The hallmark of a modern business is flexibility and agility, and that applies to your office space as much as it does to your culture and infrastructure. In a world of hybrid working, the office has changed its purpose from simply being a place to sit all day in front of a computer screen, to one that has a pivotal role in the culture and success of an organisation.

Flexibility means the ability to scale up by adding to your space with new desks, floorspace, or moving to a new office or building without leaving the Canary Wharf Estate. However, it also means office workspace design that allows you to move around throughout the day thanks to a variety of working areas. In Canary Wharf you can create, craft and personalise your working environment to suit you, your team and your goals – even as you all evolve.

Personalised office workspaces in Canary Wharf

In Canary Wharf the options for personalising your office space to suit your needs are many and varied. From having one or two desks in our coworking start-up office space at Level39 (L39), to taking a blank canvas and having it fitted out to your exact specifications with office workspace design ideas from our MadeFor: service.

The evolution of personalised workspaces

The changing world of work, and the evolving mindset of employees, particularly as Gen Z emerges into the talent pool, has had a profound impact on the expectations that we all have around our workspaces. Employers realise that employee wellbeing and happiness is a fundamental part of retention and productivity, while employees themselves are better able to advocate for themselves and their wellbeing needs.

McKinsey reported that the three types of modern flexibility today’s workers demand, and that employers cannot afford to ignore include:

• Where work can be done
• When work can be done
• How work can be done

While many employers acknowledge and enable the first two with hybrid and remote working, this last point is a crucial one. The ability to move around the office when you’re there, rather than being chained to a cellular desk, is important. Company office design ideas can include a variety of seating options, collaborative as well as private workspaces, places to have coffee while having a meeting with a colleague, pods for video calls and more. All these options and more are a fundamental part of creating workspaces that people want to be in and that support their health, wellbeing and productivity.

At Canary Wharf we’re dedicated to a ‘Made for You’ approach, which allows businesses to create bespoke workspaces to suit their own needs and those of their employees. From shared space to taking up an entire building, we have more than 30 years’ experience in office leasing and management. 

Here, you are part of the shared community of amenities as an entrepreneur on your own or with a small team. Equally, we can fit out entire floors of office space on behalf of occupiers to bespoke specifications and office workspace design ideas, manage the buildings and provide facilities management as well.

Crafting office spaces that speak your brand

The height of customisation in our office design ideas is through our MadeFor: offering, where businesses can choose Cat A or Cat B options that can be fully fitted out and managed to individual brand requirements. This is thanks to our complete in-house capabilities from our construction arm which delivers our office buildings and internal office fit-outs, to our management team which looks after the operations, logistics and maintenance on an ongoing basis. 

Within that you can not only structure and style your physical space as you want, but opt for lease options to suit your business as it evolves. You may have started on a short-term flexible office lease for up to 12 months within our L39 incubator space (for small businesses of 20 to 50 people). Then you can matriculate to part of a floor or a whole floor on a medium-term lease. Finally, when you reach a critical mass, you can move to a space up to 100,000 square feet on a longer-term lease. 

Unlike other landlords who will provide the space but leave you to find external contractors to develop office design ideas and make it your own, we can do it all, bringing together your company needs and time schedules with the specifics of your requirements.

Office spaces that adapt to the needs of dynamic teams

Growing businesses often require the ability to adapt quickly, which not only means flexibility in terms of the lease and structure of the space, but even within the office workspace design itself. 

For example, that might mean utilising office workspace design that offers moveable walls and modular furniture, allowing you to add desks or change the way the space is used quickly and without disruption. 

The ability to grow whilst staying in one place is also crucial. It means you don’t need to find new premises that require teams to change their commutes or customers to get used to a different place to visit, thereby not putting those respective relationships in jeopardy.

Scalable spaces for growing businesses

Where once upon a time many people considered Canary Wharf the home of established businesses alone, today it’s a vibrant hub for businesses of all sizes and everyone has a richer experience as a result. 

It’s still home to global leaders in traditional sectors such as finance, but it’s also a thriving community of start-ups and scale-ups – some of whom have become global leaders within that environment. Revolut, for example, started with two people in our L39 tech community space and has scaled with us to 80,000 square feet of The Columbus Building, complete with its own individual office workspace design.  

The sense of community that we cultivate through that diversity of organisations is also an intrinsic part of helping residents to evolve. We have created specialisms within our ranks (such as our tech incubator hub at L39) and our world-leading life science facilities at 20 Water Street, but these sit alongside other sectors complete with people who are interested in investing, supporting and nurturing new ideas.

The result is a structured environment that enables serendipitous opportunity, creating scalable options not only in terms of the physical office space, but the ecosystem within which it sits. 

Configurations to boost productivity 

Alongside that ecosystem are the office details, creating diverse areas within the space to cater to different work modes and activities. From neurodiverse needs to spaces that support collaboration or independent work, office design ideas that meet the needs of different people, tasks and times of the day are at the heart of what we do.

From ensuring acoustics are just as you need them, to temperature control, biophilic details to support wellbeing, tech infrastructure, colour choices, breakout spaces and energy efficient lighting for sustainability, whether you’re in a shared space or your very own customised office, we have considered all the details and configured offices to boost productivity and workplace wellbeing.

Beyond the basics: premium amenities in Canary Wharf 

We understand that in a competitive recruitment and commercial landscape, creating an office space that optimises temperatures and has great lighting is the bare minimum. So we go the extra mile, no matter how much space you’re occupying, making Canary Wharf the ideal location for businesses seeking to attract top talent.

Unlike most landlords, we don’t just oversee the buildings – we oversee the outside spaces around the buildings as well. That means we’ve been able to create amazing areas beyond the office that attract employees and make clients want to spend time in and around your business. 

• There are more than 300 retailers spread across five malls offering everything from luxuries to everyday conveniences. 
• More than 70 restaurants, bars and cafés are great for out of office meetings or after hours entertainment.
• A roster of more than 100 culturally inspired events each year encourages team members to spend time in and around the working environment, as well as creating opportunities for team activities.
• A raft of health and leisure opportunities make it easier for everyone to enjoy a good work-life balance.
• More than 16 acres of landscaped parks, gardens and verdant squares enhance everyday experiences, support wellbeing and make it a genuinely wonderful place to spend time.

Health and wellness facilities

Integrating wellness into the working week is an important part of creating a healthy, thriving working environment. Within office workspace design that includes features ranging from ergonomic seating to clean air and natural light. However, beyond the office walls, it also means creating opportunities for team members to enjoy their health through easily accessible sports, fitness, medical and wellness facilities.

The Canary Wharf estate has been carefully curated to include all aspects of wellbeing, from the outside spaces to gyms, multidisciplinary clinics for osteopathy, sports massage and physiotherapy, spas, beauty practitioners, private GPs, dentists and more. It doesn’t stop there either – to ensure team members have the fuel they need to feel totally nourished, our collection of restaurants, bars and cafes are complete with a raft of healthy options, from post workout nutrition to dinner that nurtures mind, body and soul.

In short, the Estate makes it easy to work, work out and wind down seamlessly, ensuring team members have everything they need to maximise their work-life balance, enhance their health and enjoy their careers to the full.

Communal spaces and networking hubs 

Part of having a satisfying career includes networking and social opportunities, from those everyday water cooler moments to the chance to meet and learn from industry leaders.

At Canary Wharf we create opportunities to nurture connections, never knowing where they may lead. Our coworking spaces are complete with communal areas, such as L39’s community Space39 cafe, and our hot-desking opportunities give residents the chance to connect in comfortable communal areas. Our buildings are designed to encourage movement within and without, never knowing who you will meet as you go about your day.

More formally however, we also bring professionals, entrepreneurs, game changers and leaders together with a host of networking opportunities and a jam-packed events diary. For example, you can hear academics, influencers and entrepreneurs discuss their specialist areas through Wharf Talks; we have a speaker series dedicated to the interests of young professionals through Wharf Connect; and our Out of Office Society features workshops, talks and skills development. You can find out more by downloading the Canary Wharf app.

Last, but not least, the estate is brimming with social spots for after-work meet-ups, whether you fancy a drink after work or gathering with colleagues for fairground games with a difference.

Get an office space in Canary Wharf 

Finding an office that is simultaneously state-of-the-art, dynamic enough to let you evolve and grow, bespoke enough to be tailored to your needs, and established enough to exist within an environment that offers you and your team personal and professional support and enjoyment is a rarity. However, in Canary Wharf that’s exactly what you get. By gaining access to a wide range of office spaces, lease options, expert knowledge and capabilities for office design ideas and fit-out, as well as a purpose created physical infrastructure and connected community, businesses of all sizes can have it all in Canary Wharf. 

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