacher seating which wrapped around the perimeter, including a built-in stool wall to give further flexibility for town hall meetings, social events and client entertainment.
https://www.denton.co.uk/work/coalfire-creating-a-destination-that-empowers-staff/
