deMetzForbesKnight Our eighth and largest project for London’s top co-working provider, The Office Group (TOG). 1 Canada Square is an 8,000 sqm stylish CAT B fitout of 3 floors of Cesar Pelli’s iconic tower in Canary Wharf. Location Canary Wharf, London Size 8,000 sqm Client The Office Group Photography Gilbert McCarragher At 60m x 60m and with 39 lifts, 1 Canada Square is an impressive building, but one that has a great deal of dark, deep unusable space. Traditionally, fee earners would have occupied the prime areas to the perimeter, and the deep space would have been largely unused or dark. To solve this, our design focuses on creating linear co working / meeting avenues – connecting the 4 distinctly different views from each side of the building – flooding each of the floors with light, activating even the centremost parts of the building. Developing the design of the avenues, drawing in the context TOG occupies 8,000 sqm across three floors of the prestigious 50-storey office building, which forms the centrepiece of the renowned Canary Wharf estate. Designed by the late César Pelli and completed in 1991, the landmark One Canada Square skyscraper stands at 235 metres high and is currently the UK’s second tallest building, holding a striking position in the London skyline. The 3 floors are connected by a dramatic new staircase to create natural circulation amongst TOG members and provide access to the full range of amenities. Each 50m x 50m floor plate has been carefully set out to create a sequence of human scale spaces that feel intimate and warm, through the careful use of texture and craft within the upholstery, joinery texture and use specific floor finishes to denote different feels. Stylistically, the new interior references the materiality and tonal quality of the original building foyer, using rich figured terrazzo, mid toned sapele timber panelling and painted metalwork to create a welcoming, tactile and crafted working environment. Drawing inspiration from the base build detail A natural colour palette of deep blue, soft pink, smokey green and terracotta adds warmth and a mid century feel to the communal spaces. ‘Wherever we could, we designed spaces that celebrated the varied urban context’ Hollie Welch, Project Architect at dMFK “The space we’re taking at One Canada Square is huge; one of the largest workspace offers in our portfolio and a truly premium offer. Bringing TOG to one of London’s leading enterprise and innovation hubs is a major milestone for us and we look forward to opening up flexible working styles and environments to more traditional businesses who may not have had the chance before we arrived in the business district.” Charlie Green, Co Founder and Co CEO at TOG “We want TOG members to feel completely connected to their context – drawing in City Views to the west, the dramatic Reuters Plaza to the South, gritty Stratford to the north, and the eclectic eastern views of Canada Square and the O2. Our 9th project for TOG, we’ve worked together to advance their concept, each time evolving the blurring of shared and private space, giving members ownership of space well beyond their office and offering access to a range of premium spaces to everyone, not just the boss. Canada Sq is our most ambitious project for TOG to date.” Julian de Metz, Director at dMFK Back to top The Old Library, 119 Cholmley Gardens, London, NW6 1AA T: +44(0)20 7435 1144 E: info@dmfk.co.uk Copyright © 2021 dMFK