INTERIORS & INTERIOR DESIGN
INTERIOR DESIGN PRACTICE 74
THE SURROUNDING LANDSCAPE , URBAN PLANNING AND THE GENIUS OF ALAN TURING INFORM 74 ’ S DESIGNS FOR ENIGMA SQUARE
Interior design practice 74 has harmonised three different inspirational strands in its designs for the new amenity spaces at Grainger plc ’ s Enigma Square in Milton Keynes . Enigma Square is a new , £ 63m , BTR residential scheme from Grainger , the UK ’ s largest listed residential landlord , and encompasses 261 purpose-designed rental homes in a central Milton Keynes development on a site that once housed a YMCA . The new project follows the completion of a number of other highly-successful BTR amenity design schemes by 74 for Grainger , including The Headline and Pin Yard in Leeds .
About the Scheme
Enigma Square is the second BTR development by Grainger to complete in the Buckinghamshire city and follows the 2020 launch of Solstice Apartments . Enigma Square is located on North Row , ten minutes from Milton Keynes Central Station , in a new-build development by architects Pick Everard , and is comprised of two , interlinking eight-storey blocks accommodating a mix of studios , one and two-bedroom apartments , and three-bedroom duplexes . Facilities include a communal garden , private balconies and a stunning series of multi-storey amenity spaces designed by 74 , who have quickly become one of the UK ’ s leading designers of BTR interiors .
Strategic Thinking
As part of the practice ’ s thorough background research at the outset , 74 ’ s site analysis noted a number of common misconceptions about Milton Keynes , often perceived as a concrete jungle , dominated by buildings and roads and lacking in green space .
“ The truth is radically different ”, 74 Founder David Holt revealed . “ As much as 40 % of Milton Keynes is in fact green space . The city boasts 180 miles of bridleways , 100 trees for every single resident and , amazingly , more canal bridges than Venice . When we began our design concept for the amenity space , we wanted to pay homage to these links to nature , as well as to the radical grid system at the heart of the city ’ s planning , created when Milton Keynes was originally founded in 1967 as a ‘ new town ’ to help alleviate housing shortages in London .”
The Amenity Design Scope
The resident amenity design scheme at Enigma Square incorporates a 1,680 sq ft ground floor reception and concierge area , plus back-of-house management and team facilities , as well as post and parcel boxes for residents and waiting / seating areas . A full array of amenities is located on the 4,070 sq ft first floor mezzanine level . These include a residents ’ TV lounge , a social games lounge , an onsite 24-hour gym - including cardio , weights and a fitness studio - a private dining room , which can also serve as a meeting room , and a co-working space with integrated meeting booths and toilet facilities . The co-working space offers residents superfast free broadband and wireless charging points . The development also features 6,000 sq ft of outdoor space , including a courtyard and terrace , for which 74 created the external amenity design .
Design Concept
“ When creating the design concept for the amenity spaces ”, 74 Director Bianca Yousef explained , “ we sought first of all to underscore the city ’ s connection to nature through a nature-inspired palette of blues and greens , together with the use of timbers and curved forms . Secondly , we were inspired by the city ’ s famous planning and grid system , which finds echo everywhere in the scheme , but especially in a series of ceiling and wall grid designs , whilst a third strand of inspiration is associated with the scheme ’ s name – Enigma Square .”
The development ’ s name references nearby Bletchley Park , the English country house and estate that became the principal centre of Allied code-breaking during the Second World War . Here , British codebreakers , including Alan Turing , broke the German Enigma messaging code in January 1940 , a feat the Germans believed impossible , given its secret coding system offered 103 sextillion possible settings . Enigma intelligence and messaging traffic continued to be broken routinely at Bletchley Park for the remainder of the war , giving the Allies a firm advantage in wartime intelligence .
Integrated Art
The Enigma code was also of particular inspiration to artist Michael Murray , who produced 12 bespoke artworks for the scheme and had previously worked with both Grainger and 74 on The Headline development in Leeds . At Enigma Square , Michael ’ s artworks include depictions of the German Enigma machine and the British ‘ Bombe ’ de-coding machine , along with depictions of Alan Turing ’ s desk and of RAF Spitfires from the Battle of Britain , in which the code-breaking information provided by Bletchley Park played a crucial role .
Sustainability
A human-centred approach to design and social sustainability was taken at Enigma Square , creating spaces that improve physical and mental well-being and that can adapt to the changing needs of users or the user demographic by incorporating flexible spaces that encourage interaction , community and engagement . The social spaces at Enigma Square are designed to promote interaction
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