Penketh Group Visit

In a quest to find some primary research, we visited the Penketh Group showroom at the Neo Building in Manchester. Today's visit has been my favourite so far as we were able to interact with professional designers and experience an environment of impressive office fit-outs. I didn't have the best start to my morning. I commute to Manchester from Liverpool daily, which is an inconvenience at the best of times. Anyone who gets the train will understand how frustrating it is when they get delayed. My scheduled train was late by 20 minutes. I hate being late. By the time I arrived at Manchester Victoria station I had missed my second train. With fifteen minutes to spare, I booked an Uber. My driver Eatzaz came to my rescue; I arrived at the Neo Building just on time. We met Hayley and Sam, who are both workplace consultants at Penketh Group. They gave us a tour of the space. The showroom itself appears to be a pleasant working environment. There are enormous windows that welcome in a large amount of natural light. Studies have found that productivity can increase by up to 20% when workers have access to daylight. The windows also provide views of Manchester, creating a connection between the city and the workplace. It would be a privilege to work in a similar setting; I feel like space is unfulfilled as a showroom. The showrooms divided into different zones. For instance, office areas, collaboration spaces, a kitchen and meeting rooms. Penketh group has included a range of furniture and advanced technology to complement the latest design trends. The showroom illustrates the companies concept of how workspaces should appear. I think its an innovative idea to have a showroom that clients can visit as they can gain inspiration and envision how the products may work in their space. The visit has influenced my design approach to co-working spaces. The types of furniture used and its arrangement generates a variety of scenes. For example, an area with sofas and a coffee table is relaxed and informal, whereas a seating booth provides a space for intimate conversations. I will embody similar schemes in the design of my co-working office, to create a series of zones, in which individuals can work. After our tour, we completed a group activity. Each team had to pick a mysterious adjective and create a mood board, using materials from the Penketh Group library. My group got the word textured; we searched for fabrics and samples with a tactile finish. Once we had found the perfect pieces, we organised them to illustrate our scheme. This task was enjoyable and helpful as I tend to struggle when making mood boards. Creating a physical board allowed me to understand the process of presenting a concept through a collaging technique. I will attempt to translate this new physical skill into my digital work. The gallery atmosphere has presented an opportunity for our group to observe the space and obtain research without disrupting a working office. I am thankful to Penketh group for providing this experience. I am also appreciative of Hayley and Sam for their great hospitality and thoroughly enjoyed my visit to the Penketh Group showroom.