It’s already been a busy year for the team at Pimentel and Partners and their diverse workload is taking them from strength to strength.
Pimentel & Partners is a creative consultancy specialising in the design of brand experiences, museums, and visitor attractions. While it is a relatively new company on the scene having started in 2021, it was founded by Paulo Pimentel, who brings over two decades of experience in brand experience and visitor design to the venture. He has worked on a wide variety of successful projects throughout his career, including the iconic Guinness Storehouse in Dublin.
His regular collaborator Phaedra Corrigan has been active in all their recent projects and brings significant expertise to the practice. Phaedra has been working at the highest level in the interpretation and museum design sector in recent years having led both the award winning Burrell Collection and The Hans Christian Andersen Museum of Fairy Tales for Event Communication. She brings a wealth of experience working in highly sensitive heritage environments and a highly sensitive approach to storytelling and design.
The company uses engaging design and compelling content to bring stories to life, working with a range of clients in the attractions sector, from museums to brand homes, for both permanent and temporary experiences. Their ethos is hinged around the synergy of people, place and story. Exploring these three elements thoroughly forms a framework that underpins every project they undertake.
Their aim is to realise the potential of every project by optimising the technical constraints of their context and revealing the stories that resonate with their audiences and stay relevant for the future. As a result their work inspires new perspectives and creates positive change in places and people.
It’s already been a hectic year for the team at Pimentel and Partners and finding the balance between delivering exemplary creative work and ensuring that their new business pipeline is kept fed is a familiar challenge for everyone in the sector and wider design industry.
In July they completed the RIBA Stage 3 phase of Clandon Park for the National Trust. The subject of their talk at the M+H Show in May (available to view here), the Paladian villa was gutted by fire in 2015. Working with Allies + Morrison Architects, their innovative approach to this radical brief has seen them turn the traditional stately home experience on its head. The challenge set by the National Trust has led the team to collaborate with Flow Associates to create an experience that will retain the trust of existing members as well as resonate with a new younger audience and future membership. This in-depth audience consultation process has helped the team focus on the elements that will resonate most with visitors. The stripped back remains of the fine interior designed by Giacomo Leoni in the 1730s lays the house bare and inspires visitors to explore the layers of the house, both physically and socially. Rather than focusing on the stories of the Onslow’s – a dynasty of hereditary peers and Speakers of the House – the women, servants and enslaved people whose servitude originally funded the house are brought to the fore. This approach aims to develop a place and programme of activities that engenders creativity and self-expression, setting the scene for Clandon Park to tell its own story after the devastating fire.
The original Marble Hall and other content will be revealed by visitors on their own devices. Image courtesy of P&P Ltd.
An extensive programme of public consultation has now been completed and responded to and a detailed Planning Application is soon to be submitted. Meanwhile, Pimentel and Partners are gearing up for RIBA Stage 4 and several other projects in the UK and abroad.
Over the past 12 months their workload has been nothing short of diverse. A highlight has been collaborating with Squint Opera and Foster + Partners designing the KSA Pavilion at Osaka Expo. This has enabled the team to develop its technical capacity by moving all their documentation into BIM and they continue to work with the construction team in Osaka. This move sets them up to deliver on larger and more complex projects and continue to work collaboratively with world class project teams.
Collaboration is key for the practice and their ongoing relationship with Acciona Cultura is testament to this ethos. Last year the team designed and delivered the innovative Net Zero exhibition at Ithra in conjunction with Acciona. The exhibition showcased 27 artworks curated by the museum, featuring a selection of international and local artists who share a professional focus on addressing issues like sustainability, the climate crisis, geopolitics and environmental discourse. The scope included the exhibition design as well as the brand identity and graphic design of the catalogue. 3D printed concrete was chosen as the solution for the scenography and this proved a stunning, and sustainable, backdrop to the curated artworks. The exhibition went on to win a prestigious IF Design Award for best temporary exhibition.
Their partnership continues with Acciona with exhibitions currently in production in Doha for the Qatar Museums Authority and the State of Qatar’s International Media Office, both due to open in the autumn.
Science and the natural world are recurring themes in current projects and hold a fascination for the team. Earlier this year they developed a concept for a new Science Discovery Centre for Kew Gardens in West London that involved the transformation of an underutilised exhibition facility built in the 1980s. Working alongside Hugh Broughton Architects the team developed a highly immersive visitor journey that showcases the exemplary specimen collection as well as creating inspiring and immersive experiences that take the visitor on a journey of wonder through the natural world.
For some months the team has also been advising on the redevelopment of the Natural History Museum of Bangkok with GKE culminating in the final presentation in Thailand in collaboration with GKE, an inspiring local design agency.
Reflecting on the last year Pimentel concludes that relationship building, and successful collaboration are the key factors needed to succeed in the sector. Whilst most projects are tendered by necessity, he feels that the relationships they build and the referrals they get from partners and clients are the real route to project success and creating lasting impact.
If you would like to start a conversation with Pimentel and Partners, please get in touch.
