Launching with London Design District at the Greenwich Peninsula this month, Bureau is the capital's newest workspace offering. Balanced between office architecture and members’ club, Bureau has landed to provide post-pandemic respite to the city’s tired creative workforce – a step away from both traditional office space and working-from-home set-ups, and a clearly defined concept that stands apart from co-working space peers.
With interiors designed by architect Roz Barr, this creative club is the latest evolution in its genre – a ‘hybrid third space’, combining the freedom and flexibility of home working, with the focused structure, support, and sociability provided by the office environment, its creators explain.
Barr’s ideas on what constitutes the perfect modern workspace were already in development, as the architect gathered notes from past, pre-pandemic projects, such as Selfridges’ creative studios. But with Bureau and the pandemic, everything sped up. The architect told us back in February, when we previewed Bureau’s space: ‘With Selfridges it wasn’t about fitting in desks for everyone, it was about creating a studio culture, pin-up areas, places for informal meetings, places you could take your laptop and work in peace. There were freelancers coming in and out, working on particular projects. All that experience fed into Bureau.’
The space is also conceived as an elegant, sophisticated environment that mixes pale tones and natural materials – bold colours exist but are refined and measured, while attention to detail and a craft led approach ensure quality of design. Both hotdesking and fixed desk options are available, placing flexibility at the heart of the concept. Meanwhile, measures are taken to ensure Covid safety and avoid overcrowding – this is, after all, a project developed almost in its entirety during a pandemic.
Bureau is set in an HNNA-designed building a few steps away from the North Greenwich station, and right in the heart of London’s newest, and vibrant, creative hub – the Design District, consisting of 16 buildings for work and play. The club is a key piece in the puzzle for the District, which promises to become a playground for creatives, offering opportunities to work, connect and cross-polinate.
‘We want Bureau to be the Design District in microcosm – somewhere that nurtures a diverse and dynamic creative community, giving freelancers a space to grow their businesses, connect across disciplines, build networks and advance their careers,’ says the Design District’s director Helen Arvanitakis.
Bureau hosts Design District Creates
In that spirit, and kicking open its doors to non-members too, Bureau is about to host a design-debate extravaganza: part of the inaugural Design District Creates series of events and curated by the District and Wallpaper’s very own contributing editor Nick Compton. Launching on 15 September and lasting for a month, there is no better excuse to visit this fast-evolving part of London.
INFORMATION
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La Monique brings the French Riviera to Santa MonicaA transportive room of velvet, candlelight, and Riviera chic, serving French favourites with a modern wink
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Kat Milne is the designer behind fashion’s most intriguing retail spacesInfused with elements of the surreal, Kat Milne has designed stores for the likes of Marc Jacobs, Sandy Liang and A24. ‘People are looking for a more tactile experience,’ she tells Wallpaper*
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A refreshed 1950s apartment in East London allows for moments of discoveryWith this 1950s apartment redesign, London-based architects Studio Naama wanted to create a residence which reflects the fun and individual nature of the clients
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A refreshed 1950s apartment in East London allows for moments of discovery
With this 1950s apartment redesign, London-based architects Studio Naama wanted to create a residence which reflects the fun and individual nature of the clients
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In this Cotswolds home, drama meets minimalismCotswolds home Hiaven house, with interiors designed by McLaren Excell, is a perfect blend of contemporary chic and calm, countryside drama
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David Kohn’s first book, ‘Stages’, is unpredictable, experimental and informativeThe first book on David Kohn Architects focuses on the work of the award-winning London-based practice; ‘Stages’ is an innovative monograph in 12 parts
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Find solace in the forest at this expansive treehouse retreat in DorsetFor sale for the first time, a treehouse, Mallinson’s Woodland Retreat, is a tribute to the skill of designer and master craftsman Guy Mallinson
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Modernist Scotland explores the country’s impressive legacy of contemporary architectureA new book, Modernist Scotland, delves into the art and ambitions of the International Style in post-war Scotland, presenting 150 projects that typify an age of optimism and innovation.
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100 George Street is the new kid on the block in fashionable MaryleboneLondon's newest luxury apartment building brings together a sensitive exterior and thoughtful, 21st-century interiors
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Take a tour of Retrofit House, the live showcase inspiring sustainable homebuildingRetrofit House, a showcase for residential redesign using biomaterials and environmentally smart methods, opens in Birmingham, UK, spearheaded by Civic Square, Dark Matter Labs and Material Cultures; we paid it a visit
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How Maggie’s is redefining cancer care through gardens designed for healing, soothing and liberatingCancer support charity Maggie’s has worked with some of garden design’s most celebrated figures; as it turns 30 next year, advancing upon its goal of ‘30 centres by 30’, we look at the integral role Maggie’s gardens play in nurturing and supporting its users
