Interaction, the South-West-based creative workplace research, design and build experts have secured planning permission for a new office in central Bath, as well as taken on a raft of senior hires in anticipation of a strong 2021.

Led by Managing Director, Dieter Wood, the 29-year-old company has used lockdown as an opportunity to strategically revise the structure of the business, bringing on board a suite of new systems, tools, and people to drive sustainable growth.

Planning permission announced for central Bath office redevelopment. 

This week Interaction were granted planning permission for a new cutting-edge office development at 3-4 Edgar Mews in the heart of Bath. The project involves renovating an old distillery building that has lain disused for many years and converting it into a flexible workspace which can serve up to 70 staff, making it one of the largest new offices in the area.

The new space will include a striking contemporary additional floor and a new central courtyard and atrium. The building will be developed according to the WELL building sustainability guidelines, applying principles of high energy efficiency. A suite of active travel facilities will encourage employees to walk, run, cycle and scoot to work.

Over the years, Interaction has had five different homes around Bath, taking each from a derelict state and transforming it into a sustainable destination workplace.

Edgar Mews will act as a vibrant boost to local businesses and cafes, while attracting the best talent to Interaction and proving that Bath can hold its own when it comes to state-of-the-art creative workplaces.

Paul Haskins, Interaction’s founder, says

“We’re delighted to be taking a hidden gem of a space, which has been empty for many years, and bringing it up to date with a thoroughly considered contemporary redevelopment. 

As a company we’ve always taken on and revived unloved spaces, and Edgar Mews embodies that ethos. It’s going to be a fantastic workplace which encourages our team to thrive, inspires our clients, and provides a boost to local businesses. It’s a great opportunity to bring to life just one of the many unused spaces in the UK in a way which benefits everybody.”

New hires

The new hires span Design, Construction and Marketing, with each bringing extensive experience within their field. Joining Interaction are Senior Designer Pamela D'Alessandro, along with Head of Marketing Toby Brown and Head of Delivery Mike Stewart.

Pamela D'Alessandro

In 2019, D’Alessandro was nominated and awarded 30 under 30 by Mix Interiors in recognition for excelling within her design career, demonstrating innovation, and shaking up the industry.

D'Alessandro, Senior Interior Designer, helps design spaces that bring people together and specifically utilises her experience to integrate cutting-edge technology and Building Information Modelling (BIM) which enables lightning-quick 3D modelling and generative design.

“Revit is a very powerful BIM tool and is great for both designers and clients. It allows us to complete tasks efficiently leaving more time to focus on the creative aspects of the design process. Using Revit, we can also build up spaces in 3D, allowing us to easily demonstrate volume and types of spaces to clients. We can do this in still visuals or create a full working floorplate that you can virtually explore using VR glasses or a gaming controller and screen”

says D’Alessandro.

D’Alessandro brings 6 years’ experience as an Interior Designer with five of those dedicated to workplace design, working on diverse projects such as Google Spaces and The Health Foundation.

Toby Brown

Brown joins Interaction as Head of Marketing to spearhead their marketing strategy, having worked on some of the world’s biggest brands at the UK’s leading agencies and publishers.

As an experienced marketing strategist, he brings a passion for creativity, clear-thinking and transparency.

Mike Stewart

Stewart joins as Head of Delivery with a remit to drive improvements in sustainability and consistency across health and safety, quality, and client satisfaction on all projects, ensuring Interaction can maintain their outstanding track record as they scale.

Stewart has over 15 years’ expertise of project delivery with a background in building surveying. From conception to completion, he’s already demonstrated his passion for delighting clients, having successfully handed over NMI and Xledger, and leading the build of Interaction’s new workplace.

2021 set to be a growth year for Interaction.

Dieter Wood, Managing Director of Interaction says:

“As Interaction grows its proposition and the scale of our projects, these new members of our team will ensure we stay at the cutting edge of strategic workplace design and build.”

Watch Dieter’s 2-minute video here on why he’s optimistic about 2021 here.

About Interaction

Interaction has been creating workplaces for ambitious organisations across the South West for 29 years. A privately-owned company, Interaction is on a mission to banish boring offices, driven by the desire to create spaces in which people can thrive.

Interaction’s core services include workplace strategy and consulting, workplace design, office fit-out, furniture consultancy and post-COVID return-to-office planning.

Key recent projects include workspaces for Xledger, GKN Aerospace's Global Technology Centre and FemTech business Elvie, although Interaction may be most widely known for the design and build of money.co.uk’s incredible castle (along with Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen).

For more information contact toby.brown@interaction.uk.com