Project profile
NATO’s Defence Innovation Accelerator (DIANA)
Inside the buzzy new state-of-the-art London hub
Oct 31, 2024
5 minutes
Ranked among Reuters’ list of the world’s top 10 innovative universities, Imperial College London brings together academia, industry, and government. With that pedigree, it’s a fitting home for NATO’s Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) and the UK’s Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA). DIANA “provides companies with the resources, networks, and guidance to develop deep technologies to solve critical defence and security challenges,” per its website.
The organisation builds relationships among innovators, investors, and industry partners across the Alliance. All of this work is in support of nine key emerging and disruptive technologies: biotechnology, hypersonic, space, novel materials and manufacturing, and energy and propulsion.
An innovation accelerator with big goals needed a headquarters that could keep up.
Reflecting a commitment to excellence and innovation with design
Concept4 – a Bristol-based studio that provides creative office design, office fit-outs, furniture solutions, and workplace consultancy – partnered with MillerKnoll to design DIANA’s new headquarters on Imperial College’s campus in White City, London. The space occupies 1,109 square meters of the 10th floor.
Top drivers for the project included:
Fostering an innovative and dynamic work environment
Enhancing opportunities for collaboration through open, flexible spaces that encourage teamwork and idea-sharing
Attracting and retaining top talent
Supporting workplace wellbeing
Embodying the organisation’s brand culture by creating a space that reflect its values, vision, and commitment to excellence and innovation
Achieving these goals necessitated a state-of-the-art facility.
Balancing collaboration with privacy
The organisations in the accelerator occupy half of the floor, and NATO, which oversees the programme, uses the other. On the accelerator side, collaboration was key.
“We wanted areas people could converge around, share ideas, connect with each other – but that could also be used as a place to focus away from your desk,” says Concept4’s Naomi Ripley, Lead Designer on the project.
The team chose the OE1 Huddle Table from Herman Miller and paired it with the brand’s Setu Chairs to create a space that could enable quick collaboration in the open office environment with Hue Seating from NaughtOne nearby. All areas need a heightened level of flexibility and to be able to pivot for visits from external companies. This includes the 33-seat board room, featuring Everywhere Tables from Herman Miller, which can be easily reconfigured, whether the space needs to serve as a training room, host a large meeting, or work as a particular project’s temporary home base.
A level of security is required on the NATO side and for the DIANA managing director’s office. “Plus, if you’ve got someone like the President of Estonia coming in, you need a space that’s going to feel comfortable and conducive,” Ripley says.
Concept4 selected the Aeron Chair from Herman Miller, a height-adjustable desk and Viv chairs from NaughtOne for the managing director's space, ensuring both function and style. Also in the room is the Outline Sofa from Muuto upholstered in leather to create a distinct, refined look that effortlessly blends in and provides “aesthetic charm and comfort,” as Ripley put it.
The power of the collective
Andrew Woods, Project Director at Concept4, noted MillerKnoll’s commitment to sustainability, expertise in ergonomic design, and customisation options as key motivators for the partnership. “MillerKnoll aligned perfectly with the client’s goals to create a dynamic, collaborative, and appealing work environment.”
By specifying products from Herman Miller, NaughtOne, Muuto, and Colebrook Bosson Saunders, Concept4 leveraged the breadth the collective offers.
“It made everything so much easier. We had one point of contact, and we could get access to a huge range of products,” Woods says.
The team selected ergonomic seating from Herman Miller (Cosm, Setu, Mirra 2, and Aeron Chairs), Morse Table System and lounge seating (Always Lounge Chair, Hush Sofa, Ever Sofa) from NaughtOne, and tables from Muuto (Around, Muuto Workshop). They also selected textiles from Maharam to complete the look.
“The feedback so far has been so positive around the seamless integration of innovative design elements and the ergonomic furniture,” Ripley says. “The client said there’s been significant boost to overall workplace morale.”
That praise was so high, that the design of the London hub will serve as a template for DIANA’s next two outposts in Halifax (Canada) and Tallinn (Estonia) – right down to the furniture from MillerKnoll brands.
3-point recap
Multifaceted design studio Concept4 partnered with MillerKnoll on NATO’s Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) in London.
The project called for a state-of-the-art facility that would promote collaboration, attract and retain top talent, and foster wellbeing.
MillerKnoll’s breadth of product, commitment to sustainability and ergonomics, and customisation options helped make the project a success.
Featured products
Explore designs inside this project.
Morse Table System by NaughtOne
It is ready to meet the challenge, swiftly adapting to need with spacious surfaces, flexible configurations and a useful collection of dot-dash accessories.
Aeron Chair by Herman Miller
Engineered with state-of-the-art adjustability, Aeron has become the gold standard in blending ergonomics with comfort.
Workshop Coffee Table by Muuto
This table features a focal emphasis on traditional materiality and craftsmanship. Its detailing, with its seamless integration of the design’s table top and legs, echoes the refined design language of Scandinavia.
Ever Sofa by NaughtOne
The cozy, inviting NaughtOne Ever Chair and Sofa range comes in an array of fabrics and finishes to harmonise with other furniture, such as the Always family.
Cosm Chair by Herman Miller
No matter who sat in the chair before you, how long you’ll be in it or what you'll be doing, Cosm gives you instant comfort, anywhere you work.
Outline Sofa by Muuto
Outline adds new perspectives to the classic Scandinavian design sofas of the 1960's, marrying the ideals of simplicity and function into one.
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