Project Description

Habit Action embarked on a unique client journey with Canadian-based global investment firm, CDPQ, on their relocation project from St. James to Soho. This stunning project designed by Habit Action turned a single 22,000 sq. ft floor plate into a vibrant workspace that not only caters for the needs of today, but for the long-term aspirations of the organisation. Initially the brief was very traditional in scope, but through a collaborative approach with the client, Habit Action were able to present ideas and creative solutions to transform their space from being just an office, to a beautiful people-centric hub for staff and clients alike. A key element of CDPQ’s offices globally is incorporating local flavours into the space while maintaining a corporate feel. For Habit Action this opened a pool or opportunity to create something truly stunning, combining the vibrancy of Soho with the dramatic architectural envelope of the building. Sustainability was forefront in the design and delivery process from the outset of CDPQ’s new London office in terms of specification as well as the end result of this project. Products were almost all manufactured in the UK apart from a few products manufactured in Sweden and Finland. 90% of flooring finished were carbon neutral, and all ceiling acoustics were 100% carbon neutral. The flooring finishes landfill waste intensity were 4% and at least 80% of furniture waste was diverted from landfill during the manufacturing process. All new oak veneer doors and bespoke millwork are FSC certified with materials used in bespoke millwork and furniture having an average recycled content of 41.07%. The average recycled content across all wall finishes is 50.7% and the fabric used in acoustic wrap panels is made from recycled ocean plastic waste. 100% of the flooring suppliers used on this project provide a take-back scheme to recycle their products. The whole reason for this relocation project for CDPQ was that the space they were in previously was no longer fit for purpose for their people. The St. James office they vacated was split between two levels which presented connectivity issues between the different subsidiaries in the space. Finding a space that met their needs of a single 20,000 sq ft floorplate in St. James was proving impossible. This is why they took the decision to relocate to Soho where they could create an environment that would increase engagement, connectivity, and retention of top talent. Throughout the design process, a key HR representative from CDPQ helped shape a lot of the decision making to support the needs of their people. A critical aim of the project was to find a way to manage and balance their staff’s expectations of what flexible/hybrid working means for them, without these working practices have a negative impact on business performance. Having gained insights from within the team and taken on board feedback from different areas of the business, Habit Action were able to take a holistic view of these challenges and come up with creative solutions that worked for all parties. Through a collaborative design journey with the between CDPQ and Habit Action, the design and project team used their expertise to create a space that exceeded CDPQ’s expectations, encouraging staff back to the office without forcing them. The environmental impact of this project was very positive right from the outset. Both CDPQ and Habit Action held a shared desire to create a space that would help the environment not only long term but throughout the construction phase too. From a specification stand point, all materials were UK sourced with the exception of a couple of products that had to be supplied from Sweden and Finland. Given that the site was next to a residential area, site working hours were kept strictly to the allowed residential working hours. Wherever possible, Habit Action used any base build lighting and worked to incorporate the base build wooden cladding within the scheme by incorporating a much paler oak finish throughout the space to compliment the darker finish cladding of the central block. Due to the location of the project, contractors travelled to site using public transport to keep the volume of traffic to a minimum in the live tourist destination of Carnaby street and the surrounding landmarks. Throughout the space, live plants are a big aspect of the design not just visually but in providing air purification and moisture in the office. The location of this space should help to reduce CDPQ’s carbon footprint due to the proximity of amenities to their office, allowing 80 of their staff to work and socialise in one area. The external planting on the terrace acts as a sound absorbent barrier to surrounding buildings and streets, keeping sound pollution to a minimum from CDPQ. There is creativity, originality and impact everywhere you look in CDPQ’s new London office. What gives this space such impact is the way it has been designed to perfectly capture it’s surroundings and location, whilst drawing local flavours from the outside in, and playing to the many strengths of the buildings architectural envelope. This stunning single floorplate office shouts creativity, originality and impact from the minute you enter the space. From the beautiful picture windows that frame views of Broadwick Street, to dramatic lighting features, and the geometric shape of the reception desk mirroring the forms of the building. To keep in harmony with the unique architecture of the building, Habit Action designed all the individual offices to sit below the exposed arc shaped concrete ceiling slab, accentuating this dramatic feature with lighting. The pantry area in this space acts as the heart of the space, bringing together the different subsidiaries within the office to one central space to eat, socialise and communicate with people right across the organisation. With the shuffleboard and table football, as well as access to high end eating and drinking facilities, this space draws people together, evoking a sense of community and culture. Another aspect of originality in this scheme is undoubtedly the artwork displayed around the office, adding something very unique to the design which reflects CDPQ’s culture, originality and diversity. The central hub has impacted collaboration within the organisation and has enabled people to visit the office from different locations to work. The needs of CDPQ from a business and design objective standpoint were very specific. One aspect of the project that added an interesting perspective to the overall design was fitting two subsidiaries of the business into one space, with the capacity to expand this to 3 business subsidiaries on one floorplate in the future if necessary. The design of the space caters for this perfectly with dedicated offices, desks, meeting booths, and meeting rooms in each space, with the common areas such as the pantry space and client entertainment areas bringing the subsidiaries together. Another business objective was to make the office a key location for bringing their teams together from right across the world. The central hub space in the office is perfect for this, catering for the needs of anyone travelling into the London space that needs a desk, soft seating, and coffee bar. For CDPQ, maintaining privacy due to the nature of their work was a critical aspect of the project. This had a big impact of the layout of the space and design features such as the privacy manifestations on all the glazing. The client entertainment suite including 2 large boardrooms, meeting spaces and coffee lounge area, are all separate from the rest of the office space which helps to protect the privacy of anyone visiting the space. Connectivity between teams and different geographical locations was an important focus for this project, which has been achieved with the support of high-end technology throughout the space.