When PFE Express, a freight forwarding company founded more than 40 years ago and now a global logistics firm, set
out to create new purpose-built headquarters, it had a clear vision. The last thing it wanted was a sterile building with no
personality.
Instead, the new head office and warehousing facility for PFE Express Limited in Witham, Essex, was designed to have
style and substance – and Hunter Douglas Architectural played a pivotal role.
The global architectural products company was specified to provide its award-winning HeartFelt™, wood veneer and stretch
metal ceilings for the ground, first and second floors of this exciting new space.
Lead designer Avril Silva, of Silva Architecture, said she was keen to reflect the quality of PFE’s service and the warm
personality of the family-owned business and its staff. Injecting personality into the interior finishes was key, including
aesthetically pleasing ceilings.
“Every element was important,” she says. “I searched for ceiling styles that would reflect the personality of the company and
it was important to me to that we created a hierarchy of spaces and that each location had an identity.
“The ceilings were a major part of the design and it was important to me to use the best product, as opposed to specifying
a standard grid ceiling. Hunter Douglas ceilings are showcased in this project and the clients, as well as all the staff, have
positively commented on the ceilings, together with the lighting.”
Hunter Douglas had a variety of ceilings that perfectly matched the style the architect was creating, as well as the lighting
design. This was the high quality that she and the client required for the new HQ.
All the ceilings were installed by the main contractor Harmonix.
The ceiling for corridor and gangway of the open plan office is Heartfelt™. Hunter Douglas supplied approximately 1,890
metres of the award-winning felt ceiling panels with 70mm module in a mix of grey tones. The acoustic pads were hidden
above the Heartfelt™, further emphasising the quality of the design and acoustic performance.
About 106m2 of a veneered wood grill finished in European white oak with a transparent stain was specified for the canteen
area. The panels are made up using 19mm wide x 88mm deep slats with a 100mm gap between them. The design added
warmth to the space and helped to break up the zones in the capacious open plan area, whilst maintaining easy access
into the void if required.
Hunter Douglas’s stretch metal ceiling was used in the main office. The architect specified perforated panels for acoustic
reasons and because the module was flexible, she used 900x900, which worked well with the air conditioning units installed
in the ceiling grid.
The architect said she chose metal because it is a robust material and could cope with regular access if required.
“The black mesh ceilings created a more dramatic effect to the staff breakout areas,” explains Avril Silva. “This also helped
identify the zone within the vast open plan office, and worked well with the light fittings. Again, easy access, acoustics,
durability and aesthetics were key, and these ceilings ticked all four boxes.”
Hunter Douglas is renowned for its innovative and stylish ceiling designs – incorporating three different designs into this new
headquarters provides yet another showcase for the company.
