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Organic office design

The Body Shop HQ took their move from Croydon to London Bridge as an opportunity to celebrate their cultural values through creating a sustainable, collaborative, and above all, inclusive new head office.

This fit out sees The Body Shop back once again laying down their roots in central London. 155 Tooley Street is made up of a charismatic combination of three unique separate buildings, joined together as part of this fit out to create a unique six story workspace. This work also revitalised the surrounding areas with a new street-front facade.

Old beams, exposed brickwork, timber floor and visible ceiling services are perfect examples of where heritage meets modernity in this unique office design. Uneven floor levels offered design opportunities to create transparent walkway and stairwell links, representing physical and symbolic connections.

A cultural celebration

It was paramount that The Body Shop's new office was a physical embodiment of their values of diversity, sustainability, and inclusivity.

The layout needed to facilitate collaboration, allowing the community to connect and work together with ease and transparency.

The open plan layout is enhanced by collaborative furniture choices that aim to eradicate any remaining hierarchical barriers.

To live and breathe The Body Shop's ethos of sustainability, we re-used and recycled as many existing materials as we could from the original buildings.

Turning a new leaf

Creating an instant connection with The Body Shop's personality underpinned our approach to the design of the welcoming reception area.

The space embodies the sustainable soul of the brand - even the logo emerges through the lush green of the living wall. A mock-shop adjoins reception to showcase new products and reflect their ever-changing and immersive retail design.

Reuse and recycle

The reception desk is a feat of sustainability; made from recycled timber and topped with a flamboyant multi-coloured surface that's moulded from compressed plastic waste retrieved from the ocean.

Sustainable design continues throughout the fit out, as we used minimally-treated timber and pine to reflect the 100% natural approach used in The Body's Shop's products. Light greens and soft greys provide a resounding sense of calm in the quieter working areas.

Work your own way

Timber floors and rambling vines perfectly frame the ground floor breakout space, which is the beating heart and soul of the office. Exposed beams, rustic timber benches and mosaic tiles create a sense of old-meets-new fusions that reflects the wider personality of London Bridge.

Staff are encouraged to use the area as they wish; whether it's for a vitamin-D drenched meeting in the window booths, a coffee break at the breakfast bar, or a team lunch at the communal benches. For when everyone needs to come together it doubles as an open plan meeting area, complete with AV facilities - perfect for town hall meetings.

Working for wellbeing

Cellular offices were removed as all teams adopted a collaborative, open plan layout. Desks are arranged in agile clusters allowing for optimum productivity. Wellbeing was top of the agenda, so we ensured no-one works more than seven metres from natural daylight.

Privacy booths are located in designated quiet zones and a library allows for quiet concentrated work. Glass-fronted meeting rooms provide traditional meeting spaces, whilst still creating a sense of community. Anyone in need of a more relaxed breakout time can head to the attic where push flooring, bean bags and a TV await.

A natural connection

Respecting Body Shop’s sustainable roots, biophilia was a key driver in the development of the office design. Natural materials were celebrated with minimally treated timber being used where possible and an earthy yet vibrant colour palette provides the perfect backdrop for foliage used across the fit out.

For the high-volume flooring areas, we used a mix of timber floorboards and polished concrete tiles - embracing the local character of London Bridge.

Meeting spaces were carpeted in natural hues, complete with special carpet designed to trap pervasive allergens, promoting better air quality. With wellbeing a top priority for The Body Shop we wanted staff to leave the office feeling as invigorated as when they arrived.

  • 155 Tooley Street, London
  • 24,000 sq ft
  • Showcasing sustainability

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