Private Office - Expandable Workspace

Interdisciplinary design firm SOM established their London office in a floor of the SOM-designed Broadgate Tower, the pinnacle of the Broadgate Estate on the easternmost edge of the City of London. The 11,000-square-foot fit-out is designed to respect and express the key architectural and structural principles of this 35-story skyscraper in London’s main financial district.

An air-rights building, situated above London Liverpool Street station’s 18 train tracks, the tower is supported by six striking A-frame trusses. The design of the open-plan studio space, which occupies the entire fourth floor of the tower at the point where the sculptural trusses meet the building, uses a restrained and contemporary palette that serves to emphasize the Broadgate Tower’s strong engineering principles.

The studio is designed to maximize daylight and support the multidisciplinary manner in which the team works. Incorporating a system of desks that can be arranged into studios of 8, 12 or 16 designers, the flexible layout is dependent on project requirements and future work trends.

A range of workspaces, from glass-fronted conferencing rooms to small breakout spaces, allow for both formal meetings and impromptu discussions between teams. Varying spatial arrangements, coupled with state-of-the-art AV and IT infrastructure, enable SOM’s London designers to work with global clients and other offices with ease.

Project Type: Office Space
Location: London, UK
Design: Rodrigo Buelvas as Senior Designer while at SOM.
Client: SOM
Photography: Tom Rossiter