X+Why Colmore Row | Squire & Partners

In 2022 Squire & Partners completed its first Birmingham workspace – and fourth project for purpose-driven coworking brand x+why – in the city’s tallest building at 103 Colmore Row.

In the spirit of the ‘City of a Thousand Trades’, x+why Colmore Row is the culmination of Squire & Partners’ collaborations with numerous trades to create bespoke products which answer the design challenge of creating a fully flexible offer which seamlessly blends workspace with hospitality – to deliver a place used throughout the day and night for both work and play by the city’s workers.

The project builds on the creative collaborations the practice established when delivering x+why workspaces in the capital, whilst forging new relationships with local artists and makers to deliver a design which is inherently of its place.

x+why Colmore Row occupies levels 1 – 3 of the 26-storey building, in addition to the eighteenth floor – which enjoys the highest external terrace in Birmingham. Branded Eighteen, the bar/restaurant-cum-event space is the workspace operator’s first foray into delivering hospitality space as part of its offering. With a ‘day mode’ and ‘event mode’, the club space seamlessly adapts for different functions.

Interiors take inspiration from the history of innovation and craftsmanship of Birmingham. With floor to ceiling glazing that allows expansive views of the city’s red brick buildings, terracotta details and contemporary interpretations of patterns found in the ornamentation of the surrounding buildings have been designed to bring the outside in, creating a sense of place.

Squire & Partners’ sister branding agency Mammal – who designed the brand identity for the launch of x+why in 2019 – produced the graphics and signage at Colmore Row in response to its context and the interior design concept. Continuing the evolution of this creative partnership into product design, the practice designed a recycling station which was built for Colmore Row by its in-house modelshop team, with a view to it being rolled out across other x+why locations.