Ten years into the festival, Clerkenwell Design Week shows no sign of slowing down, and neither do our Clerkenwell based clients, who are continuing to step up and celebrate the annual festivities in the UK’s busiest design district. Here’s a rundown of what they are up to, when and where and how to win a bundle of prizes from Bene, Bisley, Humanscale, OfficeBlueprint and others.

BDG

BDG architecture + design’s Chief Executive Officer Gill Parker and Chief Creative Officer Colin Macgadie will be getting involved in the festival this year through two Conversations at Clerkenwell events. Colin Macgadie will be part of the discussion titled ‘Office nomads, co-working, start-up culture, the rise of the freelancer’. The culture of work has completely transformed in the last 10 years. Design has played a key role in transforming our workplaces, moving away from standardised, hierarchical office systems and towards spaces that are less formal, more flexible and increasingly open, blurring the boundaries between work and leisure. What does this
mean for the architects and designers tasked with creating the workplaces of tomorrow? Gill Parker is joining the ‘Women in Office Design’ panel of accomplished female leaders who are making waves in the design world. The panel will explore the varied issues faced by women in design and offer insights into the challenges, successes, and the journey that got them to where they are today.
b-d-g.com

Bene

Bene will be celebrating by turning its St Johns Street showroom into a PIXEL playground, ready for three days of entertaining the thousands of architecture and design enthusiasts visiting the district. PIXEL is a building block which can be easily transformed into a table, a bench, a stool, or even a rostrum with just a few manoeuvres, opening up new possibilities for collaborative work. Visitors will be able to experiment with PIXEL boxes by trying out the almost infinite number of possible configurations to see what suits the particular environment of their own
company and its individual culture for meetings and encounters. Bene UK will also unveil new additions to the award-winning STUDIO range, designed collaboratively by Austrian product designer Thomas Feichtner and Bene. This will be the UK launch of the STUDIO Workbench, High and Side Tables and Backbone – fresh from its much applauded appearance at the Salone del Mobile, Milan.
Bene.com

Bisley

Bisley is pleased to be launching a number of new products and collaborations to celebrate the first year anniversary of its flagship showroom. The next wave of innovations are designed to inspire imagination and productivity beyond the traditional workstation. From BOB, the first all-wood product from Bisley, –- to Be, the new dual aspect, creative solution that produces perfect combinations for a connected workspace. Bisley will also host a programme of CDW events designed to stimulate discussion; including talks from Workhorse Founder, Alastair Badman and an interactive breakfast session with Craig Jones, Founder and Director of Jones & Partners.
Bisley.com

By Bailey

This year at Clerkenwell Design Week, By Bailey will be celebrating its newly formed partnership, with leading US furniture dealer InsideSource, by hosting a number of events and activities that pay homage to this exciting pan-Atlantic relationship. By Bailey will launch the first ever product from US manufacturer AllSteel Inc to the UK market. Rock is part of the agile Townhall collection, a range of soft seating, tables and accessories that are movable but not mobile, designed by the international design studio Rainlight. The collection takes its cues from real-life work situations – learning from observed behaviours and supporting multiple functions, new postures and diverse activities, the agile Townhall is a system of components that create micro-environments with individual objects that complement and add variety to the landscape. By Bailey will also be showcasing original and innovative products from Danish design company Normann Copenhagen. The range on display, all possessing the distinct minimalist design qualities, include sofas, a variety of tables, beautiful chairs, poufs and lights.
By-bailey.london

Humanscale

Each afternoon Humanscale will host the Humanscale Hour, with 60 minutes of discussion around various pertinent issues to the festivals design and architecture attendees. The ergonomic experts have brought together experts in design, architecture, ergonomics, engineering, surveying and construction for the three discussions, tickets for which can be found on eventbrite:
1. Taking the Ergonomic LEED
2. What if we could design Inside Out?
3. Setting the bar for sustainability
Humanscale.com

Knightsbridge Furniture

Clerkenwell Design Week will be the launch of Knightsbridge Furniture’s 80th birthday celebrations. Its stand at Project (PA8) will showcase the Coupe collection, which pays homage to the elegance of art deco with beautiful scallop detailing, and relaunched from the archives, Caravelle is a soft-seating collection reminiscent of a past Knightsbridge mid-century collection that sits perfectly in modern workplaces and hospitality interiors. Visitors to the stand are also invited to enter a digital smartboard competition, in which participants are entered into a draw to win a chance to design their own piece of furniture.
Knightsbridge-furniture.co.uk

Material Matters

Material Matters is the new podcast from the British Design Writer and Critic Grant Gibson. Over the course of a 30-minute interview, the former Blueprint and Crafts Editor chats with different designers, artists and makers about their relationship to a particular material or technique with which they’re intrinsically linked. Listeners find out how they came to be involved with the material in the first instance, what they love about it, and how their relationship with it has developed over time. In this first-ever live episode, Gibson will be talking timber with Gareth Neal, the brilliant designer who combines traditional craft skills with digital technology to regularly stunning effect.

The Meeting Pod Co

The Meeting Pod Company is returning to Clerkenwell Design Week with both its indoor and outdoor products. Located at Project (PB2) will be the 4 Person Meeting Pod, a great space for collaborative working, fitted with a new composite glass enclosure, demonstrating great acoustics and bespoke bolstered foam interior. Additionally, the outdoor pod fitted with rubberised cork interior and solar-powered device charging facilities will offer the perfect environment to get the job done whilst getting away from the office. The Meeting Pod Co will host open-door breakfasts for dealers, architects and press on Wednesday 22nd and Thursday 23rd, from 8am at the Finsbury Business Centre. The team are extremely excited to show visitors how the fully customisable pods can help employers provide engaging workplaces, dynamic open plan spaces, as well as funky breakout and agile working areas.
Themeetingpod.co.uk

Office Blueprint

Office Blueprint will have two locations during Clerkenwell Design Week. The first will be its stunning brand-new Welltek showroom located at 26 Seward Street, and secondly a stand in located at Design Fields. Each destination will showcase several of its innovative products which highlight technology and wellness in the workplace, including N.A.P, Naava Green Walls, Big Sky, and Framery. All provide a solution to the key elements of employee wellbeing, a topic that is at the forefront of enlightened organisations as we scrutinise better ways to work.
Officeblueprint.co.uk

Woven Image

Material experts Woven Image’s award-winning acoustic material EchoPanel, and its Mura wallcovering, both made in part from post-use recycled PET, will be on display in the showrooms of writable glass innovators Clarus on Clerkenwell Road, and the newly refreshed Connection showroom on Great Sutton Street.
Wovenimage.com

KEY EVENT INFO

Tuesday 22/05/19

What: By Bailey’s American Breakfast
Where: By Bailey Showroom, 33-35 Clerkenwell Green, EC1R 0DU
When: 09:30
How: RSVP here

What: Bisley’s Industry Brunch
Where: Bisley Showroom, 32 Dallington St, EC1V 0BB
When: 10:30
How: RSVP here

What: BDG’s Chief Creative Officer Colin Macgadie talks Future Space: The Way We’ll Work
Where: Spa Fields Park, EC1R 0WX
When: 12:00
How: RSVP here

What: Journalist Grant Gibson chairs a panel on Where Next: The Future of the Furniture Industry?
Where: Spa Fields Park, EC1R 0WX
When: 15:00
How: RSVP here

What: FUTURE Designs Technology-led Art Installation & Drinks Reception
Where: FUTURE Designs Showroom, 32 Dallington Street, EC1V 0BB
When: 16:00
How: By invitation only

What: Humanscale Hour: Taking the ergonomic LEED
Where: Clerkenwell Design Fields, EC1R 0NE
When: 17:00
How: Register here

What: Bene PIXEL Drinks Reception
Where: Bene Showroom, 47 – 53 St John St, EC1M 4AN
When: 18:00
How: By invitation only

Wednesday 23/05/18

What: The Meeting Pod Co Breakfast: For all resellers, architects & press
Where: Finsbury Business Centre, 40 Bowling Green Ln, EC1R 0NE
When: 08:00
How: Open Event

What: Bisley’s Interactive Breakfast looking at the changing office environment & how innovative
design supports efficiency & collaboration, with founder & director of Jones & Partners, Craig
Jones
Where: Bisley showroom, 32 Dallington Street, EC1V 0BB
When: 09:00-11:00
How: RSVP here

What: By Bailey’s American Breakfast
Where: By Bailey Showroom, 33-35 Clerkenwell Green, EC1R 0DU
When: 09:30
How: RSVP here

What: Journalist Grant Gibson hosts Material Matters Live with designer Gareth Neal
Where: Spa Fields Park, EC1R 0WX
When: 12:00
How: RSVP here

What: BDG’s Chief Executive Officer Gill Parker joins an inspirational panel chaired by Helen Parton
on ‘Women in Office Design’
Where: Spa Fields Park, EC1R 0WX
When: 14:00
How: RSVP here

What: Office Blueprint Gin Party
Where: Office Blueprint Showroom, 26 Seward St, EC1V 3PA
When: 16:00
How: RSVP here

What: Humanscale Hour: What if we could design Inside Out?
Where: Clerkenwell Design Fields, EC1R 0NE
When: 17:00
How: Register here

What: By Bailey’s Drinks Reception to commemorate the AllSteel Rock N Rise.
Where: By Bailey Showroom, 33-35 Clerkenwell Green, EC1R 0DU
When: 17:30
How: RSVP here

Thursday 24/05/18

What: The Meeting Pod Co Breakfast: For all resellers, architects & press
Where: Finsbury Business Centre, 40 Bowling Green Ln, EC1R 0NE
When: 08:00
How: Open Event

What: Aki Soudunsaari and others talk wellness in the workplace with Onoffice editor JessicaChristin Hametner
Where: Spa Fields Park, EC1R 0WX
When: 12:00
How: RSVP here

What: By Bailey’s Round Table Forum: Where do trends come from?
Where: By Bailey Showroom, 33-35 Clerkenwell Green, EC1R 0DU
When: 16:00
How: RSVP here

What: Bisley’s Drinks Reception, exploring the next wave of innovations
Where: Bisley showroom, 32 Dallington Street, EC1V 0BB
When: 16:00
How: RSVP here

What: Humanscale Hour: Setting the bar for sustainability
Where: Clerkenwell Design Fields, EC1R 0NE
When: 17:00
How: Register here

For further information contact Jane Thomson.

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