50-60 Station Road, Cambridge

Winner of British Council for Offices Regional award 2020

The BCO Judges commended the spectacular welcome for those arriving at Cambridge railway station, and highlighted the building's "well-considered, welcoming entrance" and "clear focus on the health and wellbeing of its occupiers"

Aviva appointed JoWhiteDesign to create the lobby, cafe and a suite of wellbeing spaces within their new commercial development by Grimshaw Architects. The building brings a new quality to the region intended to attract global businesses especially from the tech sector. The development is designed to reflect Cambridge as a knowledge centre and hub for leading talent. Our reception brief included the selection of books relevant to Cambridge history and research. 50-60 Station Road is now home to Amazon, Samsung and WeWork.

Our client wished to provide an inviting and informal club-style environment and to avoid a static reception desk and waiting area. Our challenge was to accommodate a variety of functions at close quarters including cafe-bar, co-working, relaxed seating and cosy meeting booths. To create a strong moment of arrival, we designed a deep recess with sliding panels of intricate plywood textile - a glowing, natural backdrop for large-scale industrial lights. The bespoke rise-and-fall desk is designed both for meetings and informal greeting. On a sensory level, our aim was to bring warmth, personality and craft. We used natural oak, fumed oak and black-rolled steel for a detailed, industrial aesthetic.

Following Stage 3 we collaborated with Grimshaw to design a yoga studio, function room and tenant multi-use spaces over two levels. Although the upper storey was soon leased as office space, the reception scheme retains its focus on health and wellbeing. The result is a free-flowing arrival zone, touch-down reception table and cafe complete with a small library of books, providing a warm, relaxed experience for tenants and visitors.

Completed 2019