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In the studio with Ab Rogers Design
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Ab Rogers Design
Dean Walker, architect and Meanwhile collaborator, talks designing “inside out”, how materiality can transform small spaces, and interiors that encourage users to expect the unexpected
As the design director at British architecture practice Ab Rogers Design (ARD), Dean Walker is a keen proponent of a human being-led approach,
which means thinking big and small to make sure challenges are overcome, new solutions arrived at and, most importantly clients’ needs met across every scale of a project. “On a typical day in the studio, I’ll often be workshopping and sketching through ideas and layouts, then testing, prototyping and reviewing everything, from the macro to the micro,” he explains. “From the context of a building or space right down to the detail of a hinge!”
Walker began working at ARD in 2014, swiftly becoming a key member of Scape’s design team – a role uninterrupted by a five year stint in Australia, where he helped envision Scape’s student accommodation. Now back in London, he continues to play a vital part in bringing Meanwhile’s visions to life.
What are the central tenets of Ab Rogers Design’s practice?
Our approach is very much human centred, and whatever we're doing, we design from the inside out. The exterior is always defined by the interior programme of activities. Beyond that, we like to create spaces that people can relate to and positively engage with, that are inclusive and welcoming. We also seek to make transformative spaces that allow anyone entering them to feel comfortable, engaged, thought-about and safe. Fun and joyfulness are important, too – we really want people to enjoy the spaces they’re in and the experiences they have in them. And we always like to challenge the user experience.
What do you mean by that exactly?
It’s about how users can interact with these environments, coming to expect unexpected moments. We enjoy creating intuitive spaces that surprise and delight. Spaces that allow more chance encounters. This also refers to spaces that change over time so there's always something a little surprising when you go back to them, perhaps something is different. I’m talking about reprogramming, here: making sure spaces are always flexible so they can adapt to different programmes and facilitate change. But we’re also interested in creating spaces that the user themself can change, working the space and adapting it to their own needs
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On a typical day in the studio, I’ll often be workshopping and sketching through ideas and layouts, then testing, prototyping and reviewing everything, from the macro to the micro
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What is the role of materiality in your practice?
Materiality is integral! It's important to provoke sensorial engagement within a space – through tactility, say, or forging a connection with the natural environment. We use natural materials where possible to improve wellbeing. Natural timbers in places where you can touch them, for instance: a timber handle, a timber floor. We're always looking for comfort – anything visually comfortable – particularly within a small space. The use of reflective, light, glossy materials in compact environments, for example, to help bounce light around the room, increasing the sense of space.
Colour psychology plays a big part in what we do, too – using calming hues of green in work spaces or using warmer, energetic tones of red in more active environments to encourage those mood changes. We take a very close look at the cultural context, which often influences the material palette, as well as the internal programme, of course. We may use local materials, incorporate local artists’ work, or even draw inspiration from the colours of architecture in the surrounding areas.
How about joinery?
Bespoke joinery within compact environments is generally used to maximise spatial efficiency and reduce visual clutter. A Scape room is a typical example. For any bespoke solution in this context, we prototype extensively, and design to maximise the space available to the user. Whilst it is bespoke, our joinery is modular to maximise efficiency too. There’s a purpose and a practicality to it so that it can be repeated over time.
In the amenity spaces, we generally use bespoke joinery for the fixed elements, like a fixed bar. Then, around them, we have a more loose-fit approach to the fixed furniture and equipment to allow for more flexible zoning. That could be for a short term purpose – rearranging the layout to support an event – or, in the long term, if we have to adapt the use of the building, the space is flexible enough to support that.
And lighting?
We always make sure that there's ample natural light, and that the spaces we design are well ventilated. The Scape room, for instance, was designed around the window, and making that as large as possible. It is integral to the layout of the room that when you walk into it, you can see the outside, the connection to the sky. The window is a porthole to the natural environment.
In these kinds of spaces, we say, it’s everything you need and nothing you don't
Talking of portholes, what are some of ARD’s key inspirations when it comes to maximising the potential of small spaces?
We’ve looked at yachts, yes, as well as submarines and even caravans – highly efficient spaces where all voids have a purpose and everything has its place. Every element in the Scape room has a purpose, or even multipurposes. One example is the dining table, which can be used as a worktop or desk. In these kinds of spaces, we say, it’s everything you need and nothing you don't. But we also make sure that there’s room to personalise, to hang pictures or place belongings, so it feels like home.
How do you go about making sure that nothing is superfluous in the planning stages?
It’s about understanding what the key elements are in a space: what is it the user really needs and how do we design around that? Then there’s a whole process of prototyping that goes on once we have that layout, which means we can get a sense of how it all works. Is the cutlery drawer in the right place? Is the phone charger next to the bed? Everything related to your day-to-day living in and moving around that space is tested.
How important is the micro-climate or culture that you create within an amenity-rich building?
It’s a very important part of designing “inside out”. From the outset of the project, we want to develop the brief as defined by the needs of the users. And that can be determined by studying cultural patterns, which may shift according to location or just over time. We start by understanding a day in the life of the various users, determining what they need, hopefully before they know they need it. This is constantly evolving, particularly post Covid, with changing work patterns. It’s become ever more important to have adaptive spaces that are flexible.
The shared amenity spaces we create are designed to supplement and complement the private living spaces. We look to incorporate “introvert” and “extrovert” zones within those, so spaces for quiet moments of reflection, or places where you can be amongst friends or mingle and make new friends. These are part of creating a balance that nurtures this micro climate and culture that we talk about. And then, of course, with Scape, there’s a supporting programme of activities and events bringing it all to life. Visiting guest speakers might deliver a talk, or artists or musicians might be invited to use the space. So microclimate and culture are embedded within, and facilitated by the design.
Last but not least, what’s your all-time favourite small space?
I don’t really have favourites – I find inspiration everywhere – but I was looking at the Futuro House by the Finnish architect Matti Suuronen the other day. That’s fun and brought a smile!
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