Growing Sustainably

The AL team has grown continually over the past few years with us now having one of the largest permanent team of DevOps Engineers in the UK. We’ve chosen to grow sustainably to maintain our culture as a people-first business and remain focused on delivering exceptional service to each and every one of our clients.

We’ve now outgrown our last office and were ready to take the next step and move into a new home. Or about 100 steps to the right, since we really didn’t move very far.

Since everything we do is designed to be sustainable, our office had to fit this category as well. Enter Chloe…Chloe Bullock is an interior designer who supports UK businesses and residents in ethical builds and redesigns with a focus on cruelty-free, sustainable and healthier specifications.

Did you know… 

• A third (33%) of office workers say that the design of an office would affect their decision to work at a company.

• Only 42% report having live plants in the office and an alarming 47% report having no natural light in their office.

• Just under half (47%) of all respondents agree that they have felt stressed in their workplace within the last three months. This finding emphasizes the importance of identifying and enforcing practises that can improve well-being at work – such as biophilic design.

• Two thirds (67%) of respondents report feeling happy when walking into bright office environments accented with green, yellow or blue colours.

• 24% of respondents say that their workplace does not provide them with a sense of light and space.

• 39% of workers felt most productive at their own desk in a private office. Others said they felt most productive at their own desk in an open plan of office (36%).

• 28% of respondents report that they do not have a quiet space to work in their office

Chloe ensured that she tackled every one of these statistics while designing our new space, whilst also ensuring that all materials used were 100% cruelty-free and sustainable. 

For example, the paint used in the office is vegan meaning not only is it not tested on animals but also contains no animal content. 

The carpet has an interesting life story. There are things called ghost nets used for fishing which some fisherman just cut off at the end of their life releasing them into the ocean. They’re then left floating and collecting animals such as seals and trapping them. It’s evening happening around the British Isles as well. Divers go down to retrieve them, and send them off to companies like eco mill turn the nets into things – our carpet is one of them. The tile backs are mostly made from recycled PET bottles. Design for the circular economy AND beautiful and functional. 

Office space is so important to not only productivity but also overall health and wellbeing. We’ve tried to incorporate everything our staff could need on a daily basis, from free breakfast, snacks and drinks, seated or standing desks, chill areas, a prayer room, as well as ensuring their health outside the office with a benefits package including options such as private medical and dental, gym membership or fitness classes and more. 

About

Chloe Bullock is an interior designer who supports UK businesses and residents in ethical builds and redesigns with a focus on cruelty-free, sustainable and healthier specifications, finishes and products.  She is a FitWel® Ambassador and a keen follower of human-centric, healthy design – using standards such as WELL building standard, Building Biology as well as FitWel®.  She’s a BIID Registered Interior Designer® at the British Institute of Interior Design – the pre-eminent professional organisation for interior designers in the UK. 

Chloe was the first interior designer in the UK to be VEGANDESIGN.ORG CERTIFIED™ – the Global accredited course and community set up by Deborah DiMare.  In 2018 she won the Women in Property’ Business Women Excellence Awards – Sussex.  

Materialise Interiors 

materialiseinteriors.com