Ahead of MIPIM 2026, we sat down with John Williams, Director and founder of SpaceInvader, a multi-award-winning interior design agency and one of the UK’s premier design consultancies. With a growing portfolio of civic and commercial retrofit projects across Greater Manchester, SpaceInvader has become a leading voice in the movement towards radical reuse, repositioning existing buildings as catalysts for economic confidence, community cohesion and long-term sustainability.
1. Can you explain your design ethos and why radical reuse is so important to SpaceInvader?
Radical reuse fits naturally into how we approach design. Most of the buildings we work with already contain significant value in their structure, materials and location. Replacing them isn’t always the most intelligent move. In many cases, careful intervention can deliver better performance without starting again. Reuse requires more discipline, not less. When it’s done properly, it makes commercial and environmental sense and strengthens the role a building plays within its community.
Our approach has always been about designing interiors with purpose. I’ve never believed design should simply make something look new, it should solve operational challenges, improve wellbeing and contribute positively to the communities those spaces serve.
Becoming a Certified B Corporation at the start of 2026 formalised something that was already embedded in the business, accountability. It reinforced the idea that design decisions have consequences, financially, environmentally and socially.
For us, reuse is about unlocking contribution. In civic projects, that might mean making services more accessible and visible within town centres. In commercial settings, it can mean creating environments that support collaboration and local economic activity. The aim is always the same, to ensure buildings actively support people and communities rather than sit underused.
2. Why do you think it is so important that town centres and their existing commercial and civic buildings are given a new purpose?
Town centre buildings already occupy the best-connected and most visible sites in any place. When they’re left underused, the effect is immediate. Confidence drops and activity slows. The issue usually isn’t the building itself. It’s that the original function no longer reflects how people live, work or access services.
In Oldham, consolidating a dispersed estate into a central civic hub changed how the town centre operates day to day. Services became more accessible and footfall increased. That kind of repositioning strengthens the wider area without relying on large-scale demolition. Reusing what’s already there is often the most direct way to restore a building's relevance.
3. Have you found these buildings can become a catalyst for further strategic investment in an area?
They can, particularly when the repositioning is credible. When a prominent building in the centre of a town is visibly improved and actively used, it can positively shift perception. A well-executed reuse project demonstrates long-term commitment and drives confidence in a local area.
In both Oldham and Stockport, civic reinvestment has signalled that the town centre remains a priority, encouraging further activity around it, whether retail, workspace or residential development, and giving others the confidence to invest nearby also.
4. What are the advantages of creating flexible, adaptable and mixed-use spaces within these existing assets?
Flexibility reduces long-term risk both financially and operationally. Organisations don’t operate in fixed patterns. Civic services evolve. Workspace demand changes. A building designed around one rigid model quickly becomes vulnerable.
In central Manchester, at the Renold Building, we’ve worked on projects where zones can shift between coworking, events and private workspace without structural change. That gives operators the ability to respond to demand rather than commit to a single format. In town centre settings, combining services and complementary uses creates consistent activity and makes better use of the footprint. Designing for adaptability protects asset value and reduces future capital expenditure. It also extends relevance, which is ultimately what keeps a building viable.
5. What do you find the most rewarding thing about repurposing civic and town centre assets across Greater Manchester?
The most rewarding aspect is seeing buildings become active again. When a town centre asset is underused, it affects confidence. When it’s brought back into use, whether that’s a civic hub in Oldham or a cultural space in Stockport, the change is visible. Footfall increases. Services become more accessible. The building contributes again rather than sitting as a liability.
It also creates opportunities for stronger collaboration between public services, local businesses and community organisations. When those groups operate within the same building, service delivery becomes more joined-up, and the space works harder for the town centre. In that sense, a building can become a practical hub for activity and innovation, rather than simply a refurbished asset.
6. How important is collaboration in these projects? And do you find Manchester encourages a collaborative approach?
Collaboration is fundamental because reuse is rarely straightforward. Existing structures, live operational requirements and financial constraints all intersect. Decisions about layout, servicing, phasing and cost are interconnected. If teams aren’t aligned early, retrofit becomes expensive and compromised. When they are aligned, constraints become manageable and often lead to better solutions.
Across Greater Manchester, including the GMCA and individual local authorities, there is a pragmatic culture between councils, consultants and delivery teams. There is generally a willingness to test ideas, phase work and adapt as projects evolve, which makes complex reuse schemes more achievable.
There is also progressive thinking around how projects are funded and delivered. Partnership models, blended funding and collaborative approaches to estate rationalisation have helped unlock schemes that might otherwise stall under more traditional procurement routes.
7. What challenges come with retrofitting and repurposing an existing building from an interior design perspective?
You tend to inherit structure, servicing routes, ceiling heights, floorplates and often decades of previous alterations. Those constraints shape every decision. Daylight may be limited, structural grids may restrict flexibility, and legacy systems often need upgrading without major disruption. You are working within a framework that cannot simply be redesigned.
There is also the balance between improving performance and respecting what already exists. Accessibility, energy efficiency and modern workplace requirements must be integrated into an existing fabric, which requires careful coordination and technical discipline.
Alongside the physical challenges, there is significant stakeholder management. Civic projects in particular involve engagement with local authorities, multiple services and user groups, all with different operational needs. Managing those conversations and aligning priorities requires experience and clear communication.
In many civic projects, buildings remain operational during works, adding complexity around phasing and practicality. Design decisions have to be robust and deliverable.
8. How can you ensure that your designs are futureproofed and extend the life of these buildings?
Avoiding overly fixed solutions is key. If space is designed around a single layout or operational model, it will quickly feel dated. We focus on creating spatial frameworks that can evolve, adaptable zoning, flexible furniture strategies and layouts that can be reconfigured without structural alteration. Infrastructure also needs to support change. Power, data and environmental systems must enable flexibility rather than restrict it.
Where possible, existing elements are retained and upgraded rather than replaced unnecessarily. That supports long-term performance while reducing disruption and future capital expenditure. A building remains viable when it continues to support how people work, deliver services or operate commercially.
9. Is it important to you to reflect the heritage and character of a place in your designs?
It is, but it needs to be handled in a practical way. Heritage in reuse projects is not about applying decorative references. It is about recognising which elements already carry value and making informed decisions about what should remain.
At Oldham Spindles, retaining elements such as the original glazing maintained continuity, as the building shifted from retail-led to civic use. The architecture remained recognisable even as the function changed. At the Renold Building, existing flooring was retained and refurbished rather than replaced, reducing embodied carbon, controlling cost and preserving part of the building’s character. And at Manchester Central Library, modern interventions were clearly contemporary rather than blended in. Retaining meaningful elements while introducing new, clearly defined additions avoids inauthentic replication and maintains the integrity of the space.
10. How do you think we can reshape the narrative around sustainable spaces to ensure we prioritise retrofit over demolition?
Demolition is still often treated as the default option and retrofit as the fallback. In many cases, that thinking needs to change. The first question should be what the building can become with careful intervention, not how quickly it can be cleared.
Shifting the narrative depends on evidence. When reuse delivers lower embodied carbon, controlled capital cost and faster activation, it becomes a strategic decision rather than an environmental gesture.
It also requires a disciplined assessment of value. New build can appear straightforward on paper but frequently carries higher carbon, longer programmes and greater financial exposure. Retrofit can reduce that risk when approached with technical and commercial rigour.
Treating existing buildings as assets with embedded value, rather than obstacles, is what ultimately changes the conversation.