BW has moved to its stunning new offices at 5 Old Bailey, designed by KKS and managing the fit-out themselves.
The move represents the latest transition in the evolution of BW as new breed of Fit-Out Contractor that understands design, as much as they appreciate the precision joinery and detail finishes.
The design, undertaken by Athina Trapezountiou at KKS, captures the essence of this key London location, close to St Paul’s Cathedral, representing the exterior inside the space to create a sense of place, a theme that is echoed throughout the whole design. The gridded building facades of the surroundings as well as the organic setting of the medial streets of the city, are expressed in the concrete like gridded floor in reception, through the carpet composition and angular design in the meeting suite and workspace, as well as the angular design of the envelope and joinery. The colour palette is neutral tones with warm highlights which complement the black and white (and greys in between) to maintain a classic environment to stand the test of time.
A key design objective was to ensure that when employees and clients leave the lift and enter the reception there is an instant WOW factor, and this has been achieved with a striking design combined with a quality and attention to detail that exudes from every corner of the design. Visitors approach the stunning bespoke Corian reception desk, set against metal bronze screen installation that creates a new striking backdrop completing a new envelope to the space, filtering the external light and views out.
The reception desk gently slopes and curves to the right where, alongside loose iconic furniture pieces, forms the waiting area. To the left of the reception desk there is a welcoming business lounge, fully equipped with a communal table, comfortable Eames chairs, and dedicated ambient lighting, to provide visitors and clients with a conducive work environment.
The BW brand is always paramount, subtly reinforced with an elegant carved ceiling light sign manifestation that welcomes clients to the meeting room suite.
There are a total of 8 meeting rooms of different sizes to accommodate various types of meeting, all with ‘State of the Art’ AV capability throughout, two of which combine to create a seminar space for up to 40 guests.
To further encourage and support the collaborative style of working favoured at BW, the main working areas comprise bench style workspaces. A total 10,000 square foot space supports 130 employees across 86 desks, with the capacity to increase headcount by 30%.
The BW brand is subtly integrated into the space again with blue glass tops applied to the top of the filing storage, which doubles up as an extra place for impromptu meetings.
Having the core of the building wrapped with circa 40 linear meters of bespoke wall joinery, that regularises an otherwise fragmented feature, allows for centrally located space for coats, stationery, and personal storage.
BW’s experience of delivering design concepts for clients means that they are acutely aware of those elements of design that require particular attention to detail from the start. For example the mix of soft and hard surfaces, and the precision finishing, closure of doors and dividing panels has been fanatically perfected, just as BW does for its client.
Steve Elliott, CEO of BW says: “We know how much the detail matters to our clients and it matter to us too. It would be unthinkable that we would not complete our own office in line with our objective to be DF@PC (Defect Free at Practical Completion). I am delighted – and a little relieved – to be able to say that we have achieved that as well as sticking to our own budget and timelines. We are delighted with the space as our clients”
