Office meets park with biophilic design

We teamed up with CBRE to design and fit out a collaborative, innovative and enticing place to work in Peterborough’s premier workspace, WestPoint. The main aim of the project was to split a single office in WestPoint into a number of individual workspaces to accommodate multiple tenants. We also built communal breakout spaces, a fully-refurbished reception area with a fresh arrival scene and a new gym.

Project partners

  • CBRE
  • Lexo
  • Orbit Property Management

Project description

Lexo-Atlantic Leaf Properties, the landlord behind the office’s refurbishment, wanted to entice tenants with a fit out that meets the wants and needs of occupants. With many firms embracing flexible working practices, these smaller ready-to-go spaces are perfect for fluctuating team sizes.

To make this a reality, we first stripped the space back to a blank canvas making allowances for an adapted mechanical and electrical system. Getting this right was important to ensure that the individual tenants will benefit from HVAC infrastructure which fits the floorplate’s new configuration. Each tenant unit has also been given floor-to-ceiling windows to maintain views and maximise light into each new space created.

Biophilic design fit out

WestPoint provides 95,000 sq ft of high quality office accommodation set in Peterborough’s finest green space, an impressive 22 acres of parkland. The building has direct access to the River Nene and the surrounding leafy trails, so naturally we used this close connection to nature to bring our design concept to life.

We took inspiration from the outdoors in every corner of this design and build project, from material selection and finishes to the orientation of furniture. This is the very foundation of biophilic design: to reflect nature and create a sense of the outdoors, indoors. Big vertical wall-hung planters with leafy foliage, potted trees, timber wall coverings, a marble reception desk with organic shapes and a soft, natural colour palette. We pulled out all the stops.

Smooth sailing collaboration

We also built two bridges to link the floorplates. Designed as boathouses, these pay homage to the river with a quirky and eye-catching shape. These nautical-themed bridges were a significant structural piece of work and will facilitate greater collaboration and movement through the space to communal zones.

The shared areas we provided include lounge settings with soft seating, wooden bleachers, booths and café-style tables. Tenants can come together and mingle, have informal meetings or simply use the touchdown zones to take a breather.

Best of both

Lexo-Atlantic Leaf Properties has given its tenants a bright, welcoming place to work in WestPoint’s newly refurbished space. It's taken communal and collaborative working and offered it neatly alongside purpose-built individual tenant units. The best of both!

Read more