A stack of assembly rooms and a moss-covered wall overlook the atriums of Right here + Now, a pair of workplace buildings in England refurbished by structure studio HawkinsBrown.
Knowledgeable by altering attitudes to office design following the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2 buildings have been renovated with a deal with wellbeing and a connection to nature.
They’re situated inside a wider enterprise park in Studying, previously utilized by Microsoft.
Related by a bridge at their centre, the 2 buildings comprise totally different services. One in every of them, named Right here, presents house for extra established firms, whereas the opposite, named Now, accommodates places of work for smaller firms and start-ups.
“Right here + Now could be situated on a enterprise park, not in a metropolis centre, which gives customers with a a lot nearer connection to nature and due to this fact higher alternative for exercise and wellbeing,” HawkinsBrown accomplice Massimo Tepedino advised Dezeen.
“The concept is that firms can scale up or down and thereby keep on the campus for longer – this finally helps to create a way of group,” he added.
Whereas the 2 buildings share an analogous materials and color palette, the finishes of every had been barely totally different primarily based on its tenants.
The method to the Now constructing focuses on more cost effective, versatile areas, whereas the Right here constructing is completed to the next specification.
Every of the 2 buildings options a big arrival atrium designed to evoke a way of “surprise”.
Within the Right here constructing, this house has a stack of assembly pods described by HawkinsBrown as a “treehouse”, whereas dehydrated moss-covered balconies animate the atrium in Now.
Shared by each buildings are a spread of on-site facilities, together with a gymnasium and therapy rooms, in addition to a “life-style supervisor” who organises occasions and workshops.
“The good thing about having two buildings share facilities is that workplace areas can accommodate a variety of budgets, whereas everybody advantages from best-in-class facilities and the chance to socialize with established professionals and younger entrepreneurs,” defined Tepedino.
The glass and steel buildings of the prevailing buildings have been handled internally with wood panelling, which enhances new wood seating areas and nooks.
Explicit consideration was paid to the color scheme, with a muted palette supposed to evoke the close by pure panorama and create a calming environment.
“We all know that colors can facilitate, regulate, and even affect folks’s behaviour – our color palette takes its cues from the pure panorama and compliments the impartial tones of the prevailing buildings,” defined HawkinsBrown.
“The loos take inspiration from spas and accommodations, with inexperienced shades and daring graphics create a powerful visible connection to nature and a relaxing atmosphere.”
Right here + Now has been shortlisted within the massive office inside class of Dezeen Awards 2023.
Different initiatives not too long ago accomplished by HawkinsBrown embody a scholar hub at Queen’s College Belfast with RPP Architects and the transformation of the historic Central Basis Boys’ College in London.
The images is by Jack Hobhouse.
