Deloitte HQ, 1 New Street Square London, UK

Deloitte’s 270,000ft² (NIA) addition to its London campus embraces agile working and an intelligent building system to drive efficiencies and set new standards for wellness and sustainability. The project – which creates a rich mix of work settings and amenities – also centralises the business’s client spaces, welcoming them into the campus and introducing new ways of working alongside the Deloitte team.

The interior strategy defines neighbourhoods, routes and layers of privacy throughout the spaces, as one would when planning a city. People’s first impression of this ‘masterplan’ starts at reception, where a light-filled, double-height space with warm timber-clad surfaces sets the scene for the whole building.

The ground and first floors include a range of work and amenities spaces for both staff and visitors, whilst the more formal client spaces are on levels 13 and 14. The latter areas include The Observatory, The Orchard and the client terrace, The Exchange, fine-dining facilities and The Greenhouse – an innovation space that enables Deloitte to collaborate with clients to solve their most complex business challenges.

Other floors contain a mix of work settings for the Deloitte team, including a range of 10 work settings – including individual booths, team tables and open collaborative spaces – that allow employees to select the right space for the task in hand. This idea of choice extends to the social and more informal spaces, with levels seven and 12 providing a place to relax and work informally. These spaces – linked by a series of new staircases – include the main food court, large presentation areas, a tea bar, a coffee shop and social spaces. There is also an external terrace, where staff can go for fresh air and take in views of the city.

The configuration of the building supports the project’s truly ambitious sustainability target that places health and wellbeing on a par with environmental performance. This approach resulted in 1 New Street Square becoming the largest WELL Gold, New and Existing Interiors project worldwide, and the first to achieve both BREEAM Outstanding and WELL Gold. These credentials hinged on a holistic approach, which included: providing cleaner air, better light, purer water, healthier food, fitness opportunities as well as blending in opportunities for mindfulness throughout the workspace.

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