Freshfields

 

Architect/Design
ID: SR Sheppard Robson

Location
London, United Kingdom

Opening
2020

Interior
Soft Cells Tracks on walls in Meeting Rooms, circulation areas and the Auditorium
Soft Cells X panels installed in ceilings within Client Meeting Rooms and the Reception

 

Singular Circularity
The London headquarters for legal firm Freshfields incorporates a Kvadrat Acoustics solution to enhance acoustic quality and promote a lively, healthy, productive environment. The interior concept of the award-winning, sustainably-design offices aims to deliver wellbeing, confidentiality and subtly luxurious materials.

Circular thinking – in terms of the use of sustainable materials and the inclusion of circular forms – is a signature characteristic of the offices. A circular designed ceiling in the reception, which incorporates an acoustic solution comprising of Soft Cells panels in a series of unique shapes, references this approach.

Elsewhere, in the client meeting rooms, rectangular-formed accessible acoustic Soft Cells panels offering Grade A sound absorption are fitted within a metal grid on the ceilings together with Soft Cells Tracks on the walls. Soft Cells Tracks are also integrated into the walls of circulation areas, collaboration areas, alternative work settings and the auditorium.

Most of the acoustic Soft Cells ceiling panels are upholstered with Casa, while the panels on the walls are covered with Steel Cut Trio. The exception is the auditorium, where Twilight and Ginger are the specified textiles.

“Acoustics are very important due to the confidential nature of lawyers’ work, as well as creating healthy environments with no echoes and so on. We also had to work with the specific geometry that’s part of the ceiling design. And we were targeting SKA 'Gold’, which we knew Kvadrat Acoustics could help us to achieve. The team have been great to work with.” says Sarah Laurisch, Associate at ID: SR Sheppard Robson.

The light-filled Freshfields headquarters fosters the firm’s collegiate culture and helps to attract and retain talent. The construction earned a BREEAM ‘excellent’ sustainability rating, while the fit-out with only recyclable or recycled items won a SKA Gold rating for realising a 30 per cent reduction in carbon use.

Imagery by Jack Hobhouse