Your grandma would be impressed with this office, whilst her great grand-daughter would think it was uber cool without being so fashionable that it would soon date. The space feels healthy, honest and frugal.
As a workspace that thrives on welcoming clients in, Octopus and LightSource (a company which Octopus invests in) needed a lively, flexible space that would drive socialising. Our team made sure to base the design around delivering a welcoming and unique working environment that would ooze character and keep things running smoothly in busy communal areas.
The first thing visitors will spot upon entering the 7th floor is the ‘living wall’, which blurs the line between indoors and outdoors. The team found this concept to be useful for this project as it helped soften the reception space and bring a sense of familiarity to it.
A large swathe of the HQ is dedicated to facilitating collaborative thinking between Octopus, their clients and their partners. The client space allows visitors and staff to move freely through the space without the restriction of security barriers. To ease communication and promote flexible working we designed a number of informal meeting areas with a huge island unit at the heart of the client hub where everybody can gather around for a quick chat over a cup of tea.
The operation sections of the office are secured yet visible behind sweeping curved walls that are open view to clients. There are also many facilities and soft zones to encourage collaboration between colleagues without the necessity of booking a meeting room. The HQ is shrewdly designed to make the most of the office space and in doing so enhances functionality. A mixture of circular and rectangular desks optimizes floor space and helps people bond in and out of work by removing the “chained to my desk” feeling; allowing users to function naturally and at their best speed and efficiency.
The HQ is not fussy, cluttered or gimmicky. It is clean, crisp and modest. It resembles the Octopus way of “talking simple”.
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