Bene Office Furniture

Bank of Ireland

Architect: Gensler Architects
Sales Office: Bene London

Bene in tune with Bank of Ireland.

Bow Bells House is a prestigious commercial development located in the heart of the City of London beside the famous church after which it is named. It houses the new headquarters for the Bank of Ireland, where 485 employees occupy 70,000 sq feet of superbly appointed offices. Every aspect of this impressive project – completed in August 2008 – shows how a team of professionals with the best and most practical furniture solutions at their disposal can create an efficient work environment that fulfils all the bank’s requirements ranging from excellent office accommodation and meeting facilities to executive suites and client entertainment areas.

It was more than the luck of the Irish that achieved this functional office – Austria’s leading office furniture company, Bene has played a key role in achieving this high performance workplace. The timescales for specifications, design decisions and product deliveries were short, relying on exceptional professional capabilities to ensure smooth and assured project management.

Bank of Ireland has rationalised four previous premises into a single building, unifying its operations, and forecasting significant economies as a result. The new offices are arranged over 4 floors, occupying the fourth to the seventh, with the seventh floor allocated to executive suits and client services. The lower floors provide equally high quality work environment.

Bene was recommended by the architect, Gensler, to provide all the office furniture for management and administration areas in February 2008. The contract amounts to 423 desks and pedestals in the open plan area; approximately 200 filing cabinets; and furniture for 16 cellular offices. From confirmation of contract to installation, Bene’s manufacturing and logistics turned the project around in approximately 9 weeks. Without Bene’s highly efficient manufacturing operation in Waidhofen, and its inherent flexibility, such an order would be almost impossible to fulfil.

Bank of Ireland provides an excellent example for the wide application for Bene’s T-Platform, and is also one of the first projects in the UK that demonstrates a combination with Bene’s P2 system, here used as the working wall to provide storage. Throughout the offices, the T-platform has been installed in cellular offices as individual L-shaped workstations, and is also configured in groups of 2, 4 and 6 in open-plan areas. A subtle detail is the innovative two-colour aluminium edge which gives the impression of slim, light and elegant tabletops. T-platform’s efficient use of space, clean aesthetic and practical cable management are just some of its main attractions. There is a unified visual relationship between the single workstation in management offices and the executive desking in the open plan areas. Small round meeting tables appear in cellular offices for informal meetings – as a bespoke solution, Bene fitted sandblasted glass on top of a white melamine table top.

In the open plan area there are two storage solutions for personal items. Beside the desk Maine Tambor units, used as desk return, accommodate filing. (Again Bene offered a bespoke solution with white glass tops.) Under the desk is a Silverline slimline 3 drawer pedestal. The significant filing required by the business is accommodated in banks of Maine grey cabinets, with glass tops. The 3 file high height of the cabinets supports the open plan environment, and serves to break up the space and separate different business operations.

T-platform also provides facilities for efficient organisation. The 3rd plane – the back screen affords personal and acoustic privacy; shelves, and desk accessories are an integral part of the system. In the open areas, the screens serve to define the personal workspace and visually organise the layout of the office.

In the management offices T-platform has been combined with Bene’s P2 storage wall, creating a refined ambiance whilst simultaneously providing shelves and secure wall mounted storage. The main structure is fabricated in oak, which contrasts with sliding doors made in high gloss white lacquered MDF. There is discrete lighting concealed under the shelves that projects onto the worksurface to assist concentrated activity.

The cellular offices are arranged around the outside perimeter of the floor, with impressive views over the surrounding area. Glazed partitioning ensures privacy, but emphasise the ‘transparent’ management culture whilst allowing light to flood into the open plan areas. Facilities for internal meetings are located at the centre of the building, close to core services, with tea and coffee points nearby.

A palette of plums and rich reds has been used to unify the design scheme. The warm colours appear on accent walls in the collective administrative areas where they perfectly offset the focal artworks, and help to break up the expansive floors. In cellular offices and meeting rooms the rich tones create a sense of intimacy. Bespoke carpeting picks up the colours in fragmented stripes, drawing the eye the length of the offices. Upholstery for the executive seating is also deep red, providing a dynamic contrast with the pale oak wood surface of Bene’s T-platform workstations. The overall effect is bright, contemporary and dynamic.

Bank of Ireland also displays a magnificent collection of artworks, which are exhibited throughout the offices. The seventh floor, which houses senior executives and provides guest facilities, mixes the atmosphere of an art gallery with a workplace. The autumnal colours on walls and upholstery (here used for Vitra Eames seating) offset the paler oak panelling.

Throughout the offices, Bene has provided meeting room furniture using T-meeting range. From a facility management perspective, the table is simple to configure for a variety of meeting scenarious, and its clear lines create a calm atmosphere in areas that are dominated by the dynamic exterior views. K2 side credenzas complete the facility, with integrated cable management and AV capabilities for sophisticated presentations.

Break out areas and the staff restaurant are fitted to a superior standard, feeling more like a local city bar than an office. The design exploits the city views, and there is terraced al fresco café seating beside the long restaurant gallery. It overlooks the remarkable architecture of Bow Church. The area features long upholstered benches and banquette seating (using metallic leather) and small coffee tables for quick breaks.

The turn around for this project has been rapid. Bank of Ireland’s executives moved in at the end of August, precisely on schedule. They find a pristine workplace that is efficient, contemporary, and inspirational. Meanwhile, Bene’s efficient operation – furniture advisors, planners, manufacturing resource and installers – once again demonstrate the benefits of specifying from a skilled, resourced and efficient operation.