Sep
I recently photographed the new Adobe cutting edge office in London’s Shoreditch. The offices are located on the ‘Silicon Roundabout’ in London’s Tech City, a hive of innovation and the third-largest technology cluster in the world after San Francisco and New York City.
Adobe have taken 3 floors in the much talked about White Collar Factory development by Derwent London, one of London’s most innovative office specialist property regenerators. The building boasts high ceilings, abundant natural light and natural ventilation, thanks to concrete core cooling. And, as well as being a healthy place to work on the inside, there is plenty to do to keep fit and active with access to a roof terrace including a 150m running track and plenty of space to park bicycles.
The office will serve as Adobe’s new Sales & Marketing hub for London/Europe, and will house around 375 staff for the technology company.
The scheme has been designed by Gensler and Hoare Lea and managed by Turner & Townsend and is a mixture of open plan areas, meeting rooms, social hubs, a library, tech café and a games room. A major feature includes a ‘Customer Experience Centre’ – providing UK and European customers with an environment to experience Adobe’s technology.
Como was assigned to complete the 45,000 sq ft fit out with features including an interconnecting feature staircase constructed in bold, red perforated metal mesh around a steel structure that sits on a combination of concrete and timber platforms. Light cubes on wire mimic falling pixels spreading through the void space. The feature stair connects staff across levels 7 and 8 and reflects the industrial feel of the building. The overall aim was to create a feeling of home, not just a workspace, which tells the story of the Adobe brand and culture.
The soffit is generally exposed with fabric baffles aiding acoustics and aesthetics, punctuated with areas of suspended metal mesh. The fabric baffling continues with meeting rooms and meeting pods, along with large AV arrangements.
This layout provides a fluid working environment, meant to spur new ideas and unexpected collaborations. The employees may have an assigned desk or access to quieter individual work spaces, but they’ll also have a variety of group spaces if they need to work in a collaborative way.
Of course, Adobe has included an element of their creative spirit, with an installation of coloured mirrors that reflects the iconic London skyline, mimicking Adobe Photoshop filters. Plus they have also commissioned local creativity, with an exclusive ceramic centrepiece designed by East London artist Zachary Eastwood-Bloom.
The offices have been seen as a confirmation of Adobe’s commitment to the UK and Europe, continuing their mission to inspire creativity in people who want to make a meaningful impact around the world.
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