Cambridge-based steel prefabricators Futura manufacture a range of lightweight steel box beams for the construction industry which allow for gravity-defying spans that "make the impossible possible."

"They wanted to feature their box beams throughout the interior," says Designwell’s Alexander Wastney, "and so we took inspiration from the industrial nature and precision of the materials and products they made."

The result is an advanced, tech-driven interior that achieves a modern, fresh aesthetic that is welcoming and relatable to their construction and farming sector clientele. One half of the floorplate is customer facing, with a showroom and large conference room and event space, and the other half contains the team’s offices and meeting rooms with high ceilings and a generous open plan.

With comfort, acoustics, brand fit and durability among the requirements, carpet tiles by Advance Flooring in grey and purple were selected early. "This collection gave us nice movement and texture," says Wastney, "and gave us colour choices, with a purple tile very close to Futura’s brand accent colour. The purple brings through pops of colour in the interior, adding energy to the greys of the industrial steel product on show."

Designwell used the client’s materials and processes to generate ideas for new design elements, including custom planting boxes and screens using box beams, and a large stainless steel reception desk designed to resemble Futura’s products. The use of veneered plywood to create vaulted bulkhead in the entry is another design focus, bringing in warm material to contrast with the stainless and concrete finishes.

The Advance carpet tiles, in a pattern of light grey and purple on a base of dark grey, serve to bring all the elements together, creating a fresh and dynamic client-facing and staff experience to underscore Futura’s vision and technology.

The ex-stock carpet tiles also made the specification process simple. "We wanted something easy and available," notes Wastney. It made the selection process easy for the client, avoiding lots of to and fro to make decisions quickly, knowing the stock was there on installation day.