When Azimuth’s lease in Soho ended, the company took the opportunity to turn a seven-story 1960’s building in Holborn into its headquarters. Due to the highly technical nature of the post-production industry, the design seems to be usually driven by technical people rather than designers, but the client wanted to challenge this. Studio DD was invited to design the interiors and to create a brand-new look & feel.
The existing building presented many complications. Studio DD commented: "It made us question and challenge everything. We had to accommodate a certain number of specialist rooms, from audio, voiceovers to edit suites, and it forced us to think differently about zoning and adjacency. Ultimately, we grouped certain specialist studios together and repeated that layout on the first, second and third floors."
Rather than filling each floor with small rooms occupying the entire footprint, the studio created a variety of flexible communal spaces that foster creativity and encourage collaboration – meeting rooms, breakout areas, private phone booths and hot desking. The layout has elements of biophilic design - all floors are filled with natural light and feature plants.
The conceptual thinking was inspired by ‘cinema’ and ‘workshop’, which gave the foundation for a strong visual identity. The colour palette of dark and olive green, terracotta, salmon pink and cream was combined with natural materials of timber and cork.
The hospitality aspect was crucial to the client. The ground floor lobby was designed as a large open space with a bespoke green terrazzo reception that doubles as a bar, where people grab a coffee and pastry in the morning and a beer in the evening. Behind the counter, there is a hidden kitchenette clad in speckled cream terrazzo, creating a surprising moment when revealed.
In addition to this, Studio DD designed a collection of bespoke joinery throughout the building, from kitchenettes and cabinetry on each floor, a lobby banquette, plywood management office desks on the top floors to bathroom vanities and two large tables – a lobby communal ply table and black-specked cream terrazzo for the ground floor meeting room that matches the oval shape of the reception desk.
With a focus on longevity and choosing materials that can be reused, recycled, that last and age well, Studio DD chose large-format timber planks as the main flooring and large-format cork planks for the audio areas. Both timber and cork planks were installed adhesive-free, making it easy to repair or replace. The bathrooms and the stairwell feature small unglazed porcelain square floor tiles and the worktops are ‘timber terrazzo’.
The 100% wool fabric curtain hides the key specialist studios, from the basement to the third floor. It has become one of the fundamental design elements, visually striking while enhancing acoustics.
Studio DD worked closely with a technical desk manufacturer who amended the details of their off-the-shelf products, creating a bespoke look while keeping the cost down.
Daniela Dohnalkova, the creative behind Studio DD, worked with a fellow designer, Leanne Hanson and Hayhurst & Co architects Jon Nicholls and Laura Mohirta. They collaborated with many other specialists, from structural engineers to acoustic consultants.
Team:
Studio: Studio DD
Author: Daniela Dohnalkova [interior design, creative lead]
Design team: Leanne Hanson [interior design]
Hayhurst & Co. Architects [architecture]
Client: Azimuth Post Production
Project management: Stature
Structural engineers: Ingleton Wood
Photographer: Chris Snook
Materials Used:
terrazzo – bespoke bar/reception and kitchenette cladding/worktop, bespoke sink, bespoke meeting tabletop, bespoke exterior planters cladding
‘wood terrazzo’ – bespoke kitchen worktops, bathroom vanity tops, high level window table top
plywood – bespoke furniture – a large communal table, a banquette, high window tables, desks on 4th and 5th floors
100% wool – felt curtains and banquette upholstery
acoustically transparent fabrics – for all walls and ceiling panelling in the specialist audio rooms
cork floor planks in all the audio areas
furniture lino – bespoke desktops for all technical desks
corrugated metal cladding for façade on ground floor level
wood terrazzo — Low Carbon Industrial
fabrics — Kvadrat
fabrics — Camira
floor & wall tiles — Domus
Woodura timber floor planks — Välinge Innovation
Fat dining chair; Slab dining chair timber with upholstered seat — Tom Dixon
Bass meeting table; Credenza ply unit; Office desks (various standard sizes) — Rawside
Beso upholstered chair on swivel with castors — Artifort
Eave modular sofa 2 & 3-seater and dining sofas; Nono coffee table; Snaregade round table — Audo Copenhagen
InBetween SK13 round table; Rely upholstered armchair HW45 on swivel — &Tradition
Michael low & high cork stools — Modus Furniture
Narin folding chair — Case Furniture
Klint bench — Hübsch
AAL sofa, Pyramid table, Bowler side round table, Ray chair with swivel; AAC21 chair with swivel, Split side table, Coronet low stool, Neu round table — HAY
Mayze modular sofa — Allemuir
Nerd counter stool — Muuto
Accent Space Copenhagen round table — Mater
Saw Wood rounded table — Friends & Founders
Week-End outdoor metal table and chairs — Petit Fritture
Bisley Pren lockable low-level cupboard — The Bisley Group
Sam Son outdoor chair — Magis Design
Lino office chairs — Herman Miller
90 Mini table lamp & Type 75 Mini table lamp — Anglepoise
Acoustic architect: Level Acoustics
Heating and cooling technology: Energy Lab
Post-production technical adviser: Steve Harman, Jon Lee
Technical desks: AKA Design
Material floor library / supplier of timber and cork flooring: Floor Sauce
Terrazzo: Diespeker & Co
