A Tour of Skanska’s New Watford Office

A workforce of designers and and designers from structure agency John Robertson Architects lately designed a brand new head workplace for Skanska in Watford, England.

“Acknowledging how working patterns and workplace cultures have been impacted by the pandemic, JRA’s design centered on producing each a sustainable and futureproofed central workplace with hybrid working / hotdesking fashions built-in all through, together with a number of collaboration and agile working areas.

Working in collaboration with representatives from throughout Skanska, JRA’s design has resulted within the creation of a variety of various ‘homezones’ or ‘neighbourhoods’ throughout the constructing that are engineered to fulfill the wants of every workforce. These zones are supplemented by a wealthy mixture of agile and collaborative areas together with round 50 assembly rooms, collaboration centres, and coaching areas.
The mixing of those areas helps Skanska’s open and clear working tradition, encouraging workers to return collectively to share concepts and studying. The incorporation of a combination of formal and casual areas have helped to offer the constructing a way of group and a transparent id. To help worker wellbeing – and to reflect among the points of interest of remote-working – JRA has built-in breakout areas, wellbeing rooms, and quiet areas throughout the constructing.

As a frontrunner in sustainable building, Skanska required an workplace house that supplied important carbon reductions by optimising the reuse and recycling of supplies in addition to use of low carbon merchandise. 80% of the ground finishes are reused, in addition to 30% of the furnishings, whereas the brand new furnishings makes use of recycled supplies wherever doable. The supplies palette evokes Skanska’s model deal with the usage of pure and sustainable supplies. Pure oak has been used all through the constructing’s 4 flooring of workspace. That is integrated in a variety of approaches together with wall decorations, house partitions, and numerous picket design components together with oak storage cupboards, welcoming tea-points, and assembly islands.

A key point of interest for capturing Skanska’s philosophy of accountable building is the brand new reception desk, which pairs oak with ultra-high performing 100% cement-free concrete. Evoking each sustainability and engineering, the desk sample is a reference to the design developed for concrete buildings by Pier Luigi Nervi in 1958, the place structural optimisation was impressed by the leaves of the waterlily, Victoria Cruziana.
The reception is linked to the bottom flooring plate by a sequence of arches, conceived as reference to one of many largest revolutions within the historical past of engineering, the introduction of arches, which enabled the constructing of bridges and aqueducts, masking spans by no means achieved earlier than and nonetheless standing immediately. 3D backlit branding shapes full the house, whereas curated furnishings items showcase one of the best of Scandinavian design.

Within the interiors, the picket panels are complemented by inexperienced and earthy tones. Working planters, freestanding pots, and remoted tree benches are among the many biophilic options which goal to carry components of nature into the workplace, accentuated by the numerous quantity of pure mild throughout the constructing.”