Embodying Our Innovative Approach to Placemaking.
In recent years, the Oval Partnership has brought its expertise to new-generation office designs for clients. And when it came time for us to leave our own office behind and create our new space, we took the opportunity to reimagine how our own space can both embody our own principles and enable us to move our internal collaboration into the future.
We regard the modern workspace as more than an office: it is a laboratory for generating, testing and delivering cutting-edge ideas and practices. For us, the creative process is cross-disciplinary — it of course includes our architects, urban planners and designers, but also our in-house experts in a wide range of disciplines including urban policy, journalism, storytelling, placemaking, social work, property and land law, sustainable development, walkability, data science, corporate strategy and retail analysis, all working to co-create development strategies and concepts. The office space is designed to maximise the physical and online connectivity between staff members, encouraging ‘creative destruction’ of competing ideas and practices.
With this in mind, the overarching objective was to create an innovative, sustainable and human-centric workspace, one that would foster collaboration within the teams, enhance employee well-being and reduce our environmental impact.
The team took an approach based on placemaking, with the space conceived as an open-plan 'playground' with flexible, modular breakout spaces, similar to a maker’s studio or workshop. There are no walls or private rooms containing the workstations, maximising interpersonal contact, with premium views reserved for the public collaboration spaces.
A central area is realised as a theatre-like 'idea box' that functions as an innovative lab, fostering creativity and collaboration. Providing visibility with privacy, the box grants ample space at different scales via a movable partition.
The layout integrates natural light, ergonomic furniture and decentralised breakout spaces that bring a light, playground-style vibe, enhancing both productivity and well-being. On entry, the visitor is greeted by natural light flooding in from the ‘idea box’, and a deceptively simple, honest material palette defined by concrete flooring, clean ceilings and plywood and metal for the fit-out. The utilitarian steel system and the wood and glass partitions are created from off-the-shelf products, minimising fit-out needs and simplifying construction and communication.
On further inspection, this simple palette gives way to nuance and details: fins and millswork provide visual interest, while water station, storage, phone pods and a tool wall are all thoughtfully integrated. Other amentities include a pantry. Thoughout, storage is both embedded and modular, maximising practicality and flexibility. Trunking runs along the periphery of the entire space at a low level, addressing the limited amount of vertical surface space for power supply and cleanly managed cables.
Furniture is also modular, with integrated cable management. Workstations all have flexible heights to cater to different working and meeting styles, while natural light forms a key element via adjustable curtains.
Sustainability was another key focus, reflected in the simple palette and modular construction as well as in other elements. Reused materials feature, with a long bar table from our previous office retroftted with new recycling bins, and adjustable fittings taken from the previous office such as track lights and wall-mount shelving. We installed a smart, energy-efficient MEP system, with air quality and well-being further boosted by the lack of paint or glue used in the construction, and the use of indoor plants. The space reduces our carbon footprint and promotes an overall greener workspace.
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Our design team was also able to embed efficiency into both the design strategy and the use of materials to reduce costs, and to streamline the construction phases for a more optimal process. This included using Matterport scanning through construction, creating a digital replica of the space to adjust the design as needed while streamlining construction.
We now have a space that better reflects the Oval Partnership’s principles and people-centric values, and one that allows us to work more creatively and productively. As well as providing an ideal space for our colleagues to collaborate, it is one where we hope the community can gather in the spirit of human-centric placemaking.