MarketAxess
London, UK
Leading International FinTech Company
Longtime client, fintech firm MarketAxess engaged Spacesmith to design a full-floor expansion of their London office. The firm had outgrown their 20,000 sf space on the 10th floor (which our firm had designed in 2013) but wanted to remain in the building they occupied. Therefore, they acquired an additional 20,000 sf on the 12th floor. As their NYC HQ had done the previous year, the UK office was also undergoing a big shift in its organizational structure by embracing a rebranding effort. In order to target a younger, more tech savvy crowd, the firm’s focus shifted to transparency and offering the types of amenity spaces competitors provide to their employees.
The UK office requested areas for open communication, scrum team stand-up meetings, and a flexible training space, as well as an environment with amenities that could attract and retain top talent. The expansion also needed to have a plan and systems in place for future growth.
To maximize efficiency and transparency, the majority of the new floor holds open, height-adjustable benching systems. In an effort to not only conserve energy, but to also focus on the inhabitant’s well-being, natural lighting is accessible from all workstations.
Similar to the NYC design, and to encourage collaboration, the remainder of the space is flanked by a variety of meeting rooms and a large café.
Unique to this London location, the employee lounge features three zones for different types of group activities: training, eating, and lounging. Each zone is defined by the aid of a feature wall – a media wall, a café amenities wall, and a live green wall. All are fit with light weight, modular furniture to allow for easy reconfiguration.
Another key element unique to the expansion and a main focal point of the design is the command center – a curved wood wall featuring eight large screens to showcase MarketAxess’ product. The command center greets guests in lieu of a reception and shields the workstations from the entry.
Not to compete with the colorful graffiti wall running throughout, the overall palette of the design is clean, modern, and neutral. The command center features natural oak, tying into materials used for the 10th floor and NYC design. Pops of color in the furniture accent the space, as well as relate it to the graffiti’s scheme.
“Spacesmith’s designs have supported our goals to showcase ultra-modern technology capabilities, as well as our shift to a more open, inclusive environment that attracts and retains top talent. Our new space truly speaks to our core values and has its own unique character. Spacesmith really delivered and we could not be happier.”