0161: SpaceInvader’s Virgin Media O2 HQ embodies Manchester

This article first appeared as part of Mix Interiors issue #244

Photography: Andrew Smith

If asked to think about your typical call centre, images of rickety headsets, scratchy carpet and popcorn ceiling tiles might be the first to spring to mind. Situated on a Wythenshawe industrial estate, this is not far off what Virgin Media O2 Manchester’s former premises looked like, Concord House representing a practical yet outdated HQ for the brand’s northern contingent. The only chink in convention? Hamish – a life-sized horse lamp (Front for Moooi, 2006) who, since joining, had become the bearer of a shifting rotation of seasonal décor and a long-standing member of the customer support team.

Long overdue a change, Virgin Media O2 made the move to Island in December 2025, occupying 50,000 sq ft of its premium workspace, and joining a throng of other technologically minded businesses on John Dalton Street. For the fitout, Overbury entrusted SpaceInvader with the design, asking the studio to transform the development’s uppermost floors into a new typology of call centre – one that not only championed a globally recognised brand image, but incorporated the city’s personality into its visual schema.

“Being rooted in Manchester gave us an authentic understanding of the city’s culture and character,” remarks Bethany Gibson, associate designer at SpaceInvader and the project lead on Virgin Media O2 Manchester’s new home. She goes on to explain that the blueprint for Manchester came from previous outposts in Scotland and London; interiors infused with Glasgow and Paddington’s respective ‘DNA.’

First, SpaceInvader looked to staff to determine exactly what comprised Manchester’s unique genetic code. Through a series of cocreation sessions, five common threads emerged – music, venues, sports, pop culture, and science and industry – which, once concreted, were assigned a storey. Backed by ‘guinea pig’ projects north and south, Gibson comments on the efficacy of this design methodology: “Thematic design strengthens orientation and engagement and, by giving every floor an identity, employees can move through spaces with local character, supporting feelings of familiarity and belonging in a large organisation.”

 Though operating on floors five through to nine, the project journey – somewhat surprisingly – begins at level eight, chosen for its picture window views over Deansgate and St Albert’s Square. Out of the lift lobby and through the first ‘portal’ (a wayfinding system devised with the client’s in-house branding team), the space immediately identifies itself as the music floor, with speaker-shaped tiles sprayed O2-blue and overlayed with the number eight. Beyond, staff and visitors are greeted by a front desk, waiting area and three client-facing meeting rooms; all neatly organised under a showstopping 120-person bleacher staircase.

 Rounding the corner, Gibson explains how the stair concept, though subtle, is intrinsically tied to Manchester’s musical legacy as well as the narrative force behind the entire floorplate. “The first scribbles we made of the staircase were inspired by sheet music and how the notes might look if you connected them. That's where the organic shape of the base and steps came from.”  With Glaswegian teams having to make the pilgrimage south to attend company events, the integration of a ‘town hall’ gathering spot was a firmly baked-in aspect of the brief, offering a melodious solution to a once geographic problem.

 Above, the Apollo floor unfolds as a sprawling mezzanine, dedicated to dining as well as the institutions that saw The Smiths, The Stone Roses and Happy Mondays cut their teeth. “The working café upstairs was inspired by the curves of The Ritz and The Apollo so there are a lot of circles and arches which aim to soften [the industrial elements of the architecture],” Gibson states, referring to the oxbow meanders of bookable booth seating and Virgin Media O2’s brand colours, reimagined in heritage hues. Between a self-catering kitchen and a WELL-approved canteen, the floor’s portal nods to O2 Apollo’s original signage – long Art Deco curves of stained glass forming the digit nine.

 Lift going down: the ‘call’ floors – five, six and seven – required an entirely different approach, each 10,000 sq ft expanse working hard to accommodate customer service representatives, corporate teams, tea points, decompression rooms, meeting spaces (ranging from 1-to-1 pods to full-blown conference suites), multi-faith rooms and returning parent facilities. As the levels needed to correspond to sports, science and industry, and pop culture, a question arose around how the design team could stay true to its creative vision, while simultaneously making sound economic and environmental judgements. “We were very purposeful about where feature FF&E was positioned, balancing impactful statement pieces with repeatable [layouts] across the floors.” Gibson responds, stating that the CAT A elements earlier installed by EPR Architects – including open soffits, lighting and adapted MEP equipment – were painstakingly retained to reduce waste.

 Echoed across all three floors, several spatial modalities were fine-tuned before themed details were applied. Accidental Meeting Points (AMPs) would come in the form of playful, high-energy lounges, located near portals and tea points, and designed for spontaneous interaction; ‘huddle’ spaces manifest as fabric-ringed dens would be primed for collaborative work; and, finally, the ‘Ribbon of Oxygen’ – a mixture of real and faux biophilic elements by I Want Plants, would calmly guide phone and virtual assistants to the floor’s traditional work stations.

For the AMPs and refreshment-making facilities in particular, SpaceInvader teamed up with Day 2 Furniture to procure the bric-a-brac that would nod to each cultural identity, sparking conversation and moments of nostalgia for Virgin Media O2 employees. “We wanted to create different kinds of energy zones to accommodate neurodiverse needs and to encourage people from different teams to get to know each other.”

At sports level, metal mesh chairs are reminiscent of tennis courts, paying homage to Fred Perry’s achievements in the 30s, where twin paintings of legendary players – just one of the many artworks selected from an internally ran competition – touches on Manchester’s reputation as a football epicentre. On the science and industry floor above, a large-scale mural by artist Andrew Wolfenden presents employees with joyful depictions of factory chimneys, and ombre carpets have been chosen specifically to resemble oil dripping off steel. One up, in pop world, birthday sprinkle-esque recycled countertops by Smile Materials define the tea point, whilst a standout light fixture (forming the X O, square and triangle icons of a game controller) illuminates silvery burnt ply surfaces.

 “From beginning to end, this project had its end-users at its heart,” John Williams, Director of SpaceInvader enthuses. “The initial cocreation and senior leadership team sessions allowed for a thorough understanding of requirements, so that we could create a scheme that seamlessly combined brand and local identities.” Seldom do customer-facing workers get a say in how they want their workplace to look or operate, presumably, due to high turnover and part-time contracts deterring operators from investing in the workplace. Thanks to SpaceInvader and its collaborators, Virgin Media O2 Manchester has become a true marker of how participatory design can redefine the types of workplaces that are so often overlooked.  

 And what became of Hamish might you ask? Hamish now occupies his own private stable on the eighth floor of Island, assisting the reception staff with their day-to-day tasks.