72 Broadwick Street, W1F
2022 brought us the opportunity to work on a spectacular office refurbishment and fit-out project for Shaftesbury PLC, right in the heart of London’s West End.
The brief – a premium plug and play workspace with sustainability at it’s heart
Sustainability and social responsibility stand at the core of everything our client does, and we embraced their vision right from the beginning. We registered the site with the Considerate Constructors Scheme and committed to achieving BREEAM certification.
This extraordinary office space has been reimagined to provide a premium experience for occupiers. From luxury seating areas to sophisticated boardrooms, a stand-alone kitchen and bar, a nursing room, and a variety of workspaces – all enabling people to perform better at work while enjoying the comforts of home in a light, airy and luxurious environment.
The space transformation
This first floor space at 72 Broadwick Street offers stunning views over the buzzing Carnaby Street and plenty of natural light. With these key assets to play with BGY Architects created a sleek and refined office space without compromising the project’s sustainability parameters. They used thoughtful design techniques and Open’s meticulous craftsmanship and to form a coherent, unbroken space. One which is both familiar and surprising.
The new layout moved away from endless rows of fixed desks to prioritise informal meeting spaces and facility areas such as the nursery room and a bar area. The space also includes a bespoke joinery kitchen and a dining table, a roof terrace on the 6th floor, open-plan workstations, and a variety of focus and collaboration zones.
These areas provide the people using the space with the necessary amenities and functional spaces to perform both individually and collaboratively at work, while the beautifully crafted new shower facilities, vanity rooms and lockers we’ve created both encourage biking or running to work, and provide somewhere to get ready for an after-work dinner in the buzzing West End.
Challenges of a sustainable design in a busy environment
With a wide spectrum of trades on-site at all times, working in a London area constantly full of tourists, our team took great care to follow the Considerate Constructors Scheme guidelines to minimize disruption and keep everyone safe and happy.
We provided clear and constant information to the local community about our works on site with newsletters put on display and regular meetings helped with the site workforce and the client. We constantly monitored the environmental factors, successfully avoiding unwanted issues and securing a ‘Very Good’ Certificate for our performance level under the Considerate Constructors Scheme.
The installation of the four tonne steel staircase in a very tight space – the main building’s entrance – was a bit challenging. Managing the installation of it whilst maintaining good progress on site was possible as we have an expert team who know how to assess risks and avoid any dangerous situation from arising. Throughout the whole project, external health and safety auditors visited the site and we regularly achieved AAs, which is the highest score rating.
A BREEAM target of ‘Very Good’
Driven by sustainability combined with premium quality and attention to detail, the design we had to create on behalf of the BGY Architects employs soft furnishings and curved features in the furniture and tailor-made joinery. The natural wood used in the creation of the kitchen as well as the natural wood flooring has all been sustainably sourced. And the warm colour palette complements the sleek marble finishes in the kitchen and bar areas.
Every detail of this sophisticated plug-and-play office contributes to a seamless workspace and reflects Shaftesbury PLC’s vision – a vision we were delighted to bring to life.
In the past, we have delivered another ‘Very Good’ BREEAM project in Reading at 12 Forbury Court and a ‘Very Good’ Considerate Constructors Scheme at 2 Cavendish Square, Marylebone.
