The New Workplace Revolution

At Alphabeta we are created a literal bridge between the funksters of Shoreditch and the City’s financial marketeers, and providing space for individuality to flourish - a new street connecting the two.

Written by Richard Hywel Evans

So what is this revolution that takes us away from the regimented uniform lines of worker bees?

Is it the modern craving for individuality or a space that says this is me, I’m proud of it and it reflects my values.

At Alphabeta we are created a literal bridge between the funksters of Shoreditch and the City’s financial marketeers, and providing space for individuality to flourish - a new street connecting the two.

Arriving at work by cycle ramp direct from the street through the Atrium into a secure parking area with support services - changing, showers, mechanic it’s the literal heart of this building.

The Building User moves into the Atrium - a reverse hero space - no more silent marble, worship of the Corporate with a uniformed ex-Military welcome, but rather a place to start work picking up your e-mail and meeting with colleagues in a busy buzzing environment that might well be your Office for the the next 3 hours.

Of course fuelled by coffee, but happy to share the space, happy to share a table and ideas, we celebrate this diversity by reflecting change within the section with our projecting facade reflecting the energy and maintaining visibility.

Using materials that are importantly honest, genuine and authentic with no facades to hide the buildings mechanics.

We are fortunate in having such amazing materials within the existing building and where possible we have combined spaces to encourage visibility and to increase chance encounters between these individuals so no more departmental walls but rather open galleries where the users can choose how and where they work, bearing in mind that this flexibility can also create more efficient working layouts where expensive under utilisedmeeting rooms are not required.

Outdoor space where meetings or lunch or reflection are valued highly and actually proved deciders for our Tenants.

These expressions of individuality can equally benefit from hard edged concrete frames where the actual ‘about me’ items stand out and sometimes space is used to express the Company culture, “we care about you there’s room to think”.

So open forum shared spaces, with direct communication in preferably huge volumes - that values the Cubic not the Metre rate.

The best meetings are at the Breakfast Table they always are so make it huge and share or inside the minimum perceived enclosed space - this worked very well actually and the idiosyncratic is celebrated.

Co Working which has embraced these individual requirements has changed the way that Companies think about space - if their staff are more creative and happier in shared environments then will they really be signing 10 year leases when someone else can provide the space more effectively than they can - perhaps they wouldn’t dare to commission their own fireside chat areas but love it when others do.

This means that dual and multi function areas and furniture are emerging, when a Bar might become a Reception Desk or Laptop Bar and many other things over a day or week.

Real Communal Working suggests new seating and layouts that are entirely flexible and can be arranged to suit the task.

We are entering a period when new buildings will be created with these multi functional spaces alongside dedicated areas so less BCO compliant speculative development and more specific areas for Events, Meetings and Workshops.

We have created a building space that embraces these new ideals BUT this Revolution is certainly Interesting as Alphabeta was originally built in the 1800’s as an Insurance Headquarters with very specific needs, long live the revolution.