Professional Identity Magazine – Sarah Perkins | Page 7

1.1 - Practice Visit
Practice Visit
Reflective Statement
When I first entered the Squire and Partners office
building, I was amazed by its sheer size and how much
space they had to work in. The reception was such a
warm and comfortable entry way and perfect to represent
the company. We were met by Kristina, a member of
the interior design team, who proceeded to lead us to
a meeting room. On the way, we walked up a beautiful
staircase, and were later informed that it was part of the
original building which they had simply restored when
they had renovated the building into their office space.
The building, which is based in Brixton, London was
originally a department store built in the Edwardian era.
It has been restored in a way that highlights the historical
features, and stripped back to the existing brick work
and ironmongery to show the authenticity of the original
architecture.
We were taken to one of the meeting rooms which is
where we met James, another member of the Interior
design team, who showed us a presentation about Squire
and Partners. I found the presentation very informative,
for example the total number of staff who work in the
building is 237! James also showed us some of their past
projects for example, a social workspace for the Ministry
of Sound, and a mass residential project for which they
designed details such as the ironmongery from scratch.
After the presentation James and Kristina took us on a
tour of the building which we started in the lower ground
floor, a presentation space which also doubles as a hobby
space for activities such a Yoga, taking place at lunchtime
twice a week.
We then returned to the reception area on the ground floor. While exploring the many floors of the building it
became apparent that there was void in every space. I asked James about this and he said that this was done in the
renovation to mimic a department store format while also creating a spatial relationship between each floor. We
then were led to the office floors, an open plan workspace divided into departments. I was impressed as to how the
space had been laid out as it meant there were opportunities for employees to communicate, which displayed that
the working conditions were slightly less formal to create a happier work environment. We were then taken to the
top floor which included a public restaurant and a roof terrace, concluding the tour of the building.
Overall, I could see myself working for a company like this as I like the range of projects that they specialise in.
This would enable me to experience most sectors of interior design. Location, however is very important to me and
I am not sure I would he happy working in Brixton as I would prefer to work in central London.
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