Quadrant Carpets has recently completed the 5,500sq ft carpet contract for the new Evangelical Alliance premises in King's Cross, London. The Evangelical Alliance is one of the leading Christian organisations in the UK, representing their 20,000 individuals, 700 organisations and 3,500 churches from across the country to the media and the government.
The Evangelical Alliance's main London home was for many years in Kennington, south London, in an earnest building warmly referred to as the ‘rabbit warren'. A desire for a centre which better reflected a dynamic 21st century organisation, led the Alliance to relocate to what has become one of the most vibrant development areas of the London: King's Cross.
The organisation's new premises at 176 Copenhagen Street occupy street level across the whole of the building and has been designed to provide administration, break-out meeting rooms and the resource centre for the Evangelical Alliance's members with flexible presentation and library space contained in one central location.
Helen Calder, executive director of finance and services at the Evangelical Alliance, worked closely with the experimental workspace designers, RAW Unlimited, to develop the concept for a space that would migrate staff from small enclosed offices into this open linear environment. Helen commented. "It was essential that our staff were comfortable with the changes being made, and we had very positive feedback from the initial concept and through the move."
Andy Ward, director, RAW Unlimited stated: "We had a number of meetings with the Evangelical Alliance delivery team to define the brief, and the team very quickly identified with our re-imagined work environment which allowed us to move forward very quickly with the project."
The new premises with its full height glass street-side elevation, has created a welcoming, connected and yet functional suite of interconnected spaces, and is flooded with natural light. The use of specific colour and texture to designate work and public areas provides a soft boundary created without the use of fixed room dividers. Raw Unlimited has previously worked with Quadrant Carpets and knew that its capabilities would be a match for this project. From the clear brief and striking visuals Chris Forbes of Quadrant Carpets, quickly defined a range of carpet tile options that provided excellent colour and textural contrasts that the layout required.
Chris Forbes commented. "The contrasts were used to great effect to section the space and provide pathways through the building. Our textured loop pile Balance carpet range with its contrast colours of Aquila and Pictor offers a highly durable flooring solution with 10 year wear warranty and a 5 year colourfastness warranty, which ensures that the carpet will maintain its visual impact for many years to come."
The move to the King's Cross area has placed the Evangelical Alliance in an excellent position not only for train and road transport links but also for the City and Parliament.
Chris Forbes concluded: "Increasing numbers of briefs are informed by not only commercial cost but by our flexibility in terms of range of product, manufacture, supply and service considerations. We know that working with likeminded innovators like RAW Unlimited helps position us positively in the client's mind."