Mindspace Shoreditch, London EC2

Mindspace Shoreditch is a vibrant co-working space located in London’s East End. JRA fit out 4100m2 for the Mindspace co-working brand across levels eight and nine of 9 Appold Street, a 10 storey office building with retail at ground level, situated in Broadgate Quarter. The floors incorporate a diverse range of workspaces from meeting areas, lounges, hot desks, and private offices to kitchens and phone booths. Drawing on the Mindspace brand’s community ethos, the interiors represent the best in co-working accommodation by prioritising creativity and wellbeing in the design.

Mindspace and JRA collaborated seamlessly on the project to offer space to London’s start ups and entrepreneurs in the unique Mindspace house style enhanced by JRA’s local knowledge and office design expertise.

JRA was responsible for both the concept and developed design, as well as completing the planning documents and joinery package. Throughout, the studio also took on a monitoring role to ensure a high quality finish was achieved.

JRA’s brief at Mindspace Shoreditch was to create a design that felt true to the original co-working brand’s global hospitality style, yet distinctive to the East London area. The diversity of Shoreditch is reflected in the designs, offering quirky, boutique interiors that cater to new businesses and ways of working. JRA incorporated playful wall murals, a range of vintage furniture, and artwork, with exposed services and crittall style glass partitions, all curated to reinforce the eclectic character of the fit out’s locale. The result is a unique and uplifting working environment.

JRA created a striking shared reception for all businesses occupying Mindspace Shoreditch, and incorporated a range of spaces to cater to different work styles and activities including hot desks, touchdown areas, private offices, telephone and meeting booths, and larger board rooms with integrated technology. The team also provided amenities to encourage wellbeing and collaboration, such as breakout spaces, kitchens with coffee machines and beer taps, bar style seating, lounge areas, and larger spaces to host member’s events, lectures and workshops to bring individuals together in spreading knowledge and reducing isolation in the city.

JRA was granted planning permission to make upgrades to the fire strategy and enhance services and ventilation, essential steps to make the high densities of co-working viable and comfortable. Space was used extremely efficiently on the project to ensure a range of working typologies and leisure areas across the two floors, which are now able to accommodate 928 occupants. JRA’s extensive space planning studies in the initial stages of design helped to strike this balance and cater to 1:4m2.