That Workplace Experience Podcast

Episode 05: Multistory — Designing a New Identity for the Modern Workplace

THEM Design Season 1 Episode 5

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0:00 | 25:18

In the fifth episode of That Workplace Experience Podcast, host Dan Moscrop visits Multistory in Birmingham, a bold transformation of a tired 1960s office building into a vibrant, mixed-use workplace designed for the future.

Download the Workbook and watch the episode to see the spaces in full.

Joined by Nick Gaskell (Hawkins\Brown), Dan explores how the project reimagines an ageing commercial building through a focus on community, flexibility, and long-term value—creating what Nick describes as a “living room for the city” that draws people in and connects seamlessly with its surroundings.

Together, they discuss the challenges of refurbishing a complex, multi-entrance structure, the importance of creating shared amenities that bring tenants together, and how bold design and colour can establish a strong new identity. They also unpack the project’s material philosophy—rooted in the Japanese concept of Kintsugi—celebrating the building’s history rather than concealing it, and explore how flexibility, wellbeing, and mixed-use thinking are reshaping the modern workplace.

Video production and camera: Calum Lindsay

Camera: Miguel Santa Clara

Illustration: Phoebe Gitsham