In our latest collaboration, we’ve created a tailored workspace that expresses the qualities that FORA’s brand and workspaces are synonymous with – generosity, flexibility, style, comfort and tech – but it’s the over-arching sense of community and belonging that informs this design.  Montacute Yards responds to recent shifts in co-working trends to appeal to larger companies who are prioritising the diverse needs of their workforce as they return to work and features exceptional levels of comfort, well-being and choice, more usually associated with the hospitality sector.

A calm and welcoming reception space at the heart of the ground floor leads to a rich mix of spaces giving teams and individuals greater choice about where and how they might orient their day, with flexible space to sit, meet, drink coffee, a formal boardroom and informal breakout spaces for collaborative working. More intimate meeting rooms at lower ground floor feature kitchens, banquette seating and spill-out spaces, as well as bike parking, showers and a gym. A sense of home or belonging is emphasised with an inviting colour palette and furniture carefully chosen to add variety, texture and an intentionally domestic aesthetic. Surface materials, including timber, are designed to be warm to the touch.

Workers or ‘residents’ as FORA call those who use their buildings, can choose to take a whole private floor or a designated office space and are able to customise that space with a flexible bespoke system of doors, partitions or desks. Busy, communal kitchens, immediately visible as you enter each floor, feature islands, creating a more domestic and sociable feel. Workspaces are located close to windows and each floor offers access to outdoor terraces. A circadian lighting strategy adjusts throughout the day in response to levels of natural light coming in to the building. LED strips are used to uplight offices and create a softly glowing ‘sky’ and contribute to a sense of calm.

Interiors have been designed to contrast and complement AHMM’s contemporary steel and glass envelope, and feature luxuriant planting, bold textiles and warm lighting in a variety of spaces, settings and seating in which to make yourself at home. Playful references to the industrial aesthetic, include a mesh reception curtain at ground floor, industrial lighting, exposed steel beams and perforated metal finishes.

Photography by Jack Hobhouse.