Sustainable Workspaces

County Hall, London

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Sustainable Workspaces is a branch of Sustainable Ventures - a full service ecosystem  for sustainable start-ups that provides investment, community, innovation and workspace. Sustainable Workspaces have taken 3,600 sqm on the 5th floor of County Hall - a grade II listed building and former home of the Greater London Council. Material Works were commissioned to design the fit-out of this new space to provide amenities including private offices, event spaces, innovation labs, cafés and break-out areas. The existing space had been untouched since the GLC left in the 1980s, providing a unique context of distressed historic finishes as the backdrop for the new works.

The proposed works for Sustainable Workspaces at County Hall offered a unique opportunity to adapt a landmark building into a progressive, inviting work-space. Designed as a hub for emerging climate tech businesses, the deign uses construction techniques that limit environmental impact and demonstrate a future path for sustainable development.

The project steers a clear path away from traditional office fit-outs that typically use materials with limited life-spans and high levels of embodied energy. In contrast, Sustainable Workspaces focuses on minimal intervention, celebrating the existing and the reclaimed, developing circular life strategies and utilising innovative low energy materials. In doing so, the project not only responds to environmental necessity, but also fosters a natural and comfortable aesthetic, creating a distinct language for work-place design