In Canary Wharf at the iconic One Canada Square building, designed by César Pelli in 1991, London based dMFK Architects has refurbished three floors of office space to a design inspired by the American corporate interiors of Philip Johnson and Mies van der Rohe.
The 80,000 sq ft office within the 50 storey building (London’s second tallest) was commissioned by The Office Group to fill a market gap for flexible work space in the traditional financial district – it can be adapted to fit businesses from four to 1000 people. Other assets for employees include dedicated recharge zones and informal break-out spaces, while the Peloton bike area in the fitness studio is another work perk.
There’s a clear nostalgia for the mid-century era across the design. The architects combined Kvadrat fabrics with linoleum-faced joinery to bring tactility to the shared spaces. Inspired by the original building foyer, a grand coloured marble and polished steel affair, the architects’ selected rich figured terrazzo, mid-toned sapele timber panelling and painted metalwork for the workspaces.
You won’t forget which floor you’re on either because each floorplate has a different sequence, and a dramatic staircase spirals through the floors. New linear avenues added by the architects connect views and bring light into the core, while a colour scheme of deep blue, soft pink, smoky green and terracotta.
INFORMATION
-
Out of office: the Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekMuch of our team was in Copenhagen for 3 Days of Design this week. For those left basking in the London heatwave, it was architecture workshops, photography exhibitions and two very different performances: ballet and Britpop
-
The best bars in London for bartending greatnessFrom chic hotel cocktail classics to game-changing flavour combinations, our resident drinks correspondent, Neil Ridley, explores ten of the best bars in London
-
Milan Fashion Week Men’s S/S 2026: live updates from the Wallpaper* teamFrom 20-23 June, Milan Fashion Week Men’s arrives in the Italian fashion capital. Follow along for a first look at the shows, presentations and other fashion happenings, as seen by the Wallpaper* editors
-
A new London exhibition explores the legacy of Centre Pompidou architect Richard Rogers‘Richard Rogers: Talking Buildings’ – opening tomorrow at Sir John Soane’s Museum – examines Rogers’ high-tech icons, which proposed a democratic future for architecture
-
At the Royal Academy summer show, architecture and art combine as never beforeThe Royal Academy summer show is about to open in London; we toured the iconic annual exhibition and spoke to its curator for architecture, Farshid Moussavi
-
This ingenious London office expansion was built in an on-site workshopNew Wave London and Thomas-McBrien Architects make a splash with this glulam extension built in the very studio it sought to transform. Here's how they did it
-
Once vacant, London's grand department stores are getting a new lease on lifeThanks to imaginative redevelopment, these historic landmarks are being reborn as residences, offices, gyms and restaurants. Here's what's behind the trend
-
Lego and Serpentine celebrate World Play Day with a new pavilionLego and Serpentine have just unveiled their Play Pavilion; a colourful new structure in Kensington Gardens in London and a gesture that celebrates World Play Day (11 June)
-
Inside Abbey Road's refresh: touring the legendary studio's new interiorAbbey Road gets an interior refresh by Threefold Architects, bringing the legendary London recording studio in tune with the 21st century
-
The Serpentine Pavilion 2025 is ready to visit, ‘an exhibition you can use’The Serpentine Pavilion 2025 is ready for its public opening on 6 June; we toured the structure and spoke to its architect, Marina Tabassum
-
A meticulously crafted artist’s space in east London evokes the area’s long creative historyMaich Swift Architects’ artist’s space has radically reconfigured a Victorian terraced house, transforming it into a contemporary live/work interior
