Ekho Studio references the textures of music at PRS for Music office

Photography: Billy Bolton

Ekho Studio has completed the new London HQ workplace project for music-royalty company PRS for Music. Speaking to new ways of working, the scheme promotes agile and hybrid working, and is underpinned by five design principles from the client: maximising value for clients, supporting new ways of working, promoting wellbeing and safety, allowing for future flexibility, and to be sustainability and environmentally conscious.

The design narrative has a clear and simple aesthetic rationale, punctuated by flashes of colour and creative details and with visual references to the textures of music throughout.

‘The new scheme has a minimalist and architectural feel overall’, Ekho Studio’s Ellie McCrum comments, ‘with clean and simple lines, areas of exposed London brick, bold graphics and some great pieces of joinery. Feature elements, lighting, planting and artwork provide colourful punctuation, whilst a subtle electric undercurrent of music permeates throughout and is mostly expressed through abstract allusions.’

Ekho Studio worked closely with Delta Light on the architectural lighting scheme. Guests are greeted by a dramatic ceiling lighting feature in the lobby that takes the form of a tubular, abstract bending loop as an expression of musicality and rhythm. Further musical elements are incorporated into the meeting rooms, including an allusion to stringed instruments in the form of bespoke navy rope detailing outside the glazing, which is a simple but effective device used several times in the scheme – and which also contributes to visual privacy between spaces.

New walls are painted in a minimalist white, contrasting respectfully with the three exposed areas of charmingly unrefined London brick across the perimeter walls. All desks are new, at a reduced size from the previous office iteration as a better fit for the new floorplate, whilst task chairs by Knoll were imported from the previous office. Wheeled planters offer flexibility when it comes to demarcating different areas, with some zones more geared towards collaboration and other areas quieter focus. A modular, multi-use breakout, event and collaboration space called the Forum offers a mix of casual, drop-in furniture clusters, focused around large-scale AV facilities.

‘Overall, this scheme is a very good representation of the direction of travel of contemporary workspaces’, Ekho’s Sarah Dodsworth summarises. ‘PRS for Music now has an integrated HQ for all its staff in a high-profile London location, with a big enough footprint to ensure all its needs are met and all staff functions can take place with ease – and style. At the same time, the project is nimble, agile and clever and looks to the future in terms of sustainability, technology and ways of working.’