CBRE Henrietta House London: A showcase for modern working environments

The latest Sedus INSIGHTS look at how offices are becoming the favourite workplaces for hybrid work. The CBRE offices “The Henrietta House” in London are a perfect example of this. Rethinking the traditional office as a place of community is creating a whole new concept of how we will shape working environments in the future.

With the increasing prevalence of flexible working models, the number of places where people can work has greatly expanded. Companies are faced with the challenge of rethinking workspaces to not only make it easier to return to the office, but also to create a place where employees enjoy spending their time. CBRE rose to this challenge in the refurbishment of Henrietta House, creating an office that impresses with its diversity and focus on wellbeing.

Henrietta House offers a variety of spaces, often inspired by places outside the traditional office environment. This hybrid office combines the best of different worlds: It combines traditional workspaces with elements of apartments, hotels, universities as well as co-working spaces and offers amenities such as a gym and a wellness centre.

The building extends over seven floors, each offering different functions and amenities:

Basement: this houses a wellness area that allows employees to take spinning classes during the workday. There are also facilities to encourage cycling to work.

First floor: The reception area is more reminiscent of a boutique hotel lobby than a typical office reception. Special works of art in the lobby and on the stairs contribute to the inspiring atmosphere.

Second floor: The large and bright cafeteria is inspired by hotels and co-working cafés and offers a variety of seating options and configurations. An adjoining outdoor area with furniture and a barbecue area is ideal for social events in summer.

Second to sixth floor: These floors are dedicated to workspaces with a wide range of furniture and workstations. Private rooms can be booked for concentrated work.

Fifth floor: A family room offers a relaxing environment, ideal for breastfeeding babies and equipped with a changing table.

Sixth floor: An additional quiet room is available for reflection, meditation and prayer.

Seventh floor: A university-style library with quiet workspaces and private dining areas. An event bar with a spacious terrace equipped with many plants and garden furniture completes the offer.

Henrietta House combines the office with urban spaces such as boutique hotels, cosy apartments, dynamic co-working spaces, public libraries and wellness areas. The result is an inspiring and flexible office building that caters to the different ideas and preferences of employees. It allows them to choose spaces and configurations that ideally suit their tasks and needs throughout the day.

This innovative approach by CBRE demonstrates how modern working environments can be designed to promote employee wellbeing while increasing productivity. Henrietta House is a living example of what offices could look like in the future – places where people love to work and feel good.

CBRE, the world’s largest integrated real estate services firm, worked closely with Lazari Investments and design and architecture firm MoreySmith on the Henrietta House refurbishment. You can read more about this in Sedus INSIGHTS.