Cubism panels were recently specified on the Interaction project for Money.co.uk The panels were used as a great backdrop and sound insulator in the Radio Room

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Kingofthecastle
Soundtect has supplied its acoustic expertise to workplace design
and build specialist, Interaction, in a project that has created the
ultimate workplace for money.co.uk. The 10,000ft2
Grade II Listed
Victorian ‘Castle’ previously didn’t illustrate money.co.uk’s current
standing and vision for the future of the business and Interaction
was called in to transform the building.
Above: The 10,000ft2
Grade II Listed
Victorian ‘Castle’
previously didn’t
illustrate money.
co.uk’s current
standing and vision
for the future of the
business
Below: Interaction
approached
London-based
acoustic consultant,
Soundtect, for its
expertise in creating
an acoustically-sound
environment within
the Radio Room
Below left: The
acoustic specialist’s
solution was to
provide Interaction
with its 61 x 61cm
Cubism panels for the
Radio Room
A
t the heart of the
refurbishment was the
team;torewardstaffwith
thebestplacetowork.
Thismeantcreatinganenvironment
whereitsteamcouldflourish,fulfil
theirpotentialandfeelhappy.
In 2015, money.co.uk was ranked the second
fastest-growing business in the UK by The Sunday
Times, and needed its workplace to reflect this
growth and illustrate its culture. Furthermore, the
comparison company needed its new, inspiring work
environment to continue to attract and retain the best
talent in the industry.
The design concept was
to juxtapose the traditional
architecture of ‘The Castle’ with
a contemporary and one-of-a-
kind finish. The unique building
provides a characterful and
quirky setting for a workplace
setting, therefore the interior
needed to reflect the eccentricity
of the exterior. Just some of the
unique design features include: a
bespoke Star Wars-themed cinema
complete with a popcorn machine,
hand-painted suits of armour and
Rolling Stones and Steam Punk-
themed bathrooms.
Making the space work
The work on The Castle was
completed with staff in occupation
and delivered in two stages; the
main workspace was completed in
the first phase, and the meetings
spaces and informal rooms
delivered in the second. Some of
the more major work included
fitting a bespoke oak external
staircase which links the back of
The Castle to the main entrance.
A feature that was removed years
ago, restoring the staircase was
critical to unlocking how the space
worked by allowing everyone to
enter into the main hub of the
building.

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Outstanding amenities
Interactionalsogaveanewleaseof
lifetoneglectedbasementrooms,
creatingtwogyms,oneforcardio/
yogaandanotherforweighttraining;
bothlinkedtochangingrooms
withshowers.Anotherbasement
wastransformedintoacompletely
bespokeandone-of-a-kindStar
Wars-themedcinema.Thecinema
hasprovedtobeapopularaddition,
beingusedasauniquesettingfora
companymeeting,orfortheteamto
relaxandplayPlayStationaswellas
hostingfilmnights.
Animportantpartofcreatingthe
bestplacetoworkmeantlooking
beyondaestheticandfocusingon
functionality.Havingadiverserange
ofteams,fromprogrammersto
contentwriters,eachwithvarying
needs,money.co.uk’sworkspacehad
toenablepeopletoworktheway
theywanted.Asaresult,Interaction
exploredtheindividualrequirements
ofeveryemployeeinordertodesign
amultitudeofflexibleandadaptable
workspacestailoredtotheneedsof
theteam.Thesespacesgivepeople
thefreedomtoworkhowtheywant,
tosupporttheirwellbeingandthus
productivity.
Before
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Soundtect’s standout solutions
Wellbeing in the workplace is
a term currently on everyone’s
lips, and adapting workplaces to
suit both introvert and extrovert
personality types is coming to
the fore. To meet this trending
need, Interaction approached
London-based acoustic consultant,
Soundtect, for its expertise in
creating an acoustically-sound
environment within money.co.uk’s
Castle for its ‘Radio Room’.
Soundtect was asked to supply
Class A-rated acoustic panels to
provide money.co.uk’s staff with
a relaxing and quiet environment
that they could retreat and relax in,
to escape the hustle and bustle of
the office environment.
Theacousticspecialist’ssolution
wastoprovideInteractionwithits
61x61cmCubismpanelsforthe
RadioRoom.Notonlydoesthe
Cubismrangeofferfantasticacoustic
properties,thepanelsareeasyto
cleanandarenon-toxic,therefore
guaranteednottoirritateorreact
withallergies.TheCubismpanels
alsoreducebackgroundnoiselevels,
whichwasofutmostimportance
forthequiet,relaxingenvironment
Interactionwaslookingtoachieve.
Cubismisavailableinan
abundanceofcolouroptions,and
InteractionoptedforSoundtect’s
Tan,CharcoalandAshtonestocreate
astandoutarea,withfurnishings
andcarpetscomplementingthis
combinationseamlessly.
Innovativeinteraction
There are a host of settings in
which people can go for informal
meetings, private work, training,
relaxing or socialising. This includes
the ‘ice cave’ which can be used for
an informal meeting, or to eat and
socialise. There is also the ski lodge,
which can be accessed through a
secret door in the library; perfect for
relaxation or quiet work.
Withsoftwareandtechnologyat
theheartofthecompany’sbusiness,
havingthebesttechnologyto
interfaceseamlesslywithitswork
environmentwasimperative.
InteractioninstalledaSONOSin
everyroomwithiPadsmountedon
thewallstoallowtheteamtoenjoy
aproductiveenvironment.Thereare
also30TVsthroughouttheoffice,all
linkedtoaHDMImatrix,whichmakes
collaborationeffortless.money.co.uk’s
new‘high-tech’roomboastsa98"4K
TVwiththelatestvideoconferencing
system,toallowitsagileteamsto
communicateeasily,andoutside
everymeetingroomisatouchscreen
bookingpanel.Thesearelinkedtothe
emailcalendarsofallemployeesfora
convenientandeffectivesystem.
Above left: An
important part of
creating the best
place to work
meant looking
beyond aesthetic
and focusing on
functionality
Left: Interaction also
gave a new lease
of life to neglected
basement rooms,
creating two gyms,
one for cardio/yoga
and another for
weight training
Above: An important
part of creating
the best place to
work meant looking
beyond aesthetic
and focusing on
functionality
Before After

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Thecinemaalsoboastsa7.2surroundsoundsystemwith
HDprojectorsandsubwoofersbuiltintothetieredseating,
toppedoffwithcustomisablebespokelighting.
Thefinishedresultofthe£3minvestmentisafun,unique
andextraordinaryenvironmentthatgoesbeyondconvention
togivethepeopleofmoney.co.uktheultimateworkplace.
Provingthataworkspacedoesn’thavetojustbeaplace
fordesks,itcanhaveadiscerniblepositiveimpactupon
thepeopleandthebusiness.Afterninemonthsonsite,the
clientisbeyonddelightedwiththefinishedproductthat
hasgeneratedrealvalueforthecompany.Thisprojectisa
perfectexampleofhowbyplacingemployeewellbeingatthe
centreofthebriefanddesignyoucanuseyourworkplaceas
atooltoinciteapositivecultureandenhanceproductivity,
creativityandcollaboration.TheCastleisfinallyfitforthe
kingsandqueensofthetechworld.
Commentingontheissuesthataroseduringtheproject,
EgleBareikyte,LeadDesignerontheproject,said:“We
hadtobeconsciousandconsideratetonurturethelisted
building.Wewereexcitedtoworkwith,andaccentuate,
severaloriginalfeaturesofthebuilding,suchasthewindows,
archwaysandsomeoriginaldoors–thesehavebecomereal
statementfeatureswhichremindsyouoftherichhistory
ofTheCastle.Thebuildingcontinuouslyrevealednewand
hiddensecretsthatkeptusonourfeetandprovideduswith
uniquedesignchallenges.Thedampwassevere–bythetime
wewerefinishedwehadpracticallyrebuiltTheCastle.”
Above left: With software and technology at the heart of the
company’s business, having the best technology to interface
seamlessly with its work environment was imperative
Above: Just some of the unique design features include a bespoke
Star Wars-themed cinema complete with a popcorn machine
Left: Having a diverse range of teams, from programmers to content
writers, each with varying needs, money.co.uk’s workspace had to
enable people to work the way they wanted
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After
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AfterBefore After
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MattProuse,ProjectManageron
theproject,added:“Attimeswefelt
thebuildingwasconstantlyfighting
againstus,oncewe’dmanagedto
overcomeoneissue,anotherwould
prevail.Partsofthebuildinghadn’t
beenusedforaconsiderableamount
oftime,withnoheating,andsuffering
frommoistureanddamp;alotof
originalplasterwasjustfallingoff.So
thechallengewasreallyrestoringthis
preciousandmagnificentbuilding
backintoastateinwhichitdeserved.
“Deliveringaspacelikethiswas
sounique,assomeofthemodern
buildingsweworkonarebuiltto
facilitateaworkingenvironment,
butTheCastlewastheantithesis.It’s
astonishingtothinkweinstalleda
state-of-the-artenergyrecoveryHVAC
systemandcompletelyrewiredthe
entireelectricalsystemintoaspace
withnoceiling,wallorfloorvoids.
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This page: This project is a perfect example of how
by placing employee wellbeing at the centre of the
brief and design you can use your workplace as a
tool to incite a positive culture

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“One of the biggest challenges was just the diversity
of trades that were involved at any given time, mixed
in with the layout of the building created a challenge to
manage. Considering we had up to 50 contractors on
site at any moment, from 20 separate trades, spread
between 38 different rooms (with little or no mobile
phone coverage), was definitely a challenge. The only
way to overcome this issue was with finite programming
of rooms, ensuring that on a daily basis everyone was
where they needed to be and weren’t being hampered or
interrupted.”
Chris Morling, Founder and Managing Director at
money.co.uk, concluded: “We very quickly realised that
this was much too big a job to do on our own, and we
made the right decision by bringing Interaction on board.
They opened our eyes to what was possible beyond just
making the place look pretty. The workplace adds an
extra level of motivation and satisfaction from working in
such a stunning and functional environment.
“I absolutely love the finished product and I’m
really delighted, going above and beyond my original
expectations.”
interaction.uk.com «
soundtect.com «
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INEX-ONLINE.COM

7. BeforeAfter
Opposite: The
finished result of
the £3m investment
is a fun, unique
and extraordinary
environment
that goes beyond
convention to give
the people of money.
co.uk the ultimate
workplace
Here: The ‘ice cave’
can be used for an
informal meeting or
to eat and socialise
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