Project Info
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Client: Saatchi & Saatchi
Interior design: Jump Studios
Architecture: Bennetts Associates
Size: 9,290 sq m
Duration: 18 months
Words by Emily Martin
Images by Gareth Gardner
In the heart of London’s legal district is the new London HQ for communications and advertising company Saatchi & Saatchi, moving from its base in Fitzrovia after more than 40 years.
Occupying a generously sized corner plot on Chancery Lane, a new building designed by architecture practice Bennetts Associates and with an interiors scheme by Jump Studios now delivers a workspace that evokes the can-do spirit of Saatchi & Saatchi.
Looking down into the central void, faced in reflective steel tiles
Entering through a landscaped courtyard, visitors are welcomed by the famous Saatchi & Saatchi ‘Nothing is Impossible’, motto in a stone step, brought to the new reception area from the company’s old home.
The Pregnant Man pub, which moved with Saatchi & Saatchi from its previous location
A central bar featuring brass tiles dominates the entrance space, with an open-plan design favouring a traditional reception area. The design reflects an open and collaborative working space, a key message to put across to visitors from the start. It moves away from the more cellular and partitioned feel of the agency’s former HQ.
‘Saatchi & Saatchi wanted guests to feel as if they are stepping directly into the agency, not a holding reception before the real thing,’ says Jump Studios project architect Andre Nave.
Visitors and staff enjoy using the coffee bar, at the ground-floor reception
‘They were keen to subvert the traditional o.ice in multiple ways like this, which meant we could create a truly effective space. It’s not every day that a client allows you to use Rachel Whiteread’s Ghost House, Grayson Perry pottery and Paul Smith suits as inspiration for their HQ.’
The Pregnant Man pub, which moved with Saatchi & Saatchi from its previous location
Jump Studios showcases a ‘British with a twist’ theme to include herringbone flooring, wainscot panelling, and houndstooth patterned upholstery. Bespoke lighting, furniture, flooring and finishes distinguish areas without the need for floor-to-ceiling partitioning, and so keeping the spaces open plan.
The ground floor also features a reflective steel tile covering a central void, illuminated by Ingo Maurer lighting, suspended from the ceiling of the first floor. Each floor features bespoke booths in pink leather, designed by Jump Studios, sitting in a pre-cast concrete frame, and walnut tabletops with data and power connection points. These flexible spaces provide break-out spaces for leisure or group working.
Custom-designed banquettes upholstered in pink leather are used for leisure or small meetings
Jump Studios also worked with furniture design company Bulo to create bespoke desks and shelving units for a variety of work stations. The units have been designed with a modular system, incorporating writable and pinnable panels for brainstorming and collaborative working.
‘Working closely with Saatchi & Saatchi’s senior leadership team has been incredible as they have embraced and guided design direction and ideas that other agencies would not dare to explore,’ comments Jump Studios’ co-founder and creative director Shaun Fernandes. ‘The feedback from the client is that it is now the agency they expected to be working at; which is just as it should be.’
Key Suppliers
Flooring
Bolon
Lighting
Ingo Maurer
Furniture
Bulo
