When global workspace provider Hana by Industrious wanted to upgrade its Central London location to provide clients with a new modern, comfortable, and sustainable office, they selected Optima’s innovative Adaptable Meeting Room (AMR) as the central feature of the fit-out.
Fitting the performance criteria
When the Hana team reached out to Optima, they expressed their desire to achieve an attractive, collaborative space which inspired creativity and fostered productivity within their large and diverse community of professionals. Being placed at the heart of a highly animated coworking area, the new space was required to deliver impeccable acoustics and provide users with an entirely sound-proof room to conduct a variety of tasks.
An increasing number of businesses are embracing a more circular approach to their office design, following the universally appreciated ‘5 Circular Rs’ methodology. Therefore, whilst performance was the primary specification driver, Hana also approached Optima with an ambition to specify materials which embraced the ‘Reuse’ criteria as much as possible.
Upon discussing the project, Optima’s team of sustainability experts was able to source an Adaptable Meeting Room that was no required by one of its clients, but were looking to see it given a new lease of life, opposed to being recycled.
The product was in perfect condition, as if it had just left the production line, and was ready to find its second home. This was an ideal solution for the Hana team, as purchasing a brand new AMR would have taken more time, and this particular project needed to be completed under a tight schedule. Optima was able to provide Hana with a highly sustainable fit-out system that could be used by office goers immediately.
The entire process of dismantling the Adaptable Meeting Room, moving it from East London where it was no longer serving its purpose to Hana’s office in Central London and finally rebuilding it was completed over a weekend by Optima’s meticulous installation team. Of course, the task did not require any renovation and no mess was left behind.
Comprised of 3 glass walls and one fabric panel wall, this AMR can comfortably accommodate 4 people in its 3m x 3m space. Additionally, Optima’s team of experts was able to adapt it to the building’s safety regulations, which requires fire alarms and sprinklers on the ceiling.
Impeccable sustainable credentials
Traditionally for office fit-outs, as change comes along and a shift in work culture is observed, these spaces are stripped and entirely renovated. This means perfectly good building materials and furnishings are being dumped in a landfill when they could be reused.
Optima systems have been developed with the requirements of the modern workplace in mind, able to flex as businesses grow and evolve over time. As the result of many years of research and development, these modular office partitions, such as the AMR and the Optima Adaptable Wall, embody a solution much more sustainable, more flexible and possessing greater long-term value than plasterboard or drywall, which cannot be reused.
The Adaptable Meeting Room is produced to a circular economic model, designed to endure being moved from site to site, year after year. It delivers unparalleled value at a far lower carbon and financial cost than traditional fit-out solutions.
Sustaining a dynamic workforce
On the surface, sustainability may equate to reaching net-zero targets and minimizing one’s carbon footprint, but it must not overshadow staff wellbeing. Retaining talent is a challenge that many, if not all, businesses face but providing staff with a safe, comfortable space to work is paramount in improving workforce sustainability.
Hana by Industrious strives to provide its community with a fair mix of areas allocated for various sorts of work, ranging from collaboration and socialising to high focus individual activities and private meetings. Moreover, the AMR’s high-performance glass walls contribute to retaining privacy without sacrificing an open, bright and airy atmosphere. Optima’s fit-out system also delivers top-quality acoustics, an essential specification to consider when it comes to the comfort and mental health of users.
Commenting on the project, Lily Cambridge, Membership Manager at Hana by Industrious, says, “The Adaptable Meeting Room is the perfect addition to our office as it provides our teams with a beautiful, modern space where they can be at their most productive. The Optima team was able to deliver a product of outstanding quality with such a quick turnaround, we’re extremely pleased that we did not have to inconvenience our clients during working hours. No manner how many changes Hana and its clients will face, I’m confident that the AMR will remain a central element in our office for years to come, benefiting our community of professionals in countless ways.”
