News

This week, NLA launched their latest research report, ‘Adaptive London: Reusing Existing Buildings’ which celebrates London’s global position in adaptive reuse, emphasising a retrofit-first approach as a critical route to shaping a more resilient, sustainable city. The report showcases a selection of best practice examples, highlighting the key factors driving successful adaptive reuse, as well as the challenges and constraints that must still be addressed.

As a practice, we’re passionate about the potential of adaptive reuse to drive more sustainable development, and are proud to have worked on a number of transformative projects that have extended the life of existing buildings. We are delighted to see two of our projects featured in the Adaptive Reuse Project Directory — the transformation of the Grade II listed Castlefield Viaduct into a free-to-access urban park and the heritage-led retrofit of Plant, a Grade II listed office building and its gardens in Basingstoke.

We’re proud to be part of this important conversation and look forward to keeping it going. You can read the report and find out more about NLA’s wider programme of research and events here.

We are delighted to share that our recently completed project, the AA Headquarters, has been named a finalist in the UK Fit Out Awards in the Large Office (£7.5m+) category!

Following our work on the retrofit of Plant in Basingstoke, we were engaged to work on a Cat B tenant fit out to create a new headquarters for the AA. The relocation marks a significant change in the AA’s vision for the future, with a new modern environment to reflect their forward-thinking ethos and evolving workplace needs.

Responding to changes in styles of working, the new space adopts an ‘activity-based working’ model, allowing employees to have more autonomy over the way they work. As employees continue to favour flexible, hybrid work schedules, the reasons for attending the office have become more focused on socialisation and collaboration. Our design provides a variety of alternative work environments, including flexible, collaborative and private spaces, to cater to a diverse range of needs and preferences.

Inspired by the Scandinavian philosophy of hygge, the design focuses on wellbeing, blending the comfort of the home with the productivity of the office. It is targeting BREEAM Outstanding and is WELL Platinum enabled.

You can read the full list of finalists here!