CLIENT
MEPC
DESIGN
Jolie Studio (Interiors) & Simpson Haugh (Architects)
LOCATION
Manchester, UK
COMPLETED
2023
4 Angel Square is a net-zero in operation office building in north Manchester, designed by architects Simpson Haugh and interior designers JOLIE for the city’s growing NOMA district.
With this new neighbourhood seeking to embody a form of more sustainable, responsible development, The Furniture Practice was appointed to help ensure that 4 Angel Square fulfils its potential as a long-lasting, flexible, and environmentally accountable workspace.
Led by developer MPEC, Manchester’s NOMA is one of the largest regeneration projects in the UK, transforming 20 acres of the city into a new district devoted to business, hospitality, residential, and retail. 4 Angel Square, which has been accredited net zero carbon in operation and ranked BREEAM Outstanding, is pioneering the wider development’s focus on sustainability.
With this in mind, we set about working with JOLIE to specify a furniture strategy for the building’s amenity areas that would have maximal impact for the building’s users, but minimal impact on the planet.
Key to any sustainability strategy is longevity: the longer a piece of furniture lasts, the lower its impact. With this in mind, we collaborated with high-end Nordic design brands such as &Tradition, Muuto, Fredericia, and Carl Hansen.
These companies not only produce furniture whose Scandinavian design speaks to the contemporary aesthetics of 4 Angel Square, but their quality construction and characterful minimalism ensure that their pieces will stand the test of time.
To top this off, we specified finishes in timber, velvet and brass – materials that develop a natural patina and only grow more beautiful with age. with the design team to finalise finishes and fabrics.
Throughout the design process, we worked closely with MPEC and the building’s interior designers JOLIE to embed the sustainable values of 4 Angel Square into every design decision. In upholstering the furniture, for instance, we prioritised fabrics that are naturally flame resistant, such as Kvadrat’s Hallingdal and Encircle textiles, thereby avoiding additional treatments that come at an environmental cost.
What’s more, these high-quality fabrics set a welcoming ambience for the building’s reception, waiting area, and co-working space, showing that environmental excellence need not mean aesthetic compromise.
To ensure longevity, we placed flexibility at the centre of 4 Angel Square’s furniture strategy. The tables and sofas specified for the building’s co-working space are all modular and can be quickly reconfigured to suit the changing needs of residents through endless arrangements and configurations.
What’s more, we made sure that everyone working on the design of 4 Angel Square had all the information they needed from the get go, thanks to a detailed report outlining the sustainability credentials of every manufacturer on the project. 4 Angel Square is designed to last; we made sure its furniture is future-proofed too.
