Bloc

Ideally situated in Manchester City Centre, Bloc is an inspiring 16-story workspace with shared amenities that is centered on fostering well-being to boost productivity. Launched by workspace, retail, and leisure specialist Bruntwood Works, Bloc is part of a £50m Pioneer redevelopment program to create vibrant, community-focused workspaces based on six key principles; biophilia, art, sustainability, wellness, amenity, and technology.

Focused on sustainability, the visionary building features an innovative, two-story living wall that provides oxygen and helps reduce noise levels. A blue/green roof - the first of its kind in Manchester - reduces the discharge of rainwater with wildflowers to support biodiversity, offer an additional thermal barrier, and attract a rare native blue butterfly.

Lighting designer Luke Artingstall of Artin Light created an impressive lighting scheme to support Bloc’s unique work environment, including an innovative grid of lights embedded into the living wall, bringing the building to life after dark with delicate swaths of organic light. The wall, which appears to glow, conveys delicately colored flowers within the greenery – a beautiful juxtaposition to the stark architecture of the building.

To fulfill the requirements of the ambitious lighting scheme, Artin Light appointed leading LED supplier and Signify Certified System Integrator, LITE LTD, to supply and commission the LED lighting solution. LITE specified 3,150 nodes of Color Kinetics iColor Flex LMX gen 2 (now specified with Flex Compact gen3, RGB), as part of a full lighting solution.

The design applies social lighting techniques often used in hospitality venues to the commercial setting, providing highly flexible lighting that enables workers to engage with the space however they choose.

Bloc can transition from day to night with dynamic lighting effects, as well as display saturated, colorful shows for events.