Contemporary working practices and sustainability came together in this scheme whose aesthetic inspiration came from the dramatic and varied landscapes of the African continent.
SpaceInvader – For corporate client Aldermore, the brief was to design a 25,683 sq ft office interior in Broadgate, London, within one of the City of London’s most dynamic neighbourhoods. Contemporary working practices were to be enabled in the new scheme, including a greater emphasis on team wellbeing, with space allocated to both a dedicated wellbeing area and new quiet zones. One of the most enjoyable and unusual aspects of the scheme, however, was the brief to integrate Aldermore’s parent company FirstRand Group’s African ownership and culture into the look and feel.
Touchdown desks, featuring Frovi Relic Cloud desk and Boss Coza chairs.
The scheme also focused on best practice usage of the existing fit-out from a sustainability point of view. The existing fit-out wasn’t to be wasted. On an aesthetic level, the prevalence of the colour grey and the lack of vibrancy in the existing scheme were distinctly off-message, which meant that what was retained and what needed to go became a matter of fine judgment. Another challenge which had to be solved was the unusual floorplate shape of the building, which included pointy ends to spaces in a number of meeting rooms.
When it came to the strong sustainability remit for the scheme, the SpaceInvader design team, working closely with contractor CBRE Global Workplace Solutions, retained the majority of the existing ceilings, apart from areas that had been lowered. A lot of the existing flooring was also retained, except in areas where new feature carpets needed to be added. A number of decorative lighting elements were also kept in situ, because of the ceiling retention, but only as long as they integrated well with the scheme’s new rafts and linear features. Totally new elements include a new gantry over the desking areas, which features a rippling water texture, with this space inspired by the landscape of Africa’s great lakes.
Collaboration space featuring Brunner Lift Active table and Crona Up stools.
‘Here, as with many projects in the contemporary workplace field, demolition and refurbishment have to be undertaken with great care’, John Williams, SpaceInvader Founder, explained of the agency’s approach. ‘The build-and-burn era is over, thank goodness, and the best contemporary approach is about taking the time and care to ascertain the optimum next step for everything that has been inherited rather than selected.
At the same time, the final scheme needs to look impeccable and be completely bespoke to each client and their brand ethos, so it’s about being ethical and tactical at the same time. It makes the design work a lot more complicated at the outset in many ways, but personally I think those parameters are a genuine part of the joy of being a designer. It’s in our nature to want to make people’s lives better, whilst reducing or eradicating any potential harm to the environment.’
Boardroom, featuing Brunner tables and Fina chairs.
A new gym, showers and a multi-faith and ablutions room were also added to the new scheme, with all washrooms completely refurbished. Once it was decided which elements might usefully stay or be re-used elsewhere on the scheme, it was time for a complete overhaul of the look and feel. It was also decided not to pursue the simple application of corporate colours in a 3D setting, but to create instead a palette based around African landscapes instead, allowing warmer colours and materials to infuse the scheme.
The team looked to the dramatic and varied landscapes of the African continent for aesthetic inspiration, which found expression in the scheme’s colour palette, along with textures, patterns, forms, artwork and lighting. The scheme also features planting species originally found in Africa, all set within a warm and earthy overall palette with a bold edge. Six different landscapes were chosen as the inspiration for different areas, from the Savannah, the Sahara Desert and the Great Lakes to Johannesberg, the Namib Desert and the Rainforest.
Team room close-up including Vitra Tyde 2 table and Boss Coza chairs.
A lot of research was undertaken into different regions of Africa, working together with planting specialists Plant Plan, so that planting was chosen to reflect relevant plants for each area of the design also. Whilst species were selected that were native to Africa, such as the date palm, the team also had to select very carefully to ensure these were plants that would also thrive indoors.
Project: Aldermore Offices
Location: London, United Kingdom
Project Size: 25,683 sqft
Design Studio: SpaceInvader
Photo Credit: Andrew Smith at SG Photography
Website: spaceinvaderdesign.co.uk
