Triodos bank

25 June 2012

Nomad mobile partitions from MIO Culture were used throughout the project.

Nomad mobile partitions from MIO Culture were used throughout the project.

Nomad mobile partitions from MIO Culture were used throughout the project.

Nomad mobile partitions from MIO Culture were used throughout the project.

Nomad mobile partitions from MIO Culture were used throughout the project.

Nomad mobile partitions from MIO Culture were used throughout the project.

Nomad mobile partitions from MIO Culture were used throughout the project.

Nomad mobile partitions from MIO Culture were used throughout the project.

Nomad mobile partitions from MIO Culture were used throughout the project.

Nomad mobile partitions from MIO Culture were used throughout the project.

The bank’s current advertising campaign, based around cows and country scenes, is referenced in large-format graphics.

The bank’s current advertising campaign, based around cows and country scenes, is referenced in large-format graphics.

The bank’s current advertising campaign, based around cows and country scenes, is referenced in large-format graphics.

The bank’s current advertising campaign, based around cows and country scenes, is referenced in large-format graphics.

The bank’s current advertising campaign, based around cows and country scenes, is referenced in large-format graphics.

The bank’s current advertising campaign, based around cows and country scenes, is referenced in large-format graphics.

The bank’s current advertising campaign, based around cows and country scenes, is referenced in large-format graphics.

The bank’s current advertising campaign, based around cows and country scenes, is referenced in large-format graphics.

The bank’s current advertising campaign, based around cows and country scenes, is referenced in large-format graphics.

The bank’s current advertising campaign, based around cows and country scenes, is referenced in large-format graphics.

The reception desk is of Eco Range, a mix of recycled porcelain, ceramics, glass and a corn resin

The reception desk is of Eco Range, a mix of recycled porcelain, ceramics, glass and a corn resin

The reception desk is of Eco Range, a mix of recycled porcelain, ceramics, glass and a corn resin

The reception desk is of Eco Range, a mix of recycled porcelain, ceramics, glass and a corn resin

The reception desk is of Eco Range, a mix of recycled porcelain, ceramics, glass and a corn resin

The reception desk is of Eco Range, a mix of recycled porcelain, ceramics, glass and a corn resin

The reception desk is of Eco Range, a mix of recycled porcelain, ceramics, glass and a corn resin

The reception desk is of Eco Range, a mix of recycled porcelain, ceramics, glass and a corn resin

The reception desk is of Eco Range, a mix of recycled porcelain, ceramics, glass and a corn resin

The reception desk is of Eco Range, a mix of recycled porcelain, ceramics, glass and a corn resin

Creating new offices for Dutch bank Triodos was a rare and welcome opportunity for the design team to source and use the most sustainable and ecological-friendly materials

Client: Triodos
Design: Harmsen
Size: 2,509 sq m
Completion time: 2 years

'Greed down; happiness up' is the motto of Dutch 'ethical bank' Triodos, which markets itself as a sustainable and accountable alternative to the irresponsibility and greed associated with the banking sector. Founded in the Seventies, Triodos finances only those companies it judges to 'benefit both people and the environment', and it is similarly discerning when it comes to choosing who designs its offices.

When Triodos decided to expand its UK operation last year, it took on five floors of a new office building in Bristol and commissioned Bristol-based workplace design practice Harmsen for the interior design. 'As a business we try to be as ethical as possible,' says Harmsen's design director Jon Wilson. 'We think we have a lot in common with Triodos in terms of sustainability and responsibility, and that certainly helped us on this project.'

With a BREEAM rating of excellent the building already had sound environmental credentials, so Harmsen's job was to add some character to the standard Category A fit-out as well as helping Triodos to get the best out of the space.

'Triodos is such an individual organisation in terms of the way it does things, and we wanted to get that across in the design,' says Wilson. 'Triodos also wanted to express its more unusual traits and interests, so we decided we would make the scheme slightly quirky, but also very professional.'

The designers used large-scale graphics from Triodos's current advertising campaign, (bucolic scenes of cows in fields) as a simple but effective way of personalising the office. 'The graphics are a key element throughout the whole space,' says Wilson. 'We were very keen to introduce some personality so people can see how the brand is being shown around the country, and these will change as the advertising changes.'

As well as providing room to expand, the move to the new office also gave Triodos the opportunity to reassess its workplace strategy. 'Triodos did a lot of consultation work with its staff,' says Wilson, 'and we supplemented this with an online questionnaire and a series of workshops.' What emerged was that the bank wanted its office to be more 'flexible' and 'collaborative', so private offices were out, even for those at the top of the organisation. 'There are some enclosed offices, but no one has a permanent one,' says Wilson.

The designers were limited in what they could do with the building, but there were plenty of choices to be made in terms of furniture and materials. 'We were keen that everything we chose should have a story behind it - an ethical or sustainable story,' says Wilson. A bespoke reception desk, for example, is made of a material called Eco Range, which is made of recycled industrial porcelain, ceramics, glass and metals suspended in a resin made from organic corn. The desk was designed by Harmsen and manufactured by Bristol company Simon Kohn Furniture.

Partitions used throughout the office are Nomad, by MIO Culture, made of recycled, double-wall cardboard that can be assembled into freestanding, temporary partitions without the use of tools and without causing damage to existing structures. Envirowall, a shelving system made of either waste straw or recycled paper, has also been used throughout the office space.

Lighting and flooring were also chosen for their sustainable credentials as well as for looks and functionality. Josiah pendant lights, for example, are made from bone china, and were designed to accommodate the latest low-energy, long-life compact fluorescent light bulbs, while flooring in the reception area includes matting made from recycled rubber car tyres.

In terms of furniture, one of the biggest challenges was finding a workstation that fitted with Triodos's environmental principals. 'We did a big exercise on the desking because obviously that is a large proportion of the expenditure on the project, and we looked at what was offered in the UK and abroad because we felt we had to show the client a range,' says Wilson. In the end Workstation desks by Senator, which are manufactured in the UK of 55 per cent recycled material, pared with Liberty Design Chairs by Humanscale, were selected. Even the toilets have waterless urinals to save that precious natural resource.

Working on a project where the practice was encouraged to use sustainable products to this extent was a rare and very welcome opportunity, says Wilson. 'It gave us the opportunity of being able to search our library of things we've found over the years that we've thought: "We need to find the right kind of client to use this with and who'll be prepared to meet the extra cost that's involved with this kind of project". But there were some challenges. For example, the material we used for the reception desk - the joinery company had never used it before so there was a bit of trial and error. We also used recycled timber and sometimes you get inconsistencies or problems with the manufacture of that because it's old and there are knots in it. So there were a few challenges, but nothing that was insurmountable.'

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