tp bennett designs a fresh new spot for Aviva at EightyFen

Photography: Hufton + Crow

tp bennett has completed the new London office for Aviva at the mixed-use EightyFen in London’s Square Mile, also designed by the practice in 2021. The 115,000 sq ft workspace spans across six floors and has been designed to create a fresh and modern environment for Aviva’s clients and main hub for its London-based employees.

The practice used EightyFen’s signature light-filled atrium to create a visual connection and transparency across the business, focusing energy and attention inwards – a significant shift from the insurance company’s former home at the St Helen’s building, moving from a central core typology to a more dynamic and collaborative approach.

According to tp bennett, the design represents a milestone in the organisation’s commitment to fostering a positive workplace, breaking down siloes that were more prevalent in traditional offices and creates a fresh and modern workspace filled with light. “It was a special experience to deliver a fit-out in a tp bennett designed building in the heart of London’s Square Mile,” comments Shane Kelly, principal director at tp bennett. “Our close collaboration with Aviva has resulted in a truly fresh and sustainable headquarters, with modern spaces for agile working throughout. The workspace stands as a testament to the evolving landscape of modern offices, where design plays a pivotal role in driving culture and shaping the way people work.”

As such, the design focuses on creating community and enhancing connectivity throughout. A seamless client arrival experience starts from an exclusive concierge point on the ground floor, inviting visitors up a feature staircase suspended over EightyFen’s buzzy shared events space. Guests and staff are welcomed into a warm and invited reception space and gallery – complete with its own barista coffee bar. Meeting rooms of varying sizes line the perimeter as part of the client suite, and an additional sub-divisible meeting room offers flexibility for larger events.

To blur the boundaries and promote transparency between Aviva’s clients and colleagues, the first level has been designed to host a series of connected spaces. The client suite sits alongside the colleague hub with a variety of informal seating and a large kitchenette, providing a relaxed and casual space for interaction between colleagues or clients, and a new central staircase encourages chance encounters; opening onto activated collaboration zones and refreshment areas which wrap around the light-filled atrium.

A neutral, warm colour palette with a mix of timber flooring, carpet and tiles is employed throughout, and a series of wellbeing rooms – meditative spaces, a multi-faith prayer room, a first aid treatment room as well as a designated space for parents – underline the company’s commitment to wellbeing.

tp bennett worked closely with the client to craft a bespoke ‘Aviva Fitout Sustainability Strategy’ which aligns the design brief with Aviva’s ESG programme, including their climate-focused targets. This strategy set 105 new industry-leading environmental and social metrics over the project’s design, construction and operational phases, and was produced as a repeatable process for consistent use across Aviva’s portfolio. Working closely with the client as well as Hilson Moran, 24 Ltd, Overbury and multiple suppliers, the project achievements included optimisation of operational and embodied carbon, responsible and circular materials, health and wellness, social value and equality, diversity and inclusivity.

As well as sourcing products using ‘AD Lib’, tp bennett’s proprietary responsible sourcing platform, the project also achieved one of the largest embodied carbon calculations for a fitout on record – with more than 500 products assessed. Another key focus was on using the project’s exciting results to influence Aviva’s work culture, helping employees use their new office as sustainably as possible. As part of a wider user engagement process, tp bennett installed sustainability information tags onto furnishings and plants to help share environmental and wellbeing information to Aviva’s staff and guests. The performance of the fitout is design to be carefully monitored and continuously improved throughout its operation.