Fostering collaboration, sustainability and inclusivity

We’ve successfully completed a major fit out project at 80 Charlotte Street in Fitzrovia, London for global management consulting firm Boston Consulting Group (BCG).

Project partners

  • Gardner & Theobald
  • Core 5
  • Piercy & Co
  • TB&A
  • Watermans
  • PTS Consulting

Project description

The eight-storey, 377,000 sq ft mixed-use development includes residential accommodation, affordable housing, retail and office space and BCG occupies 123,000 sq ft on the top four floors. BCG requires a variety of working spaces that foster collaborative environments for its various functions, both between its internal employees and in client work. The organisation has a passion for creative problem solving and finding innovative solutions to complex problems, so the building had to reflect this modus operandi with dynamic and inspiring workspaces.

Level eight features client suites and collaborative team rooms, while level seven acts as a hub for the office, comprising HR and main office suites. Levels five and six, meanwhile, are larger floors dedicated to the individual needs of BCG’s different departments. These are home to a mixture of bespoke boardroom-style tables and more private working pods capable of catering to a variety of working styles and situations.

Enhancing the experience

Where the interior featured concrete ceilings with steel beams and metal framework prior to the fit out, the way in which sound travelled was an issue. BCG needed to prioritise acoustics and AV technologies given its unique business, culture, and work processes as a consultancy. As a result, we implemented a number of AV technology solutions, installing fabric rafts in the ceiling to dampen noise while also enhancing aesthetics.

Bespoke = better

Key to the success of the fit out was the use of bespoke, high-end finishes.

The centrepiece of the entire project is arguably the stairs – an interconnected, easily seen, and accessible avenue between each of BCG’s four floors. Embodying BCG’s focus on collaboration, it is a statement piece that can allow three individuals to pass each other simultaneously at any one point.

Prioritising sustainability

BCG’s top requirement for 80 Charlotte Street was to achieve a net-zero carbon development, so property developer Derwent created one of London’s first ‘all-electric’ buildings, using technologies such as air source heat pumps powered by electricity from renewable sources

Overbury therefore took on this aspect as another crucial point of consideration. Where the building had achieved a BREAAM excellent rating, our installations could not affect this. This is why we used natural, high-end products.

Aligned with the client's core priorities

Alongside environmental concerns, BCG is also committed to being a diverse and inclusive company, and maximising the wellbeing of its employees. Within the building, we therefore implemented wellbeing rooms and mother rooms on each floor.

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