Trickett Associates' architecture and facilities management
Trickett Associates was set up in 1972. From the beginning the aim was to 'help organisations know themselves' before they initiated changes to existing buildings or commissioned new buildings. Not surprisingly, first clients were from the USA (eg. IBM) but, after a short time, Terry Trickett found that UK companies were equally eager to find a way out of their muddled and expensive misuse of buildings.
During the lifetime of Trickett Associate, in which installations have been created for many companies large and small, Terry Trickett has both influenced and become personally involved with the exponential growth of the Facilities Managemnet (FM) movement. It was inevitable, of course, that the UK would eventually follow the example set in the USA but, now, we probably are taking the lead in developing a professional approach to both the commissioning and use of buildings.
FM in the UK started from very small beginnings. Terry Trickett remembers, in the 70s, becoming a member of the Office Design Committee of the IAM (Institute of Administrative Management). This group of dedicated innovators initiated the Office of the Year Award which succeeded in alerting many managements to the benefits to be gained from implementing 'designed' working environments. Terry Trickett's involvement with the BIFM (British Institute of Facilities Management) since its formation has included setting up and becoming the lead judge for BIFM's 'Impact on Organisation and Workplace Award' and acting as lead judge for the "Excellence in a Major Project Award'. This activity has enabled him to visit and assess installations throughout the UK and elsewhere.
Joanna Lloyd-Davies interviews Terry Trickett, as part of FM World's series, History of FM, chronicling the early days of the facilities management sector.
Financial Times
In the late 70s, Financial Times (FT) management requested Trickett Associates to undertake a comprehensive study of the whole organisation so that the environmental and space implications of introducing new technology could be assessed. Terry Trickett set-up and led a small team to carry out this work. It involved examining administrative, editorial and production areas, visiting equivalent newspapers in the USA and producing a report which documented the extent to which Bracken House, the FT's then headquarters in the City, needed replanning and improving.
A three dimensional 'space planning model' was used to explain the options available to the FT Board. In the event, the FT did not proceed with its ambitious plan to lead the way into new technology. Instead, Trickett Associates was asked to commence a programme of major environmental improvements starting with the Editorial Department (including the development of a Communications Centre linking the FT with Frankfurt).
Headquarters for Thomson Travel
At Thomson Travel, a necessity for change became evident in 1980; by then poor working conditions were impeding the company's efficiency, productivity and sense of well-being. The management were doubtful that existing space in Greater London House, Camden, could meet their needs. The building, constructed in the 1930s for light industrial/ warehouse use by Kensitas, had been converted into lettable space in the '60s. Thomson Travel found the large area (5200m sq) of comparatively deep space on one floor an advantage, but there were also severe constraints. Thomson Travel commissioned Trickett Associates to find a solution which would both reflect the management style of the company and encourage organisational improvements.
Dealing Room for Schroder Securities
Trickett Associates' advised Schroder Securities on a number planning options before the company eventually decided to move into ground floor space at Cutlers' Gardens, London EC2 - a new development by Greycoat City Offices.
In advance of carrying out the Schroder project, Trickett Associates had undertaken a strategic planning exercise for Greycoat. At the time, 1982, it was a tenants' market in the City. Space no longer sold itself so the Chairman of Greycoat employed Trickett Associates to advise many potential tenants on how (and if) the development's 'envelopes' of flexible space could meet their needs. The total space available was 52,000sq m.
As an ancilliary project Trickett Associates, together with the RIBA Journal, created an exhibition (Good Offices) which attracted many visitors to the site. This, combined with Trickett Associates' tenant advisory service, proved to be very successful. Often, Trickett Associates' initial planning/design advice became the basis of a tenant's subsequent commission to proceed in providing a full service. Such was the case for Shroder Securities.
Headquarters for CV Home Furnishings
CV Home Furnishings (CVHF) occupies a fine Victorian cotton mill (Newtown Mill) near Manchester. Trickett Associates' long association with the company began when an opportunity arose to bring together, on one site, the support services of CVHF and Donaghadee Carpets (CV Carpets).
Trickett Associates' first task was to evaluate the operational and environmental needs of the companies involved and then 'match' these against space available at Newtown Mill. The Mill offered considerable scope for improvement and development. Its services and working environments were sub-standard but the height and depth of space was a bonus which could compensate, to some extent, for the close column spacing. Trickett Associates' initial study found that the space available at Newtown Mill was more than adequate.
Offices for Lafarge Group Gypsum Division in the UK
Lafarge Group Gypsum Division in the UK was known previously as Redland Plasterboard. It was under this name that the company leased office space in Reigate and appointed Trickett Associates, in 1988, to carry out space planning and interior design services.
In the completed scheme, full advantage was taken of the fact that Redland Plasterbosrd's own product could be used to very good effect within the interior; the office was treated as a showroom giving a 'virtuoso' demonstration of drylining technology. Many specialist components, imported from Australia and the USA, were incorporated for the first time in the UK.
One outcome of the scheme was the initiation of the National Drywall Awards (promoted by the Federation of Plastering and Drywall Contractors) for which Terry Trickett acted as chairman of the judges over a period of 12 years. The scheme won a Design Effectiveness award in 1990.
The Wellcome Trust (210 Euston Road)
The Trust commissioned Trickett Associates to apply a detailed process of analysis to its needs and to define the preferred method of meeting them. As effective communication between people was an important consideration, Trickett Associates proposed a multifunctional 'town square' on the top floor of the installation. This was to act as a gathering place where members of all the specialist departments of the Trust could meet both formally and informally.
The 210 development was not 'shell-core'. Much existing work had to be undone - a process that was managed by project architects, Vincent & Gorbing - before Wellcome's specialist installation (designed by Trickett Associates) could commence. Trickett Associates also designed the first exhibition 'Look Hear' held in the '210 Gallery' located on the ground floor. Based on material supplied by the University of Bristol, 'Look Hear' enabled visitors to follow the pathway of sound into the hidden depths of the ear. Importantly, the exhibition succeeded in attracting audiences from both the scientific and arts communities. The idea of referencing the two disciplines in the same exhibition, to investigate their relationship, led Terry Trickett to outline a framework for a far more extensive science/art project to be financed by the Wellcome Trust. Details of this 10 year project (1997 - 2006) are described in The Legacy of Sci-Art.
F A Premier League
The 'raison d'être' of the Premier League's move to 11 Connaught Place was the boardroom. Previously, because space of an adequate size was not available at the FA's old headquarters in Lancaster Gate, Premier League meetings had been held in local hotels. Here, lack of security and constant invasions by the press were major concerns. The Premier League's new chief executive, therefore, was determined to solve these problems. Once a building had been located in the vicinity which appeared to offer some potential, Trickett Associates was called in to carry out a Feasibility Study.
The Premier League's board meetings involved up to 50 people together with appropriate reception and catering facilities. But it was an interesting fact that at the outset of Trickett Associates' study nobody could explain how the meetings operated; they appeared to be shrouded in mystery. Clearly, requirements were specific and completely unique to the Premier League's style of operation. The only way of finding out, in the end, was for Terry Trickett to become a 'fly-on-the-wall'. Given the sensitivity of these meetings and the nature of the personalities involved, Trickett's attendence at a Premier League meeting was, probably, the single most important event influencing the eventual successful outcome of the project.
An analysis of gathered information led to the production of a Feasibility Study which matched the Premier League's requirements against the 7 floors of space available at Connaught Place. Two options for 'carving out' a boardroom were investigated. Both had major structural implications but the chosen option required the least building work. Subsequently, Trickett Associates carried out a full architectural and project management service. Photographs are not available (the Premier League remains shy of publicity) which explains why Trickett Associates' presentation drawings are included here.
LEGO Lab at Thinktank (Millennium Point, Birmingham)
The LEGO Lab is a technology teaching room where visitors learn about robot programming. A wide variety of workshops can be delivered from this area, ranging from those that cater for people who have no computer experience to visitors who have a good grasp of technology. One workshop, for instance, guides visitors through the task of programming and controlling a robot car.
The Lab was opened on the day of HM the Queen's visit in July 02. The project was completed under budget. Evaluation undertaken after completion has shown that the LEGO Lab is a very popular activity; it has been working at capacity ever since it opened. LEGO themselves are very impressed with the project - it has surpassed their expectations - they are now very keen to pursue similar Labs elsewhere. Thinktank's LEGO Lab will undoubtedly influence future spatial arrangements for computer based technology.
