CLIENT
Buro Happold
DESIGN
Gensler
LOCATION
London, UK
COMPLETED
2023
As a world-leading engineering firm, Buro Happold places strong emphasis on how structures work and the performance of materials. For its new Shoreditch workspace, the company partnered with Gensler to create an industrial environment that celebrated raw materials, exposed joints and an honest expression of construction.
As the appointed furniture consultant, we combined the creative reuse of existing furniture with new pieces manufactured within 100 miles of the site, supporting both sustainability goals and the project’s material-led design intent.
Sustainability was a core priority from the outset, with the new Buro Happold office targeting WELL Platinum and BREEAM Outstanding. To support these ambitions, we developed a reuse-first furniture strategy that significantly reduced the upfront carbon impact of the fit out.
The results were substantial: 74% of task chairs, 87% of soft seating and 67% of café tables were reused from previous offices, delivering both environmental and cost efficiencies.
Alongside this, we specified new items manufactured in the UK, with most produced within 100 miles of the site by suppliers such as Rawside, Orangebox, Frövi and Flokk, supporting the project’s material-led and low-impact design approach.
By auditing and reconfiguring existing furniture, we helped Buro Happold reuse the majority of key items, supporting WELL Platinum and BREEAM Outstanding targets while minimising upfront carbon.
Spread across four floors, the new office demonstrates the quality and potential of British furniture manufacturing and highlights the sustainability benefits of local supply chains.
Buro Happold envisioned its new home as a showcase for its design values, with an emphasis on circularity, innovative construction and honesty of materials. The design team delivered a raw, industrial space softened with a rich palette of smoked cork, timber terrazzo, charred timber cladding and bespoke joinery.
We prioritised flexible, adaptable furniture that can evolve with the building while supporting the wellbeing of its users. A combination of low and high desking, sit-stand options and carefully selected pieces enabled a full suite of spaces, from collaborative areas to quiet wellbeing zones and client-facing settings.
