Deloitte HQ: UK

The new 270,000 sq ft headquarters for Deloitte is the culmination of a four-year programme of redefining the workplace of the future for the firm’s people and clients. Deloitte’s aim was to reflect upon people’s needs and working patterns, offering up to 40 different working environments within the new site that promote interactivity and allow privacy, if desired. In its consultancy role, London-based GIA Equation developed the lighting design for client-facing floors, alongside staff social and informal working areas, which comprise the majority of the front of house spaces. These included The Academy, conference areas, collaboration areas, staff auditoria, event spaces, extensive client facilities, as well as the Observatory, cafés, restaurants and fine dining rooms.

The lighting design successfully reinforces the intention to create an environment aimed at encouraging staff interaction. Lighting was specifically designed for each space with appropriate task lighting and carefully great consideration has been given to ensuring optimum visual adaptation and minimising excessive visual contrast between non-daylit and daylit spaces.

Several bespoke luminaires were designed for the client-facing areas, such as in the Observatory and fine dining spaces. These sit alongside more traditional architectural lighting from LightGraphix, and when viewed externally, the internal lighting features are clearly visible, contributing to the creation of a landmark building.

Alongside a fine dining space, the headquarters houses a number of eating locations, from the staff restaurant to a brasserie and an ‘Urban Café’. These spaces are illuminated by a combination of architectural and decorative fixtures from the likes of Delta Light, Factorylux, Targetti, Orluna and Lumenpulse.

Elsewhere, lighting products from, among others, Erco, Barrisol, Vexica and Zumtobel add to a seamlessly integrated lighting scheme that becomes part of the fabric of the building. The Deloitte HQ has, since completion, become the largest office fit-out in the world to achieve in parallel leading certification for BREEAM and WELL, being both an exemplar in green building, and designed to enhance the wellbeing of its occupants. www.giaequation.co.uk