Will 2019 Be The Year Of The Obligatory Super-Cool Reception Area?

Once, not long ago, a Birmingham office block reception area had two functions. First, operating on the same principle that led banks to occupy neo-Georgian buildings of timeless solidity, to make sure every office block reception had a little bit of marble. You know you are worth it, said the marble reassuringly, you are serious players.

The second function of the reception area was a place to store umbrellas and a single very bored receptionist.

Now all that has changed. Mid-century styled furniture, mood lighting, lots of hardwood veneers and even fake log-burners.

Birmingham-based property company Evenacre's £3.5M redevelopment of 4 St Philip’s Place is the latest sign that a super-cool reception is obligatory at even small-scale office schemes.

Upon completion at Easter 2019, there will be 24K SF of Grade A office space, with open-plan floorplates from 3.5K SF.

Inside, the building will boast a new entrance and reception area, with the addition of new cycle storage and shower facilities.

According to Area, designers whose Birminghan clients and projects include Grant Thornton's 27K SF Birmingham offices at Colmore Plaza, the 2019 design trends are for a more cohesive "inner urban landscape" with furniture used as connecting features in seamless spaces; the use of contrasts and extemes, including the use of sound; and quiet spaces for introspection.

It said office occupiers should expect "innovative approaches that create personal experiences through human-centred sensory perception". This could include neuron activion pods.

Evenacre is managing the project, designed by Associated Architects, on behalf of landlord Arbuthnot Latham & Co. Savills has been appointed to let the office space.

The seven-storey office building is being overhauled to provide contemporary office space. Its stone facade is to be restored, and the 1980s mansard roof replaced with a slate and zinc roof more in keeping with the building’s historic surrounds. Windows throughout the building will be replaced, with large glazed dormer windows added to the top floors, maximising the panoramic views of the Grade I listed St Philip’s Cathedral and square.