News

News and Events....

Pierre Hermé opens in London

Pierre Hermé, described as the 'picasso of pastry', is opening a new retail premises in London, with the retail fit-out undertaken by iorgroup.

Pierre is a gastronomic celebrity in France, with a growing international reputation, and has selected London as the site for his second overseas market after opening 8 shops in Japan.

PH is renowned for amazing macaroons...including the new flavour of grapefruit and wasabi.

The retail fit-out in Piccadilly is due to open in September...images to follow.

IOR Group is awarded major D&B office interior project.

Regents Place, a first class office development on Euston Road, is the location for an 80,000 sq ft office interior design and fit-out project starting in the third quarter of 2010. This could be the largest single office fit-out scheme undertaken in central London on a D&B basis this year.

The project will see our client combine 4 offices into 1, creating a central London HQ.

The IOR Group team, led by Chairman Mark Randall and design head Jane O'Connor RIBA, will deliver a fast-paced office fit-out to support the growing business of our Oil & Gas industry client.

Refurbished Accountants 

Haines Watts, the national Accountancy firm, have re-occupied their Slough offices after an office refurbishment by IOR Group. The spring/summer 2010 project involved an upgrade to the main open plan spaces, meeting rooms and reception area, with new furniture to complete a thorough office interior refurbishment.

Further images can be seen in our Office Design Portfolio.

The 'wow' factor

From the outset marketing training company Sales-Out wanted a 'wow' factor for their new offices on the Silverstone race track. A multi-purpose Boardroom and Training venue needed to be combined within one space, and give the persona of the company a focal point. The office design ideas from the team at iorgroup....Barry Wilson and Ross Glithro, features rise-and-fall hardware within a scissor-action table. All closed up, it creates a contemporary meeting table that works within the techie environment of Silverstone. Opened, the table forms a V shape for viewing angles to the main projection screen, with 10 PCs available for their all-day training sessions.

The striking interior design makes the very most of the space, incorporates a branded office design element, and Cathy Tack at Sales Out commented that the office hits the mark..."I have to say, the room certainly has the ‘wow' factor that we talked about from day 1 !"...a visible uplift for Sales Out to match a step change from their business relocation.

These images from the installation day will be followed by full site photography

Project Win

iorgroup have been selected to design and fit-out the 44,000 sq ft St Martins Courtyard offices in Covent Garden for a client in the recruitment industry. This HQ project involves the relocation of over 300 staff into a major development bordering Long Acre, for occupation by December this year.

The office design phase is in full swing, with innovative office design ideas being implemented to overcome a significant lack of solid wall space in large open-plan office layouts.

The project will see the client occupying floor plates almost twice the size of their existing office, with everyone anticipating a major boost to the integration and sense of coordination within the company.

Achilles Accreditation for iorgroup

January 2010 has started with accreditation for iorgroup from Achilles, the organisation that audits suppliers for the stringent demands of the Utilities organisations. Companies such as EDF and Centrica use Achilles to vet the corporate standards and operations of suppliers, including H&S, management processes and CSR policies, as well as performance on site and quality of workmanship.

The accreditation covers all aspects of our operations including Design & Build office interiors, office furniture and associated services.

Charity Donations

A number of charities have taken advantage of the IOR Group warehouse cull in November. We've donated furniture to charities including Cats Protection League, Bliss (premature babies), LDS Church, Actionaid and Guide Dogs for the Blind. The free furniture offer saw items from our warehouse that are surplus to requirements given to charities within the Charity FM Network Forum.

Recycling

In the last 12 months our warehouse in Park Royal has sent 9.3 tonnes of cardboard and 13 bales of plastic for recycling. The cardboard was retrieved from our furniture installations in the 12 months to the end of September 09.  

Two school refurbishment projects complete in time for the new term

St Michaels School and Notre Dame School are starting the new school year with refurbished classroom and ICT rooms, following completion of the summer refurb. schemes by IOR Group.

More images can be seen in our Portfolio section (Schools & Colleges).

Charity Bike Ride

A team from IOR Group completed a charity bike ride for the British Heart Foundation on Sunday September 6th, riding from Richmond to Windsor via Hampton Court. The group completed the ride at varying paces, with just one crash, and no serious injury. We raised almost £800 for the charity....having cycled a combined distance of more than 300 miles.

Jaguar LandRover Refurbishment August '09

Work is almost completed on the refurbishment of several spaces at Jaguar LandRover Gaydon. The first shot shows the handwash basins in the WCs., the others show the flame resistant panelling installed in a reception area.

3rd Space Seminar - Sept 10th 2009

3rd space is an accepted industry term for breakout space in an office. It has been part of the office layout for 5 years or more.

Now, a global research survey into FMs views on the use of 3rd space in 2009 is presented for the first time.  Consultants & researchers ‘Workplace Intelligence' have investigated how ‘corridor warriors' and ‘knowledge workers' are really fairing in today's breakout bureaus.

Testing industry endorsements from Vitra, Orangebox and Herman Miller, this presentation cuts through the marketing to understand what is really going on in the mythical breakout space. Is the 3rd space productive, conducive to new ways of working, and providing value for the investment. What has worked, and why?

IOR Group host a presentation by Workplace Intelligence on Sept 10th '09, 5.pm Otterman House 12 Petersham Road, Richmond Surrey TW10 6UW BBQ on the terrace to follow.

Book spaces with eugenia.dennis@iorgroup.co.uk 020 8614 9500. Limited parking by arrangement.

Spread of Flame testing

IOR Group have undertaken some controlled fire retardency tests on various timber panels for a forthcoming refurbishment project for Jaguar Landrover that involves wall-mounted veneered panelling. These pictures show the flame source being applied, and four samples that all withstood the 30 minute test and stopped burning once the direct flame was withdrawn. The samples used four different lacquered finishes including an intumescent lacquer, all applied to a veneered flame-resistant mdf substrate. The panelling has to meet a Class O or Class 1 Fire Resistance standard in order to comply with Building Regulations.

IOR Group Half Year Trading

Following a good start to the year, the half year figures to the end of june '09 have seen IOR Group hit our bottom line target for the January - June trading period. The balance sheet continues to show an increased net worth for the business and the second half of the year looks set to continue in a positive way.

Bespoke Glass Boardroom Table 

IOR Group have recently supplied a bespoke glass boardroom table for a client in Kingston. The custom-built boardroom furniture used a Vitra Medamorph base structure and a bespoke glass 2-piece top. The glass is produced in a custom colour using a Pantone reference, and has twin cable access ports above a bespoke cable management containment. IOR Group produced the workshop drawings for the glass, which was CNC machined and toughened at a specialist glass workshop.

The blue of the table matches a decorative theme in several feature areas of the office, and sits happily with the existing grey leather chairs.

At 1.7m wide the table is a heavy piece of furniture to install...luckily each section of the table just fitted into the lift.

Click here for more glass office furniture 

First Quarter trading

The first three months of 2009 have been kind to IOR Group. Our trading has been slightly better than targeted, and an improvement upon a record 2008. Although some of our clients have had a quiet start to the year overall the business downturn doesn't seem to have had a major impact upon day-to-day business activity. Managing Director Mark Randall expressed our thanks to all customers of IOR Group who have continued to invest for the future.

Rio Tinto Relocates and re-uses

The global mining business, Rio Tinto, have selected IOR Group to relocate a senior management team from the City to Paddington. The sensitive office restack project required the office design team to marry a distinctive City fit-out scheme with the style of their Paddington HQ, re-using as much of the existing fittings as possible.

The cost savings achieved have dramatically reduced the budget needed for the scheme, and at the same time ensured that Rio Tinto didn't have to waste any fittings that were still in full working condition.

Blending the design and M&E services took careful management, particularly as the Paddington office is in full operation. Grant Millea, IOR Groups project manager, spent time learning about the building systems to ensure there was no disruption. Relocating the high specification Video Conference installation from Aldermanbury Square also provided a challenge as the system was in constant demand and had to be up and running as soon as possible.

Extra images of the project are shown within our Portfolio section.

IOR Group design new ICT training desk

Working closely with a nationwide training organisation, IOR Group have developed a new ICT Training desk for use in any training or educational environments where learning switches between hardware based, and non-hardware, formats. 'Interoperability' is the phrase used to describe the flexible format.

The ICT furniture design started with a set of requirements....the need to contain computer hardware, the demand for multiple layouts, the need to be easily moved within and between rooms, and the requirement to operate without computer equipment for regular learning situations.

As the computer equipment is never removed from the desk the set up and technical support is minimised, and hardware life is protected by avoiding regular connection and disconnection. The top shape is planned so that any classroom layout works easily, reconfiguration is encouraged by the desks mobility, but its solid and static when in use.

For more information click here

Corporate Box Refurbishment

Completed before the end of the January transfer window, iorgroup have refurbished a corporate box at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge ground for a client. The refurbishment included a feature entrance and an upgrade to the interior finishes. The bespoke curved storage cupboard was a challenge...just getting the two large, curved, doors into the space was a tight fit.

 

Strong business performance in 2008

iorgroup have achieved a strong year of growth in 2008, and the financial year end in December will produce a very strong balance sheet, debt-free, with record retained profits. Audited accounts will be filed by the end of February '09. Trading in 2009 is likely to improve upon the previous year, and the Directors are pleased with the start to the year.

FTSE100 Reception Refurbishment 

Currently we're working on site on a reception refurbishment scheme for the largest employer in the FTSE100, due to finish the week before Christmas.

 

This visual shows the design scheme for the reception.

To see the completed project click here

Office Expansion Project in 2009 

We have started work on new office space for our largest client, who is adding additional working space for over 500 new staff in the next 6 months.

New HQ for Michael Page 

The new HQ for Michael Page International is completing this month...more pictures on the website soon.

Sustainable Business Award 

Our Sustainable Business activities are gathering pace...iorgroup has just been awarded the Richmond Go Green 'Advanced' status...the only business in Richmond to have achieved this level. The magazine article from the Richmond Borough Council Winter '08 edition shows the iorgroup team responsible for developing our Sustainable Business policies and actions...designer Lisa Stables, project manager Grant Millea, Director Nigel Sinsbury and office manager Eugenia Dennis.

  

IOR Group in The Sunday Times

   

IOR Group in The Sunday Times, March '08

'Change up a gear and drive expansion plans'

The Sunday Times and HBOS interviewed Mark Randall MD of IOR Group, above, for this years Entreprenuer Challenge. The strong growth of the business featured in the article, along with our strategy for empowering the management team.

New Building Assessment service

iorgroup are working with several clients on a building analysis service...identifying the amount of new office space needed, evaluating potential sites, and creating a business-case report for the most suitable buildings. The two current projects are expected to conclude in the new year.

See our Building Assessment page.