Calico- Winners of the BCO award-Refurbished/Recycled Workplace
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03 May 2023
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Calico, Manchester – A Sustainable Workspace for the SME Community
Calico, a sensitively refurbished industrial warehouse in Manchester city centre, has won the Refurbished/Recycled Workplace category of the prestigious British Council for Offices (BCO) Awards for 2023. The building provides flexible workspace across seven floors, including communal areas and a rooftop garden.
A strong sustainability theme runs through all of the winners at the 2023 Northern Awards, reflecting the BCO’s mission to research, develop, and communicate best practice in all aspects of the office sector. Calico’s distinction between the Grade II-listed building fabric and modern interventions celebrates a new period in the building’s history while recognizing its former use as an industrial warehouse.
Lazerian Designs Beautiful Creations for Calico’s Award-Winning Workspace
Lazerian worked on the award-winning Calico project alongside architects Hawkins Brown and interior designers Sheila Bird.
Lazerian was commissioned to design and create bespoke pieces for Calico’s welcome and reception area. The pieces included a ceramic and 3D build welcome desk, as well as stools and tables dotted around the space. The reception area, stairs, planters, and stools designed and created by Lazerian also took inspiration from the building’s rich history.
"Calico, winner of the Refurbished/Recycled Workplace category is a sensitively refurbished industrial warehouse in Manchester city centre providing flexible workspace across five original storeys and a two-storey roof extension. The clear distinction between the Grade II-listed building fabric and new interventions celebrates a new period in the building’s history, while recognising its former use as an industrial warehouse." BCO judges comments
The Northern region winners will now compete for the BCO National Awards in October 2023, and Calico, Manchester, is a strong contender for the national title. The awards recognize projects that demonstrate best practice in office design, fit-out, operation, and sustainability, setting the standard for excellence in the industry.
Calico provides a creative workspace for Manchester’s SME community, offering flexible and sustainable solutions across seven floors. The communal areas and rooftop garden are perfect for networking, team-building, and relaxation, while the clear distinction between the building’s old and new features highlights the building’s unique history.
Calico’s BCO award is a testament to its commitment to sustainability and best practice in the office sector, making it the perfect choice for SMEs looking for a creative and sustainable workspace in Manchester.
Sustainability is at the core of Lazerian’s designs, and it was an honor to work on a project that so closely aligns with that ethos. Ceramic was chosen for the primary material of the bespoke pieces, which complements the building’s aesthetic and captures the beautiful texture of the fabric, print rollers, and colors synonymous with the original Calico printing warehouse.
Preserving traditional art and craft is crucial to Lazerian, as demonstrated in the Calico project’s reception desk. The desk’s symbolic columns feature artworks created over a century ago within the same building. By integrating these pieces into the desk, Lazerian pays homage to the importance of traditional art and craft while showcasing its dedication to preserving the city’s rich printing history.
To blend traditional art with modern innovation, a 6-axis robot was used to print the artworks. The glaze on the ceramics has a patina that mimics the look of printing tooling used over years, further emphasizing the importance of preserving the city’s rich printing history.
Overall, working on the Calico project was a fantastic experience, and Lazerian is proud to have contributed to such a beautifully designed and sustainable workspace.
