London-based office design specialists, Area Sq, have designed the EMEA headquarters for Box, a online file sharing and cloud-based
content management service company. The new office can be found in Mayfair, London, England.
An iconic black cab meeting room has been created by office design company Area Sq in Box’s new EMEA headquarters in Mayfair. The cloud computing company wanted something iconic and fun to stimulate and inspire their staff and Area Sq dismantled and reassembled a decommissioned taxi to take pride of place in their new home.
To ensure consistency of Box’s culture and creativity, Area Sq took the design standard from the new San Francisco offices. A striking
reception greets guests who can explore Box’s services on iPads and get a glimpse into the colourful and inspiring open plan office.
The creative approach to meeting spaces encourages collaboration and stimulates employees, with bright meeting pods, a London
taxi made into a meeting room and a striking industrial breakout area which features exposed services, timber rafts and wood flooring. In this breakout area employees enjoy catered lunches, banquet style seating, table tennis and snacks and often hold larger team meetings.
The bright open plan office includes height adjustable work stations which are broken up with bright accent furniture, colourful write-onwalls and extensive IT and audio visual installations to help showcase their products and flexible working.
Speed of delivery and quality was central to the contemporary office design project, as was creating a flexible space which could adapt as the company continued to grow.
Amanda Godwin-Jones, head designer at Area Sq, said to Adelto: “Box totally embraced the design which had links back to the US office, but has a quintessential European feel. We love working with young innovative companies that are ready to be brave. Who doesn’t want to have a meeting in a taxi?!”
What was the biggest challenge during the project?
Area Sq had no access to the site or recorded drawings which made initial design and planning works challenging. As a result, we had to quickly build a detailed understanding of the building, find solutions and evolve the design once we gained access and started on site.
How would you describe the design of the office?
To ensure consistency of Box’s culture and creativity, Area Sq took the design standard from Box’s new San Francisco offices. It is a colourful and inspiring open plan office, with a creative approach to meeting spaces, breakout areas and reception. The design is also a flexible one, allowing the space to adapt as the company continues its rapid growth.
What stands out the most for you in the office design?
The London taxi meeting room – we were given a budget of £10,000 to create a landmark piece in the office which celebrates their first office in London. The break-out areas, such as this, have been designed to feel like an oasis away from the workstations and have a completely different look and feel. Other areas, such as the staff canteen, features banquet style seating and table tennis – it’s somewhere staff meet for lunch, refreshments, presentations or a bit of relaxation and fun.
Images courtesy of Thierry Cardineau
