The Mailbox
- Client
- Milligan
- Services
- Branded Environments
- Sector
- Retail
- Location
- Birmingham, UK
An installation conceived as a temporary measure that became a permanent part of the city, alongside a wayfinding scheme drawn from Birmingham’s industrial past
The Mailbox is one of Birmingham’s most recognisable buildings, a former Royal Mail sorting office transformed into a premium mixed-use destination, and the subject of a £50 million refurbishment completed in 2015. Benoy designed a permanent wayfinding scheme for the refurbished interior, and a temporary installation to manage the entrance during construction.
The lamp
During the redevelopment, Benoy designed and built a 4.5-metre red desk lamp, complete with oversized plug socket, to mark the temporary entrance on Severn Street. The piece generated immediate public attention, becoming a social media landmark and a reference point within the city. Conceived as temporary, it has remained in place ever since and now has its own TripAdvisor listing as a Birmingham attraction in its own right.
The wayfinding
The wayfinding scheme takes the design language of Birmingham’s heritage crafts and trades, a city shaped by metalwork, jewellery and manufacturing. That industrial character informing the detailing across the full range of wayfinding applications, sitting in counterpoint to the contemporary luxury retail interior rather than simply mirroring it. The result is a scheme that acknowledges where the building came from while serving the premium experience it now offers.
