Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners has made its mark on one of its own buildings through a fit-out which reflects and promotes its working practices and ethos. After 30 years based at Thames Wharf in Hammersmith West London, the practice has moved to The Leadenhall Building, to a new studio that better suits the practice as it is now. It sought an office space that could accommodate all its 200 staff on one floor, in order to promote communication and collaborative working. Level 14 of the RSHP designed Leadenhall Building gave the opportunity to do just this.
The fit-out design was undertaken in-house and reinterprets the design philosophy of the practice as flexible, legible space. The structure of the soffit and services are exposed, rather than using a suspended ceiling, and the full height of the space is revealed giving a greater sense of internal volume. In doing so, the materiality of the building becomes evident in the interior. The lighting design, by Speirs and Major is responsive to user needs, changing in tone through the day to mimic circadian patterns and promote wellbeing.
The studios are grouped to the south, giving sight lines across the whole studio, and beyond to St Paul’s Cathedral, Canary Wharf and Lloyd’s of London. Desks are arranged in three groups aligned to each of the façades, giving the best aspect for all staff. The more highly serviced areas to the north are closer to the service core. Generous circulation space and a large kitchen give opportunities for chance encounters and informal conversations.
A large central meeting area, open on three sides and visible to all, provides flexible space capable of hosting either a number of small meetings; the weekly Monday Design Forum, open to all staff; or lectures and events for up to 200 people. The modelshop is located by the front door in the main studio space and the entrance is lined with architectural models, exhibiting the work of the practice to visitors. Additionally, the servers are exposed as an integral part of the life of the practice. There are no cellular offices at RSHP, reflecting the democratic philosophy of the practice.
Instead, the corners are given over to quiet space, for meetings, reflection and relaxation. A planting concept by Dan Pearson Studio will be located in the corners to provide a visual amenity. The fit-out was designed in-house, led by Richard Rogers, Graham Stirk, Ivan Harbour and Andrew Morris and was completed on time and on budget to a 16-week programme. A number of products have been developed in partnership with suppliers specifically for the space, including a new benching system by Ahrend and lighting by Spectral Designs.
Richard Rogers, Senior Partner, Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners said: “36 years after winning the competition for the Lloyd’s of London we are delighted to have moved across the road into The Leadenhall Building. Offices have changed immeasurably in that time, and this move from Thames Wharf Studios reflects that. We have had the chance to look at how we work as a practice. We are unique in the architectural world with our constitution and benefits and we have worked hard to preserve the practice’s ethos. Our new studio embodies the teamwork, flexibility and sustainable working practices that characterise our architecture. We have taken the spirit and the community of RSHP, and moved it successfully to the City.”
Andy Sedgwick, Director, Arup said “The RSHP fit-out on level 14 exposes the engineering skeleton of The Leadenhall Building to view: high level services reticulate through the steel floor beams, taking support from the precast concrete floor panels above. The contractor was provided with a fully coordinated Revit model allowing an orderly installation at great speed. Air conditioning is provided by high-level packaged fan coil units that contain all valves and controls in a common housing with the coils and the fan.
Integral sound absorbing panels give the underside of each unit a tidy appearance, and ductwork and pipework is clad with black nitrile rubber that provides additional sound absorption as well as thermal insulation. The floor-by-floor approach adopted to air handling at Leadenhall means that each tenant can run their climate control system for extended hours independent of the other floors. Heat recovery between the supply and exhaust unit is by run-around coil – this means there is no recirculation of exhaust air, and local extract systems for the modelshop and kitchenette areas can simply be joined with the general office extract for exhaust. The lighting scheme was developed by Arup in collaboration with Speirs + Major.
The array of circular LED light fittings corresponds to the spacing of the structural grid and services above, as well as to the layout of the floor below. This approach provides a lit datum under the exposed ceiling services, and in lifting the space, results in a bright and welcoming visual environment. The luminaires were specially adapted by Spectral Lighting for direct mounting to distribution cable tray. The light subtly shifts in colour throughout the day, from cool to warm, to mimic the natural shifts in the colour of daylight throughout the day – creating a stimulating working atmosphere. To provide flexibility, the lighting can be augmented by track-mounted spotlights to provide task lighting or to highlight objects. ” Source by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners.
- Location: London, UK
- Architects: Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners
- Structural Engineer: Arup
- Service Engineer: Arup
- Lighting Design: Speirs + Major
- Main Contractor: Ruddy Joinery and Fit Out
- M&E Contractor: BPI
- Landscape design: Dan Pearson Studio
- IT Consultants: Modern Networks / Cordless
- Suppliers: Chairs HAG, Carpet Loughton Contracts, Lighting Spectral Designs/ Hofmeister, Partitions Skyfold by Style Partitions, Solid Surfaces Porcelanosa, Desks Ahrend, Anti-Static Carpets Bolon, Storage and pedestals USM Haller
- Area: 1,620 sq m
- Floor to ceiling height: 3.7m
- Photographs: British Land/Oxford Properties, Paul Raftery, Mark Gorton / Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, Courtesy of Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners