Culturebox Interiors to Lead the Design and Build of The Escapologist’s York Venue
We’re delighted to share some very exciting news from the Culturebox Interiors team – we’re leading the design and build project for The Escapologist’s new York venue on Swinegate.
This is a project we’ve been looking forward to getting stuck into, and it’s a great opportunity for our team to bring together our experience in interior design, commercial fit-out and design and build to create something genuinely different.
The Escapologist is investing around £1 million in its new York venue at 29 Swinegate, creating a major new escape-room and immersive entertainment destination in the city. The project has already attracted plenty of attention in the local press, and we’re proud to be the team helping to turn the vision into reality.
A design and build project with a difference
There’s something particularly exciting about working on a project where the finished space needs to be an experience in itself.
The Escapologist isn’t simply creating somewhere for people to visit. The aim is to transport customers into a completely different world from the moment they walk through the door.
That brings some interesting challenges from a design and build and fit-out perspective.
Every detail needs to work together. From the layout and materials through to the finishes, lighting, atmosphere and practical requirements of a busy leisure venue.
For our team, that’s exactly what makes projects like this so enjoyable.
We’re able to take the project from the initial design and planning stages through to the physical fit-out, working closely with The Escapologist team throughout the process to make sure the finished venue delivers on their vision.
Bringing The Escapologist to Swinegate
York is a fantastic setting for The Escapologist.
It’s a city full of history, character and stories, so an immersive escape-room experience feels right at home here. The Swinegate location also puts the new venue right in the heart of the city, making it an exciting addition to York’s growing leisure and hospitality scene.
For us, the challenge is to take the existing space and completely transform it into a venue that feels distinctive, immersive and true to The Escapologist brand.
That’s where having both the design and build and fit-out expertise in-house really makes a difference.
From concept to completion – doing things differently
At Culturebox Interiors, we don’t believe there’s a one-size-fits-all approach to design and build.
Our focus is always on achieving the best possible outcome for the client – not simply taking responsibility for every element of a project and adding it to one overall price.
We work collaboratively with our clients to look at the project as a whole and identify where we can create the best value. That means being open about how the project is delivered, where costs can be saved and, importantly, where it makes commercial sense for the client to take greater control.
Where appropriate, we can split elements of a project, allowing the client to purchase certain items or packages directly where this represents better value. We then work alongside them to coordinate those elements with the wider design and build programme, making sure everything comes together properly on site.
It’s a different approach to the traditional design-and-build model, but we believe it creates a much more collaborative relationship between client and contractor.
Collaboration that delivers better value
For us, best value doesn’t simply mean the lowest price.
It means making sure every pound invested in a project is being spent in the right place, while maintaining the quality, design intent and performance of the finished space.
That could mean identifying opportunities for the client to procure certain elements directly, finding more commercially viable solutions during the design process, or working with trusted suppliers and contractors to achieve competitive pricing.
The important thing is that these decisions are made collaboratively and transparently.
Our role is to bring our experience to the table, help the client understand their options and work with them to find the right balance between cost, quality and design.
On a project such as The Escapologist in York, that approach is particularly valuable. There are a lot of different elements involved in delivering a specialist leisure fit-out, and we want every decision to contribute to the best possible finished venue while keeping the project commercially viable.
Ultimately, our job isn’t just to build what’s been designed. It’s to work with our client to find the smartest way of delivering it.
That’s what we believe a modern design and build partnership should look like.
Andrew Foot, Managing Director of Culturebox Interiors
“We’re incredibly excited to be leading the design and build of The Escapologist’s new York venue. It’s a fantastic project for Culturebox Interiors and one that gives our team the opportunity to combine creative design with the technical expertise and attention to detail that goes into delivering a truly immersive leisure environment.
“York is such an iconic city, and Swinegate is a brilliant location for The Escapologist. We’re really looking forward to seeing the project take shape and working closely with the team to bring their vision to life. There’s a lot of hard work ahead, but it’s exactly the kind of project we love – challenging, creative and ultimately focused on creating an experience that people will remember.”
Creating an experience, not just a space
One of the things that makes this project so interesting is the importance of the environment itself.
With an escape-room venue, the interior plays a huge part in the overall customer experience. It needs to create intrigue, build atmosphere and make visitors feel immersed in what’s happening around them.
That means the fit-out has to be about much more than simply installing finishes and fixtures.
Our team is considering how the space works as a whole, from the customer journey and layout through to materials, detailing and the practical requirements of running a busy leisure venue.
It’s this combination of creative interior design, technical knowledge and commercial thinking that we bring to every project.
We can’t wait to see it come together
Seeing an empty commercial space transformed through a design and build and fit-out project is always rewarding, but this one is particularly exciting for us.
We’re looking forward to seeing the different elements of the design come together and watching the venue develop from an initial concept into a finished experience.
Most importantly, we’re proud to be working alongside The Escapologist on what promises to be a fantastic new addition to York.
There’s still plenty to do, but the project is well underway and we’ll be sharing more as the design and build and fit-out progresses.
For Culturebox Interiors, this is exactly the kind of project we love, creative, challenging and commercially focused, with the end result always at the heart of what we do.
We can’t wait to see The Escapologist open its doors on Swinegate.
Watch this space.