In 2022 local coffee shop and roastery, 92 degrees, asked Tom Black Architects to redesign their two-story commercial headquarters at Brunswick business park in Liverpool to support their growing team. At first floor level, brief called for more office accommodation, the creation of a designated meeting room overlooking the warehouse floor and the design of quiet ‘focus booths’ where staff could hold meetings and make calls. Tom Black Architects met the brief working closely with the clients and using a long experience of redesigning existing commercial spaces for the client’s changing needs. A big part of the client’s brief was to make an fairly ordinary commercial space appear much more visually appealing. To this end, the decision was taken to make use of the drama offered by the mezzanine level overlooking the warehousing element with frameless glazed elements which separate the different uses, but which retain a strong visual link between the two.

At ground floor level, Tom Black Architects helped redesign the floor space to accommodate a designated reception area. A mock up coffee shop was also built as an attractive front of house area for visitors to the premises and also to enable staff training staff training to take place on site. These modifications will support the demands of a fast expanding north-west business.

92 degrees headquarters is exemplary of how commercial spaces can be so much more with thoughtful dialogue between architect and client.