Written by the team at Design Difference.

The relocation of Buckinghamshire Business First to a new hub at Buckinghamshire New University created an opportunity for Design Difference to think differently about how the shared workspaces on site could be used by the membership community.

Fresh from their success at the Buckinghamshire Business Awards (the team scooped ‘Small Business of the Year 2018’), Design Difference offered to assist the team with the move. Integrating the Hub space into the existing university campus at High Wycombe also opened the door to rethinking the wayfinding strategy for the building: reinforcing the Hub’s presence with striking external signage to help members find their new home.

A space where minds can meet

The team took on the brief to create an inspirational space for Hub users, elevating a humble space-planning concept into a creative, flexible environment with ‘pods’ for meetings/quiet working, a library resource area and bold graphics. It’s a significant change, and required close collaboration with Buckinghamshire Business First Managing Director, Philippa Batting, Head of Operations, Sarah Randall, and Head of Marketing, Communications and Events, Lynsey Dunn to deliver results.

Lynsey Dunn notes: “The team at Design Difference made us look completely differently at how we could approach the design of our new Business Hub, for the better. They found creative solutions to our practical problems and pre-empted challenges along the way. The team did a fantastic job.”

Alison Deverill, Creative Director, Design Difference, said: “Current trends in workplace design are very much focused around providing flexible, informal and creative workspaces that encourage staff to step away from their desks and work in a variety of ways to suit the task.

“Simply put, we need to create spaces for events, activities and conversation, rather than just desks and chairs, cellular offices and meeting rooms. At the Hub, we’ve taken this on board by designing a mix of formal and informal spaces, cleverly sub-dividing the space in order to maintain a balance of quiet workspaces with meeting areas that encourage collaboration and new thinking.”

The Hub caters for businesses of all shapes and sizes, from hotels to HR consultants; film studios to food producers: the space is free to use for Buckinghamshire Business First and Institute of Directors members, and is co-sponsored by the Institute of Directors.

Creating a ‘design difference’

In celebration of the new Hub, Design Difference are offering Buckinghamshire Business First members a one-hour design consultation free of charge if booked by December 15th. This is a fantastic opportunity to discuss your business branding, event design or interior design aspirations with a member of the Design Difference team.