MSMR Architects designs flexible workspace DL/78 at 80 Charlotte Street

MSMR Architects designs DL/78 workspace to double as "town hall"

MSMR Architects has designed a co-working office in London's Fitzrovia that can also be used as a space for talks or exhibitions.

DL/78 is located in 80 Charlotte Street, a new 30,000-square-metre mixed-use building designed by Make for property developer Derwent London. It is offered as an amenity to the company's office customers.

Workspace designed by MSMR Architects — DL/78 is designed to be used as a workspace or event space

MSMR Architects designed the space to be as flexible as possible, able to accommodate different types of office work and also events where Derwent London's community can connect.

According to the studio, DL/78 "can be adapted to serve as a town hall for hosting presentations, talks and exhibitions".

Desks in DL/78 workspace designed by MSMR Architects — The space is offered to Derwent London's office customers as an amenity

"Since the pandemic, there has been a lot of talk about the future of the office," said MSMR Architects' associate director Kevin Savage.

"It's been interesting working on a project that is challenging workspace norms and starting to anticipate changing needs."

Co-working space with curtain partitions — Curtains allow spaces to be sectioned off

With 780 square metres of floor space, the two-level DL/78 is spread over the ground and lower ground floors of 80 Charlotte Street.

Amenities centre around a grand double-height space, which is framed on two sides by high-level windows.

Different types of furniture help to organise this space into different zones, but can all easily be moved to facilitate different layouts when required.

Additional rooms wrap around one side of the space. These include a conference room, a series of meeting rooms, a wellness room, kitchen facilities and a public cafe operated by Lantana.

Meeting room at DL/78 — Meeting rooms are defined by glass screens

Glass screens are favoured over partition walls so that spaces can be both visually connected and acoustically private. There are also curtains, allowing certain areas to be sectioned off.

"This space is collaborative, flexible and more domestic in feel," said Savage. "Is that what future office space might look like?"

Walkway in DL/78 workspace designed by MSMR Architects for Derwent London's 80 Charlotte Street — Design details take cues from British Constructivist art

Visually, the space is designed to reference British Constructivism, a 1950s art movement with strong links to Fitzrovia.

This can be observed in both 80 Charlotte Street's architecture and the interior design of DL/78, with many details designed to express structure.

Cafe in DL/78 workspace designed by MSMR Architects for Derwent London's 80 Charlotte Street — The space includes a public Lantana cafe featuring bespoke terrazzo floor tiles

Key areas include the staircase, where mesh panels slot into the steel beams, and the junction between the balustrade and the exposed floor plate.

"A challenging programme meant that there was early engagement with trades and craftspeople during the design stages," said project architect Aaron Birch. "This allowed for a more collaborative approach, which is evident in the detail and finish which really elevates the space."

Exterior of Derwent London's 80 Charlotte Street designed by Make — DL/78 is located in the Make-designed 80 Charlotte Street in Fitzrovia

DL/78 is the latest is a series of projects that explore how office spaces might develop in the aftermath of the pandemic, with companies having to work harder to entice people away from working from home.

Other recent examples include a co-working space designed around wellness principles and an office with more meetings areas than desks.

Photography is by Jack Hobhouse.