SpaceInvader has created a stunning social hub on the ground and mezzanine floors of Eden, New Bailey – a newly-completed £36m office building in Salford, now one of the UK’s most environmentally friendly buildings. The new-build, 115,000 sq ft development – aimed at ‘businesses who are serious about protecting the planet’ – has been created by The English Cities Fund (ECF), a strategic partnership between master developer Muse, together with Legal & General and Homes England, the government’s housing and regeneration agency. Eden forms part of New Bailey, ECF’s wider £1bn, 50-acre Salford Central mixed-use regeneration masterplan.
The ground-breaking, 12-storey building was designed by architecture firm Make and is a LETI Pioneer project, created to achieve net zero operational carbon and to champion sustainability, resource efficiency and wellbeing at every level. The building incorporates high-efficiency air source heat pumps and photovoltaic panels to generate on-site electricity, whilst its highly-insulated façade is now Europe’s largest green wall, entirely fed by harvested rainwater and devised to absorb air pollution, enhance biodiversity, reduce urban temperatures and provide thermal benefits.
When the opportunity came up to pitch for the design of the building’s interior amenity spaces, Manchester-based designers SpaceInvader jumped at the chance, determined to use the practice’s extensive knowledge of designing sustainably to help push boundaries and create a scheme that would sit in harmony with the building’s many eco-friendly achievements.
Eden, New Bailey is located directly across from Muse’s Riverside House HQ, where SpaceInvader created the interiors scheme in 2019, with the office going on to win several awards, including a BCO North Award, an OAS Development Award, a Northern Design Award and a GOLD London Design Award. The new commission for Eden came about after SpaceInvader Founder/Director John Williams had been talking to Muse about the agency’s ever-developing sustainable approach, which included extensive materials research, the incorporation of future-facing usage flexibility and the tangible integration of local community interests. SpaceInvader was subsequently invited to pitch for the social hub space, going on to win the commission.
The brief for the new social hub – comprised of 3,067 sq ft of ground floor space and a further 1,130 sq ft on the mezzanine level – was that it should be a cohesive offer, embodying both the needs of tenants and the local community and that it should harmonise with the building’s exterior and sustainable credentials. The key to achieving the required cohesion was to make the space busy and active through a series of amenity provisions, offering local-operator F&B, co-working and collaboration areas, alongside wellness and retail/events spaces available to the local community. Along with a strong sustainability narrative, the interior spaces also needed to achieve a sense of balance for users through mindfulness, offering a strong well-being sensibility and good quality food and drink.
The key design concept was ‘flourish’, directly inspired by the façade’s live planting, and relating to both sustainability and the wellbeing of all who use the building. When it came to sustainability, the designers sought to feature a selection of reclaimed, low-VOC and carbon-conscious materials.
“We started by thinking about carbon reduction and embodying that approach through the creation of a central sculptural piece for the ground floor social hub space”, John Williams explained. “This would serve as a focus point for tenants on entry and also as a way to draw attention from passers-by and attract users from the local community. The sculptural piece, created together with lighting specialists Light Forms, was inspired by close-up photos of carbon rods and consists of recycled tubes and suspended rods with a bespoke-designed LED fitting. We also used natural materials throughout as part of our approach, including a recycled gym floor and cork for the acoustic panels in the F&B space.”
The various spaces within the amenity offer include co-working, meeting, presentation and lounge areas; sustainable F&B and an accent throughout on nature, biophilia, social connection and contemplation. Cycling and shower facilities would be incorporated to encourage more active travel into work, whilst an elevated area – ‘The Canopy’ – offers a serene environment for contemplation and wellbeing, incorporating a treatment room and full-size wellness/fitness studio.
The lighting design for the scheme needed to help create a variety of zones with different moods for task-oriented work or relaxation. Lighting is also a major feature of the ground floor sculptural installation and was developed, as with the amenity lighting scheme throughout, with Paul Shoosmith of Light Forms. To enhance the scheme’s human-centric experience further, the majority of the light fixtures have tuneable white LEDs, allowing the colour temperature of the space to change to suit the environment and reflect natural circadian rhythms. All architectural fixtures are also DALI dimmable, enabling complete control of the light output and energy consumption throughout the space.
When entering the space, sculptural elements, such as the tubular ceiling feature and the curved, white-clad staircase to the rear, emphasise drama and scale. The arrival sequence then flows naturally from one space to another, with the sculptural ceiling guiding visitors through the main thoroughfare.
An elevated platform directly opposite the entrance creates a more private level for retreating for a phone call or lounging with a coffee. This includes a zoned-off quiet room and a bookable 8-person meeting space. The platform itself is made of the same reused Junckers recycled gym flooring used throughout the building.
The co-working area is a key place for social interaction and collaboration: a place for employees and visitors to have informal meetings or small presentations. Furniture here is varied to suit different length tasks. The event space is provided as an opportunity to give people the chance to develop and grow.
The café space – now operated by local operator Spice & Grind – holds the key values of the building. This is a space for giving back to the occupants and the local community by encouraging social interaction. The approach here was for a design with a higher sensory threshold, meaning sights, sounds, and smells are more intensified, giving the space a real buzz.
All furniture was carefully chosen for this project based on sustainable credentials, with FSC timber used throughout. “The cafeteria area also features an Ecorek countertop from Diamek Glass in Leeds” Abigail Tucker, Senior Interior Designer at SpaceInvader commented, “which is made from 85% recycled glass, whilst planting features intensively throughout the ground floor space to carry the building’s external language inside.”
The mezzanine canopy area, accessed via the rear platform, is a place to escape from the bustling ground floor. This area is a low sensory threshold, with colours, textures, lighting and smells that are quieter and softer to create a calming atmosphere. A canopy effect in the mezzanine is created via planting in the ceiling and a self-replenishing water station encourages users to bring their water containers.
Planting includes troughs and plants known for climbing, which will create a green wall over time by wrapping around the balustrade. The canopy space also incorporates a treatment room and a full-size studio, featuring a sustainable and adaptable vinyl floor, to cater for a variety of wellness-related activities and treatments. The latter can also be booked as a presentation space, with a joinery unit that allows for yoga mats and small stools to be stored out of sight, embodying the scheme’s approach to adaptable spaces. A darker palette throughout the mezzanine area reflects this calm and meditative atmosphere, inspired by the concept of a tree house.
Phil Marsden, Managing Director North West for Muse, commented: “Watching Eden emerge on Salford’s skyline over the last two years has been an incredible journey. We wanted the ground floor and mezzanine space to be a focal point for the building, attracting use from both tenants and the local community. We had to move away from the traditional office reception and create a space that could be used for collaboration, meeting, relaxing and events. The space also had to be done using sustainable materials and meeting the health and wellbeing aspirations for Eden. SpaceInvader got the brief right from the start and, once appointed, helped us develop this further. John and the team had some fantastic ideas and have done an incredible job of creating a very unique space at Eden.”
Images by photographer Pip Rustage.
