Ambit and BentallGreenOak create a workspace suitable for anyone in the heart of Fitzrovia
101 New Cavendish Street was going to be home for BentallGreenOak’s latest CAT A+ Tenant-Ready™ space. They had a clear brief in mind, wanting us to create an environment suited for any tenant.
When BentallGreenOak approached us with the task of transforming a dull and outdated Level 1 into a flexible, modern workspace, we were excited to take on the challenge. The goal was to create a CAT A+ Tenant-Ready™ space that was welcoming and suitable for anyone.
We immediately set to work, starting with the lift lobby area. The client wanted to split the floor to allow for two tenants and wanted us to design a new lift lobby waiting area that would serve both tenant floors. We space planned the south side of Level 1, which included 68 workstations, a variety of meeting rooms, and a collaborative lounge and working area. The client's vision was to create a welcoming reception lounge that would serve not only as a reception area but also as a warm and collaborative space for everyone.
We knew that to truly achieve the client's goal, we needed to create a warm, relaxed atmosphere using ambient lighting. We also wanted to create a large breakout social space that could be used for multiple purposes. We also maximized the amount of natural daylight coming in and supplemented it with artificial light.
We faced several challenges during the project, one of which was breaking up Level 1 into a north side and south side. The inclusion of the wall separating the two sides meant that the natural light in the building was severely limited, creating pockets of dark spaces. The implementation of artificial and ambient lighting helped overcome this challenge. Much of the older lighting was reused, saving on budget and maintaining sustainability.
We also made sure to add creativity and personality to the space using high-end finishes and furniture, as well as incorporating earthy, pastel tones to help encourage a homely, warm environment. The workstations were designed with a white and black colour palette and the meeting rooms were designed with herringbone table tops which made the space more visually interesting. Additionally, we incorporated glazing into the meeting rooms to allow for natural lighting to come through.
The final outcome was a welcoming and versatile CAT A+ Tenant-Ready™ space that exceeded the client's expectations. The space was perfect for any tenant with its variety of workstations, meeting rooms, and lounges catering to the different needs of its users. The addition of bespoke joinery items and lots of plants further created a lively environment.
In conclusion, the project of creating a flexible workspace for BentallGreenOak was a thrilling challenge for the Ambit team to work on. We were able to transform an outdated space into a state-of-the-art, modern, and lively workspace with a perfect balance of natural and artificial light, high-end finishes and furniture, making the space suitable for anyone.
