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Pearson

Igniting the role of the workspace in a ‘technology first’ future

Client

Pearson

Location

London, UK

Status

Completed

Discipline

Interiors

Sector

Workplace Occupier

Size

36,000 sq ft

Solution

When leading learning company Pearson wanted to update its central London office space, tp bennett looked at the brand’s shifting identity – from a traditional publisher to a digital media learning company – to ignite the role of the workspace in a ‘technology first’ future.

Situated across a single floor within the Grade II listed art-deco building Eighty Strand, tp bennett designed the company’s newly renovated 30,000-sq-ft office space as a destination for collaboration, both within Pearson’s own organisation and to showcase the brand when hosting customers, clients and other company stakeholders. The office provides 700 work spaces – with less than 80 of those as traditional sit-stand ‘desks’. Traditional event space, meeting rooms and hot-desking facilities, alongside an ‘innovation hub’ and town hall-style café, offer employees a choice of workspace to create an ‘activity-type’ focus that puts learning and knowledge-sharing at the heart of employee culture.

tp bennett executed a deep refurbishment of the internal space, re-exposing the original structural steel frame that had been hidden by previous works and white-washing the walls to create a calm and focused environment. Furniture elements are adaptable, developed as a ‘kit of parts’ that allows the internal layout to be easily adapted to future needs.

Shane Kelly, Principal Director at tp bennett, said: “The priority for Pearson’s new space was to create a workplace that epitomises ‘commute-worthy office design’; an office that does more than provide employees with desk space but actually encourages them to connect with colleagues. By doing this, we have reinforced the individuality of the organisation’s culture as an important element of talent attraction and retention and our design sets the tone for future workspaces.”