The fit out of McKinsey & Company’s premises at the Post Building, located in Holborn’s Knowledge Quarter, won the ‘Fit Out of Workplace’ award at the 2020 British Council for Offices (BCO) awards for London. The prestigious annual BCO awards celebrate excellence in UK office spaces, providing public recognition for outstanding design and functionality, whilst setting a benchmark for excellence in workplaces.
Forming part of the Post Building, formerly a Royal Mail sorting office, the fit-out for McKinsey & Company’s offices across the upper half of the building was completed in summer 2019 and comprises 126,000 sq ft of premium LEED-Gold standard space. Designed by architect Morey Smith, this stunning fit out is based around three core principles: encouraging greater collaboration with clients by providing space for co-working and collaborative events, smart use of technology to allow seamless secure virtual collaboration, and employee wellbeing to facilitate both creativity and peak performance.
Based around a series of agile ‘neighbourhoods’, office spaces are lit by natural light with supplementary circadian lighting. Staff enjoy an enviable range of amenities, including a gym, mothers’ room and relaxation rooms, together with wrap-around terraces offering panoramic views of the city.
Waterman’s specialists provided the structural design for the fit out, incorporating several highly aesthetic features including a unique feature ‘zig-zag’ staircase linking McKinsey & Company’s main floors with their client meeting floor. Our involvement with the Post Building also extends to its lower half, where we undertook the fit out of Nationwide Building Society’s new digital and technology innovation centre and we are currently preparing the design for one of the ground floor retail units.
For more information about the BCO awards and to view a full list of the regional winners, click here.
