WOTSO has taken the concept of FlexSpace to a new level, partnering with XFrame and embracing the early-stage company’s patented wall framing technology.
Unlike industry standard practice, XFrame can be installed or deconstructed in hours for reuse in other spaces.
The concept instantly appealed to Jessie Glew, Chief Executive Officer of WOTSO, Australia’s home-grown ASX-listed flexible workspace operator.
“What interested me immediately about XFrame was the sustainability piece,” says Glew.
“The external cladding of our spaces are upcycled or recycled as much as possible with material that we’ve taken out of other fit-outs or that we’ve collected along the way,” says Glew.
“But the actual framing used to make the internal walls wasn’t recyclable. This is what’s really cool about XFrame because immediately the system is sustainable.
“With XFrame you can literally unclip the wall from the floor, move it and reinstate it in a new location, enabling us to be more flexible with our space.”
Recycling and upcycling are integral to WOTSO, which has 26 sites across Australia and New Zealand with more on the way.
Using second-hand materials adds character and resonates with its thousands of members.
“It’s something we’ve done since the business started in 2014,” says Glew.
XFrame panels being installed at WOTSO Liverpool.
XFrame was recently installed at WOTSO’s new Liverpool workspace and will feature in WOTSO’s fit-outs and existing spaces wherever possible.
It increases flexibility while saving time and money on trades needed to install internal walls.
“The nature of the FlexSpace beast is that you’ve got businesses expanding or contracting all the time, or you’re reconfiguring your space because you need to include more co-working area or need to build more offices,” says Glew.
“We need to have highly adaptive space and XFrame is a great solution.”
XFrame founder Ged Finch with his creation.
Ged Finch, XFrame founder and Chief Technology Officer, developed the concept while studying architecture and witnessing the disturbing amount of waste generated by the construction industry.
Internal wall framing – which typically uses nailed 4×2 (90mm x 45mm) timber – is a major contributor, getting ripped up and thrown away with every refit.
“Because it’s not designed to be deconstructed there’s so much cost involved in recovering the materials in a high-value manner, that it’s just not economical,” says Finch.
“That’s why you see fit-outs being gutted because there’s no value in those materials and quite often the materials being used don’t hold up to multiple use cycles.
“Timber has some value but because it’s full of nails and been cut into bits to suit the specific site builders are very reluctant to reuse 4×2 and it usually goes to landfill.”
His solution was to create the XFrame internal walling system: rectangular panels either 1.2m x 2.4m or 0.6m x 2.4m made from plywood (Australian plantation radiata pine) that is braced corner-to-corner with an X support.
There are no nails, only bolts and clips, making it easy to build and take apart.
“Part of the whole rationale of XFrame is that X is the bracing component, which means the panel is really stable and we can put different linings (walls) on because we can accurately predict where all the fixing points are,” Finch says.
The look and feel gets down to the client and the material they want to use. Major client ANZ, for example, chose Tasmanian Oak for a sleek upmarket look.
“We can clip any lining on the wall that is 12mm or thicker,” says Finch says. “It’s usually a customer choice and in the case of Liverpool, WOTSO preferred the vertically grooved panel.
“But we also introduced them to saveBOARD, which is recycled Tetra Pak, and that was used on the outside of the spaces.”
Demand for XFrame is growing. Finch says there have been 50 fit-outs across Australia and New Zealand.
XFrame recently raised growth capital to fund expansion and product development. Among the early investors were members of the WOTSO board.
“As XFrame grows we hope to establish a thriving reuse market, facilitating buy-back, recovery and redeployment of the system to ensure long term waste minimisation,” says Ged.
