Bird & Bird – lawyers with wildness in their hearts

22.03.2023 / The beginning of the year 2023. Post-pandemic realities surprise even future optimists. Exciting? Terrifying? One thing is certain. The fact that suddenly we all become co-creators of new labor standards. A total remodeling is underway. This reinforces the reluctance to return to the office in employees and the concerns of employers.

What is needed is a change in thinking about work. More than half of employers see the reorganization of workspace as absolutely mandatory. So that:
+ make returning to the office a dream, not a nightmare,
+ make daily work realistically satisfying,
+ participate in the creation of new, responsible work standards.

We are doing it for the first time in our lives. And the same as always. In the Workplace – whether it is measuring ourselves against a new situation or an activity we know by heart – we are guided by the principle of
of serving the good of both humanity and the planet. And it works. An example?

A world leader in intellectual property protection, IT, cloud computing. Introducing Bird&Bird.

Serious people with wildness in their hearts. And a new office space. One that needed to be decidedly larger and to suit the specifics of the lawyers’ work.

B&B is our partner in not the first crossing. Cooperation on the design of the previous headquarters defined the start. The specifics of the work, the needs of the employees, the functioning of the organization – we have it in our little finger.

Workplace took over the responsibility for breaking the monotony of the spatial layout. So characteristic of a law firm.

But before we gave any answers, we asked hundreds of questions. Workshops are a time of steaming heads, scribbled pens and finality: the best results. We defined assumptions that allowed us to develop a working environment strategy that was meticulous to the details.

Returns to offices for Bird&Bird are to be anticipated more than Italian vacations. The final decision has been made: the new headquarters will be the Central Point building. 3 floors of space with a total area of about 2 200 sqm overlooking the very heart of the capital of Poland.

To match the level of the skyline, an equally spectacular aesthetic theme had to be established. We agreed unanimously. It has to be surprising, out of the ordinary and cause an accelerated heartbeat. That is, the way lawyers work in IT.

72% of surveyed brands working remotely are returning to the office or will do so in the near future (per report: EY).

Right from the HEX codes, the new space was supposed to ooze Bird&Bird personality. The characteristic stood next to the character.

We combined office minimalism with strong colors reflecting the youth of the team. We complemented the base whites, grays and graphites with deep navy blues and wine reds. The space was enlivened by accents in earthy colors or broken pink. We spiced up the whole space with warming wood. The synergistic collaboration of tradition with the freshness of B&B’s look could not have found a stronger expression.

We put a huge amount of substantive sensitivity into the very heart of the office: the networking area. The central part of the office required an adequate arrangement. So as to create a place conducive to both spontaneous interactions and planned integrations. Relaxation is served by swings, sofas sinking in their softness, and a good dose of greenery. On the ground, walls and ceilings, buds of plants filter the air – applause for @Florabo.

Efficiency is the result of many factors. And Workplace has indisputably taken care of all of them. Lawyers now sit in ergonomic chairs at desks with adjustable top heights. Concentration is promoted by panels wall panels that guarantee acoustic comfort. Court writings have not yet been in such good hands.

The customer area is the first place B&B guests encounter. Therefore, the design solutions were meant to draw the eye. Hold the attention. And subtly allow intuitive navigation in the the space. This is facilitated by ceilings sheathed in burgundy, pointing the way to the business lounge area. This one has been situated to give priority to views of the Warsaw city center panorama seen from a height of 70 meters. Elegant mirrors were placed on the walls, modernizing and optically enlarging the space.

As a studio focused on the well-being of people and the planet, we made sure that the furniture from the previous office got a second life (@ZeroWasteDesign is responsible for the coordination mastery). Countertops made from compressed plastic waste, natural and renewable materials, bitumen-free carpets. It was a must have.

14 months. That’s how long it took us to surprise the industry. From the attention to consensus with the philosophy of less waste, to the understanding of the needs of employees, to the transparent execution of the finishing work thanks to the Open Book by @Savills formula. All of these elements influenced the creation of a business card coherent with B&B’s identity. A business card that represents class to the four corners of the world.

Authors

Management: Dominika Zielińska, Bogusz Parzyszek

Project team: Ewa Jędras, Aleksandra Czarnecka

Project management on the Workplace side: Aleksandra Czarnecka

Visualizations: Paweł Deroń

Project support: Katarzyna Gajewska-Kulma, Aleksandra Piotrkowicz, Weronika Pariaszewska

Spacebranding & wayfinding: Damian Bieniek

Photos: Adam Grzesik

Text: Saints. Copywriters and The Advertising Orchestra

Project

Size: 2 200 sqm

Duration of process: 14 months