Building upon the success of Box on the Docks, HemingwayDesign were commissioned to design a new social and co-working space for the MediaCityUK community. Conceived as a verdant and convivial home for collaboration, socialising, and showcasing, ‘Hot House’ has transformed an underused foyer area into an inviting and creative space to network, collaborate, and relax.
Located within the atrium of MediaCity’s Open Centre, home of dock10 studios, Hot House incorporates a series of informal workspaces, collaborative meeting areas, F&B offer operated by Kargo MKT, and a pop-up gallery space providing a platform for Salford based artists and creatives to exhibit their work.
Responding to MediaCity’s brief to create an inviting and ‘non corporate-feeling’ working and social space, and to juxtapose the large expanses of metal, glass and polished finishes within the space, our approach has been to combine bespoke plywood furniture with a bold and playful colour palette reflecting MediaCity’s brand identity. Whilst the inclusion of plants in an array of sizes gives the impression of an indoor garden/greenhouse and offers users a biophilic break from MediaCity’s urban setting.
Bespoke, moveable partitions create an arrangement of informal ‘zones’ for working, meeting, eating & drinking. Partitions vary in scale to accommodate different levels of separation and range from low and medium-level planter partitions to larger shelving dividers populated with potted plants. Each item has been designed to be easily movable, allowing for flexibility within the space to accommodate a developing programme of talks and events.
Workspaces comprise two bright and inviting informal meeting areas to the front of the building within the atrium, and a desk-based co-working area, created through working with the reduced ceiling heights created by the buildings mezzanine to provide a more private setting for individual working. A more informal lunch and networking area has been created utilising the taller bespoke shelving components filled with potted plants, and low-level planter partitions. These areas similarly incorporate bespoke table configurations tying in with the partition finishes, paired with furniture additions specified to reflect MediaCity’s brand palette.
Engaging and profiling local talent have been integral to the project. Hot House’s food offer, curated by Kargo MKT, showcases local cooks and food producers, whilst all bespoke furniture designed for the project has been made locally in Salford.
In addition to incorporating a small exhibition space for promoting the work of both up-and-coming creatives and more established occupiers of MediaCity, the project commissioned Salford-born and Manchester-based illustrator, Jane Bowyer, to create two large scale mural graphics for the space.
Photography: Josh Kemp-Smith
Fabicators: M3 Industries