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The office is both stylish and sustainable
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The Soho office of Morgan Lovell is across two floors in a seven-storey, multi-tenanted office block – the type of building perceived as an environmental write-off. The challenges faced included working with the fabric of a 1960s building – and developing the refurbishment with the highest BREEAM score possible.
As a pilot project, the office fit-out needed to demonstrate a sustainable office interior can be achieved and look fantastic, even if alterations cannot be made to the main structure of the building.
Shared space
Now complete, Noel Street offers a realistic solution for many companies in the UK who operate in shared office space and are unable to make alterations to the main structure of their building. The office became the highest scoring project of its type in the UK, and one of the first fit-outs in the country to achieve the BREEAM Excellent rating.
The solutions
From recycled plastic for kitchen surfaces, recycled car tyres for entrance mats and clay-based paint to cut VOCs, every aspect of the specification was monitored by sustainably trained designers. These solutions included:
- a policy of reusing existing products – or using products sourced as locally as possible with a high recycled content and the ability to be recycled in the future – was implemented for products including fabrics, blinds, furniture and joinery.
- individual bins under desks were removed and recycling units have been built-in to the office, to encourage recycling.
- flexibility has been built in to enable parts of the office to be converted into seminar space – so other venues don’t have to be used.
- a heat recovery and air conditioning system takes energy from one area and releases it in another.
- staff comfort comes from access to natural light, and heating tailored to zones rather than an entire floor. A break-out area creates a heart within the office, complete with low lighting, booth-style seating and contemporary high-end kitchen fittings.
Product focus
- Various flooring products were used at Noel Street, including Forbo’s marmoleum and InterfaceFLOR’s Straightforward carpet, made from 80% recycled yarn.
- The walls were decorated using paint by Earth Born and a PVC-free wall covering from Tektura.
- The Ciranol workstations from Ahrend are 100% recyclable and produced using FSC-certified timber.
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