A New View of London: Structure Tone’s New Home
After eight years, Structure Tone London’s office no longer aligned with the way their team works. With a maturing lease and a full slate of new projects to work on, the London team used their workplace expertise to find a new, even more productive, inspiring, and collaborative home.
OUT WITH THE OLD
Located in the heart of the city, Structure Tone London’s previous office sat on the first floor of a building near Leadenhall Market. Surrounded by narrow roadways lined with charming shops, bars, and restaurants on all sides, the space was well-placed but severely lacked natural light.
The layout was another pain point. At 6,700sf, the office dedicated too much space to circulation and reception areas, and three large, formal meeting rooms hogged the only windows
within the footprint.
To make sure employee needs and desires for the new space were being considered, Structure Tone London surveyed staff members to assess their employees’ top priorities. From the responses, it was clear Structure Tone Londoners wanted easy access to natural light throughout the day, a good location along popular transit routes, and a solid network of dining and coffee options. With this wish list to guide them, Structure Tone London’s leadership team began the process of finding a new space.
LOCATION MATTERS
After touring more than 20 office spaces, the site selection team landed on a winner—a building only 300 yards from the company’s old office. With slightly less square footage, encased in floor to ceiling windows, and surrounded by the staff’s favorite coffee spots and along familiar commuter routes, the space seemed like the perfect fit. Before signing the lease last summer, managing director of the London office, Justin Fahy, brought 20 employees to do a walk through and gauged their reactions.
“I don’t think any of us felt like we had any ownership or felt connected to our last space,” says Fahy. “With this new office, I wanted it to feel like we were all part of the journey.”
FORM AND FUNCTION
With buy-in from staff, Fahy turned the project over to his trusted team—including design manager Stephenie Whitton.
Based on input from staff, the layout prioritizes access to natural light for everyone. In the new office, employee desks were placed around the perimeter of the floorplate so most staff can see the London skyline all day. Less space is allocated to the reception and circulation areas, a variety of meeting rooms accommodate different meeting styles, and the layout in general intentionally encourages casual collaboration.
“I think the new office’s configuration has already begun to change behaviors around the office,” says Whitton. “We’re making the space work harder for us because we’ve got less of it.”
On top of delivering a new look and feel that the London team could take pride in, function was also key. The new space features a total IT upgrade, with double monitors and wireless equipment at each desk, as well as better acoustics. This change allows any employee to seamlessly work from any desk in the office any day of the week and have a very similar experience.
A FRESH START
Structure Tone London officially moved into the new office in October 2023—at the same time the team won a number of new projects. The excitement around the office is palpable.
“ The new space has really reminded us what we love about our work and about London,” says Fahy. “It’s like a home away from home, and that’s what we needed.”