Client:
HereEast
Project details:
Following the 2012 London Olympics and Paralympics, the former Media Centre was renamed HereEast and converted into 84,000 m2 of business space as part of the legacy of the games. HereEast has since become the headquarters for BT Sport and home to Loughborough University’s London campus, as well as many other smaller tech-based companies. In 2023 the V&A East project will create a new collection and research centre at HereEast in partnership with the Smithsonian Institution, which combined with a new museum at Stratford Waterfront, will form the largest museum and research complex in the world. The site comprises two principle buildings which have retained the names of their original Olympic functions – the Broadcast Centre and the Press Centre – with an attractive public open space between. The Yard is set out with a combination of hard and soft landscapes for general use by HereEast staff and visitors and also for public screening of major sports events. Flexible use of the space is therefore key, and the furniture in The Yard needs to be freestanding and readily movable.
Two ranges of Furnitubes’ products have been selected, initially for the deck area at the southern aspect of The Press Centre, to be rolled out further in forthcoming months. The RailRoad range of seating and integrated planters is employed where the furniture can be placed on a more or less permanent basis (although it can be disassembled and relocated when necessary) and Ribbon XL seating modules are used where they need to be moved more regularly. Ribbon XL seating is designed for exactly such situations as it is freestanding (stable enough not to require fixing down) and also heavy enough that it can’t be easily moved by the public. The unusual kissing seat, with two backrests facing opposite directions, and the two-person high-back recliner are the initial products used, although there are many other different seating forms available within the Ribbon XL range. Steelwork was finished in a dark grey PPC to match the metalwork on the Broadcast Centre building and timbers had a UV protective finish designed to retain good colouration over a longer period of time compared with simple planed and untreated timber.
Visit the Furnitubes International website for more information on HereEast, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London