John Maddison Tower and The Downing Centre

The reupholstery of early public furniture: The team advised the client, who wanted to replace all the existing furniture, that their current stock of 1980s Erik Jorgensen classic furniture was worth more than what they were wanting to replace it with. So a shift was made away from procuring new furniture to the upgrade of existing furniture. These original high end pieces had been poorly upholstered and neglected overtime. Our advice was to have the pieces reupholstered in leather to not only ensure the longevity and robustness required in public spaces, but to be more in keeping with the original design. This process involved working closely with leather suppliers to find a leather solution that was colour and hide appropriate, durable and easily replaceable. It also involved working closely with the upholsterers to ensure attention to detail, such as correct stitching details and assembly. A prototyping process involved the leather supplier, upholsterer and ourselves working as a team.

This project examines alternative solutions for the complex customer interface and operational issues associated with registry spaces in a multi-jurisdictional courthouse.