Sponsored by ISG Interior Exterior
Opulent and with impeccable workmanship, the building reflects a competitive business ethos with excellent working conditions
Spectacular may for once be too limited a word for the way Clifford Chance has equipped its towering new HQ at Canary Wharf. This is corporate fit-out on a grand scale with little expense spared.
There are hugely generous spaces in areas such as the various reception floors and staff facilities that would outdo any top-class offices. Yet Gensler was given a clear brief that quality and design should match the status of this international legal firm. There was also a powerful subtext that businesses like this are only as good as their staff. Something very special was thought to be needed to draw them out of the former City HQ into London’s Docklands.
Despite the opulence and impeccable workmanship, the building still reflects a strict and intensely competitive business ethos. Everything is ordered and highly controlled. Staff are rewarded by excellent working and support facilities with a superb restaurant, squash courts and a swimming pool.
Although heavily cellularised, the standard floorplates are well laid out and fairly flexible, with a well-designed furniture system. Secretaries have quieter areas that face the main circulation route, but they can still enjoy spectacular views because fringe offices are heavily glazed.
The IT functionality is impeccable in the workspace overall, of course, but the use of technology reaches new heights in the way it allows adjustments to lighting and the environment.
Again, this reflects not just an ethos of control, but the value attached to individual staff. They may be under pressure to perform in this competitive workplace, but receive every help from the fit-out.
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Address 10 Upper Bank Street, London Client/owner/tenant/occupier Clifford Chance Project manager GTMS Quantity surveyor Northcroft Brief consultant Gensler Architect Kohn Pederson Fox Associates (Intl) Interior designer Gensler M&E engineer Hilson Moran Partnership Structural engineer Yolles Contractor/investment/property company/developer Canary Wharf |
