Martin-Baker Offices – Buckinghamshire
IOR was tasked with the design for the Martin-Baker offices, the aviation safety equipment creators, located in Buckinghamshire, England.
Martin-Baker is a business with true purpose – saving lives. This world-leading ejector seat manufacturer sought to maximise creative interaction at its new Engineering Building by engaging its exceptional talent and making a strong statement about Martin-Baker’s values and identity.
The outcome – a beautiful environment where everything is designed with purpose.
Martin-Baker required a new workspace that would bring together the multiple engineering teams situated across their campus and create an engaging working environment for these exceptional minds.
Moving away from their traditional and inflexible environment required a clear, cohesive and practical planning rationale. Martin-Baker’s new working landscape needed to embrace agile working, integrate technology into all task-related settings, promote collaboration and support staff wellbeing.
Informed that engineers ‘think with a pen’, Vitra dancing walls alongside Orangebox Airea pods now provide additional spaces for impromptu discussion. Traditional work settings comprise bench-style workstations by Herman Miller and ergonomic Sayl chairs. Developing outwards from the ‘fixed’ cellular spaces at the building’s core provides visibility through to meeting rooms, offices and resource spaces, with additional agile working zones that encourage users to collaborate and problem solve away from ‘head down’ desk areas.
Bespoke plywood joinery for storage and layout space sits alongside high and low table meeting areas, all of which keep noise transfer to a minimum. Strategically positioned Abstracta acoustic ceiling rafts and ribbed recycled Buxkin felt was applied to wall surfaces to help absorb noise in typically social spaces like the breakout areas. These comfortable breakout areas now provide space for inspiration and relaxation, complete with beautiful woodland views and planting.
Design: IOR
Photography: Andy Stagg
