Archetech Issue 42 2019 | Page 23

Central Working Victoria is designed to host over 500 entrepreneurs and businesses of all sizes, within a refurbished Victorian electrical substation. Designed by Kinnersley Kent Design, one of London and Dubai’s most prestigious design studios, the new hub anticipates the needs of the modern startup community with an all-inclusive hospitality-first approach. Catering for a group that rarely conforms to a nine-to-five routine, a chill out room is available to provide rest and relaxation, as well as a 70-seat auditorium to accommodate visiting lecturers from the tech and creative industries. Split across three levels, the flexible work areas include drop-in desks, private offices, phone booths for private calls, a members’ lounge, and a variety of meeting spaces from formal boardrooms to more relaxed huddle rooms for stand- up meetings. Central Working Victoria is one of the latest sites designed by Kinnersley Kent Design in partnership with Central Working. Other recently completed sites including Reading and Slough, with more coming soon. By following Central Working’s design ethos to create spaces that accommodate modern businesses and promote collaborative communities,   Kinnersley Kent Design deliver interiors identity that can flex across diverse locations with sensitivity to different buildings, whether they are new builds or refurbished, listed sites. By tailoring the design to each location, Kinnersley Kent Design creates designs that are unique to each site while also recognisably Central Working, with private offices that can be opened to the wider community with double strength doors, break-out spaces to encourage mixing between members and auditorium facilities that provide members with free-to-use venues for community events. Jill Higgins, partner at Kinnersley Kent Design, said: “The design challenge was to create a creative strategy for Central Working’s interiors, developing principles that can be applied and adapted to different locations. The aim was to create a sense of consistency while enabling each club to have a unique look and feel. The interiors identity is designed to work across a very diverse range of sites, offering the flexibility to reference each club’s locality and specific building, whilst creating spaces that are identifiably Central Working. Alongside establishing a clear identity for the brand, the design also had to complement the wide range of different businesses and members. The result at Eccleston Yards is vibrant yet understated aesthetic with a strong sense of context and place, unique to Central Working.” Grant Powell, Managing Director at Central Working, commented: “We’re proud to be supporting the growing business community in Belgravia through our collaborative new campus at Central Working Victoria. From day one, Kinnersley Kent Design recognised that our brand of design hinges on delivering spaces that accommodate the diverse needs of our members while encouraging a collaborative atmosphere. Kinnsersley Kent Design were able to look at the design features that have become Central Working staples, such as flexible private office space that can be opened to the wider area to encourage collaboration, and matched this with an innovative approach to transform an old electricity substation into the idea community environment for the modern business.” CENTRAL WORKING VICTORIA IS DESIGNED TO HOST OVER 500 ENTREPRENEURS AND BUSINESSES OF ALL SIZES, WITHIN A REFURBISHED VICTORIAN ELECTRICAL SUBSTATION.