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We hope that you are all well and finding new ways to thrive. We want to take this opportunity to thank the Barr Gazetas team. They have risen to the challenges of back-to-back video calls, digital mark-ups and zero printing (a hugely positive change). It is a testing time, and we hope you enjoy seeing what we have been busy achieving. Thank you for your support throughout.
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Designing for post Covid-19 - some ideas to keep it simple
"There are a lot of varied opinions in circulation, debating what should change in the post Covid-19 office. I have read many and am pleased to say that I have faith in our present business culture. This is not the demise of the office building and we should build on our progress rather than embark on a radical rethink of design. We need to keep it simple, and keep it going.
Championing healthier buildings, sustainable designs, and great places to be will continue to be our focus. Whether it’s to a retail shop, offices, restaurants or bars, people will go out again, and most of us cannot wait.
We have put together twelve initial ideas that are being integrated into our designs right now. We are continuing to promote the office as a great place to work, collaborate, gather, and create. Most of our ideas are focussed on the immediate - what we can change now. Some will require innovation and time to evolve, but all of them create more positive places to work.
We will all have learnt something from the pandemic and it will remain firmly in our collective memory. It will be fascinating to see what changes are still in place in 10 years’ time - anything we do now should have longevity.
Long live the office!"
Jon Eaglesham - Managing Director
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The London Society has gathered thoughts and ideas on how London will change or should change after Covid-19 into a collection under the banner #WhenThisIsAllOver.
Alistair Barr's article talks about the history of production in the West End and returning it to a place of real production and work.
"We owe it to the post-virus West End to make sure the vibrancy and activity returns to all those streets as soon as possible."
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We are very pleased to be back working on Grain House, after the building was purchased by Hines earlier in the year.
The project is a heritage-led refurbishment and extension to combine four buildings on a site in Covent Garden bounded by Drury Lane, Dryden Street, Arne and Shelton Street.
Our design provides flexible retail, restaurant, café, and gym use at basement/ground floor levels with office uses above.
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We are delighted to have secured planning and listed building consent for the refurbishment of Kodak House at 65 Kingsway.
The building is Grade II listed and was both the former European headquarters of The Kodak Company and London’s first purpose-built open-plan office space. Our scheme for Clearbell creates unique workspace that modernises and restores this historic building while also achieving high sustainability benchmarks.
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Our 3D printer is back whirring away and has been busy making PPE face shields for the NHS. We bag them up for collection and distribution by 3D Crowd UK.
We have been able to double production by combining our efforts with Pete Barr of Enayball.
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Alistair Barr is a contributor in the latest issue of The London Society Journal.
His case study, Gorgeous Georgians, explores the history of the boundary created by Regent Street and calls for it to be reimagined into a more democratic space.
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We are delighted to have received planning consent, in our first ever virtual planning committee, for our transformation of Cottam House on York Way with Endurance Land.
The building has a long history of industrial and warehouse use associated with the area and we are undertaking a sympathetic renovation to provide the basis for an innovative hub for "techstyle" start-ups, including the Hong Kong based company Fabrica with their Garment-to-Garment Recycle System.
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We are an office of foodies and have begun regular "BG in the Kitchen" sessions on Zoom whereby each week a one of us teaches everyone how to cook their signature recipe.
It's been a massive success and a highlight of lockdown. So far we've all learnt how to make:
- Simon's Courgette and Pistachio Pasta
- Zurine's Tortilla with Urko's Sangria
- Jon's Chicken and Leek Pie
- Pradumn's Potato Curry with Raita
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We are fortunate enough to have a studio allotment and earlier this year we planted seeds of spring onions, garlic, herbs, spinach and peas.
Since lockdown we cannot attend to our plants and so we hope that they have been getting what they need from the rain and sun.
In the meantime, we have taken our gardening skills indoors. Everyone at BG is growing sunflowers and the office plants are being taken care of in staff homes all over London.
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Thank you for reading
We wish you, your family and friends the best of health and hope
to be able to see you in person as soon as it's safe to do so
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