Bird & Bird Offices – London
MCM Architecture has designed the new offices of law firm Bird & Bird, located in London, England.
MCM consulted widely with staff and the Bird & Bird steering group to communicate the designs at the outset to ensure there was buy-in across the organisation. It was important to help reassure staff that the new office would meet their needs in terms of the technology that allowed them to move around easily and in terms of appropriate quiet space for concentrative work.
The agreed layouts addressed these concerns successfully, and the building provides Bird & Bird with all the amenities they require, including extensive client facilities with a seminar space and client business lounge on the 1st floor and a further client meeting suite on the 12th floor.
A feature staircase was installed in reception to bring large numbers of visitors easily up to the seminar space and client business lounge on the 1st floor. The stair itself, designed by MCM and manufactured by EeStairs, is a focal point as you enter the building.
Due to the high quality of the base building, finishes were selected that respected both its design and finishes. MCM took a great deal of care to ensure that the finishes of the fit-out were of the same high standard and matched or complemented the base building. Feature elements such as the angled fabric panelling on the ground floor picks up on the profile of the façade of the building. The fit-out maintains the base build BREEAM rating.
At the heart of the building is the 11th floor, a central hub for staff to grab a coffee or a bite to eat, and where they can hold informal meetings throughout the day in a space specifically built to enhance collaboration. The lightness and brightness of the 11th floor and the tremendous views across London from the terrace help to make it a relaxed and dynamic atmosphere for all staff.
Within the working floors, Bird & Bird have moved away from the traditional cellular approach to a 100% open plan environment. This has been a big change for the organisation, and the briefing and early consultation was integral for making the change a success.
In the office areas, MCM have taken advantage of the excellent natural light and views by placing desks around the perimeter of the building. Opting to move in to a more open plan environment also had an impact on fit-out costs. These were substantially reduced, as there were limited modifications to the base build air conditioning on the working floors and a greatly reduced number of partitions were required.
To ensure that the integrity of the design concept was maintained throughout the construction MCM worked closely and successfully with the contractor, StructureTone, under the design and build contract. The whole team worked seamlessly together – and the result is a testament of what a fully integrated team, including client, landlord team, design team and contractor, can achieve.
Bird & Bird wanted the new office to reflect their openness to their clients, to provide additional services for their clients and to encourage collaboration and communication across all practice areas within the organisation. 12 New Fetter Lane has achieved that, with the new environment being very well received by clients and staff alike.
Design:Â MCM Architecture
Contractor: StructureTone
