Peldon Rose design a connected workplace for InfraRed

Reflecting the collaborative nature and wellbeing focus of InfraRed Capital Partners, the new office supports the company’s workplace culture by providing areas for employees to socialise and relax, as well as a variety of flexible workspaces to suit all working styles.

Situated in London’s St Paul’s district, and offering stunning views of the iconic cathedral, the One Bartholomew building was designed by award-winning architects Sheppard Robson, and is ideally located for InfraRed, as the building sits equidistant between the city’s financial district and the creative hub of Farringdon.

The brief for Peldon Rose was to manage the relocation, design and build process for InfraRed’s new London office, while reflecting the key values of innovation, collaboration and wellbeing in a sustainable and diverse environment.

Seamless technology also lies at the heart of the design, offering employees flexibility of working style. Practical and diverse furniture includes integrated IT, which encourages employees to get together in an informal and comfortable setting, while the breakout areas feature dedicated tech bars for drop-in sessions and troubleshooting and all meeting rooms include AV capabilities.

In addition to open-plan areas a hub of meeting rooms offer the option of privacy and quiet in a more formal setting, ensuring areas for focus – while a second area offers more collaborative and informal meeting spaces, giving employees much-needed variety in their working environment and helping to ensure formal meeting rooms are free to be reserved when needed.

As a business with vast experience in real estate and infrastructure development, sustainability was also high on the agenda. ‘Sustainability is central to our vision, so the use of natural, and ethically-sourced materials was very important to us,’ said Sarah Gledhill, Head of Risk, Technology and Operations at InfraRed. ‘Peldon Rose did an excellent job fulfilling our requirements to allow us to apply successfully for the ‘Ska Gold’ accreditation by having minimal waste to landfill and using responsibly felled trees for the timber floors, carbon negative cork acoustic wall finishes and domestically-manufactured carpet.’

Biophilia and natural light are incorporated throughout the office, while exquisite and detailed features such as 50 hand-blown glass pendants from Canadian design studio Bocci can be found suspended over the tea point. The office has a dedicated wellness room, and around the TV and coffee bar cosy sofas create a homely space.

The stand-out feature, however, has to be the installation of a soft bench looking out across the sweeping views of the city – offering staff a special place to enjoy a few minutes away from their desks.

Project director Steve Taylor added: “InfraRed’s wealth of experience in infrastructure and real estate challenged us to think about every single detail and to ensure that our design ideas were based on a sound and well considered rationale.

‘Understanding what makes InfraRed tick was crucial. To reflect the business’ values, we have created a space that suits a variety of working styles to support InfraRed’s productivity and growth, as well as an area that fosters employee wellbeing. The result is that InfraRed employees now have an inspiring and comfortable place to work.’