Context

Gaming giant Tombola completed the construction of its flagship £7m headquarters at Wylam Wharf in Sunderland. The building houses over 300 employees, and an in-house gym and bistro help to create a stimulating environment for staff. The new glazed structure, built over three floors, is situated within a conservation area on the banks of the River Wear.

Work undertaken

In line with the overall design brief, high-quality natural materials used were to reflect the location of the site within a conservation area. Given the coastal location, Artform was specified to supply extremely durable tropical hardwood timbers for the benches and picnic sets provided. They Worked in collaboration with Colour Urban Design’s concept to create a campus design to promote the Tombola brand.

Whilst simple in design appearance, they were anything but that and the key design challenge was the overall size of the timbers, some of which were manufactured up to almost 9m long, 400mm wide and 200mm high. Artform extensively searched for timbers that could not only be made in one complete length but would also stay straight and have durable long-lasting properties. The search eventually took the team to Holland who hand-selected hardwood timbers used for the project from logs in excess of 1m in diameter and lengths up to 12m.

The seating also included LED lighting strips to the underside, providing subtle levels of illuminance to the courtyard areas. All of the framework was constructed using robust steel supports, hot dip galvanised and powder coated to complete the finished products.

Outcome

The scheme has created an improved environment for staff whilst establishing a network of paths linking to the wider area. The high-quality benches provide a continuity with the natural materials chosen for the resounding landscape, bringing all of the elements together to form a connection with the conservation area site.