Sea Containers: where design meets function
Creating a new HQ for Ogilvy was a collaborative effort involving a variety of parties, says Sara Bean
All Images: Gareth Gardner
In a session at Clerkenwell Design Week a couple of years ago on the relationship between designers and property and facilities managers, it was suggested that those from the client side need to take more responsibility for verifying whether the proposed workplace designs will actually work for their business. After all, it is the client who has the greater understanding on which design solution is best for them. In practice, however, there are often complaints, especially from FMs, of disconnects between those who design the workplace and those who occupy and run them. So, it’s inspiring to learn of a project where, from the very top of the client organisation through the many parties involved – landlord, property consultancy, architects and client property services – a constructive partnership approach has resulted in landmark new-office HQs.
Earlier this year, Ogilvy & Mather Group UK relocated its businesses from multiple sites to the newly refurbished Thameside location of Sea Containers on London’s South Bank. Within the 20,000 sq m workplace there are a series of self-contained neighbourhoods that contain each company, while common areas support flexible working, collaboration and circulation. The spectacular overall result has resulted in a large variety of spaces available for the different companies in the group, which vary significantly in size and activity, all connected by a central shared zone that push the boundaries of commercial interior architecture. This is the culmination of a shared vision between designers and consultants, including BDG, Matheson Whiteley, Bollingbrook, Arup and StructureTone; property consultancy Cushman & Wakefield alongside James Andrew International, landlord Deerbrook and of course a fully engaged client team at O&M, spearheaded by chairman Paul O’Donnell.
While various of the Ogilvy companies were brought together in the building, they kept their own space while sharing communal spaces such as the one shown here
Explains George Roberts, partner London markets at Cushman & Wakefield: ‘O&M had two sites, one in Canary Wharf and one in Westbourne Terrace, and the objective was to consolidate them into a single site, which needed to be achieved by early 2016. Over a period of time we looked at more than 30 properties. We had a close run on a number of options, which didn’t come to fruition for a number of reasons. And then we focused on Sea Containers. ‘It was regarded as attractive for a number of reasons; it was accessible, it was available and it had the bones of a building that could result in a really creative environment for the businesses in a location that was perceived as becoming more attractive to media and tech occupiers.’
There was one major issue however. Sea Containers House was in the process of being stripped out, and in the very early stages of construction. ‘Because Sea Containers was originally designed as a hotel, the building had lower floor-to-ceiling heights than would be typical of office buildings of the same age, and our concern initially was that the volume of space in the building might be a problem,’ says Roberts. ‘Also, because the landlord wanted to increase the height of the building, it was difficult to visualise at that stage what that would look like and we weren’t convinced the floor-to-ceiling height would be suitable.’ To help the company make its decision, the developer agreed to show the property again in two weeks – at which point part of the floor and the bathrooms had been finished.
A circular staircase links floors
Says Roberts: ‘This gave us a very clear impression of what it looked like, and even scaffolding had been put on on the roof to show us the height the new floor levels would be at, which is quite unusual. That demonstration of intent gave us confidence that this was a developer we could work with, who ultimately would deliver the environment we wanted, and at that point on it was really a case of working together to try to build an environment that O&M wanted.’ BDG architecture + design had been brought in when there were still three buildings on the shortlist to carry out a comprehensive analysis of all the available options. It reviewed future working patterns at O&M, including an analysis of the current workplaces and shortlisted buildings; mapped movement patterns and established a hierarchy of spaces.
And at this stage, recalls Colin Macgadie, creative director at BDG architecture + design, ‘It was less about the architecture at this point and more about the organisational relationships.’ Once it was decided that Sea Containers was the preferred choice, BDG was asked to give its vision of how it could be transformed into an O&M space. Says Macgadie: ‘We suggested a big intervention into the building as we wanted to create 12 structural openings throughout the building on varying scales: from small quick stairs that took you from one space to another, to a large amphitheatre on floors 12 and 13. The design would consist of fast connections – straightforward staircases aimed at providing rapid access, while slow connections would meander between floors, encouraging interaction and chance encounters.
Meeting rooms are provided within the central stack of shared space for working activities
These new structural openings would account for around three per cent of the original floor space, and would result in not only much greater connectivity between teams, but also much improved ceiling heights and more daylight than previously. A critical initiative was to divide the three-storey zone from floors nine to 11 into three distinct vertical ‘stacks’, each occupying one-third of the width of the building, known as the west, central and east stacks. This created a grid of nine spaces, with a series of manageable ‘humanised’ volumes of space. ‘To achieve this however, would require really significant alternations; and remember this was a space that the landlord has already delivered, so we wanted them to leave about 50 per cent at the original shell and core as we’d got other ideas on the final design,’ says Macgadie.
‘The real-estate team from Cushman & Wakefield negotiated with the landlord to enable these big changes, and how we would hand it back at the end of the lease. And to the credit of everyone, when you look at the ambition of the project and the quality of the environment that we were passionate about helping to create, everyone bought into the ideas. ‘There was a huge amount of collaboration between designers, developers, building owners, professional real-estate’s team and project managers, to help deliver something which was a very creative response.’ Carol Kavanagh-Hall was the programme manager at O&M for the project: ‘My role was for the bit in the middle, reporting to O&M’s leadership team and making it happen with the help of the extended professional design team, which included a change manager, facilities manager, IT project lead et cetera. The entire project was very design-led, and in that way I suppose O&M is a dream client for the likes of BDG, as when it saw the design it wasn’t afraid of taking a bold approach.’
A colourful staircase with transparent sides sits in a double-height space with views over the Thames
The result is certainly bold, with the complex building not only designed and refurbished as a collection of brand ‘neighbourhoods’ for the various companies but also with the entirety drawn together by a network of public spaces, including an amphitheatre, winter garden, restaurants and cafes. By concentrating workspace on the lower parts of the building, the upper two floors have been dedicated to shared and hospitality functions, including a cafe/bar, bistro, private dining, 200-person double-height amphitheatre and new roof terrace. In this way, the building now competes with the South Bank’s existing bars and restaurants in offering world-class catering and hospitality facilities, aimed at both occupants and visitors. Says Macgadie: ‘This is a business that has approached its long-term lease in this part of the city in a very grown-up way and said “we’re going to contribute to the area”. I believe that if the lease had gone instead to financial, pharmaceutical or multiple tenants, for which it was first developed, we would not have an investment that adds to the cultural fibre of the South Bank, and over time we’ll see it’s not just successful for O&M, but also contributes as a great space on the river.’
The decision that half of the new space would be designed from shell and core to better influence the space brought its own challenges. ‘We were on a very tight timeline, and we knew we had to make a lot of structural changes,’ says Macgadie. ‘However, the landlord and its project team were delayed on site so we were designing at the same time as the landlord’s team was preparing for us to take over. That required a collaborative approach and meant in practice that we came on site to make structural changes while the landlord’s construction team was on site in other part of the building finishing off. ‘During this process, the perseverance of Bollingbrook, O&M’s project manager, and real-estate team and the willingness of the landlord to work out the best solution for everyone to meet their programme and not make an issue out of it, in the world of construction in particular was very refreshing.’
Lower floors are given over to workspaces, while upper floors are dedicated to shared and hospitality functions
Although O&M had already embraced flexible working practices, it was still moving from a predominantly static working environment to a dynamic new design that would support new ways of working. Understanding what the new building could deliver when faced with what was essentially a concrete shell was a challenge – so BDG came up with a variety of ways, including model-making, visualisation and data analysis, that could demonstrate spatially and architecturally how the new space would work. Says Kavanagh-Hall: ‘The model went around everywhere and really helped to articulate the build-up of the building, as this is always difficult to see in 2D or even in 3D – but to see it as a model helped massively to put the layout and the sheer size of it into context.’
A wall is made colourful with the addition of skateboard tops
Given that the whole concept of the new environment involves a focus on enhanced communication through movement, choice and availability of a diverse range of spaces, the level of communication required between the myriad of people involved in the project was of course a vitally important ingredient – with ideas exchanged at regular steering group meetings, executive meetings and brand workshops. O&M also fielded change champions from the business who championed the move for change within the new building and move champions who helped on the physical side of the move, while an internal comms person kept everyone at the firm informed of what was happening. The role played by O&M chairman Paul O’Donnell in the project was also crucial. Says George Roberts: ‘The client was outstanding, absolutely outstanding, in the sense that Paul O’Donnell drove the project, and his vision for what he wanted to create didn’t waiver from the outset – even before we started looking at buildings – so, we had a clear vision of what it was the client wanted to create.’
A cafe/bar offer means that the building can happily compete with the South Banks’ existing facilities for staff and visitors
Once the right building had been found, ‘he could see through the construction process to what was being proposed, and so it was not a difficult task for us to help visualise what Sea Containers could offer because Paul O’Donnell could see it for himself,’ explains Roberts. Macgadie agrees. ‘Over the three years of the project the CEO turned up to nearly every meeting to make decisions, and that’s what I’m trying to replicate with other clients, because if you do invest time you’ll get a great project in the end,’ he says. The move into the completed building took place during the first three months of 2016, and the innovative layout – inspired by ideas of landscape design – uses the central stack with a series of gently cascading terraces, suspended platforms and wide stairways to help create an ‘undulating landscape’ that connects floors and fosters a ‘collaborative nucleus’ for the building.
Spaces for informal meetings and breakouts are provided
The layout also offers a series of long, diagonal vistas through the building and over the Thames, while also generating double and triple-height volumes, completely obviating any sense of claustrophobia that may have been caused by the low ceilings. These long views through the space are also about encouraging people to adapt to the flexible working by making the facilities highly visible. The entire central stack of space on these three floors is designated as shared space, ‘common areas’ containing the ‘slow’ connections between floors as well as supporting various flexible working activities – ranging from solo touchdown spaces to large meeting rooms. Says Kavanagh-Hall: ‘The occupants love the building, and it’s no wonder as it’s like no other office environment I’ve ever seen in London or indeed anywhere.’ She advises: ‘To others going through this process, have some faith in your professional team as they’re the experts for your vision and always work together, which we very much did. It was always a total partnership – hand in hand, every step of the way.’
