Balancing improvements to air quality and energy efficiency..

They’re starting to feel dissatisfied with what’s on offer to them with traditional construction and they want something different.. That, says Amy Marks, is how she knows things are going to change..Serial owners and the power of clients to drive change in construction.

The key lies with the big owners.Marks calls them ‘serial owners,’ because they are large-scale, repeat asset builders.It’s when those big owners start making demands that the shifts occur.

She refers to big-budget school programmes as an example and talks about their need for operational consistency, usually over large geos.However, she cautions that after owners demand the change, it’s important they’re involved in allowing people to change the process to decrease risk and make things possible.. Jaimie Johnston points out that people often want innovation, but they want it to be tried and tested, without extra risk.

They want a sophisticated way of delivering, but through an existing framework, an existing set of contracts, an existing set of contractual terms.. “No one doubts that you can deliver an asset using some of these technologies, he says, “but it's the framework of procurement methodology and contracts, and IP, and warranties and insurances - all those other things that need to change.”.

“What I'm finding now,” says Amy Marks, “is that they love industrialised construction, they want to understand certainty, so they're starting to dictate and decouple the process of construction and productising it.”.‘It’s actually a really quiet environment,’ Obinna Ihejetoh says, ‘we always forget we’re under the Westway.’.

Shaun and Khalifa also live locally in Primrose Hill and Kensal Rise so benefit from short commutes.‘The location is not your typical Farringdon creative space, but for me, that’s a bonus.

It’s a bit more subdued,’ Obinna Ihejetoh says, ’it feels more real, a bit more like London.’ I ask them about their favourite aspect of the building and in addition to the atrium and cafe, it’s actually a detail that’s a real nod from one architect to another…‘I love the view as you walk down the canal and the building is warped into the Westway,’ says Shaun.‘The canal curves one way and the road sweeps dramatically in the other direction.