Client: The New Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham
Design: Two Create
Location: Birmingham

London based Two Create were commissioned to design the latest Teenage Cancer Trust Unit in the brand new state of the art Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham. Known as the Teenage Cancer Trust YPU (Young Persons Unit) the 12 patient ward consists of four single bed bays, two four bed bays and three social spaces including a study room, cinema room and kitchen/day room.

Two Create was founded by Lucy and Tobie Snowdowne. The couple met whilst studying at Central Saint Martins in London in 1998 and began working together on a diverse range of projects after graduating and formed Two Create later that year in 2001. Two Create has a cross-disciplinary approach and are currently engaged in branding, product, graphic and spacial design for a selection of clients through a diverse range of mediums. Two Create are proud of their ability to become completely immersed in a clients strategy, aspirations and limitations, working closely with manufactures to produce objects and spaces that not only fulfill the brief but also encourage unique emotive experiences.

Photo credit: John Selby

Products:

Slaapbank sofa by Martin Visser (Spectrum)
Happy Chair and footstool by Roger Persson (Swedese)
Easy chair by Jerzy Seymour (Magis)
King sofa by Thomas Sandell (Offecct)

• Client: Nottingham City Council
  Architects: Caruso St John

  Nottingham Contemporary art gallery was designed by the award winning architects Caruso St John. The building was inspired by the surrounding Lace Market, specifically the bold, elegant design of the warehouses that serviced the city's world famous trade in the 19th century. The building has an unusual form, which is the outcome of building right to the edge of the irregular shaped site. Nottingham Contemporary was constructed from scratch on what is said to be the oldest site in the city, home to a Saxon fort, a medieval Town Hall, and finally a late Victorian railway cutting. 

At 3,000 square metres, Nottingham Contemporary is one of the largest contemporary art centres in the UK. The building houses four galleries, which are lit by 132 skylights. It also contains a performance and film space, a learning room, a study, shop and cafe bar. The building appears larger on the inside than outside, since much of its north end is sunk into the sandstone cliff that runs the length of the city centre. Caruso St John succeeded in creating a building that is both inventive with its use of space and unusually open. Large windows offer direct views from the street into the galleries, shop, cafe and offices. 

SCP Contracts worked alongside Caruso St John to specify the furniture for a number of the different spaces, including the galleries, offices and cafe. The products chosen were the Deja Vu stools by Naoto Fukasawa, the Multi cafe tables by Michael Sodeau and a large number of stacking and office chairs by Egon Eiermann. 

Products:

Naoto Fukasawa Deja Vu stool (Magis)
Michael Sodeau Multi cafe table (Modus)
Egon Eiermann stacking chair (Wilde & Spieth)
S 197 R office chair (Wilde & Spieth)

• Client: Eastbourne Council

• Architects: Rick Mather Architects

The Towner Gallery is an award-winning new contemporary art museum for the South East. Towner presents major exhibitions of contemporary and historic art alongside changing displays from the renowned Towner Collection. 

Rick Mather Architects were commissioned to create a new Cultural Centre to house the Towner Gallery as well as providing a new conference exhibition space, community activity rooms, retail facilities and a cafe. The design of the new building was informed by many factors including views, circulation and the scale and nature of neighbouring existing buildings. Sited next to the Grade II* listed Congress Theatre, the new building brings a twenty-first century addition to Devonshire Park, which plays host to the pre-Wimbledon annual International Ladies Tennis Tournament, and strengthen its position as Eastbourne's cultural quarter.

SCP Contracts worked with Rick Mather Architects and The Towners Artistic Director to provide Gallery benches, conference room and office furniture plus seating and one off pieces for the Gallery. SCP Contracts echoed the aspiration and boldness inherent in the overall design of the Cultural Centre by specifying striking pieces for the Gallery and communal spaces. We also provided a lightweight and functional option for the very flexible conference spaces. The products specified for the Gallery and communal spaces were (amongst others) the curvaceous Suffolk Bench by Robin Day and the angular and striking Chair One by Konstantin Grcic, both by Magis. For the Conference rooms, the stackable 40/4 Chair by David Rowland for Howe was chosen. SCP Contracts are delighted to have been involved with the development and specification on a building that is a joy to both view and visit.  

Products:

Suffolk Bench by Robin Day (Magis) 
Florence Knoll gallery bench (Knoll)
40/4 Chair by David Rowland (Howe)
Chair One by Konstantin Grcic (Magis)
Air Chair by Jasper Morrison (Magis)
XL Desking (Fantoni)
Task Chairs (Interstuhl)
Nobody Chairs (Hay)

• Client: NHS
  Architects: Allford Hall Monaghan Morris
  Design: Studio Myerscough

Kentish Town Health Centre (KTHC) is a new health building in central London that is home to a large GP practice and a wide range of other health facilities. The KTHC had become a new standard bearer for the NHS. The partnership of a local design champion, architects and Camden & Islington Community Solutions saw a truly joined-up approach to this project. The result is a building where design has help to create truly integrated services, a coherent and useable space and something of beauty. Ideas of transparency, innovation and connectivity were embraced by the whole team, who by working collaboratively have managed to create a building that expresses a new, holistic approach to healthcare.

Architects AHMM delivered simple three-storey building in the modernist style, which is both of the right scale and is sensitive to the aesthetic of adjacent buildings and local streets. The building may follow an almost formal logic, but the internal spaces are where the innovation and sense of connectivity are really created. KTHC features a 5m wide "internalised street" that runs the full length of the building, it leads to a triple-height central waiting area that is full of light, a sense of space and bold colours. The inclusion of a cafe and access to a garden space from this point create focus and a sense of enjoyment in the surroundings. KTHC is a building that is a pleasure to both visit and work in, whilst satisfying the requirements of a modern, forward-thinking and bold NHS.