magazine
42
OfficeDesign
Thenew Londonheadquartersof
video call specialist Skype is aGrade II
listedGothic landmark inHolborn,
recently refurbishedbyaward-winning
architectural practice tpBennett LLPand
construction services company ISG.
Spread across three floors and90,000
square feet, theMicrosoft division’s new
office includes a reception area; open plan
and cellular offices; an engineering lab; and
meeting rooms equippedwith fullAV/Video
conference capability.There are also focus
rooms and informal break-outmeeting
areas, including ‘TheChill’ – a large central
meeting areawhere employees canmeet,
eat andnetwork.
Highqualityglazing
Striking features of the design include
giant screens so that staff can Skype chat
with colleagues across the globe, high
levels of natural light and internal glazing
printedwith the names of famous British
brands, bands and people, alongside
Skype’s own imagery.
The glazingwas decorated by signage
expert Signbox,whichused LintecGraphic
Films’Vitrocolour E-2200ZCnon-PVC
process colour film to reinforce and
extend the Skype brand throughout the
office.
Signbox directorMatthewWilkins
explains:“Because of its gothic heritage,
the building’s shapewas fun to playwith,
featuring long curvedwindows inside
andout. Coupledwith the newfit-out
that added an array of glass partitions
and doors,wewere presentedwith an
exciting proposition to explore through
highquality glazingmanifestation.Taking
into consideration the nature of Skype’s
business – face-to-face video calls – there
had to be an element of privacywithout
detracting from the energy and zeal of
the office environment.”
Freshdesign
Wilkins andhis teamused Signbox’s
in-housewide format printer, aDurst
Omega 2, to print 1,000 squaremetres
of film decoratedwith Skype emoticons
andfloor-specific themes. LintecGraphic
Films E-2200ZCfilmwas chosen for its
white ink capability andoptical clarity.
“Itwas critical thatwe introduced a
design thatwould remain fresh and in
keepingwith the fast pace of Skype’s
business,”explainsWilkins.“E-2200ZC’s
hard coating offers brilliant scratch
resistance and doesn’t fade. Such is the
clarity of the non-printed areas of the
film, it looks as if we had printed directly
onto the glass. Itwas also incredibly easy
to install, and can be seamlessly removed
inone piece for any future ‘refresh’
programmes,making it a cost-effective
investment.”
Clearer
communications
LintecGraphic Films’ E-2200ZC is
aUV-printable gloss polyesterwith
exceptional scratch-resistance.The non-
PVCfilm combines optical clarity, ease of
installation and impressive environmental
credentials and can be printedwith any
number of colours. Light transmission,
colour and positioning can all be varied
to provide bespoke treatments tailored to
the nature of the space.
In conclusion,Wilkins said:“The
manifestations not only complement an
outstanding office space but perform an
important technical function too.Thiswas
an exciting and technically demanding
project, and LintecGraphic Films’ solution
added the all-important final flourish to
the design.”
Printedfilm strikes theperfect balancebetweenopen-ness
andprivacy inSkype’snew Londonheadquarters
