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project report – ogilvy and mather


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Converting a landmark 1970s building into a central London HQ is one thing, but designing it to deliver radical new ways of working takes the challenge to a whole new level, as Ray Philpott dicovers.


hotel overlooking the Thames. But the envisaged hotel never materialised. Facing a


E


BUILDING PROJECTS


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struggling UK economy, the owners decided to open it as an office block instead. It was originally constructed as a massive, heavy, concrete


and steel grid over 11 floors with only a single circulation core and low floor-to-ceiling heights across much of the structure. It is, perhaps, not an obvious choice for relocating a corporate headquarters with the intention of bringing constituent companies closer together. But global marketing and advertising agency Ogilvy and


Mather Group UK did exactly that after commissioning BDG architecture + design and architects Matheson Whiteley to reinvent the interior.


njoying a prime location next to Blackfriars Bridge on London’s South Bank, Sea Containers House was originally designed in the 1970s as a luxury tourist


Having spent 20 years at Canary Wharf, in January


the company moved into a ground breaking workplace set in the creative and cultural landscape that includes the Royal Festival Hall, National Theatre, British Film Institute and Tate Modern.


Abandoning the traditional office concept


BDG Matheson Whiteley partnership has created a building designed for today’s working life, moving completely away from the traditional ‘cellular’ office concept. The interior of the floors where the various companies are located have been opened out vertically and horizontally. On each level there’s a mixture of working spaces to the east and west sides of the building and centrally, shared public and circulation areas encourage interaction between the businesses and offer informal working.


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